Champagne Problems (Ransom Drysdale)

Chapter 25 - Two Brats and a Baby

Ransom had absolutely no clue what he was looking at as he held up something that resembled some science experiment. "What the hell are these?" he frowned, attempting to see whether the cups would stick to his hand or something. Did the baby's face go into it to inhale milk or something? They were attached to bottles, so it was definitely made for the baby.

Effie looked blankly at him from where she was sat on the couch, feeding Adeline. "Ransom...those are breast pumps..."

He dropped them almost immediately. "What the hell!"

She smirked. "I know right? I'm like a human equivalent of a cow." And looked down at the baby with a smile. "But she's a growing girl..."

The first night home with the baby had been one where there had been a lack of sleep for all the wrong reasons in his book. First off the baby wanted feeding, more than once! Second was that she'd needed a diaper change, the other reasons were because Effie needed a drink and had Adeline attached to her chest yet again, and when she'd kicked him awake because he was snoring.

The next couple of days were better and he was slowly getting used to having three of them. The breast pumps had been a gift from Paola – who Ransom now dubbed the 'baby whisperer' as Adeline always seemed to stop crying when she held her. She'd also acquired a giant teddy bear that had almost knocked him flying when he'd let her through the door the other morning. Baby stuff took up a hell of a lot of space!

It was a slow learning process from him. Sometimes he wondered what the hell Adeline could possibly be crying over, but most of the time it was because she was hungry or needed changing. He'd learnt that much.

"Can you take her for a minute?" Effie asked as she did her top up. Ransom had seen her boobs more than he had before they'd had the baby. Not that he was complaining. She didn't look like she'd had a baby a few days prior.

"Sure." he said and popped Adeline on his shoulder. She'd managed to puke all down his sweater the day before and now he was prepared as Effie's scarf was saving this one from the same fate.

His father had sent him a text the day before, asking whether the baby had arrived yet. Ransom sent back a rather blunt reply of Yes. and immediately his phone rang.

"Son..."

"Father..."

Richard paused for a moment. "So? Is it a boy or a girl? Your reply didn't give your mom and I much to go on?"

"A girl – Adeline, just so you know what her name is."

"Well...congratulations." Richard said. "Your mother and I were hoping that we could come and see her?"

"That would depend...you actually wanna be part of her life?"

"She's our granddaughter, of course we want to!" Richard exasperated, "Look, I know things were said, but emotions were running high...your mother wants to make amends."

Ransom snorted at this. "Since when has mom ever been known to 'make amends'?" he glanced to Effie who was listening to the conversation and then back to the phone "One minute." He turned to her. "Well? Should we let them see Ade?" She'd nodded after some deliberation, and he got back on the phone. "You can come see her tomorrow. That good?"

"Of course, we'll see you tomorrow."

Ransom rubbed Adeline's back as Effie made herself decent and hid the breast pumps, so they weren't on show during the nightmare visit that was to happen soon. "Dad sees those he'll have a heart attack." He smirked.