[A/N]: I feel like I've come so far on wattpad... 3k followers. Nearly 36k votes. SO MANY THINGS WRITTEN. I just love you all. Really, I do. This chapter is dedicated to ALL OF YOU MOTHER FUCKERS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. (Fanart will start up again in the next chapter xD)
[Louis' P.O.V]
Liam and Niall went back to their own flat to sleep since our flat was already a tad crowded. Finding a place to sleep for everyone for the night was difficult, but since Fionna slept on either my or Harry's chest, we gave my mum and the twins an air mattress, Felicity took the recliner, Lottie took the love seat, and Dr. Shell slept on the couch. Poor Lucy wanted to sleep in our room as well, but she had yet to meet Fionna, so we made her a bed in the bathtub and shut her in the bathroom.
Lottie slept like a rock each time Harry and I took Fionna to Dr. Shell to be fed, but Felicity eventually got irritated and went to try and share the air mattress with my mum and the twins. The next morning when Fionna woke up around 9:30AM, I took Fionna into the kitchen while Harry used the bathroom. Everyone was already in the kitchen eating pancakes, and even Lucy was eating her food. Dr. Shell paused to insert Fionna's feeding tube, and I held her and let her eat. While her little tummy was being filled, her tongue moved slightly between her lips. The adorable lips that looked like a baby version of Harry's. Dr. Shell, who was seated in the chair next to mine, motioned to her, "Looks like she might be able to suck on a pacifier or bottle. See what she's doing with her tongue?"
"But does she weigh enough?" I asked as Harry walked into the room, slipping up beside Fionna and I and kissing the top of my head. "Like... she barely weighs anything... and doesn't drinking from a bottle use up a lot of calories?"
"She's almost there," Dr. Shell chuckled. "She's cute and all, but I'll be happy when she's perfectly safe to live here without me having to feed her with a tube. I like my lab more."
"Phoebe, love, move to this chair over here so Harry can sit by Louis and Fionna," my mother told the girl gently.
"It is okay..." Harry said slowly, moving to sit in the empty chair by Lottie. "Um... she can have that chair."
I made kissy faces to Harry across the table to make him giggle, and then my mum offered Harry a plate with a pancake on it, "Hungry?"
"A little," Harry smiled at her. "But no thank you... maybe just some applesauce."
Harry moved to stand, but my mother patted his shoulder, "You need to rest, Harry! Stay here, I'll get your applesauce. In the fridge?"
"Yes," Harry nodded.
"You feeling alright, lovely?" I asked him in concern. It wasn't like Harry to turn down pancakes.
Harry nodded, "I am fine, my Louis..."
For some strange reason, Harry almost seemed... sad. Fionna's small formula bag was finally empty, and Dr. Shell removed her tube so I could burp her. She made snuffling sounds against my shoulder, squirming in the blanket I had her swaddled in. I carried her over to Harry who was slowly eating his applesauce, and he looked up at me and cooed. Chuckling, it was my turn to kiss the top of his head, "After breakfast will you shower with me?"
"Jay, you will hold Fionna?" Harry asked. "Probably will sleep..."
"Of course!" my mum nodded.
"Can I hold her?" Lottie asked hopefully.
Harry looked up to me hesitantly, and I pursed my lips, "You have to sit down... and mum has to watch you..."
"But I'm not a little kid!" Lottie argued. "I'm sixteen years old!"
"But you can't pass your driver's test," I tsked. "Did you even read that book I gave you?"
"Go shower with your fiance," she snapped.
My mum stood, holding her hands out for Fionna. I snuggled her closer, glancing down at Harry, "Harry's still eating... this is my baby."
"It's my grandbaby!" my mother pointed out.
"But Harry and I made her!" I told her with a shrug. In my arms, a strange sound emitted from the tiny baby.
"Sounds like she's going to need a nappy change," my mother chuckled. "She's your baby. You have fun with that."
"I will help," Harry stood, carrying his bowl to the sink.
Daisy and Phoebe jumped up to help, but I quickly interrupted, "Hold on there, kiddos! We don't need an audience this time. Fionna will be back in the living room as soon as she's in a fresh nappy."
"Why don't you give her a small sponge bath as well?" Dr. Shell told us. "Just go in the bathroom, close the door, turn on the shower to get the room nice and warm, and then you can turn off the water and wipe her down gently with a warm flannel. You've got some baby shampoo, right?"
"Yeah," I nodded slowly, glancing at Harry and patting the now whimpering baby. I adjusted her so that she was cradled in hopes to calm her momentarily. "Is it okay to give her a bath?"
