“So… Retvik is fine?” Gath asked.
“Yes, they are fine!” Liiti beamed.
“They are not ill?”
“Yes, they are fine. They just ate their food too fast and bounced around too much and made themselves throw up. It is common when babies start to transition from mush food to chunks.”
“So… Retvik is definitely fine?”
“Yes.”
“But they cried very loudly.”
Liiti continued to smile. “That is normal for the first time a baby throws up. They know something bad just happened but cannot understand what happened, the vomit is weird and acidic and smelly and they get very scared. But they are only scared because they had a new experience that was not fun. All we can do is clean them up, give them some milk and help them through their uncomfortable moments and they will be fine.”
Gath went blank and didn’t say anything at first. Liiti hesitated, then gently patted Gath on the shoulder.
“Kyr Gath?”
“Sorry…” Gath shook their head. “I am getting prostaxia again…”
“Is this a recurring thing?” Liiti’s smile faded. They looked concerned now.
“No. It disappeared completely when I was egg-ridden. This is the first time I have had prostaxia in a good five months.”
“But before then?”
“I…” Gath hesitated. “I… I used to… get it a lot…”
“When you say “a lot”, how often does that mean? Once every couple of months? Once a month?”
Gath hesitated some more. They realised why Liiti was asking. “Are you going to stop me from doing half and half care with Retvik?”
“No, I just… I just want more information! Retvik is a very good baby and weirdly very well developed already, but they are still a baby who needs looking after, and we need to assess whether your moments of prostaxia are low risk enough for you to be able to look after Retvik without issues, if you are home alone!”
“You are-”
Liiti raised their hands. “I am not going to do anything. I am just going to refer you to your doctor. You need to speak to them since your prostaxia is coming back, and they will work out what to do. You may just need some medication or something, but it is better safe than sorry when it comes to your kid!”
Gath calmed down. They seemed to understand, but they clearly weren’t happy about what they had just been told. Liiti noticed this and changed the subject.
“In the mean time, Retvik is completely fine. We checked them over, they seem happy and healthy and we put them in the pen to play with their baby friends. They are happy now.”
That sentence made Gath pause some more. “Retvik has baby friends?”
“Yes.”
“But they are a baby.”
“They still have friends. Baby Rethans are very smart and well-developed.”
Gath thought for a moment. “Can I meet Retvik’s friends?”
“I would need to get approval from their parents first. Little Litvir already got permission from their parents and comes by every Monday to play with them…” Liiti trailed off, then smiled a little, for an odd reason. “Litvir is a very sweet kid, but I do think you need to talk to them about money and things. They keep on buying toys for the babies. They do not need to, we have plenty of toys, society provides for everyone equally.”
“What do you mean?” Gath asked.
Liiti pointed at a plastic box in the corner of the room. “Litvir has spent a small fortune on toys and cushions. Too much in fact. One of the nurses is speaking to all the other nurseries to see if they need extra toys and cushions, and we plan on going through them and sending them out to other nurseries. But I have to wonder if Litvir’s home is properly equipped, and if Litvir is spending money they should be using on themselves.”
“I… I shall have a chat with Litvir then. I think Litvir just gets carried away with babies, because they are a baby themselves. And because they are also a god, they sometimes forget to do regular things…”
“Like what?”
“Sleep, mostly. Relkir and I routinely call Litvir to make sure they are looking after themselves.”
“Ah, good to hear. As for you meeting little Retvik’s friends, I will speak to their parents-”
“Did Litvir already speak to them?”
Liiti nodded. “The second time Litvir came here, they requested that I speak to the other parents, so they could spend time with their little brother alongside all their friends. If you want though, not only can I speak to the other parents, but I could arrange a meeting party?”
“A meeting party?”
“Yes! So you can meet all the other parents! We will set up a little bench and a picnic, you all get to sit with each other and talk and watch the kids play. You seem like you need some time to socialise in a gentle way anyway.”
“I… I like the sound of that. May I also bring Relkir and Litvir along?”
“I am sure they can come as well at some point, but we do not want to bring too many people. I suggest just have a meeting party with the mums, and the dads can do a meeting party at a later date. But in the mean time, do you want to take Retvik back home or do you want to leave them here for today, so you can destress?”
“You… you think I need to destress?” Gath asked.
“Yes!” was Liiti’s blunt reply. “You are stressed beyond belief. I recommend you go out to the cafe down the road, get some cookies, relax for a few hours, then come back and pick up Retvik and take them home. That way you will feel better and Retvik will also feel better and also be sleepy because they will have burned up all their energy playing with their friends.”
Gath sighed, then relented. “Very well. I shall do as you suggest. Thank you for the help, captain Liiti…”