N+C fanfic: Years Later

6. Stop!

Nick's POV

Major TW: abuse

The baby is in Charlie's arms, wrapped in a blanket. Mum came over as soon as she knew what was happening, and the midwife is still here, teaching Charlie how to breastfeed. Then she leaves after confirming that the baby is alive and well. It's past midnight on August seventeenth.

"They're a boy, right?" Mum asks.

"Yes," Charlie says, looking down at the baby. "Until he is old enough to express otherwise."

"What are you naming him?"

I look at Charlie, who looks at Mum.

"Milo Fox Nelson," Charlie announces.

Mum puts her hand over her heart. "That's a beautiful name. I hope you guys will allow me to have a relationship with him, but I won't force you."

Charlie looks confused. "You are like a real mother to me. Of course you'll be his grandma."

Mum nods. "I would recommend not letting David have a relationship with him. You know how he is."

I nod. "I agree."

"I'm not letting my mum anywhere near him, but Dad, Oliver, and Tori can obviously be part of his extended family." Charlie strokes the bundle in his arms.

"That's a wise decision," Mum says, nodding again.

While Charlie was pregnant, we already set up the nursery/playroom and another bedroom for when the baby gets older. There are still two or three other empty rooms in the house.

"You were a month early," I say to Charlie.

He nods. "I'm just tired right now."

I look down at Milo. "Why don't we go to bed, and we can start parenting in the morning?" I say, half joking.

Charlie nods, taking Milo to the nursery. Then he follows me into our room, gets in bed with me, and falls asleep in my arms.

+         +         +

Milo has recently started going to daycare. The first time we took him, he cried when Charlie and I went out of sight. But now, he's starting to settle in, and sometimes, he throws tantrums when he doesn't want to leave.

Today I got a call from one of the nursery workers.

"Hello, this is Nick Nelson," I say, scrunching my eyebrows. Why are they calling me?

"Are you the guardian of Milo Fox Nelson?" a feminine voice asks on the other end.

"Yes," I reply.

Charlie looks at me, confused as he pauses the television. "What's up?" he mouths.

"Hi, Nick. So, we kinda have an issue with Milo. He.. Hey!"

"Is everything alright?" I ask.

"Just a second, I have to sort something out." I hear a clunk as the daycare worker places down the phone, and a few seconds later, I hear screaming and crying.

I immediately stand up, and Charlie looks worried.

I hear the sound effects of a struggle in the background. "Hello?" I ask, voice quivering.

Silence on the other end. Then-

"Sorry, I'm back. Can you come in?"

"Um, sure. I'm not busy-"

"As soon as possible, please. Milo isn't looking too well."

"I just said I wasn't busy. I'm on my way." I hang up angrily.

"Is everything alright?" Charlie asks.

"Something's happening with Milo, but the daycare worker didn't clarify what the issue was. I'm going to pick him up."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"I've got it. I'll see you in a bit." I grab my coat, put on my shoes, and storm out the door.

When I get to the daycare, I turn off the car, angrily get out, and hastily walk inside.

"Where is my son?" I demand.

The person at the desk looks up from his papers and slowly points into the room that is painted with a happy yellow sun. Inside the room, which has glass doors, there's a mess of papers and paint all over the floor. I see Milo crying on the floor and a daycare worker stands over him, hand raised.

Anger bubbling up inside me, I storm into the room. I will not put up with people putting my child through what my husband had to endure as a kid.

"Stop!" I yell.

The daycare worker doesn't stop; her hand comes down on Milo's face, leaving red marks. Milo is crying even harder now.

"You see this?" she asks, looking at the other kids. "This is what happens when you disobey our orders." She slaps my son again, this time on his back, making him fall forward onto the floor and cry out.

The rest of the kids are huddled up in the back right corner of the room, scared for their lives.

"I said stop!" I shout. I rush up to the daycare worker and pull her away from Milo. She seems to be in an angry daze.

"Oh," she says, calming down as she turns around and sees me. "I didn't realize you were here."

"What are you doing?"

"Your son wasn't letting another kid have the toy he was playing with."

I'm not convinced. Milo hastily runs to me, hugging my legs. "So you showcased beating him?" I quickly wrap my arms around Milo. Protecting him.

"Listen, he was breaking the ru-"

"I don't care!" I snap. "This is abuse, and the fact that you don't know that says everything."