"Just put like two little drops of soap on the flannel and get it just a bit warmer than lukewarm. Not hot," Dr. Shell explained. "Have everything in there with you all. New nappy, baby wipes, soft towel to dry her with... and then a blanket to snuggle her up with afterwards. If she's anything like Harry, she's gonna hate baths for a bit."
"Well..." Daisy said slowly. "They are part cat!"
"I like baths now because I like to be clean..." Harry said slowly.
"Let's go see what our Fionna thinks of baths..." I told him, and we made our way to Fionna's room. We stopped in the doorway, and I gave a whimpering Fionna to Harry and he cuddled her close, cooing softly to her.
"Does need a diaper change," he giggled. "You are a smelly baby..."
I stepped across the air mattress, opening the closet to pick out Fionna a new outfit. I couldn't resist picking out a long sleeved onesie that looked just like footy pajamas. It was covered in tiny kittens, and I let out a squeal that was far from manly. I grabbed a new beanie, still pink but with a tiny white bow, and Fionna's baby shampoo. I tucked them all under my arm before gathering a new nappy, baby lotion, and baby wipes, and then we made our way to the bathroom. We laid out two towels over our squishy bathmat, but Harry sat on the toilet seat with Fionna while we ran the shower to warm up the bathroom.
"Outfit is cute, my Louis," Harry giggled. "Kittens for our little Kitten!"
Fionna gave a squeal of distress, having still been whimpering slightly, and I crouched down next to her, "We'll get your nappy changed, Feena..."
Once the bathroom was cozy, I took Fionna so Harry could slowly lower himself down onto his knees on the floor, and I carefully placed Fionna on the towels and unwrapped her from her blanket. She was still wiggling in frustration, so Harry keened to her gently, "It is okay, my baby, we are going to get you all clean and give you a new nappy."
I undressed her and removed her dirty nappy, folding it up before tossing it into the bin by the trashcan. She was so tiny, yet she went through so many nappies within a single day. I wiped her tiny bottom well with the baby wipe even though it made her wail louder and we were only going to be wiping her down again with the flannel. I tossed the wipes out and stood to grab the flannel I'd placed on the sink, putting two drops of the baby soap on it before moistening it with warm water. Harry was still speaking softly to her, apologizing for making her upset.
Dr. Shell had been right. The second I was gently wiping her off with the flannel, she was wailing so loudly that I almost wanted to forget about the bath and bundle her up against my chest. Hearing her unhappy gave me a strange ache in my chest, and judging by the crushed look on Harry's face, he didn't like our baby being unhappy either. I wiped at her little arms and legs, her tummy, cleaned around her umbilical stump, then wiped gently at her tiny face and soft curly fuzz on her head. Finally, I scooped her into a towel to dry her gently, pressing kisses to her damp head, "Shh... I'm sorry, baby, you'll feel better now. It's over, all done..."
"Still needs baby lotion," Harry murmured sadly.
"She won't hate this as much," I assured.
Harry held her as I rubbed lotion onto her to keep her baby skin soft. We had to put her back on the floor to put a new nappy on her, and her crying became louder, but we put her into her kitten outfit as fast we could and swaddled her in her blanket, pulling her beanie back carefully onto her drying fuzzy hair. Harry carefully climbed to his feet, and I cradled Fionna with one arm and offered the other hand to him. He winced slightly as he gripped his stomach, but grinned, "First bath!"
"Hopefully they'll get easier," I chuckled.
Harry stepped forward, leaning to nuzzle his nose against the baby in my arms, "Smell good now, my baby! So precious."
Fionna was still giving quiet whimpers, and she gave a slight sneeze. I crooned, "Sorry for stressing you out, my Fionna Bean... Daddy didn't like that very much either."
Harry held his arms out hopefully for her, and I slipped her to him so he could snuggle her up under his chin, "So tiny... it is okay now, you are warm and clean and can sleep."
"Maybe if you sing to her," I offered, stepping forward to hug the two. "We'll just stay in here where it's warm a bit longer."
So we swayed where we stood, Fionna cradled between us as Harry crooned out whatever song came to his mind. Her whimpers silenced, and eventually Harry stopped singing, giggling quietly against my shoulder, "She is asleep I think..."
"Should we put her in her crib so the people in the living room don't bother her?" I asked. "Then we'll shower."
"Yes," Harry nodded, kissing Fionna, who gave a slight huff and a whimper, and Harry grimaced, swaying slightly so she'd fall back to sleep before he handed her to me and whispered quietly. "I will stay here... and we will shower?"
"I'll put her in her crib and give my mum the baby monitor," I nodded, and hurried quietly down the hall to lay Fionna down. I unwrapped her from her blanket and lay it over the rocking chair, and then returned to the crib to make sure she looked warm enough. Reluctantly, I carried my mum the baby monitor. The girls were in the living room watching a movie, and my mum and Dr. Shell were cleaning up the kitchen. "Aww, guys, you don't have to..."
