Obsession

Written By: LJ


Dusty slipped off his windbreaker and stood looking around the kitchen, wondering, ‘What the hell happened in here?’

“What’s a mess!” Dennis exclaimed, relieving the younger man of his jacket and hanging it up.

“Looks like someone’s been busy while we were gone,” Dusty commented while holding out his hand and moving it about to direct his partner’s eyes around the room. Several small bowls filled with a variety of colours were lying on sheets of newspaper amid the assortment of art and craft supplies on the table. The sink was full of dirty dishes and a large number of various baking ingredients littered the counters. The floor was liberally dusted with flour and in a couple of places some other, as yet unidentifiable, substance appeared stuck to it.

“You figure? I mean besides the basket of coloured eggs on the table, what’s out of place?” Dennis joked and smirked at the confused expression on the other man’s face. “Oh, you must be referring to the booster seat and the Winnie-the-Pooh cup and bowl, right?”

“Yeah, among other things! Where did they come from and why are they here?”

“Any bets our younger partner will be able to solve the mystery?” Dennis was still chuckling as he left the room and headed down the hall. “Come on, love, let’s go find Skyy.” He had long ago stopped being surprised by what he would discover after leaving Skyy unsupervised for any length of time.

Dennis glanced through the living room door. He spotted his youngest Brat curled up and asleep. Encircled in Skyy’s arms was their nephew, Keaton, who was also sleeping soundly. “There’s your answer, Dusty,” Dennis said softly and walked towards the sofa. As he approached, Skyy’s eyes open and a sleepy grin light up the young man’s face.

“Guess what, Den! We’re going to be uncles again! Anytime now!”

Skyy’s voice disturbed Keaton’s sleep causing the little boy to sit up and rub his eyes. Seeing his Uncle Dennis standing nearby, he reached out chubby arms and demanded. “Up, Denny, up!”

“How long has this little guy been here, Skyy?” Dennis asked as he picked up his young nephew.

“Rodney dropped him off about ten o’clock this morning. He called first when they were on their way to the hospital and asked if it was all right. I didn’t see a problem with it so I said okay,” Skyy explained, getting up off the couch to greet his partners properly.

“So you got railroaded into babysitting, eh little buddy?” Dusty laughed and threw his arms around his fellow-Brat.

As soon as Keaton saw Dusty, he immediately transferred his allegiance. “Dusty!” he cried as he tried to get to his other uncle.

“I’ll get that!” Dennis announced when the phone rang just as he was hugging his youngest partner. “You can update us on all that’s gone on here when I get back, Sport.”

“Go pee, Dusty!” Keaton cried, trying to wriggle out of Dusty’s embrace.

“Here, Skyy. You take him.”

“No way, man. It’s your turn!” Skyy chuckled, calling over his shoulder as he left the room. “His potty chair is in the bathroom. I’ve got to get a load of laundry out of the dryer.”

“Your timing leaves a lot to be desired, junior,” Dusty grumbled and headed for the washroom with Keaton tucked under his arm.

Dennis stood in the doorway of the living room and surveyed the activity going on in front of him. Dusty was trying to catch a half-naked little boy while Skyy sat on the floor beside a basket of clean clothes, laughing hysterically. “Gotcha, my little man.” Dennis snatched up Dusty’s prey as the giggling toddler ran by him. “Where are your clothes, Keaton?”

“Here’s a clean outfit for him, Den,” Skyy offered, pulling a small two-piece sweat suit out of the basket. “Dusty has a pair of training pants.”

“Now, young fella, let’s get you dressed.” Dennis sat down with his nephew on his lap. “Okay, Skyy, so what all happened here?”

“Just like I said; Rodney called and asked if we’d be able to take care of Keaton because Sara was in labour. I told him we would and he dropped off the little guy.”

“What about your plans to meet up with Aaron?” Dennis asked, setting a fully dressed little boy on his feet who immediately ran over to dig through the clean laundry.

“I let him know there had been a change of plans and he ended up coming over here for a while. Sara’s parents both have the flu and didn’t want to take a chance on passing their germs around. And with your folks away with Laura and Jacob for the long weekend it left only us to take care of Keaton,” Skyy explained as he sorted through the basket in front of him.

“How did Keaton manage to get so many clothes dirty in just a few hours, little buddy?” Dusty inquired as he threw himself down on the sofa beside Dennis and put his feet on the coffee table only to have Dennis push them off.

“You really think you want to know?” Skyy grinned mischievously.

