3: The Magic of Natural Pacifier

Lilian opened the door. An unfamiliar maid was standing there with an impatient look on her face as she quickly bowed to her madam and addressed the issue.

"Madam, the young master is crying so much. Can you please come and try to calm him down?" she said.

Revived from the land of fantasies, the young woman just nodded and enacted her way past the maid as she strode towards the anticipated room. The sound of crying Aiden filled the hallway. Lilian felt irresponsible for sleeping despite this chaos. This had never happened in the hospital when she was working there as a nurse though. Was she that much weary?

Not more than a few steps far and she noticed a few maids already standing in the doorway.

"Excuse me!", she exclaimed and made her way through the populace, her eyes catching the wailing tot of a 2-month-old in the arms of the aged woman. She was the same old lady she had encountered previously, maybe the appointed nursemaid. She was trying to feed the infant against his will while rocking him gently, and cooing at him. The poor baby was crying his heart out.

Leaping towards him, Lilian took Aiden in her arms and rocked him up and down as she signalled all the maids to exit the arena immediately. The crowd scares babies at numerous unfamiliar faces which they feel hard to read and recognize and that was the foremost thing she wanted to eliminate. 

The young lady tried various tactics she learned in the internship to soothe the baby but nothing seemed to be working on the infant she held closely. Sighing, she handed the small human being to his nanny again.

"Can you please open his onesie?" She asked.

"But madam, he will catch a cold otherwise," The elderly questioned, unsure if she should follow the commands.

The woman with the germinating heart of a mother curved her rosy lips into a smile while her hands reached the plastic globular structures at the fabric of her shirt, "That won't happen. Just do it."

The wailing tot was kept in the cradle again to have his onesie removed while Lilian unbuttoned the first three buttons of her shirt. Bending to the small wooden crib, she picked him up, who was very busy engaging his vocal cords at full energy. She kept the baby's head on her shoulder and laid him on her chest, wrapping him with the thin fabric of her shirt as she gently rocked him while patting his back. The shrill cry died down as she walked back and forth, humming a lullaby which vibrated across the baby, calming the little soul.

Babies feel at ease when kept at skin contact. The warmth radiating across the skin works as a natural pacifier, calming your heart just like how you feel nurtured when you watch the green mountains across the ravishing field. Before coming to medicine of the modern era, she was taught to use natural treasures first.

Lilian was a nurse who worked at Lifeline Multi-speciality Hospital in the city before her marriage was planned in this household. Though her parents wanted her to enter the field of business, she chose her way despite the resistance. Of course, it paid less than what a business would but she loved her job. Especially these tiny creatures who were as confused as she was about this puzzle of life and besides, her elder sister was following the path of her parents. That's why she cared less about a daughter's responsibilities. Maybe her profession was one of the reasons she had gotten herself into this oriented relationship but of course, there were a lot more things behind this wedding.

"Madam, let me," the nanny asked to embrace the little child who now seemed to be sleeping.

Lilian shook her head, wanting to keep the baby to herself, "That's fine and by the way, can I take him to my room?"

The elderly woman looked at her hesitantly, maybe not wanting to allow something without the approval of the master of this house. Quick enough to apprehend, the female of an undetermined future added the explanation as she rocked the baby rhythmically,

"Aiden's quite sensitive about his surroundings and he probably will wake up again. I was just thinking that he might feel more comfortable when I will be there, you get what I mean right?"

"You may."

A deep voice crept like a snake behind her back and she flinched through the core of her abdomen. The baby groaned a little but she soothed him with a few gentle taps, whispering some precious words on his eardrums. It was unaffordable to awaken him again.

Lilian looked behind her and there was her husband, sitting on the couch looking intimidatingly at her. He was there the whole time! As she realized that her hands immediately pulled the fabrics to approximate the two ends towards each other, feeling uneasy at the little skin exposure she was having.

Richard got up from his seat, taking his giant steps towards her while her stupid heart started dancing inside her ribcage again. His blue amber eyes looked at the sleeping baby, the visible softness he had for his child felt like a bird taking a dip in the ocean to protect itself from the scorching sun. He loved his son so much, didn't he?

"Just don't sleep like a log, understand?"

She watched his adam's apple moving up and down while he spoke, his resonant voice so vibrant to her ears that her belly churned inside her abdomen. Her cheeks allowed entrance to the tint of the red shade, a little embarrassed by the fact that she had a monster-like sleep when everybody was roused. Even he was awake though he had his room further to Aiden's compared to hers. 

Lilian just nodded and watched him walk out of the room while she patted the baby in her embrace.

Lilian kept Aiden on her bed and covered him in his white baby blanket after increasing the temperature of the room. The baby was too young to roll from his place but she kept a cushion on the other side just in case to be safe.

Lying beside him, the motherly woman covered her son with her blanket again, her hand on his belly as she patted it gently. She watched him breathe quietly, his presence making the most peaceful and mesmerizing place in her heart. She smiled and leaned in, kissing his cheek softly with affection.

"I love you, my baby," she said.