Crazy = Genius

Chapter 22: Drowning Shadows

"You must be hungry." Lilianna gasped, realizing lunch had long passed and she had not heard the baby all day.

"She hasn't eaten since seven this morning. She had half a bottle of formula and two spoons of infant cereal. She's teething so I haven't been forcing her to eat much. All she wants to do is cry and sleep with this fever and pain." He told her.

"Well, then I think it's time we get some food in that tummy of yours." She smiled, using a soft voice to speak to the baby. She grabbed the white fleece blanket from the crib and draped it around the baby and her shoulder, noticing the rest of the house was quite cool. She skipped towards the stairs and then took the steps like a kid on Christmas morning.

She turned into the kitchen and ignored the dark-skinned twins and the brunette who sat at the island with beers and laptops.

"Oh hi, mom." Mikale joked as he watched Lilianna pull a bottle of formula from the fridge and set it on the countertop closest to her.

"Shut it." She warned, searching through the labelled Tupperware containers filled with mashed vegetables and ground meat.

"I see you have made a new friend, huh Rocky?" Matthew cooed, walking up to the two girls and tickling the baby under the chin. She giggled and grabbed at his hands while he kept her occupied for Lilianna's sake. "I'm the only other person in this house besides Jeremiah and you that Rochelle likes."

"Good, then you can hold her while I make her some eggs." Lilianna sighed, grabbing the egg carton along with a tub reading carrots and turning to him with a blank look.

"Uh-"

"Hold her." She held the baby towards him and he hesitantly sat her on his hip. She wriggled around slightly her eyes locked on the woman who quickly broke an egg and separated the yolk which she placed into a frying pan and added a dash of milk.

"I thought eggs weren't good for babies?" He asked.

"Whites can be allergy-triggering. Yolks are usually fine and if she's teething I rather give her something easier to eat than chicken. I would rather give her tofu but seeing as you have none, this is plan B." She answered, whisking the mixture over the stovetop until the eggs were scrambled and firm. She shifted them into a plastic pink bowl from the cupboard and dug through the cutlery for a baby fork. "Help me, please? I don't know this house well enough yet."

"Next drawer over on your right," Otis answered from behind her.

"Thanks." She sighed, snatching a green fork and setting it with the food. She shook the formula quickly and placed it in the microwave.

"I thought you had never been around kids before?" Mikale pointed out as she took the warm milk and checked the teet and temperature.

"I haven't."

The three men all looked at her in confusion. Otis spoke first. "Then how do you know what to do?"

"I read a lot." She shrugged, snatching the baby from Matthew and sitting her in the wood highchair near the dining table. She set the bottle, eggs, and carrots on the table and took a seat in front of the baby, placing some of the yellow protein on the fork and offering it to the slightly whining child. Rochelle took the egg, her complaints ceasing as she happily gummed on the scrambled eggs Lilianna had made her.

"She never eats that easily for Jerry." Mikale gasped as the child took a third bite of food.

"I guess she really likes eggs." Otis joked. Soon the egg was gone and Lilianna moved onto the carrots, the orange mash disappearing just as fast as the egg had.