The Brocade Baby (Rewrite) Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Waiting

13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

14 Let all your things be done with charity.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

 

Timotheos and Barnim enjoyed walking the dogs as it gave them something to do, especially on this beautiful sunny day. Sure the dogs tended to go in different directions and had a bad habit of tangling each other up because of their many leashes but it was still fun and easier to handle than you'd think. It was already late afternoon by the time they got back to the house but didn't mind as it was a pleasant walk for everyone. As they finally arrived back home, they saw Miranda sitting on the rocking chair in the living room feeding Ambroise with a bottle while Brielle placed the dishes back in the upper cabinets.

"Oh hi Brielle! Hi mom!" Timotheos greeted casually with a hint of surprise in his tone."

"Oh bonjour, Timotheos and to you Monsieur Dirk," Brielle replied as she walked towards the 2 men and pet some of the dogs.

"And you too, Brielle," Barnim replied. "This is quite the surprise. We've only had Ambroise for a day and now people want to babysit him." Everyone chuckled at his comment before Barnim took the dogs' leashes off and allowed them to roam around the house. Since the dogs took a very long yet refreshing walk, they were more relaxed and tired to the point where even Schnell (the most hyper-active out of all the dogs) couldn't jump up to greet Brielle. Though Brielle didn't mind when the dogs jumped up at her, as she had met them many times before, she preferred that they didn't get too hyperactive or they might accidentally ruin her clothes. She watched as Angus and Schnell snuggled together on the living room floor near the fireplace while Bruno, Valeria and Aldo laid next to Miranda and Ambroise. Ambroise was still wrapped in his lavender blanket while sitting on Miranda's lap as she fed him his bottle.

"So, how's he doing?" Timotheos asked Miranda as he got closer so he could see Ambroise.

"Oh he's doing fine," Miranda replied. "To be honest, I was worried for a moment that he wouldn't like the bottle but to my surprise he actually enjoys the formula that Dr. Fuchs suggested."

"Well, that's a relief," Barnim said. "I was worried for a moment that he was one of those stubborn babies who prefers real milk rather than that powdery stuff. Remember when Timotheos wouldn't stop drinking breast milk until he was about 7 months old?"

"Grandpa!" Timotheos cried out in embarrassment as his face turned red. Brielle and Miranda couldn't help but giggle as they both remembered how stubborn Timotheos was when it came to Miranda's attempts to wean him. Though it was incredibly frustrating at the time, as he would get fussy and even shove or throw food in her face, she was eventually able to get him to start eating solid food like pureed fruits and veggies. Potatoes and chicken worked wonders when it came to getting Timotheos to finally start eating solids though it took some time for him to get used to it. Strangely enough, her husband had an easier time feeding Timotheos though granted it was due to him pulling the airplane move on him every time he got picky.

"Well, in his defense, Miranda's milk must have been quite the nutritious delicacy if he didn't want to trade it in favor of mashed up food," Brielle commented with a teasing tone, causing both Miranda and Timotheos to blush.

"Um, thank you?" Miranda replied with uncertainty and slight embarrassment in her tone.

"Can we not talk about this please?!" Timotheos cried out in exasperation, causing everyone to laugh. Though they didn't mind teasing Timotheos or messing with him at times, they decided it was best to talk about something else as he was very sensitive when it came to topics like this.

"Anyways, I should probably get going," Brielle stated as she walked towards the front door. "I need to make some dinner before it gets too dark."

"Okay then, goodbye!" Miranda said as she held Ambroise up so he could also "wave" goodbye to her. Brielle smiled as she noticed how everything Ambroise did made him look cute regardless of the situation.

"Bye, Brielle!" Timotheos said as he waved goodbye to her.

"Bye, have a safe trip home," Barnim said as he too waved goodbye to her.

"Don't worry I will. Goodbye," Brielle said as she put her shoes back on and left the house. The moment the door closed, Miranda decided to start making dinner and got up so she could place the bottle on the dining room table before going to her father.

"Here, you can hold him while I start cooking," Miranda said as she gently placed Ambroise in her father's hands.