“I think we need to have some answers about all that went on here and why we may now have to have our kitchen condemned,” Dennis insisted good-naturedly.

“Well after Aaron arrived, we went out in the back yard for a while. It was too nice and sunny to pass up the opportunity to get a bit of fresh air. Keaton was able to find every mud puddle there was and he didn’t even need my help,” Skyy joked.

“Which probably accounts for at least one dirty outfit,” Dennis guessed correctly.

“Anyway, we brought him inside, got him cleaned up and decided to decorate Easter eggs. Keaton had to be changed again after that.”

“Now we know how the newspaper and water come into play,” Dusty commented.

“It didn’t take long to do the eggs so we figured that since we already had craft materials out we may as well make some other decorations. You know; like bunnies, little chicks and stuff.”

“Let me guess, Keaton then needed another clean outfit, right?” Dennis inquired as the pieces of the puzzles started falling into place.

“Only because he got glue all over on his shirt and pants.”

“What happened next, Skyy?” Dusty snickered, finding the entire tale of events very amusing.

“Well by this time, Aaron was getting bored and didn’t feel like hanging around any longer. He wanted me to go to the mall and take Keaton with us. I didn’t think that would be a very good idea ‘cause it’s so busy on Saturdays and the little guy could get lost or something. So Aaron went on his own even though he wasn’t too happy about it.”

“That was a smart move on your part, Sport,” Dennis praised the young man.

“Go on, little buddy. This is getting more interesting by the minute,” Dusty begged for the story to continue.

“We were getting hungry so we made lunch,” Skyy informed his partners with a shrug of his shoulders. “Only Keaton got more food on his clothing and the floor than he got in his stomach. I told him he shouldn’t have eaten so many worms when we were out in the yard ‘cause it probably ruined his appetite.” Skyy winked at Dusty when he saw that Dennis’ attention was elsewhere.

“Did you say he ate worms?” Dennis expressed his dismay. He had been watching Keaton match tiny pairs of socks under his Uncle Skyy’s gentle tutelage and missed the look that passed between his partners. However, he quickly realized Skyy was pulling his leg when both his Brats burst out laughing.

“Sounds like you’ve had a full day, Sport!” Dennis commented as he laughed along with them. He was amazed at the patience Skyy exhibited with the child he had been caring for. ‘Who else’ Dennis thought as he shook his head, ‘would even attempt to teach a two-year-old how to fold laundry?’

“That’s three outfits dirtied and we’re still counting,” Dusty wisecracked.

“After lunch we baked cookies. Oh, before I forget, Den, we’re out of eggs, milk and flour.”

Dennis sat back and closed his eyes. He assumed the mysterious, sticky masses on the kitchen floor had just been identified. The boys thought he might be praying for patience, which is exactly what he was doing. Bracing himself, he asked, “Is there anything else, Sport?”

“He spilled his bottle of bubbles and he also had a couple of accidents, didn’t ya, Keat? He’s not completely toilet trained, you know. All and all we’ve had a great time, Den!” Skyy enthusiastically assured his shell-shocked partner while Dusty laughed uproariously.

“What I don’t understand, Skyy, is why you didn’t clean up when you were done,” Dennis calmly questioned the young man.

“I couldn’t, Den! Every time I tried to, Keaton would get into something else. I had to watch him every minute. I only did a load of laundry because I was down to his last clean outfit. Maybe next time his parents should send more than eight. When he didn’t want to watch TV, I decided he could use a nap. And guess what? I finally get where you’re coming from when you make me go to bed because you are tired,” he declared. When the other men had stopped laughing enough to hear, Sky inquired. “So how was the Trade Show? Did you get anything?”

“It was mostly the same old stuff and wasn’t as good as last year’s,” Dusty answered. “But you’ll be happy to know that Den bought a bunch of stone blocks to build a planter wall next to the vegetable garden. He also ordered enough matching slabs for a walkway.”

Before Dennis could add his two-cents worth, the doorbell rang and Rodney walked in. “Hi, guys! Guess what? Sara and I have a beautiful baby daughter!” he announced excitedly as he pick up his small son, tossed him into the air and caught him. “What do you think of that for an Easter gift, Keaton? You’ve got a little sister.”

Dennis got up to congratulate his brother while Dusty and Skyy boisterously high-fived each other. “Wow, a niece!” “What’s her name?” “How big is she?” “How is Sara doing?”

