Being a heavily socialist society, Rethans had a lot of ready to use, ready to hire equipment when it came to babies. The idea was always that one uses baby equipment until their baby doesn’t need it any more, then one cleans and repairs the baby equipment and hands it back to the childcare legions, who would then pass the equipment on to the next person who needed it.
That was happening today, as Lesii and Kazim were helping Gath return baby equipment. Gath was heading back to their home in Phos, taking baby Retvik with them, so they no longer needed the equipment at the parents’ place. At the same time though, Gath had picked up a Kid Crate from the local nursery, because they needed something to carry baby Retvik in on the shuttle flight back to Phos. Kazim had just finished dropping everything off, and now Lesii was accompanying Gath, baby Retvik and Gath’s adopted kid Litvir to the space port.
The Kid Crate (sometimes called a Baby Box) wasn’t anything special, it was really just a large basket with a heavily padded bottom and sloped sides, so the baby couldn’t escape. It also had a fabric cover so the baby wasn’t bothered by bright light and was somewhat protected from loud noises.
Lesii probably gave Gath and Litvir too many hugs before they left them at the space port. Litvir still felt a bit awkward, but Lesii had been very kind and understanding.
Luckily, it was very early, and the space port was nearly empty. In fact, the flight to Phos was only one quarter full. The only problem was security, because the Torr at the security lines had wanted to take the Kid Crate away from Gath, and Gath had snarled at them. Litvir didn’t like having to make suggestions, but the Torr clearly didn’t understand Rethan parental bonds when it came to very small kids. Gath was also… a bit prone to getting a little too angry.
Thankfully, they managed to get through eventually. Gath and Litvir made sure to go to the bathroom before they got on the shuttle, and Baby Retvik had been quiet the whole time, mostly because they were asleep. They remained asleep up until the flight was called, and baby Retvik had noticed that there was something new and a little loud nearby.
Gath had paid for business class, and they managed to get a line of three seats. Litvir sat by the window, Gath sat in the aisle seat, and the baby box with Retvik inside was strapped in to the seat in the middle. Most folks hadn’t see the baby inside though. It was considered rude to ask about a Kid Crate unless the parent specifically mentioned it. The flight attendants were aware of the baby though, and had given Gath a packet of wet wipes and a couple of jars of baby food.
It took a while for the shuttle to start doing anything. Litvir felt uneasy, but they couldn’t work out why. That unease got worse as the shuttle prepared for take off. They were sitting at the front of the ship, the engines were at the middle and back. The worst bit, in Litvir’s opinion, was taking off, and their unease spiked considerably as the shuttle began to barrel down the runway and slowly climb into the air.
Something else was also uneasy. Retvik had been almost silent until now, but they were starting to whimper. They were currently wrapped up in a blanket to protect them during take off, because they were too small to wear a seat belt, and once they were travelling straight, they’d be freed from their blanket cocoon. But the blanket was making Retvik more nervous. The sensation of being at a weird angle and of moving at high speeds made Retvik feel weird and uncomfortable, and, since they had no way of communicating their discomfort, they had started to cry.
Those tears though were infectious. Litvir was picking up on Retvik’s underdeveloped emotions, and Litvir found themselves crying too.
“It is alright… it is alright… please… I know, it is scary…”
Unable to take the anxiety, Litvir turned to the baby box and reached in, putting their hand around Retvik. As they did so, Retvik calmed down a little bit.
“You are safe… please do not cry… I am here, I will protect you. I promise… Please do not be scared…”
“Litvir, are you well?” Gath asked, having noticed Litvir acting oddly.
“No. Retvik is scared. I am scared. We do not like this!”
Gath patted Litvir on the shoulder, then also reached in to the baby box. Retvik realised their mum was present and settled down properly, but they were still scared and whimpering a little.
“You are allowed to be scared. That is normal. But you are picking up on everyone else’s feelings and it is making you more scared.”
“I… I have to protect Retvik though.”
“You are protecting Retvik. Retvik just does not understand what is going on right now. Their fear though is temporary. Your fear is temporary.”
Litvir took a deep breath, but they still weren’t quite right. “I want my little sibling to not be sad. I feel sad when they are sad. But I do not know how to make Retvik not sad right now.”
Gath thought for a moment, then grabbed one of the jars of baby food and handed it to Litvir. “How about you distract them with something to eat? And maybe you can distract yourself as well.”
Litvir hesitated, then did as they were told. They put some baby food on their finger, then held their finger near Retvik’s mouth. Retvik sniffed out the food, then immediately started licking it up.
“See, they are doing better already!” Gath smiled.
“You are right, mama…” Litvir smiled a little as well. “Can I eat some of the baby food?”
“Once Retvik is fed, then sure, you can have some. You are a good kid, Litvir. You and Retvik will be very happy. We all will.”