"Oh sure!" Barnim replied as he cautiously held the baby in his arms while Ambroise squirmed a bit so he could get his arms out of his blanket. Though Barnim had experience when it came to holding infants, as he held both Timotheos and Audrey in his arms when they were around Ambroise's age, it had been a while since Barnim had actually held a baby. Once he held the baby, he sat down on the rocking chair while Timotheos sat on the floor next to Angus and Schnell.

"He's so tiny in my arms," Barnim commented as he held the infant in his arms while Timotheos watched with a smile on his face. Now that Ambroise was full and wore a new outfit thanks to Miranda and Brielle, he stared at the 2 men with curiosity and innocence in his eyes which could make everyone melt. Timotheos was in a state of awe over how adorable Ambroise looked in his new outfit, which was a baby blue onesie with indigo buttons at the top along with a teddy bear image on the front. Ever since Ambroise came into his life, he had been feeling much better and it seemed that baby gave him a sense of hope. A certain kind of hope that helped Timotheos move on from his father's death, especially since he was very close with his father back when he was still alive. Not to mention, Timotheos had become quite attached to the baby ever since he began staying with the Blumenthals. However, a certain part of Timotheos felt scared and saddened over the chance that he may never see Ambroise again due to Ambroise's mother promising to come back for him. The only time he was ever really happy was when he was with his father and spent time with him. Now that this happiness was returning to him, Timotheos didn't want to give him up to his birth mother and wanted him stay with the Blumenthals forever. At the same time, Timotheos realized that was a selfish mindset that no one, not even his late father, would approve of and he was forced to accept the fact that the baby who he considered a brother will have to go back to his original family eventually. But that didn't stop Timotheos from wanting to spend as much time with him as possible even if it would last only a month.

"Hey grandpa? Can I hold him next?" Timotheos eagerly asked to which Barnim smiled and nodded before getting up so he could hand him over to his grandson. Timotheos got up as well so he could hold the baby but he had to be careful not to drop him. Though Timotheos held babies before (as he and Audrey once babysat her infant cousins with help from both their mothers), it had been a while since he too held a baby so he tried to be careful when it came to holding Ambroise.

"That's it, just gently. Gently. Remember to support the neck, it's very vital," Barnim instructed as he finally got Timotheos to properly carry the baby.

"Thanks," Timotheos replied as he nervously held the infant in his arms as carefully as he could. He calmed down when he finally held the baby properly and allowed him to adjust to being held by someone other than Barnim and Miranda.

Ambroise looked straight up at Timotheos with his bright caramel eyes and seemed to smile as he sucked on his left fist. Once again, Timotheos and Barnim couldn't help but smile at how adorable little Ambroise was, though Timotheos felt that it was best for Ambroise to use the pacifier rather than his own thumb.

"Um, grandpa could you uh…" Timotheos began as he motioned his head towards the nearby dining table as Ambroise's pacifier was left there earlier.

"Oh sure!" Barnim replied as he went to get the pacifier for Timotheos while the young man went to sat down on the couch right across from the rocking chair. Ambroise continued to coo and make silly yet intelligible sounds as Timotheos continued to hold him. Barnim quickly walked back with the pacifier in his hand and placed it in Ambroise's mouth as the baby eagerly sucked on it.

"You were right, he really is tiny. Tinier than I thought," Timotheos stated as he adjusted his arms for Ambroise to lay against.

"Well, he is supposed to be 3 months old. Who knows, he might grow just a tad bit bigger by next week," Barnim replied.

"You think so?" Timotheos asked out of curiosity.

"Of course. I mean that's how it was with you and your mother," Barnim answered. "You were both perfectly healthy but really small babies at the same time. It wasn't until a few weeks later did you grow bigger."

"Hmmm, I see," Timotheos said as he furrowed his brows in thought and pondering.

"Talking about babies makes me want to have great-grandchildren now. When are you going to give me some great-grandchildren?" Barnim playfully asked with a cheeky grin.

"Grandpa, I think it's a little early to be talking about that," Timotheos said with cheeks once again red from embarrassment-induced blushing.