“Whoa, I can only answer one at a time,” Rodney laughed. Sitting down in the armchair with Keaton on his lap, he informed his audience. “First off, Sara is fine. Things went a lot smoother this time and she was resting comfortably when I left her. The baby weighed in at seven pounds, five ounces; is nineteen and a half inches long; and has fair hair like her mother. We’ve decided to name her Regan Ashley Mae; Regan for everyday.”

“When can we go see her?” asked Skyy.

“Visiting hours are from two to four every afternoon and seven to eight in the evenings. I know Sara would love to have visitors. She’s a little disappointed that her parents are not feeling well and are unable to come out here. I’m going to take a certain little guy to pick up some McD’s for supper and then to spend some time with his mom and new sibling,” Rodney said, indicating the small boy on his knee.

“We’ll be there tomorrow, Rod. Give Sara our love and best wishes when you see her tonight,” Dennis requested.

“I hope this little guy wasn’t too much trouble,” Rodney said as he did up Keaton’s jacket in preparation for leaving.

“He was no trouble at all,” Skyy informed him. “Once I promised if he was good you’d buy him a pony, he was fine.”

Rodney turned a rather questioning expression in Dennis’ direction silently asking if Skyy was serious. Seeing his brother roll his eyes and look towards the ceiling, assured Rodney the younger man had been trying to get a rise out of him.

Dusty and Skyy quickly gathered up all Keaton’s belongings and took them out to Rodney’s car. Then together with Dennis, waved goodbye as Rodney and Keaton drove away.

“I can hardly wait to see Regan!” Skyy exclaimed, lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I’ve never seen a newborn before.”

“You haven’t missed anything, kid. New babies are usually red, wrinkly and kinda homely; not very good looking in the least,” Dusty grimaced. “All they do is eat, sleep, cry and dirty their diapers.”

Skyy didn’t believe him for a minute but kept his thoughts to himself as he followed his partners into the house.

“Hey, Den! Who was on the phone earlier?” Dusty called out as he closed the front door behind his fellow-Brat and headed towards the kitchen in pursuit of the older man.

“It was your father. He was just calling to confirm that we’d be there for dinner at noon tomorrow. Speaking of meals, let’s get this kitchen cleaned up so we can have supper,” Dennis suggested.

“How come you’re helping me with this, Den?” Skyy asked.

“For a couple of reasons, Sport. First, because we’re all hungry and it will take less time if we work together. Secondly, and more importantly, I know it’s not entirely your mess. I’m sure most young people your age would have rather been out with their friends but you made the responsible decision to make Keaton your number one priority. I’m really proud of how well you took care of the little guy, sweetheart,” Dennis explained and put his arms around the young man and kissed him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That was a great dinner, Mom!” Dusty said, shouldering into his jacket. “Thanks for having us.”

“I’m so glad the three of you could spend some of the Easter weekend with us. The dessert you brought was delicious,” Dusty’s mom replied as she handed him the empty trifle bowl and kissed him goodbye.

“You outdid yourself again, Millicent!” Dennis lightly teased their hostess. “Everything was cooked to perfection.” He stooped to kiss her cheek and then shook hands with Leonard before heading out the door.

“See you next week, Dad!” Dusty hugged his father and followed Dennis out to the car.

Having already said his good-byes, Skyy was bouncing impatiently on the sidewalk. He was excited about the upcoming visit to see Sara and the baby. “Come on, you guys!” he cried, clapping his hands. “What’s taking so long?”

“Hold your horses, young man. It’s only good manners to properly thank people for having you as a guest in their home. It only takes ten minutes to get to the hospital so we’ve plenty of time, Sport,” Dennis softened his rebuke by gently ruffling Skyy’s hair. He unlocked the car doors and walked around to the driver’s side.

Thirty minutes later, they were still driving around looking for an empty parking space.

“Either the parking lot needs to be made bigger or we should hope for fewer patients to have visitors,” Dusty griped.

“There’s one!” Skyy yelled from the back seat, nearly causing Dennis to run into the car that was backing out of the space his Brat was referring to.

They eventually made their way to the maternity ward and Sara’s room. Rodney and Keaton were already there and Sara was sitting in bed with her baby daughter sleeping by her side. Skyy thought she had never looked more beautiful.

After greetings were exchanged and Regan had been proudly shown off to her three uncles, gifts were handed out. The men had brought flowers for Sara, a box of dinky cars for Keaton and a dress for Regan.

