Trials of the Test Subjects

Fun chapter: Bum Bum Baby Chaos

Third part

The laughter settled into a comfortable silence, punctuated only by the occasional gurgle or wail from one of the babies. I took a moment to gaze down at the tiny, sleepy eyes of the baby I was holding, feeling a strange sense of awe. As an introvert, I'd never been particularly comfortable around new experiences—or new people, for that matter—but this was different.

Sera, still adjusting the milk bottle to her baby's mouth, broke the quiet. "You know," she said softly, "this might actually be good practice. If we ever end up in a situation where we have to care for babies in a crisis… we'll be ready."

Zz rolled his eyes, a smile curving his lips. "Please, don’t manifest that into reality, Sera. Babies are the last thing we need right now."

Lyn, who had been cradling his baby with exaggerated care, straightened up. "Babies could be fun! Imagine the chaos of trying to feed them while everything's spinning around. No thanks."

I stifled a laugh at the mental image, but Sera shook her head. "I don’t think I’d survive that. We’d need some kind of foolproof system for feeding and changing them."

Ave, who was still trying to keep his now half-asleep baby content, chimed in. "Forget the logistics; what about keeping them entertained? Would we have to sing lullabies while balancing everything?"

Lyn leaned back, pretending to think. "Easy. We’d get the babies their own little toys and high chairs. And a soft space to crawl around, of course." He flashed me a playful grin, and despite myself, I felt a smile tug at my lips.

Zz turned to me, curiosity lighting up his face. "What do you think, Mitochondria? Think you could handle the chaos of a baby-filled world?"

I felt my cheeks flush under their collective attention, and I fumbled for words. "Um, I guess… as long as I had some kind of plan in place," I mumbled. "You know, lots of backup bottles and… maybe a robot nanny."

Lyn grinned. "Ah, always prepared! I like the way you think. Maybe we’ll have to put you in charge if that ever happens."

Before I could reply, one of the doctors stepped into the room, clapping his hands to get our attention. "Alright, team," he said, clearly holding back a smile at the sight of us all holding babies and bottles. He wore a lab coat over a worn apron, his hands gloved as he stepped into the room, looking both amused and slightly bemused by the scene. "How’s the parenting practice going?"

Zz raised an eyebrow. "Is there going to be a final exam on this?"

The doctor chuckled. "No final exams, don’t worry. But keep at it—you’ve got ten more minutes of baby duty. Make them count!"

As the doctor left, Ave sighed in mock defeat. "Ten more minutes of this? I might not make it."

Lyn patted him on the back, grinning. "Hang in there, buddy. We’re all in this together. And who knows, maybe we’ll get a gold star for effort."

I couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie as we all got back to our ridiculous task, bottles and babies in hand. Despite my usual shyness, being with these friends—sharing jokes and absurd scenarios—made everything feel a little bit brighter.