"Just helping out while you're still getting used to your new baby," my mum explained.
"Trust me," Dr. Shell chuckled. "Once we're gone, you're gonna have your hands full."
"Especially since Liam and Niall will have their little baby Baxter with them eventually," my mum chuckled. "I still want to meet the little man!"
"He should be able to leave in another week or so," Dr. Shell explained.
Lucy was curled up on one of the kitchen chairs, and I gave her a scratch behind the ears as I set the baby monitor on the table, "Harry and I are going to shower..."
"No sexual activity yet," Dr. Shell reminded me.
"And no more babies," my mother added.
"You two disgust me," I scowled. "Showering and shagging are completely different things."
"If only Niall were here," Dr. Shell laughed. "He'd be getting such a kick out of this."
I rolled my eyes, "This is Fionna's baby monitor... will you all listen for her?"
"Is she all clean already?" my mum asked.
"Clean and sleeping in her crib," I nodded.
"We'll listen for her," the bald man agreed.
I went back to join Harry, finding the bathroom door locked. I tapped on it, "Kitten, can I join you?"
The bathroom door was unlocked instantly, Harry giving me a dimpled grin. The lad was only in boxers, "Would be nakey... but blood."
"I know," I cupped his face in my hands. "You're still healing from carrying our baby."
"It hurts," he admitted. "A lot sometimes... but I am so glad to have our baby."
I frowned, "You said it wasn't bad though! And you've been up and moving so much, and squatting down and-"
"My Louis," Harry sighed, cupping my cheek. "Do not worry!"
"Dr. Shell has medicine for you to take, you can rest, I'll take care of Fionna! Don't worry about a thing, baby, I-" I rambled.
"Does not hurt to stand here now!" he laughed. "Well... hurts a bit to laugh. It is... tight feeling in my tummy? But it is also like my insides are going to come out!"
I paled, "I don't..."
"It is alright if I hold my stomach... hurts to sneeze, or cough, or laugh. But it is okay, do not want to stay in bed," he told me.
"You're taking it easy from now on," I told him. "Is that why you looked sad earlier? Did your tummy hurt?"
Harry blushed, "Um..."
"Baby Kitten," I sighed, pulling his face closer so I could brush my lips against his.
"Tiny Louis," he giggled.
I gave him a sad smile, "Let's shower so you can go sit down and rest. Okay? You're going to rest. And you'll have to take all the medicine Dr. Shell gives you."
"Do not like medicine," Harry pouted, but he allowed me to strip him of his boxers and usher him to stand in the tub.
I stripped off my clothes as well, climbing in with Harry and wrapping my arms around him, "I love you, Kitten."
"Love you, too, my Louis," Harry nuzzled his nose into my neck. "You make me so happy..."
"You make me happier," I hummed. "Let's wash your hair."
Harry and I took turns washing each other's hair, and since it was the closest we could probably get to intimacy, it was quite enjoyable. Once we'd finished, I helped Harry from the tub and gently towel dried his hair and ears, and then dried myself off. Harry giggled, "Forgot clothes..."
"I'll run to our room and get some," I wiggled my eyebrows before wrapping my towel around me and darting from to our room.
I brought us back some sweats, boxers, t-shirts, and some jumpers. Harry grinned largely, holding his arms out for a jumper, "Can wear my Louis' jumpers again! Tummy is still there, but not as big and I can fit in your stuff!"
"You're adorable," I laughed, digging under the sink for where Harry's... baby situation products were, handing him one to slip into his boxers. I helped him dress, and we made our way into the living room.
"Fionna is still sleeping," Daisy announced.
"Thank you for listening for her," I told her, letting Harry sit on the couch so I could sit carefully next to him and cuddle up.
Harry sighed happily, leaning his head against me, "I am sleepy now, too..."
"You can sleep, baby," I kissed his forehead.
Dr. Shell suddenly walked through the front door, lugging some strange metal object. He noticed our confused gazes, and he chuckled, "Can one of you grab my phone? I dropped it on the doormat out here. I gotta lug this scale into Louis and Harry's room."
"For Fionna?" Harry asked.
"Yup," Dr. Shell nodded, disappearing down the hall.
Phoebe retrieved Dr. Shell's phone, bringing it over and setting it on the coffee table in front of us. My mum, who was seated in the recliner reading, chuckled, "Thanks, Phoebs."
Suddenly, the phone screen was lighting up, and the phone was buzzing on the table. I leaned forward, peering at the screen. The Caller I.D, although it wasn't very obvious, instantly made me realise who it was. The Crazy Bitch. My blood ran cold, and I shakily reached to hit end, "It's her!"
