Of Rubber Ducks and Bath Time Fun

KUDOS AND THE BBC OWN ALL THINGS [SPOOKS]. I OWN THIS STORY AND ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS.

 Of Rubber Ducks and Bath Time Fun

Caleb had been crying for all of five minutes when I'd left him in his basket to check the water in his bath, I smiled to myself as I looked at the brightly coloured toys all around me - Aeryn and Chloe had bought a set of ducks for Caleb' bath time, apparently it just wasn't right for a child to share their rubber ducks with anyone else. We'd discovered this after Aeryn had screamed the house down on discovering her three week old brother had one of her precious ducks in his bath. An hour of trying to placate my little girl and the calm was finally restored on the promise that no more would her 'duckies' make their way into anyone else' bath. All the while I was calming her along with Chloe, I couldn't help but wonder when my tiny baby girl had gotten so big.

The bath was run and the thermometer I'd placed into the water re-assured me for the sixth time that it was the perfect temperature for my little boy to relax, I on the other hand would freeze but I wanted to do this, I wanted to lie back in the bath with Caleb and relax. I'd done it with Aeryn when she was little and always enjoyed the peace I found lying amongst the bubbles with her as I read story after story to her as the nights went by... even now I would find myself wrapping my long legs around her little body after she would have demanded a bath with Daddy... and I couldn't deny either of my children anything they wanted.

I walked through the house, enjoying the quiet of being alone with Caleb - Chloe was out with Sarah and Aeryn and I was relieved to see my gorgeous girl looking a lot more like her old self, despite it only being three weeks since she'd started the anti-depressants that would ease her body and mind into healing from the post natal depression she'd been diagnosed with. I smiled at the sight of my little man in his basket, his eyes moving as soon as he heard the noise of me approaching. To say I was in awe of my son was putting it mildly, he'd turned seven weeks old two days ago and had already been showing how advanced he was by holding his tiny head up for longer and longer periods of time as well as pushing himself up on his tiny chest. I carried him back into the bathroom and checked the water for the seventh and final time before undressing Caleb slowly and climbing into the bubble bath I lay back letting the luke warm water cover us both, I smiled at my son' tiny face curled up into me and his big blue eyes looking up to me.

His eyes held me captive, he was so like his me in every way except his eyes, as the days went by they became more and more like his mothers' and I well believed that when he looked at me he could see inside my soul in the same way Chloe did. I washed his small frame and felt him wriggle and attempt to keep comfortable against my skin, as always preferring to be near my heart as it beat out it's rhythm and calmed my son. Remembering a trick from bathing a tiny Aeryn I placed the warm and wet cloth around his back, and poured warm water onto the fabric, it seemed to have the same effect as it had had on her and Caleb lay still seemingly contented. I reached for the book, 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory' I had been reading to him every night I was able to and began to read from the page I'd marked...

'Are you ready little man?'

I wrapped my large hand around him, enjoying the feel of him against me... just Caleb and I, happy in each others company, or at least me in his... 

'... We're going to meet Mr Wonka in this chapter Caleb, what a wonderful person he must be little man... so here we go...

Mr Wonka was standing all alone just inside the open gates of the factory. And what an extraordinary little man he was!

He had a black top hat on his head. 

He wore a tail coat made of a beautiful plum coloured velvet.