✅ The Baby Makers

43. All Together

Stacie giggled when Phil patted her diaper and helped her to stand. She loved how much he helped her, and she knew that she didn't need to grow up so long as he was there. She could keep being a good baby forever, and maybe someday she would have a mommy and daddy too. That was an even more exciting idea, and she knew that she would have all new kinds of fun. She didn't know where to get a mummy from, but that was okay. The grown-ups would fix everything for her. They knew everything, especially Phil. He was so smart, and he made her the happiest little baby in the world.

"I bet you're hungry now, aren't you?" he said. Stacie thought for a second, and then nodded. She hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and she knew that it was a good idea to have a little bit more to eat. Phil still knew everything he needed to say to make the baby girls happy. It wasn't really lunch time, but making flower necklaces was a lot of work and she knew she would be happier with something to eat.

Stacie and Cass giggled and talked a little bit while Phil put his big diaper bag back in the shed. And then he led them around the trees, not to the door they had come out of before. Soon they found a space where some other kids were sitting on a big plaid blanket, with a basket of cookies between them. There was a grown up there too, maybe watching the cookies to make sure that nobody naughty took one. Stacie wanted to run up and say hi to some new friends, but she was a little bit nervous. She hesitated a couple of seconds, by which time she had already been distracted by somebody calling her name.

"Hi Stacie!" It was Kyle, charging out from between the trees. He didn't have his train now, and Stacie wondered where it had gone. But she didn't have one either, so trains didn't matter now. "I thought the witch eated you! You didn't come exploring."

"Oh, I was making a necklace for Cassie," she answered, and held up the chain of flowers around her neck as proof. "This is Cassie. She's so smart and I wanted to find treasure for her, but the only treasure I found was flowers, so I did this." By the end of the sentence Stacie was a little confused, and she wasn't quite sure if it all made sense. She couldn't remember how she had started, but she knew that the words in there were all good. If Kyle didn't understand that was fine, because she was just a little baby and she didn't need to know big girl words.

"Oh wow! And you got cookies too?"

"Yes," Phil greeted him with a wave. "Cookies for everyone if you want them. A little treat before Stacie and Cass have to go."

"Go?" Kyle asked. "Don't go away! You're nice, I want to play with you more."

"We got to go," Cassie explained. "I need to go home to my mommy, and my little boy too. I want to play more, but I can't stay forever."

"Aww, that's not fair. I only just met you!"

"Then let's make it count. If we talk super fast, I bet we can be like the bestest friends ever in an hour!"

"Me too!" Stacie giggled, and launched straight into saying as many words as she could remember. She started out talking about herself, and how much she wanted to be friends with Kyle and Stacie and play fun games with them forever. But then she couldn't think of any more words about that, so she started saying whatever came to mind instead. It wasn't long before she ran out of sentences and just kept on saying every word she could think of, but the two other kids kept on laughing and she liked seeing them smile, so she did her best to keep talking.

Phil handed out cookies to everyone, and when she had one in each hand Stacie finally gave in and stopped talking so she could eat. They were lovely, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, with little bits of chocolate and nuts and crunchy bits that tasted like honey. She felt like she could eat them forever. Now Cassie was talking, and she had so many interesting things to say even if Stacie couldn't remember them for too long.

"Feeling more full now?" Phil asked, passing round cups of juice for all the babies. They nodded, and laughed when they realised it was the first moment of silence they had had since they came to this bit of the garden. The other grown-up used the time to introduce them to Todd and Minnie, who were a bit shy but happy to say hi when they heard their names. Kyle said hi, and asked them what their favourite toy was. And then there was something the two new friends could answer, and once they started talking it seemed like they would never want to stop. Todd liked dolls, and Minnie was more interested in unicorns. A few minutes later, it seemed like all of the babies had been friends forever, and they wanted to stay together for the rest of the day.

"Wanna play more when we go inside?" Minnie asked, jumping up from where she was sitting and running around the edge of the blanket.

"We have to go soon," Todd reminded him. "We're supposed to be growing up."

"Ohh, yeah. Well, can we play a little bit?"

"You've got time," the other grown-up reassured them. Stacie hadn't heard her name, but she thought it might have been Kim. If not, she didn't know who the Kim was that her new friends kept talking about. Todd smiled at that, and Minnie waved his hands over his head and cheered. He was so over the top that it was hard to tell if he was serious or not. But they were best friends now, so Stacie knew it didn't matter at all. So long as they could have fun playing together, and talking, and eating cookies, everything was just how it should be. Nobody needed to think about silly things like what was real.

This chapter is dedicated to Bill, who is now supporting me on Patreon. Anyone else who can spare $2 each month can have an extra chapter of your favourite story as well ~ just visit patreon.com/kittyangel. But for now, enjoy the story. And thank you Bill!