"Wait!" my mum gasped, standing up and holding her hand out for the phone.
Harry whimpered next to me, squirming like he wanted to get up. I placed a hand on his knee, "Hold on, love..."
My mum answered the phone, hitting speaker and snarling, "You need to stop. You're a psychopath. And as soon as you're caught, you're going to be in a whole world of trouble."
"Who is this?" Ella's cold voice snapped back. "Eh, it doesn't matter. I told them I'd get that baby."
"What?" Harry gasped as my heart faltered. "W-what did s-she s-say?"
"It was quite simple," Ella continued with a sneer. "No one was watching, and my brother and I just crept in and-"
"No!" Harry and I cried out in unison, leaping up from the couch.
I moved in a mad scramble for Fionna's room with Harry, who should have been concerned about hurting his stomach, right on my heels. My mum rushed after us, still clutching the phone that Ella was rambling on from the other side. My heart was in my throat as I raced into Fionna's room and over to the crib, hoping desperately to see the tiny baby girl sleeping soundly in the crib. But my eyes only saw the empty crib, the safari themed mattress cover seeming mocking, "Where is she?!"
"Gone?!" Harry shrieked.
The younger lad instantly burst into tears as I continued to scrabble in desperation at the sheet of the crib as if our precious baby would miraculously appear there. From behind us, I heard my mother croak, "Oh my God..."
My sisters appeared worriedly at the door, and I looked around the crib as I burst into tears myself, looking around it, under it, in it again, "I put her in here, I know I did, she was in here, where's she at-"
Harry, who was still sobbing, stumbled to pull the phone away from my mum, "G-give b-back Harry's baby! N-not yours t-to t-take, Harry n-needs h-his b-baby! Too l-little to e-eat alone, j-just got, need H-Harry's baby, give back H-Harry's baby!"
I choked back a sob, barely able to see the phone I grabbed for through my tears, "Ella I fucking swear when I get my hands on you I'll-"
"What is going on in here?" Dr. Shell called loudly from the doorway. We all turned to look at him, and I nearly crumpled to the floor in relief. In his arms was a squirming pink blanket, little whimpers coming from the bundle. I thrust the phone at my mom at the same time that Harry cried out, and we both rushed Dr. Shell with outstretched arms. He looked confused for a moment, "What are you-"
I scooped Fionna from his arms and snuggled her tightly to my chest, bursting into another round of tears. Harry flung his arms around the both of us, pulling back to pepper Fionna's tiny head with kisses. Our baby hadn't been taken by Ella. We still had our Fionna.
"H-Harry's baby," Harry hiccuped. "Harry and Louis' baby..."
"She's still with us," I sobbed in agreement. "We're keeping her safe, this just proves it, we can't lose her... just thinking that we'd lost her was just... I couldn't..."
"You're a lying bitch," my mother hissed out into the phone, and although my greatest emotion was horrified relief, I was slightly surprised at her swearing.
"What is going on?" Dr. Shell asked Phoebe, and over the sound of Harry and I's tears I could slightly hear Phoebe explain.
"Ella called your phone... she said that she'd gotten Fionna, but..." Phoebe trailed off.
"I peeked in on her and saw that she was awake, so I was going to weigh her and then take her to Harry or Louis so I could feed her," Dr. Shell murmured. "No one took her away from her daddies..."
"Dada loves you so much," Harry gurgled. "So much, my baby Fionna."
"Daddy loves you as well," I keened through my tears to the whimpering baby in my arms, pulling back to examine her scrunched face. She looked upset as well, and I figured it was from all the noise that was happening around her. Once I'd realised just what was happening, Daisy was wailing in Lottie's embrace, Phoebe was sniffling, and Felicity looked stunned as my mum yelled at Ella.
"I'm not lying!" Ella finally snapped back. "I've got the baby and the caretaker, too."
"Wait, what?" Dr. Shell spoke up.
Harry was still sobbing silently, gazing down at Fionna and stroking at her tiny face. Tears were still slipping down my face as well, but I needed to know why Ella was still saying she had our baby if our baby was snuggled in my arms.
"Yeah, the baby and the caretaker," Ella continued. "The weird dark haired kid and the baby... granted, I thought the baby was a girl... but a boy is good, too. How long will he need the caretaker? The dark haired kid is unconscious at the moment, but-"
Ella thought she had our baby. But it wasn't our baby. It was Liam and Niall's soon to be baby, and apparently his 'caretaker'. She had Baxter and Kepa.
[A/N2]: :) Hi... so... Merman In The Water, the fic on @LivingfortheWrite04's joint account is in the Awards I mentioned as well. Up and coming fics! Go check it out?