HIM

20. Baby Boy

9 months later...

CALEB'S P.O.V

I awake at 3 am. to the sounds of Danny screaming his little lungs out in what sounds like he might be dying. A few weeks of this has lead me to know that he isn't really dying, he probably just pooped his pants or wants some food.

I glance over at Amanda who is sound asleep next to me, not yet affected by the sounds of our baby. Her chest rises and falls at a steady pace, and her face is relaxed...unlike how it is during the day. Sighing, I get out of bed, the floor cold on my bare feet, and I walk down the hallway to Danny's room.

I open the door, stepping into the dark room. His crib is against the wall shared with Amanda and my room. His little arms are flailing around in the air as he wails for the attention. I didn't feel too comfortable having him sleep in another room other than ours, but we were left with no choice since the space in our room is limited. Amanda told me that it would be fine, but I often find myself restless at night, my ears straining for any sound of his cries.

I walk to the crib and pick him up, his small body in both of my hands. His cry dies down, but he still whimpers in my arms. Smelling him immediately, I know this is going to be a messy diaper change.

"Man," I whisper to him. "You're a stinky little guy, aren't you?" He makes a sound in response, and I place him gently on the diaper changing table. He squirms around, but not too much.

It sure is a messy one. I nearly use half of the box of wipes, and find myself gagging at the smell.

"Oh god," I mutter. "What did you eat?"

He smiles at me, probably pooping again, but I take what I can get and cradle him in my arms once again. His green eyes stare back into mine as I hold him. He got those eyes from me. Heck, he got most of his features from me. His hair is the same shade of brown, and his hands look slightly too big for his body...but that's how I was, so it's normal.

I walk him back to his crib and place him among the stuffed animals. I lean over the wooden edge of the crib and kiss his forehead before I quietly make my way out of the room. I slowly pull the door closed until I hear a soft click.

Walking back to my room, I pass the room that Enny once inhabited. All of her stuff is gone now, but nobody really goes in there, so whenever I do occasionally go in there to vacuum or something, I can still faintly smell the perfume she used to wear. The scent is quickly fading now, and it saddens me to think that we may never be friends again.

I run a hand through my hair that's in desperate need of a cut. It has started to fall past my eyebrows and gets in the way of my eyes all the time.

I walk back into my room, and Amanda is still sound asleep. I climb back into bed beside her, staring up at the white ceiling. At the same ceiling I've been staring at for the past 4 years. The same ceiling I stared up at when Enny got herself into that mess with Henry. The same ceiling I stared at when I debated breaking up with Amanda. The same ceiling I stared at as I thought about the baby that we were going to have. The same ceiling I still stare at as I long to talk to Enny one more time.

My eyes flutter closed as my mind wanders. I don't remember much of what I'm thinking about, but I know that in a short time, I drift off into a peaceful slumber.

I'm awoken in the morning by a gentle shove on my shoulder. Groggily, I roll over and squint at the person standing next to me.

"Caleb, there's a woman at the door. I don't know what to do." Amanda says to me, Danny on her hip. He has his fist in his mouth and his eyes wander around the white walls of the room.

"Do you know who she is?" I ask, propping myself up on my elbows, still squinting into the bright morning light.

"I couldn't really see, she kind of had her back turned to the cameras." Amanda tells me, shifting Danny to her other hip as he grabs at a lock of her hair.

"I'll go check." I tell her. I slide my legs out from underneath the covers, placing my feet on the floor. I get my bearings before standing up, but I clearly stand up way too fast because I'm sent flying through space and time for a few seconds. "Wow, I can't see anything" I say as I rub my eyes. Finally, the darkness disappears and I can see.

I step past Amanda and the baby and walk down the stairs to the front door. Looking at the monitor by the door which shows live footage of the hallway outside the door, I see a young woman standing. Her back is indeed turned to the camera. Her arms are crossed over her chest as she looks down the hallway in an almost calculating way.

I unlock the door and open it in the slightest bit, looking out the small crack. My stomach drops when I see who it is.

Her jaw is tense and her brows are furrowed, but she is still looking at something down the hallway, her head turned away from me. I open the door fully, taking a second to just look at her. I glance back at the top of the stairs where I can see Amanda standing expectantly on the balcony. I hold up a finger signaling for her to give me a minute and I step out into the hallway.

When she hears the click of the door as I close it, she turns towards me.

"Enny?" I ask, my voice coming out as more of a whisper than anything else. "What are you doing here?"

"You said you knew me, right?" She asks me, and I nod my head. She shifts uncomfortably, and she bites her lip. "I want to...remember...if you know what I mean." She looks me directly in the eye and now I'm the one to uncomfortably shift. "Do you think you can help me? You're the only one who has really tried to approach me."

My mouth hangs slightly ajar, and I'm in disbelief. It has been nearly 6 months since I've last seen her, and now she's here. At my door. Asking for my help. She doesn't even come to work anymore. The business is still half under her name, but she hasn't come in for a while. "Well, I-I certainly can try."

A smile spreads across her face, her small dimples appearing on her cheeks. "Thank you so much." Shortly after, though, The smile disappears and is replaced by a frown. "I'm so sorry, I must sound crazy. What's your name again?"

I feel a pang in my chest. She really doesn't remember who I am. "I'm Caleb Emery."

"Oh, yes! Of course!" She puts a hand on her forehead as if remembering. Something I wish she was really able to do.

"So," I say, wanting to know how she's doing. If she doesn't remember anybody, I wonder how she's been getting along in the city. "How have you been?"

"I'm good, yeah..." she nods her head and looks down at her coat. She pulls a hair off of it. "Ah, my boyfriend's dog sheds so much I feel like I'm living in fur."

I chuckle. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah," she smiles and tucks her hair behind her ears. "His name is Henry."

A/n:
I'm baaaaaaccckkkk!!!!
I'm tryna make these chapters longer and more interesting now and I hope you enjoyed! Him is about to reach 5,000 reads which literally just blows my mind. Thank you so much!

Have a great weekend!

~Meg