When you tell the world you're mine

Chapter 40: Parents in training

They had taken a time from putting Carol's place together to go visit Tommy. Carol had brought a small teddy bear and a lot of cute outfits, including a made in Rio onesie and was excitedly talking about meeting him on the drive.

"You like babies... like a lot, huh?" Harry asked her amused.

"You know that my biggest dream is to be a mum." she looked at him and smiled. "I've always dreamed about being a mum."

"You're too young to be a mum." he replied.

"Well... I'm not saying I'm getting knocked up at 24, but there are millions of girls that willing or not have become a mum younger than me." she pointed out and shrugged. "But aren't you too old to be a dad?" she joked.

"Well... I might have to remember you that we're only 9 years apart, Miss Carolina." Harry said smugly.

"Well... But while I'm 24 and young and flirty, you're already a grumpy 33 year old."

"I am way better than the 24 year old mean around, I am." he said parking his car and looking at her.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Henry." she laughed getting out of the car.

They walked the path to the front door of his friend's place and when Skippy opened the door, looking like any new father – disheveled hair, dark circles under his eyes, looking tired – Carol simply laughed and hugged him to congratulate on the birth of his first born.

She entered the house after he invited them in and said Lara was upstairs nursing and that she'd be down in a bit. He offered them snacks and something to drink and Carol offered to help him.

"So... I guess he's not sleeping well?" Harry asked looking at his friend.

"He's not sleeping at all to be honest." Skippy answered and laughed. "Lara and I take shifts in the night but it's still fucking hard to take care of a baby."

"He's only what? 10 days old? It'll get easier." Carol tried to cheer her friend up.

"Or worse." Harry said and Carol shot daggers at him.

"You're not helping, Wales. Shut up." she said and tried to take the horror expression of Skippy's face after he heard what Harry had said.

"But even though I'm tired, it's so worth it. He has already changed a lot from the first days. And now we don't panic anymore at every cry. I guess we're getting the hang of it."

"You guys will totally rock this." Carol said and she saw Lara entering the living room with a wide eyed baby boy.

"Look, Tommy... Auntie Carol has finally come to meet you!" she said in a baby voice and Carol got up to side hug her friend and admire the newborn in her arms.

"He's even cuter in person." Carol said smiling brightly. "Hey there big boy. Nice to meet you."

The baby cooed and the ladies swooned over him.

"He might be 10 days old but he already know how to melt a woman's heart. That's my boy." Skippy said proudly.

Lara looked a bit better than Skippy and she still had the new mum glow around her. She greeted Harry and offered if him or Carol would like to hold the baby. Carol jumped right in and asked for a toilet so she could wash her hands. Lara pointed it to her and she came back a few seconds later already getting a burp cloth to throw over her front so the baby wouldn't be touching her clothes. She got Tommy from Lara's hold and breathed in his scent closing her eyes. The little boy soon made funny sounds and found a way to be comfortable in her arms. She adjusted him there making sure she was fully supporting his head and sat down on the couch looking at him.

"I might steal your baby." she said after a while looking at her friends.

"Well.. since I don't sleep a whole night since he was born, I think I'd love it if you did." Skippy said and soon felt the slap his wife gave him. He only mouthed "What?" at her.

"If you guys want to take a nap, you can go. I can watch him." Carol said and saw the gleam come to Lara's eyes when it was offered.

"Are you sure? I don't want to give you any troubles. And you just got here, we've got lots to catch up." she said.

"I am sure. I'm not moving out of London anytime soon. Go take a nap. He's with a full tummy so I guess we will be fine for a few hours." she said looking at her friend and almost feeling sorry for them to see how eager they were to rest a little bit.

"You're a God send, Carol." Skippy said looking at his friend. "There's a bottle ready in the kitchen. If he's hungry..."

"Noted!" Carol said leaning more on the couch and Harry helped her by putting more cushions behind her. Their friends soon left the living room and Harry got a throw blanket to cover his and Carol's legs that were stretched on the couch. He was beside her looking at his godson and completely over the moon.

"If you're tired I can go upstairs and get his bassinet." He offered.

"Not right now. Let me hold him a bit more." she looked at him and smiled. She was enchanted by the baby and kept smelling his head while he slept. 

She caressed his tiny arms and hands and cooed whenever he made those cute sounds. She was a pro with the baby. She changed his position whenever he was tired of being in there. She wasn't afraid of holding him, she talked to him and even made him lay on her stomach while she massaged his little head and back. 

Harry was feeling his heart grow fonder by the minute and he wished and prayed in that moment that Carol would accept to be the mother of his children. At some point he even pictured this image of Carolina holding their newborn and how happy and proud he'd be when this happened. He did everything he could to make her comfortable. He'd bring water, snacks, he'd adjust her hair and her position. And mostly he'd hold her while they talked, whispering because Tommy had slept in her arms, about how great she was with kids.

They let their friends take a five hour nap. Harry changed Tommy's nappy and Carol bottle fed him when he started to get hungry. He was indeed a little sleeper baby, but he was calm at the moment, he was paying attention to the voices that were talking to him and when his mum came back to the living room, fresh showered and looking way better, he soon wanted her hold and her milk to soothe and fall asleep again.

"Thank you so much, Carol." Lara said getting her boy from her friend's arms. "Whenever you guys have yours, I'll do the same for you."

Carol and Harry simply exchanged looks without answering the comment.