20
Ben sits back on his heels and sighs. It has taken nearly three hours but at least their daughter now has a crib and a changing table. More importantly, he’s finished putting it together before Alex and Polly get back. He insisted he could do it by himself, and sent them off to do a grocery run and get the last things they need before the birth next week. Alex let him buy a baby buggy and the crib and matching changing table a week ago, rolling his eyes when Ben spent an hour discussing the merits of one brand over another with the shop assistant.
“Of course I want her to be safe,” he'd said when they unpacked it, “and of course I want it to last, but Ben, it’s a buggy not an F1 racing car.”
So, when Alex eyed the crib packaging this morning and suggested calling Matt over to help them, Ben decided enough was enough. He was perfectly capable of putting together a baby’s bed and he did not need any help, it would be done and dusted by the time they got home with some linen to put in the thing. About an hour ago he came close to phoning Alex and conceding defeat and only the knowledge that he only had himself to blame for this mess stopped him.
He grasps the bars and gives the crib a good hard shake. Everything stays where it’s supposed to; nothing falls off the changing table either when he repeats the action there. This is a good sign he decides and gathers up the tools. Just as he finishes pushing the crib and table into place by the wall, opposite their bed, he hears Alex’s key in the door and then Bart bounds into the room.
“You lift your leg on that, Dork Dog, and I promise you, it will be the last thing you do,” Ben tells him. Polly and Alex appear in the doorway, arms filled with bags.
“I’m impressed.”
Alex kisses him hello.
“What? It's just a crib, no big deal,” Ben says with a grin. Alex drops his bags on their bed and announces he’s going to get the rest of the shopping from the car. Ben’s offer of help is refused so he goes to the fridge in search of beer. When he gets back to the bedroom, Polly has made up the crib in soft cotton sheets and is attaching a bumper around the bars.
“Make yourself useful, child, and put that mobile together,” she says when she looks up.
“Hey, I’ll have you know I just put that crib together,” Ben protests opening the mobile box. It contains a curved arm, a circle and strings of bright butterflies to be attached. “You sure we’re not going to give her a fear of flying things? Or bright colors.”
“For a smart man, you do have some ridiculous ideas sometimes.” Polly helps him thread butterflies onto the nylon thread.
“What’s he saying now?”
Alex drops two boxes on the floor and Ben eyes them with suspicion. They better not need to be put together he grumbles. Alex grins and calls over his shoulder. “Travel crib and baby capsule. No assembly required.”
He returns with a beer of his own.
“I’ll get the rest in a minute. That looks great, Polly. Those butterflies are cool.”
“According to the resident lawyer,” Polly says, taking Ben’s beer from him and drinking a mouthful, “we’re going to give her a phobia of butterflies.”
“Idiot.” Alex opens the box with the travel crib in it. It takes only a couple of clicks and twists and the crib is together. Ben looks from it to the crib he’s just put together and back again in dismay.
“They’re only for short term use, for when we go out somewhere or away on holiday,” Alex explains as he reaches for the capsule box.
Curious, Ben starts going through the other bags, examining the boxes of wipes and diapers and packing them into the changing table drawers. After a few minutes, Polly nudges him with her foot and when he looks up she nods toward the door.
“I think you’d best check on him,” she says quietly.
He finds Alex on the balcony, sitting at the table, scratching Bart’s ears. The box of anti-nausea tablets is on the table in front of him and Ben frowns.
“You okay, baby?” he asks, leaning against the railing. Alex nods and smiles.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just had a moment then, looking at everything, where it was all a little overwhelming.”
“You know, I think that’s pretty normal for people about to have a baby.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Alex smiles up at him, “I’m okay. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Ben studies him for a moment; it occurs to him that for six weeks Alex has been taking care of everyone; first Allie, then Polly and him. Although Alex cried at the memorial service Ben can’t remember seeing the anti-nausea tablets since Janice’s visit. When Ben wakes him in the night or asks him to stay in the morning instead of running, he never says no. He’s turned the spare room into a haven for Polly, drives her where she’s needs to go, goes to scans with Claire. While he was out, Ben notices, he’s finally had his hair trimmed; now that he can see the large hazel eyes that caught his attention at the U2 concert four years ago, he can see the fatigue and apprehension in them. Alex has been doing all these things and in a week, they’re adding a baby to the mix. And he, Ben, hasn’t been paying attention.
“Kid,” he hears his mother in his head, “you need to take care of that boy.”
“I’m an idiot,” he says.
“Not exactly a newsflash,” Alex says with a tired smile, “but why specifically?”
“There’s bound to be a list somewhere, but it’s not important,” Ben puts his hands on Alex’s shoulders. “Let’s finish preparing for the invasion of this munchkin, and then why don’t we go out to dinner? Just you and me. I’m sure Polly will be fine here or if she wants, Meg can come over. We haven’t been to Tony’s in ages and I could use a steak.”
“That does sound kind of nice,” Alex agrees. “What’s the occasion?”
“Well there’s this really hot guy I met at a concert, and I’m hoping if I play my cards right, I might get to third base with him tonight.”
“You’re right, you’re an idiot.”
“Hot idiot though, right?” Ben pulls Alex to his feet.
“Mmmhmmm. Whatever.”
As they go inside, Alex nudges him and tilts his head to one side.
“How long did it take you to put the crib together?”
Ben groans and shakes his head.
“For fucking ever, I’d only just finished when you walked in the door,” he admits.
Alex throws his head back and laughs.
“God, I love you.”
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