Dennis and Rodney went in search of extra chairs and once everyone was seated comfortably, Skyy shyly asked if he could hold the baby. He relaxed back into the rocking chair as Dennis gently placed the precious newborn in his outstretched arms. He gazed into the small face and it was love at first sight. He tenderly folded back the blanket to check out the tiny fingers and toes, grimacing slightly when he saw the drying umbilical cord. He lightly ran his fingers over the soft skin of the baby’s arms and legs before wrapping the blanket around her. Skyy was so enthralled with the miracle in his arms he became oblivious to everything else around him.

Dennis sat quietly observing his youngest partner. He watched the butterfly movements of Skyy’s hands, the look of wonder on his beautiful young face and the love shining in his violet-blue eyes. Dennis felt his chest tighten with love and pride as he took in the scene before him.

Dusty was kept busy with taking pictures and talking to Rodney about their day at the Trade Show while Sara had some quiet time with Keaton. It seemed to Skyy that it was all too soon when Dennis announced it was time to go home. It was only the promise of seeing the baby again in a day or two that enabled him to leave willingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You know, Den, Sara and the baby are going home today. Maybe they’d like to come to dinner too. That way Sara won’t have to prepare a meal,” Skyy suggested the next morning. His family was coming over for a traditional Greek Easter celebration.

“I don’t think so, Sport. Sara would likely find a crowd rather exhausting this soon after leaving the hospital. With Dominic and his partners, there are going to be fifteen of us here as it is,” Dennis explained.

“I know what we can do!” Dusty proposed, “Skyy’s family always brings so much food, why don’t we make up plates to take to Rodney and Sara later in the day?”

“Good idea, Grease-monkey. I can drop them off when I take Earl back to the hospice. What do you think, Skyy?”

“It’s okay, I guess.” Skyy was disappointed at not being able to see the baby today but was contented knowing they would be helping out.

“Do you have any idea what your family is bringing over, little buddy?”

“All I know is that Niko has prepared a Greek lamb dish. I’ve had it before and it’s delicious. We’ll just have to wait and see what the others bring,” Skyy answered. “I can hardly wait to tell them about the baby. When will we get the pictures back, Den?”

“Last night when I dropped the roll of film off, the clerk at Super Store told me they would be ready this morning. Dusty can pick them up on one of his trips to get Earl and the rest of the family.” Dennis informed him and smiled when he saw the excitement sparkling in Skyy’s eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After such a wonderful Easter weekend, things took a turn for the worse on Thursday. With the exception of Monday, Skyy had been over to see his niece and nephew every day. Today he had not reported for work in order to spend time with Sara and the children.

“It’s all right, little one. You’re fine,” Dennis’s calming litany of words flowed over the crying young man in his lap. He was sitting on the leather couch in his study with his youngest Brat nestled in his arms. When the sobbing had gradually diminished, the older man softly asked, “Do we still need to talk things over, baby?”

“Huh-huh,” Skyy murmured and nodded his head. He wiped at the tears on his face as he looked up at the man who had just given him a sound spanking. “I’m sorry for missing my shift and everything.” He reached around to tentatively rub his sore bottom, hoping to lessen the flame burning there.

“Skyy, sweetheart, I know you want to help Sara and see Regan as often as you can but lying to the librarian and getting Aaron to fill in for you is totally unacceptable. Although I’m sure Sara appreciates the help, she has her parents and mine to assist her. You have your own responsibilities and cannot put your life on hold simply because you are obsessed with this new baby.”

“But Nonna says that babies grow so fast and I don’t want to miss any of it,” Skyy sniffled as he cuddled against the bigger man’s chest.

“Oh, Skyy, honey. Older people look back and it seems as if everything happened very quickly. But most things take time, including infants growing and learning to do things like walking and talking. There will be plenty of time for you to see it all unfold. You’ve already seen some of it happening with Keaton.” Dennis spoke gently into the curls beneath his chin. “The baby is Sara’s priority. You’ve got other ones; such as us, our home, school, and your position as library assistant, right?”

“Right!” Skyy agreed and with a deep sigh, pushed himself off Dennis’ lap and started to pull up his boxers and jeans. He winced as the clothing passed over his still very tender backside.

“And let me make one more thing clear, little boy,” Dennis sternly admonished. “If you ever tell another lie, I’m going to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“But that’s for swearing, Den!” Skyy argued.

“Well, I happen to know from personal experience that it works to curb lying as much as it does swearing,” the other man informed him.

“Personal experience? Sounds like an interesting story, Den,” Skyy smirked mischievously. “Wanna share it?”

“Not right now, Sport. Any other questions concerning what we’ve just talked about, Skyy?”

“Nope! I get it! I’m to take care of my own business and let other people take care of theirs. Right?”

“Right!”

The End