The Baker, Part 2: Sous Chef

Chapter 23

Cassie was on seventy-two hour suicide watch at the hospital and Ben refused to leave her side for those seventy-two hours. His mom brought a bag of his and Liam's clothes. She offered to watch Liam while Ben was focused on Cassie, but he thought having Liam there could be good.

Turns out, it was the best thing for her.

The day after her incident, Ben was quietly reading a Dr. Seuss book to Liam as Cassie slept. It was past Liam's bedtime, but for some reason he was fussy and didn't want to sleep. Ben suspected it was because they weren't at home.

But he loved reading to his son and took great joy into it. When he made funny voices, Liam would giggle and clap. Unfortunately, he had to cut back on the voices because he didn't want to wake Cassie. She needed all the rest he could get.

"And that's the end," Ben softly said, as he closed the book. Liam took it from him and opened it again. He pointed to a picture on a page. "That's a fish," Ben told him. "It's red, see?" Liam just started saying things in baby talk, as he pointed to different pictures.

Ben pretended like he knew what he was saying. "Oh really?" He asked, when Liam pointed to a word and said something along the lines of, "habutataba". Ben chuckled, "You're a chatterbox like you're old man, aren't you?"

A moment later, he heard Cassie's voice say, "Ben?" He looked up and saw her just starting to wake up. "Hey, you," he said with a smile. "How are you feeling?" He didn't get the answer he expected. "Can I see Liam?" She asked.

Ben furrowed his eyebrows. For some reason, he had a feeling that she wasn't completely awake yet and probably sleep talking.

"Erm...alright, let's get you a little more awake first." With Liam in one arm, he helped Cassie sit up and get the blood flowing. She definitely wasn't sleep talking.

Once she got some water in her and was out of her sleepy state, Ben asked, "You still want to hold him, love?" She quickly nodded and held out her arms. He didn't know what in the hell was going on, but he carefully set Liam in her arms.

"Here's mummy," he softly cooed, as he set him down. He watched Cassie carefully. She looked down at Liam and...smiled. She isn't on any pills, the doctors haven't given her any treatment.

So why was she acting this way?

"You alright?" He asked, not wanting to cause any trouble like he did the last time she held him. She nodded and told him, "Yeah, yeah. I...I had this dream."

He looked at her oddly and asked, "Dream? What dream?" She looked up at him huffed out a laugh. "It was about him," she said as her eyes landed on Liam.

"He must have been eight years old. We were at a baseball game and...my dad was there. He was telling me how proud he was and how great Liam was. He said he loved that Liam was named after him."

She started crying the more she continued talking. "He was just so proud, Ben." He sat down next to her on the bed and rubbed his hand up and down her back. She continued, "I have to make him proud. I need to be here for Liam. I want to love him the way he loved me. I do."

Ben sniffled and wiped his tears. "That's beautiful, Cass. How do you feel holding him?" She nodded and told him, "Good. Really good, actually. You must think this is stupid of me." He could see her getting insecure, which is exactly what happened last time. He'll be damned if she gets that way again. 

He thought quick on his feet and said, "I think this is brilliant of you. It's like you had an epiphany. There's nothing wrong with that. Look at you...you look bloody gorgeous with him." He kissed her head, then kissed Liam's head.

"This may sound ridiculous," she said, "but I think this...this incident...is what I needed." Ben quickly shook his head. "Don't you dare say that," he told her. "Because every time, from now on, if you go back to feeling the way you did, you're going to think this is the answer. It's not. The answer is being with me and Liam and letting us smother you in endless love."

With that, he peppered her face and neck with kisses making her giggle. "Oh, I miss that laugh," he said, as he nuzzled his face into her neck. "I love you, Cass. I'm with you every step of the way. We both are." 

He ran his hand over Liam's head. "We're your boys and we'll always be here to protect you and love you." Liam reached up to Cassie's face and squeezed her nose. He giggled in pure joy when she made a funny face at him. 

"Is mummy being silly?" Ben asked. Liam answered with more baby talk. Ben and Cassie pretended to have a full conversation with him, but then Ben just started getting silly. "And where did you meet this girl?" He asked his infant son. 

When Liam answered in gibberish, Ben gasped, "In the east wing? But those are the newborns, they're too young for you, son." Cassie giggled as he kept answering their son's baby language. "Look, I know you love her, but I'm sorry, she's just a few months too young for you."

Liam then yawned and snuggled up to Cassie. "You should probably get him in his crib," Cassie softly told Ben. He nodded in agreement and put his hands out to take him...but then watched how Cassie placed the most tender, loving kiss on Liam's forehead. 

He took Liam from her, then put him in the crib that the hospital kindly loaned to them. Once he said goodnight to his boy, he went back over to Cassie and got into the bed with her. "I am so proud of you, baby," he said, before kissing her. "And I want to show you just how proud I am."

With that, he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her slowly and sensually. One of his hands slipped under her hospital gown and went up her bare leg. "Ben," she gasped as she pulled away. "He's right over there."

Ben looked over to his son and shrugged. "And?" He asked. "He's several feet away, he's too young to know what we're doing...and I know you're horny because I am, too." She continued to let him kiss her and show her the pride he had for her.