Unforgettable Nights

Chapter 6

A few days had passed and Layla and Femi were beginning to get used to the new addition to their home. Eijaz seemed to be adjusting to life in general, growing attached to Layla and to everyone's surprise Ahkmenrah, seeing him as a father figure.

"Okay, time for a bath, we need to get your hair washed," Layla said, holding Eijaz.

"You couldn't wash it sooner?" Femi asked.

"No, the hospital staff suggested waiting a few days. The icky stuff in his hair is supposed to help," Layla said, filling the tiny tub with lukewarm water. "Can you get a drying towel and some clean clothes for him?"

"Yeah," Femi said, heading into Layla's room to get a clean outfit for Eijaz, matching hat and socks included, before getting a clean towel from the laundry basket of clean clothes Layla had just cleaned. She then headed back into the living room, hearing Eijaz crying, not liking his first bath at home.

"I know, bub, I know, but we got to get you cleaned up, you're stinky," Layla said, cleaning the crying baby. "Hey, don't you scratch at me."

"He is not liking that bath," Femi said.

"He's cold. The sooner I get him clean the sooner I can put him in the towel and wash his hair," Layla said, trying not to drop Eijaz as he wiggled around in her hands.

"This may be the longest he has cried since he's been here," Femi said, setting the things down carefully, before heading into the kitchen to wash her hands so that she could help Layla out with Eijaz. Once Femi came over to help, it was a little easier for Layla to clean the crying baby, and once she was finished, she wrapped him up in the drying towel, which calmed Eijaz down a bit.

"See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Layla said, making Eijaz give her a side eye. "Hey, no one asked for the attitude."

"Gets that from his mom," Femi said.

"No doubt about that," Layla said, carefully taking Eijaz's hat off. She began carefully washing his hair, being cautious of the soft spot on his head. Eijaz laid there relaxed as Layla gently massaged his head with the shampoo and combed out his hair a little, before rinsing it out. "Feels good doesn't it?" she asked, earning a smile from Eijaz. Femi chuckled softly, looking down at Eijaz.

"He is a cutie," Femi said.

"Yeah," Layla said, looking down at Eijaz, as she gently rinsed out the shampoo from his hair. "I think he fell asleep."

"Well, baths are relaxing," Femi said, before they both chuckled. "Wanna watch a movie and have a pizza?"

"I actually had a taste for some curry," Layla said.

"Oh, we haven't had curry in a while. Yeah, let me see if there's any good places. We may have to go pick it up," Femi said.

"I'm okay with that," Layla said, drying Eijaz off and putting a hat back on his head to keep him warm, while she got a diaper on him and some clean clothes. She got up from the couch and carried Eijaz into the room and gently laid him down in the crib. She put some gloves on Eijaz's hands, not wanting him to scratch at his face in his sleep, before turning on the baby monitor and heading back into the living room.

"What kind of curry do you want? I'm sending you the menu now," Femi said, ordering her food. Layla nodded and read over the choices on the menu.

"Just get me the lamb curry, and get Ahkmenrah the chicken masala," Layla said, checking the time. "He should be getting up soon. Oh, and get some naan."

"Oh, that sounds good, I'll probably get the lamb too," Femi said, ordering their food. Layla handed Femi her card to pay for the food.

"Yeah, I'm gonna clean up a bit," Layla said, picking up Eijaz's tub to take to the bathroom to drain out and clean. She cleaned the baby tub, and collected a lot of his things to put away, before putting another load of laundry on.