MIXED BLESSINGS
CHAPTER 9: Alex the Bear
The warmth of the sun shining on his face roused Rick from his fitful nights sleep. It had been a long night, due to Alex waking four times, crying for Evelyn, and as Rick sat up stretching, he realized that he had gone to sleep in his cloths. Once fully awake, the tired father set about getting cleaned up so that he could go to the hospital and bring Evelyn, and William home where they belonged.
Ten minutes later he was dressed in a pair of tan slacks, a white button down shirt, and his boots. As he made his way down the hall to the stairs, he heard Alex crying, and jogged the rest of the way to the steps. He ran down them, and followed his cries to the kitchen were Alex was sitting in a chair facing a wall, howling as Nanna cleaned broken glass from beneath his highchair. “Can I help?” he asked as he walked over to where Nanna was finishing the clean up of the tumbler.
“Yes, if you will finish this, I need to speak to Alex,” she said letting Rick take over.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rick watched as Nanna lifted his son from the chair, then settle in it, quietly talking to him about something. He shook his head as he remembered how doubtful he had been at first about having a Nanny, but was now very happy she was here.
As he was emptying the glass into a trash container he felt two small arms wrap around his right leg, and once he put the dust pan away, he turned around and picked his son up. “Did you eat your breakfast?”
“Egg,” Alex said as he struggled to be put down. He never let Rick hold him for too long, and it was only Evie or Nanna who could do the less active activities, such as reading to him, or even rocking him.
“May I fix you something to eat?” Nanna asked, as she moved the chair she had placed Alex in back to the table.
“I’ll eat when I get the rest of the family home,” Rick said.
Knowing that it would be busy once Rick brought Evelyn and the baby home, Nanna suggested Rick eat now, while he had the opportunity to do so. “They will still be waiting when you finish,” she said as she started to scramble more eggs.
At the table, Rick started to look at the paper, when he heard something shatter, and was up from the table before Nanna could blink. He ran down the passage to the parlor, and found Alex climbing a book shelf, which was leaning forward, ready to fall on top of him. Quickly he reached his son, snatching him from the shelves giving his bottom one stinging swat as he steadied the shelf. “Alex this shelf isn’t for climbing on pal,” Rick said as Alex cried.
Once he was sure that nothing more would fall, he carried his son to a chair close by, and sat down rocking him until his cries lessened then subsided. “No more climbing on the book shelves okay?” Rick said as he and Alex looked at one another eye to eye.
“No book,” Alex said as he struggled once again to be put down.
Rick watched as Alex started toward the shelf once again. “Alex!”
His father’s stern voice caught his attention, and Alex turned around. “No book,” he said as he sat down and started to cry again.
As Rick walked toward him, Nanna came from the kitchen. “Go eat, I’ll bundle him up and take him outside for a walk,” she said as she made her way to the unhappy little boy.
Grateful for a reprieve, Rick went to the kitchen, and once he was there he breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that for a while at least life was going to be quite busy for all of them.
~*~
Much like his brother when he was born, William was quite alert, and tried to focus on his mum as she talked to him. He was cradled in her arms starring in the general direction of her face.
“And when you and Alex are old enough you may accompany your father and I on our excavations,” Evie said as she smiled down at her son. William was all ready to go home, dressed in a long blue gown, wearing the matching blue booties Nanna had knit for him. “I wonder what is keeping your father,” Evie said as she looked at the wall clock, seeing that it was almost noon. As soon as she said that, the door opened, and Evelyn noticed how tired her husband looked. “You look as if you didn’t sleep very well,” she said as she stood up lifting William against her left shoulder.
“I look that bad huh?”
“You just look like you need a good long nap,” she replied as they shared a kiss. “Will you get his sweater on him, while I gather the rest of my cloths and such?”
They shared another kiss before Rick took his newest son, finding him awake. “Hey little guy, are you ready to go home and rumble with your brother?” he asked as he carried the baby over to the bed. There he found the knit creme sweater.
William was patient as his daddy got his tiny arms into the sleeves of the sweater, and started to go to sleep as Rick buttoned him up, and put the hood up gently tying it under his chin.
As he finished with William, Evelyn was also ready to go, and while she gently wrapped their baby in a matching creme knit blanket, Rick picked up the suitcases he had brought for her over the past few days.
Outside their room at the nurses station, they signed the release papers, then headed home to Alex and Nanna.
