I Choose You : A New Chapter

Couple of Months

Today was one of the most nerve-wracking days of Ben and Cassie's lives. It took a couple months to get here, but they were currently at the doctors, waiting to be called back so Aiden can have his hearing aides put in. They received their expensive order yesterday and demanded an appointment today. Lucky for them, they had one more spot open. 

"Aiden Cumberbatch," a nurse called, making both parents jump up and quickly follow the nurse. Aiden was currently asleep in his stroller, but he would obviously have to be woken up soon. They waited a little longer in the patient's room for the doctor, but it seemed like a lifetime. 

"These fuckers better hurry up," Ben grumbled. "We spent three thousand dollars on these, I'm not going to waste another damn second!" Just as he said that, the doctor walked in. "Hello, Cumberbatch's," he greeted. "I see we've got the hearing aides, so why don't we go ahead and get started."

Cassie gently picked up Aiden and woke him by gently stroking his cheek and head. "Hi, baby," she said when he opened his eyes. He looked like he wanted to start crying because of this rude awakening, but just kept a pouty face and teary eyes instead. 

"Oh, come here, my boy," Ben cooed as he took him. "Come on, let's get you all better." He set Aiden gently down on the table, then watched as the doctor started putting in the hearing aides. "Now, this will be a bit tricky doing it at home," he said, as he put one of them in Aiden's ear. "Just be sure to do it gently and don't shove them in."

He put in the other one, then started adjusting the volume control. "You'll know if the volume is too high if he shakes his head or reacts oddly to usually soft noises. I'm going to turn the volume up so he can hear. When I give you a nod, you can start talking. Normally, it's better for the baby to hear the mother's voice first."

Cassie stepped up to the table and looked down at Aiden. The doctor turned up the volume on both ears, then gave her a nod. Tears started forming in Cassie's eyes as she said, "Hi, Aiden. Hi, baby." She watched Aiden's face as it remained the same...but then he gave her a huge grin. 

He started laughing and clapping his hands, then tried reaching up to her. "Do you like mommy's voice?" She asked, as she picked him up. She was crying now and kissed his cheeks as he continued to be a very happy baby. "Here, say hi to daddy," she said. 

Ben came up next to them and said, "Hey there, baby boy." Aiden immediately stopped laughing and looked at Ben in awe. His two tiny hands reached out and went over Ben's mouth. Ben chuckled, making Aiden jump a little bit. "I think someone likes daddy's voice," Cassie said.

Ben took Aiden and held him close as he said, "You like my voice? Hm?" Aiden still looked at him in awe and soon had the widest smile on his face. Ben teared up as he kissed his son's head and cheeks over and over again. "Oh, my boy. My sweet, sweet boy. You're going to be okay." 

The doctor looked at them with a smile and said, "Make sure you take them out at night before he falls asleep. They are waterproof so he can have them on when you bathe him. Other than that, I believe you are all set to go home."

Ben wrapped his free arm around Cassie and said, "Let's get our boy home." They walked out with smiles plastered to their faces, including Aiden, who seemed fascinated with some of the noises. When the elevator dinged, his eyes went wide. When a car honked it's horn, he jumped and cried. 

When they got home and Jake started barking...that's when the real cries came in to play. 

"Jake, outside!" Ben scolded as he led the dog out back and shut the window. Cassie was lovingly shushing and bouncing Aiden, trying to get him to calm down. "It's okay, sweetie, it's okay." Ben came over and kissed his head as he said, "Don't worry, the big bad doggy is gone." 

Aiden's cries let up a bit and he was now sniffling and whimpering. "Come here, big boy," Ben cooed, as he took him from Cassie. "We're going to have to be extra careful with you now, aren't we? Especially when it comes time for mummy and daddy to play in the bedroom."

He gave Cassie a wink and she rolled her eyes. "Well, he needs to get to bed, he's had a long day." Ben agreed and took him to his room. "Alright, let's get you dressed for the part," Ben said as he put Aiden on the changing table. 

He checked his diaper and saw it was clean, so he started to get pajamas out. "You know," he said to Aiden, "I don't think you know how happy we are, son. When I found out you couldn't hear our voices, it damn near broke me. Broke your mother, though. But we're happy now. Right, sweet boy?"

He blew raspberries on to Aiden's stomach causing him to giggle up a storm. Ben laughed and finished putting on the pajamas. "Up we go," he said as he lifted up his son, then put him in his crib. "Goodnight, my love," he said, before placing gentle kisses all over his face. 

Cassie came in a few minutes later and did the same, then gently took out his hearing aides. Once Ben and Cassie got into their own room, they hugged for a long while. "What did I say?" He asked in her ear. "I told you things were going to be okay, didn't I?"

She started to softly cry in his neck while he gently shushed her and rubbed her back. "Our boy is okay," he told her. "Everything is okay now."

**

"Oh, that's funny, is it?" Ben asked his son as rubbed his sore head. Aiden was giggling because Ben had accidentally smacked his head against one of the cabinet doors. "You like seeing daddy get hurt, do you?" He picked up Aiden and tossed him in the air, then caught him. 

Aiden let out a high pitched squeal, making Ben laugh. He held his son close and brought him over to where he was making dinner. "What do you say, do you think mummy will approve?" He was making dinner tonight since he got out of class early and didn't have work. 

"Yeah, I think she will," he said to himself. "You, my boy, need to be fed so we can get you to bed early because daddy has been hungry for mummy lately." He set Aiden in his feeding chair, then started feeding him some baby food. 

Unfortunately for him, Aiden didn't like it. 

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Ben tasted the spinach flavored baby food...and spit it out. "Fair enough," he sighed. He grabbed the carrot flavored which Aiden seemed to like more. Once he finished, Ben checked on dinner, then took Aiden upstairs to give him a bath. 

During this eventful bath that caused bubbles to end up on the floor and in Ben's hair, Cassie came home. She walked in on them with a smile and a tired look on her face. "Hello, boys," she greeted. Ben looked up at her and smiled. 

"Hey, baby," he said. "You're back early." She set her purse on the ground, kicked off her shoes, then sat down on the floor next to him. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Jeffery was nice and let me go," she told him.

Ben placed a kiss on her head, then started laughing when Aiden tried reaching out to her. "I'm sorry, baby," she said as she placed a big kiss on his cheek, "I was ignoring you, huh?" Aiden picked up some bubbles in his tiny hands and held them up to her. 

She gently blew them from his hands, making him laugh. "Okay," Ben chuckled, "let's let mummy go change, she's had a long day." Cassie gave Ben a sweet kiss, then got up and went into the bedroom. She let out a sigh of relief when she took of her bra and tossed it in the hamper. 

She got into one of Ben's shirts and her sweatpants, then started to yawn. "Ready to eat, love?" Ben asked from the doorway. She rubbed her tummy and nodded. He lightly chuckled, then pulled her in for a hug. "Long day?" He asked. 

His answer was her nodding into his neck. "Well, I've made something special for you tonight. I went down to the meat market and got a couple of good steaks, then got some potatoes and vegetables." Cassie looked up at him and said, "You must be looking to get laid tonight."

He shrugged, then said, "I will admit, it's been on my mind. Of course, if you're too tired, we can always wait." Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck, then brought him down for a kiss. When she pulled back, she asked, "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

"A couple months, yes," he told her. She almost looked guilty now as she said, "I'm sorry, Ben, I didn't realize..." He gently shushed her and said, "Darling, it's fine. We've both been so busy with work, me with school and with Aiden getting better...can you blame us?"

She cracked a smile as she told him, "Well, tonight, we can make up for those couple of months."