recover // c.h. au (DISCONTINUED)

Four

. : | F O U R | : .

My alarm blared at around 8 o’clock in the morning. The sound echoed throughout the whole room and I sat upright in my bed, rubbing my eyes with the backs of my forefingers. I yawned profoundly and checked if Lucy was awake. She was sitting with her eyes wide open at me, her stuffed elephant toy hanging in her mouth.

I chuckled at the adorable sight and went to her. “Baby, no,” I told her, gently pulling her chin to open her mouth and remove the stuffed toy. She obeyed and pushed herself up from her sitting position, putting her arms out for me to carry her. I smiled lovingly at her and picked her up, placing her on my hip.

“Want to take a bath with me? And then head out for breakfast?” I asked Lucy.

“Yes! Yes, baff! Food, mmm!” she giggled, kicking her legs out so I would let her down. I did so and set her on the ground carefully, holding her hand and leading her into the master bathroom. I turned the tap on for the bathtub and pressed the settings so that the water would be warm. I placed a bath bomb inside the tub and waited for the water to fill midway before I started undressing Lucy.

I removed my clothes as well and carried Lucy into the tub with me, sitting down in front of her. She started playing with the bubbles and giggling loudly. I grabbed the showerhead from the wall and turned it on, turning the tap from the bathtub off so I could wet Lucy’s head. I positioned it on top of Lucy’s head and wet her hair, purposely avoiding her whole face. She kept jumping in the tub and water sloshed from the tub and onto the floor.

“Hey, Luce, stop wiggling,” I told her, laughing and holding her hands in one hand to keep her from splashing water in my face. I absolutely didn’t want soap in my mouth. And speaking of soap in mouths, Lucy accidentally splashed some water into her mouth, making her cough and make a bleugh sound. I laughed at her expense and grabbed the shampoo from its rack.

I put a dollop of shampoo onto my palm and gently massaged Lucy’s head. Her hair only reached just above her shoulders, making it easier for me to lather shampoo onto her head. “Hold still,” I told her sternly. She surprisingly stopped moving and just sat still in front of me, closing her eyes and smiling, clearly enjoying my gentle massage on her head.

I looked at her adoringly and took hold of the soap from the rack and scrubbed Lucy’s body with it. She was suddenly calm and quiet the whole bath and I was thankful she wasn’t going to start dancing in the middle of it. I just didn’t want a mess in the bathroom right now.

I placed a generous amount of shampoo onto my palm and massaged my head, going over the ends of my hair and washing it up afterwards. I rinsed Lucy and I’s bodies and hair, grabbing the towels and wrapping it around Lucy. I got another small one and placed it on top of her head, doing the same to me. I carried her out of the tub and pulled the plug at the bottom, emptying the tub within a minute.

I placed Lucy on the sink and took a brand new toothbrush from the drawers, grabbing one for myself too. I cleaned her teeth first and finally, mine. I set Lucy down on the floor and walked her out of the bathroom and into our room. I picked her outfit for today out of her suitcase. Note to self: unpack later when we get home. My phone buzzed on the bedside table and I took it to see a text from my Mum.

From Mum: Change of plans, honey, the babysitter isn’t available for today. She’s coming starting tomorrow. She’s only there for the mornings so I suggest you find a job with the morning shift. Take care, love you! X

I groaned inwardly and set my phone back down, turning to Lucy. I laid her down on the bed to put her nappies on. I secured the tapes around her small hips and pulled a dress over her, spraying some cologne onto her clothes and the top of her head. I placed socks onto her small feet and a pair of black shoes. I towel dried her hair and combed it down, placing a ribbon clip to rid her face of her side fringe.