~*~
After Rick left to get Evelyn and the baby, Nanna put Alex down for an early nap, after attempting to climb the shelves yet again. As he slept, and as she waited for the rest of the family to arrive home, Nanna straightened the books on the shelf, then made sure the basket bed was ready for William’s use.
Once everything was in order, Nanna sat down with a book she selected from one of the shelves, and was starting to read when she heard the familiar clicks of Evelyn’s heals. She looked up as they walked into the parlor, then stood up to help Rick with the suitcases.
“I’ve got these,” he said as he headed upstairs.
“Be mindful of Alex,” she called out, wanting him to have a nice long nap, hoping that a long rest would help him feel better. “Now let me see this little one.”
Evelyn let her get settled then placed William in her arms. “He’s quiet like Alex was,” she said as she settled beside the older woman.
With years of experience, Nanna easily took William’s sweater off without waking him, then gently draped the blanket around him as she cradled him against her chest. “He looks a little like you,” Nanna observed.
“I think more than Alex did. Where is he?” she asked longing to see her first born son.
“Having a nap. He has been a bear sinse you’ve been away,” Nanna said, very much taken by the baby in her arms.
Knowing that William was in good hands, Evelyn left him under Nanna’s care, and walked upstairs, wanting to see Alex even if he was asleep. His door was barely open, and quietly Evelyn pushed it enough for her to squeese through, then walked over to the far wall where his crib was settled close to the window. Her little boy was very much asleep, with all of his covers at the end of the crib, and his bottom sticking up in the air. Neither she nor Rick ever understood how he could sleep in such a manor, but he was obviously comfortable.
Carefully she reached in and picked up his red quilt, gently placing it over his body.
In sleep, Alex stretched out, and reached for something, starting to whimper when he didn’t find what he was seeking. When Evelyn put his brown rabbit against his left hand, he pulled it against his chest, and relaxed completely.
For a few minutes more, Evelyn stood watching him, then felt her husbands arms draw her into his comforting embrace.
“Nanna thinks William needs to be fed,” he whispered into her ear before placing a kiss there. For another moment they watched Alex, then headed down stairs to take care of the baby.
~*~
Four hours later Alex woke up, and when Evelyn walked in to get him he continued to cry. “There now, I’m here,” Evie said, hoping to spend some time with Alex while William slept in their room. Everyone was having a rest, which was much needed after the rocky few days they had all been through.
“Nooo, dah dah,” Alex cried as he pushed her hands away.
Evelyn was stunned, and again tried to lift him from his crib, but he again pushed her away. “Alex dah is resting,” she said, not seeing Rick walk into the room until he was next to her.
“Hey pal, look whose here,” Rick said as he lifted Alex out of the crib. His son clung to him, settling down fairly quickly now that he had what he wanted. Rick tried to let Evelyn take him, but Alex clung around his neck treating his mum as stranger, something he had never done until now. His last attempt to coax Alex to go to his mum failed, and Evelyn ran from the room, leaving Rick feeling helpless.
~*~
preparing supper for the family, and tried her best not to let her see how upset she was.
As soon as she turned around and saw Evelyn’s expression, Nanna knew what happened without being told. “Why don’t you and I have a sit in the parlor. This stew needs to heat up,” she said, as she led Evelyn into the parlor. Together they sat down near the fire place which still had hot embers to warm the room.
“Alex won’t have a thing to do with me,” Evelyn said as she faced her Nanna.
“He will come around. I’m afraid that we are all in for a rough few days. I had hoped a nap would help him feel more himself, but I think it will take a few days with you and William here for him to adjust.”
That wasn’t what she wanted to hear, and Evelyn shut her eyes, feeling tired and a bit angry at herself for how things went with William’s birth. “I’m not sure I can manage much more of his rejection of me,” she admitted as she opened her eyes.
“You will both be all right,” Nanna said as Rick walked slowly down the steps holding Alex’s small hand with his left, and William cradled in the crook of his right arm.
Once at the bottom of the steps Alex ran to the book shelf, and reached up as if to start climbing again, then cried when Nanna lifted him away and put him in his playpen.
“That will be quite enough of that Alex. You will not climb on that book shelf,” she said.
Alex put his finger in his mouth, as his bottom lip drooped, and his cries stopped. Once he realized that no one was going to get him out, he sat down and reached for his blocks, ready to build with them, and behave.
Not far from where he was starting to play, Evelyn asked Rick about the shelf, surprised that he had been told not to climb it.