"Get used to it, kid," Barnim gleefully said with a hearty chuckle as he sat back down on the rocking chair. "Besides, you and Audrey are going on a little date together aren't you?"

"N-no! It's not like that I swear! We're just going to the movies that's all! Nothing romantic about that..." Timotheos said as he shook his head and pouted. That didn't stop Barnim from grinning as he continued to tease Timotheos.

"I don't know… You did seem rather happy to spend time with her. Just don't start making out with her if a romantic scene shows up halfway, heh-heh."

"Grandpa!"

As Barnim continued to tease Timotheos about his "romantic" date with Audrey, to which Timotheos kept denying, Miranda continued to cook dinner. Since Timotheos didn't get to properly eat his schnitzel and chips last time, she figured that it wouldn't hurt to make it again. The smell of the food cooking spread throughout the house and drifted through the open kitchen window, making Timotheos even more hungry than he was. Once it was finally done, Timotheos and Barnim eagerly went to the dinner table but not before Timotheos placed Ambroise back in his bed upstairs and Miranda set the table while removing the bottle in the process. Barnim made sure to feed the dogs as well, who immediately ran to their respective food bowls and ravenously ate their food the moment he poured it in. As the family gathered together, they prayed a bit before finally eating and started talking about the various things that happened today. Timotheos mentioned a funny anecdote involving the dogs almost dragging him thanks to having seen a squirrel. It took Barnim commanding them to stop for the dogs to not chase it and for Timotheos to not get too injured. They had walked around the entire neighborhood and the forest path with a few bathroom breaks here and there though the dogs wouldn't stop pausing during their walk due to their habit of smelling random objects ranging from the mailbox to garbage cans. Miranda could only sigh and roll her eyes at the dogs' shenanigans as she had enough experience with Aldo to tell that was just usual dog behavior. When she mentioned the interesting conversation that she had with Brielle earlier, Timotheos and Barnim became rather intrigued over the possibility of Ambroise being related to nobility or aristocracy.

"If what Brielle says is true, then that would explain why Ambroise's mother claimed she would reward us for taking care of her baby," Barnim said while stroking his chin in contemplation

"But we're not doing this for money right? We're doing this for Ambroise!" Timotheos exclaimed.

"Yes, we are doing this for Ambroise and only Ambroise," Miranda stated firmly. "We're not going to exploit the reward for the baby, if there is one, and even if she does reward us for it, we still have to show proper respect for her since she is his mother."

"Right," said Timotheos and Barnim at the same time before going back to eating.

Once everyone finished dinner, they placed their empty dishes and dirty utensils in the sink for Barnim to wash while Miranda went to check up on Ambroise in her room. The dogs were in the backyard just roaming around, with some of them having to go to the bathroom. Timotheos waited in the living room for Audrey and watched as the sun set from the window. He sat on the couch while reading one of his Astérix comic books, namely "Astérix and Son". He had traded it with Audrey over one of his old Smurfs comics (or at least the one with Johan and Peewit in it) as he didn't get a chance to catch up on reading the latest editions due to having been busy with schoolwork and his part-time job (along with his father's death dampening his spirit to the point where he wouldn't read Astérix for a while). Although Timotheos often teased Audrey about her crush on Johan, to which Audrey would stick her tongue out and pout in annoyance, they both knew that it was just a temporary crush that she would eventually move on from. However, while Audrey did talk about how she would like to get married someday, the idea of her being with another man slightly irritated him for some reason. When he realized where this train of thought was going, he immediately stopped reading and shook his head in disbelief and annoyance. This was not helping with the rumors of him supposedly being in love with Audrey, which he was most certainly not, as he adamantly believed that they were just friends and nothing more.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Timotheos went to open it only to see Audrey waiting expectantly for him, with her father having parked their car on the driveway.

"Hey, Timmy! Ready for the movie?" Audrey asked with excitement. "It's going to start in 20 minutes. We better not be late!"

"Sure, I'm ready. Just need to get my sweater and other stuff," Timotheos replied as he proceeded to do that. He grabbed his sweater and checked his pockets to see if he had enough Euros for the food and drinks.

