D&B5

33

"Can I come see the little one tomorrow? I won't be going to school," Ingfa asked Brick.

"Sure, but I won't take the baby to the hair salon tomorrow. It's not very convenient, and the baby is still small. There are a lot of hair dust and chemicals in the air," Brick replied. The salon didn't have a suitable space for the baby to stay comfortably.

"If you're coming, come in the afternoon, okay? You have extra classes in the morning, so don't forget," Bank, who had just walked in, reminded her.

"I forgot," Ingfa said shyly with a smile.

"You can come see him whenever you have free time. I'll be home all day," Brick responded. Ingfa agreed before Phai mentioned that dinner was ready. Beam then went to call Day and Kan to join them for dinner, while Belle called to cancel her plans to join them for dinner because she had a client who needed her attention and it would likely take her past closing time. She decided to stay and take care of her client until they finished.

"Brick, go eat first. I'll take care of the baby," Day suggested since baby Ob has not fallen asleep yet. He wanted Brick to eat well before switching responsibilities.

"Okay," Brick acknowledged.

"Don't rush your meal," Day instructed. He knew Brick was worried about their son.

"I know," Brick replied with a smile before Day took baby Ob in his arms. The others sat down to eat at the table, with Day sitting in a nearby chair while holding the baby.

"By the way, P'Brick, you look thinner, too," Bank remarked as they were eating together.

"Taking care of a baby does that. I eat every meal, but I don't have time for snacks like before. The first few months were tough, I had to stay up late and wake up to feed the baby," Brick replied with a smile.

"You're doing great," Kan praised. Brick smiled back, and after finishing his meal, he got up to wash his hands and then returned to hold baby Ob.

"Ohh!" Ob was kicking his feet, seemingly aware that Brick was coming to pick him up.

"He knows who's about to hold him," Bank said with a smile.

"Uncle Brick, can I feed the baby?" Ingfa asked.

"Sure, but first, we should give him a bath, then you can feed him," Brick responded.

"Are we going to bathe him right now?" Day asked.

"Yeah. Beam, are you interested in helping?" Brick asked since Beam had finished eating.

"Yes! I'd love to!" Beam replied eagerly. Day trusted Brick to give the baby a bath since he had done it many times before. Brick took baby Ob to undress him and asked Beam to help grab the baby bathtub.

"Wow, this is the first time I've seen a baby bathtub like this!" Beam said, observing the tub.

"I bought it. At first, I was a bit clumsy with it, but after two or three times, I got the hang of it," Brick replied with a smile.

"Oh no, the baby is naked!" Ingfa exclaimed and hurriedly covered baby Ob's lower half with a towel. Brick chuckled as he took baby Ob to the bathroom and had Beam run warm water.

"It even shows the temperature, so you know how warm the water is," Beam noted while Ingfa watched with interest until Brick lowered baby Ob into the tub and gently washed him.

"He doesn't cry when he hits the water," Beam said with a smile. Baby Ob was kicking his legs and grinning, making noises of delight.

"You know, I've seen videos of people taking their babies for swimming lessons. Are you going to take him, P'Brick?" Beam asked with curiosity, as it was something new for him.