James/Carvelli Extras

Parenting prt 2 (N+M)

Nyla

"Teo, baby... I need you to come home, please."

"What's wrong, beautiful? Are you crying? I'm coming home. Tell me what's wrong," Mateo says, soothingly on the other side of the phone.

"The babies, they won't stop crying. I've tried everything. Diapers are changed, they've been fed. I took them out of their cribs to play, I've played music, I've taken them outside. I've done everything, Teo. What am I doing wrong?" I cry into the phone as the twins scream in the background.

"You've done nothing, wrong, Nyla. You're trying. It's something new. It's okay. You're okay, my love. Just breathe. I'm coming home." He sounds like he's running.

"Are you running?" I question, wiping my eyes.

"Yes. I was in Econ and rushed out when I heard you crying," He says. "You and our children are my priority. Not school."

"I'm a horrible mother. I can't even last one day by myself. They hate me," I cry

"They do not hate you, Nyla... Try this, baby. Put Valencia in the crib in our room. Split them up for a bit, see if that does anything," Mateo suggests. I can hear the engine of his car as he drives.

"Okay." I get up from the bathroom floor, walking through our room and out into the hallway. I walk to the twins room as their wails get louder.

"Their little lungs. How long have they been crying?" Mateo asks

"Almost two hours, Teo. I tried," I sniffle as I pick up Valencia from her crib. The two month old is bright red. I took her clothes off earlier, leaving her in her diaper, thinking she was hot.

I leave the room and head back to me and Mateo's room. I place her down in the crib in the room, but she keeps crying.

"Let me talk to her," Mateo requests and I put the phone next to her.

"What's wrong, Rockstar? Why don't you stop crying for your mama? Mama's tried very hard and she's very tired. We give mama enough trouble, let's give her a break. Okay, sweetheart? Papa's gonna sing for you," Mateo says before he sings a lullaby.

As he sings, Valencia starts to calm down. And as she calms down, I don't hear Apollo's cries. I rush to the nursery to see him looking up, he's perfectly fine. He has snot and tears all over his face so I grab wipes and wipe his face.

After that he falls asleep.

I walk back into my room and find Valencia fast asleep.

"They're sleeping... I tried singing to them. Why- why didn't it-" I start hyperventilating and slowly fall to the feet of the crib.

"Nyla, baby. Hey. It's okay, it's okay. I'm here, my love. Don't stop listening to me, okay? You are a wonderful mother, Nyla. Everything you do is for them. It's okay, it's just one bad day, my love. Don't think less of yourself. They love you, Nyla. They'll forever love you," Mateo says

"So why couldn't I do it?" I cry

"It's called Colic, baby. It happens to healthy babies in their early months of life. It happens for unknown reasons and it can happen for hours where they just cry and cry. Anyone can clam them down. So one day it might happen to me and you might be the person to calm them down. And it's possible that whoever started crying first put the other in distress and all it took was one needing to calm down," He tells soothingly. "It has nothing to do with you, Nyla. You are the best mother and they know that."

"I don't feel like it," I sniffle

"That's normal to feel some days, but I'll always remind you, baby. I know it and have no doubt about it."