"Okay, grandpa. I'm going with Audrey now bye!" Timotheos said as he turned his head to face Barnim, who turned around just as he finished washing the last plate.

"Okay, have fun. But don't have too much fun," he replied with a cheeky grin, making Timotheos groan and roll his eyes in exasperation and annoyance.

"Bye, Barnim," Audrey said as she and Timotheos left the house before closing the door.

"Bye Audrey," Barnim replied right before the door closed. Now that he was finished cleaning the dishes and utensils, he clapped his hands together before going to the backyard to check on the dogs. Alright then, I guess that's everything, he thought to himself. I wonder how Miranda is doing up there with Ambroise.

Speaking of Miranda, she was upstairs in her bedroom with Ambroise sitting on her lap while she read "The Little Prince" to him, the original French version to be specific. The book itself was a gift by Brielle to read to Timotheos along with helping him learn how to read French as he used to have trouble reading the words. While Miranda herself read it to him, by reading one chapter each night before bed, she hadn't read it in a while and forgot how it ended until now. She had just read the part where the snake bites the titular prince while the aviator can only watch in sadness, causing her to frown and feel disturbed by the scene.

"Oh my, this is rather dark for a children's book," Miranda commented as she read about the prince's death. Ambroise, who only babbled and sucked on his pacifier, didn't seem to pay attention as his head was just turning in both directions with his arms waving about. Though he wasn't too squirmy and difficult to sit with, Miranda had to hold both him and the book in her hands while she herself sat on another rocking chair that was placed in her room back when Timotheos slept in his parents' room as a baby. Ambroise himself didn't seem to be getting any sleepier despite Miranda having read him the entire book.

"Hmm, I wonder what makes YOU sleepy?" Miranda asked Ambroise who only responded by babbling and making other silly noises. Miranda couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Ambroise being adorable as always. Babies and kids always find a way to make you smile don't they? She thought to herself as she looked around the room to see if there were any other ways of getting Ambroise to sleep. Rocking him to sleep didn't work as he was still wide awake and was surprisingly stubborn when it came to bedtime. She looked at the small portrait of her and Jarem on their wedding day and gave a somber smile as a wave of nostalgia hit her again. What would you have done, Jarem? She noticed a small wooden music box that was left on her vanity desk on the right side of her bed and recalled how its melody along with her singing helped lull Timotheos to sleep when he was younger. The box itself was brown and had the name "Wiegenlied" at the top due to it containing the melody for the song. Miranda slowly got up while holding Ambroise in her arms before placing him in his crib while she went to grab the music box. For a moment it looked as if Ambroise was going to cry as he let out small whimpers and seemed to be upset over not having anyone to hold him. Fortunately, when Miranda quickly turned the key behind the box, causing the music to start playing after having been unused for years. The moment the music started playing, Ambroise instantly calmed down and yawned before his eyes began to close. Miranda stood against his crib and gently patted and stroked his hair before she began singing the lullaby that she would sing to her son:

Guten Abend, gute Nacht,

mit Rosen bedacht,

mit Näglein besteckt,

schlupf' unter die Deck':

Morgen früh, wenn Gott will,

wirst du wieder geweckt.

Ambroise found himself getting sleepier before finally closing his eyes and drifting off into peaceful slumber. Miranda pressed her index and middle fingers against her lips before planting it on his forehead as a goodnight kiss before covering his body with the lavender blanket and tucking him in. She then quietly left the room before whispering a small goodnight to him. The moment she was outside and went downstairs, she heard Barnim's voice calling out to the dogs. She rolled her eyes in amusement over how silly the dogs could be with her father, though they were used to it at this point.

"Hey Miranda! Could you lend a hand here? Schnell and Angus are fighting over the clothes again!" Barnim cried as the sounds of dogs growling and clothes tearing was heard from the backyard.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Miranda replied as she went to the nearby closet and brought out the rope chew toy for the dogs to play with. As she walked to the backyard, the sky was growing dimmer as night slowly began to fall. Yes, it was just an ordinary day in the life of the Blumenthals and Amable Town in general.