Page 34 of Open Net

I nodded and watched her leave. He was still awake which was good, but he was starting to get fussy. I bounced him on my knees hoping that would soothe him, but he just got worse.

Where was Kendall or Chloe when I needed them? They were the baby whisperers.

I turned him toward me and tried to get the football hold right, but he started screaming. I was starting to get flustered and a bit frustrated when there was a small knock and Dr. Cobalt walked in. He was a nice older man, a grandpa type which was why I picked him to be our pediatrician. Sophia, from the Pride, recommended him and I felt comfortable around him the first time I met him, before Jackson was born. Plus, he had more years of experience with babies than I did at being alive.

“Hello again, Emma.” He took in my current, frazzled state and swept Jackson up in his arms. A few magical bounces and the crying stopped completely.

Part of me wanted to bang my head against the wall and the other wanted to hold Dr. Cobalt hostage until he revealed his methods.

“There you go,” the doctor said, “just a little gas to move around.”

My lips parted. “How did you know?”

He smiled down at me. “His belly looked a little bloated.”

I stared at him. “You haven’t seen him since his one-week appointment. How could you know that?”

He sat across from me, still holding Jackson who was gazing at him with a peaceful expression. “When you’ve been around newborns as long as I have you can just tell. Call it intuition.”

I’d grown to hate that word. Simply because I lacked it. I had no natural abilities when it came to my son.

“Can I take you home with me?” I asked.

He laughed. “If only you knew how many times a week I hear that.” He shook his head. “You’re doing just fine. It takes time and plenty of trial and error to learn to speak baby. You’ll get there.”

I highly doubted that.

“How is Jackson sleeping?”

I cleared my throat, giving myself a moment to catch up to the sudden topic change. “Good?”

“Sleeping four hours at a time at night?”

I tried to think, counting in my head. “Yeah, three to four hours.”

“Good.” He stood and lay Jackson on the exam bed. “He’s growing on track with what we like to see, especially with him being a few weeks early. Good weight too.”

I nodded, grateful there wasn’t anything glaringly wrong with him.

He lifted him up, cradling Jackson to his chest. “How about you, Mom? How are you feeling?”

This was my chance. If there was anyone I could talk to and ask, it was my baby’s doctor, right?

“I’ve been a little off.”

He smiled. “Oh, that’s very normal. Especially with your first.”

He wasn’t worried? He didn’t think it was crazy? I relaxed a bit.

“So, I’m not crazy?”

He laughed. “Oh no, you’re not. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

I leaned back and nodded. This was exactly what I needed to hear.

“It’s not uncommon to feel tired, or hard to concentrate. Plenty of new moms feel that way. They walk into a room and forget why they’re there.”

I swallowed and nodded. “Right.” That wasn’t at all what I meant. Of course, I was tired, but he was describing sleep deprivation. “I just feel like I’m not doing anything right.”