“Before I came to get the two of you this morning, he was almost half way up, and I got to him before the whole thing went down on top of him,” Rick said as he looked from William, who still slept in his arms, to his wife.
Evelyn was troubled by that bit of news, as well as his mood since waking from his nap. Finally she was determined that they would get some time together. “William should sleep for another hour. I think Alex and I will go for a walk to see the horses,” she said as she stood up.
Realizing that someone was approaching, Alex looked up then scooted away as Evelyn arrived. “No no.”
“Alex don’t tell me no. You and I are going for a walk outside,” Evelyn said as she picked him up.
Realizing that his mum wasn’t going to allow him to make a fuss, Alex settled in her arms, and once they were getting ready to go outside he was babbling, every now and again, saying hoose, for horse.
Once the two of them had on their coats and boots, Evelyn took Alex’s hand, and they left the house, heading in the direction of the field.
~*~
A little more than an hour passed, and William was most unhappy about not being able to nurse when he wanted. Nanna sat trying to rock him, waiting for Rick to arrive with Evelyn and Alex. “Your mum will be here soon,” Nanna crooned as she gently laid William over her lap so that his stomach was against her legs. For a few moments more he continued to cry, then settled down as she rubbed his back.
“I am so sorry,” Evelyn said as she came from the front of the house, still in her jacket. “We both lost track of time,” she tried to explain as she took the jacket and put it on a sofa. Quickly she went to the washroom and ran her hands under hot water soaping them, then dried them on a fluffy pink towel before returned to her baby.
Nanny wasn’t angry, and was in fact happy that Evelyn had taken charge with Alex. “I think you both needed the time, and a little bit of crying won’t hurt this one,” she said as she stood up to let Evie take her place.
While Evelyn took care of William, in the Foyer Rick was getting Alex’s muddied boots off of his small feet. “Did you have a good time with mum?” he asked as he slipped the left boot off.
“Hoose see hoose,” Alex said as he rubbed his eyes.
“I know you did,” Rick replied as he slipped the other boot off. “Stay there okay?”
For once Alex did as he was told, and watched as his father took his boots outside and set them underneath the awning just outside the door. “Mum mum see,” Alex said as his daddy came back for him.
“We need to get clean pants on you first,” Rick explained as he lifted Alex from the bench then put him down. He unsnapped his son’s gray corduroy trousers, and pulled them down, then lifted Alex up as he pulled them off. That left Alex in his underpants, his long sleeved red shirt, as well as his navy blue socks. “Hold me hold me,” he said starting to fuss. He quit when Rick glared down at him.
When they walked into the parlor, Alex saw his mum, and the new baby settled against her left shoulder. He started toward her, when Rick gently reminded him that they needed to get clean pants on, and obediently he followed his dad, looking back at his mum as he crawled up the stairs.
A few minutes later they came back downstairs, with Alex in a clean pair of black corduroy pants, heading straight for his mum, who was still feeding William. “Up up,” Alex said as he pulled on her tan skirt.
Rick came up behind him, and knelt down. “Alex, will you wait for William to finish having his dinner?” Rick asked as he gently but firmly held Alex away from his mum.
“Mum mum up,” Alex said as he lifted his head to see his father.
Before Rick could explain again why she couldn’t hold Alex, Evelyn laid the baby on her lap while butting her blouse. “Alex, do you want to give William a kiss?” she asked, getting his attention.
Alex looked at his brother, not quite sure what to think. He reached out wanting to touch William’s closed eye lids, but Evelyn gently guided his hand to William’s “You have to be gently with him,” she tried to explain.
“Up now,” Alex said as he pulled his hand away.
Rick took William, letting Evelyn have more time with Alex, something he seemed more interested in.
Once in his mother’s arms, Alex relaxed. “Baby no no,” Alex said as he patted her hands, trying to tell her what he wanted.
“Oh Alex, once William is older, the two of you will have such fun. We can show him your pony, and you can show him your trucks and planes,” she explained as she gently rocked her oldest son, happy that he was being more pleasant.
“Mine mum mum,” he said as he held her hand in his patting it with his right hand.
For now things were calm, and for that both parents were thankful.
THE END
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I figured this was as good a place as any to end this story. I’ll do more of William and Alex, with both boys a bit older, and be ready for the news letter, and a never before, exclusive story for the site of the boys find of a treasure chest.
For those of you who don’t know about the news letter go to www.geocities.com/oconnellsegypt/, and read all about it. If your interested just sign up.
Thanks for reading
Shelby