Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“Let’s get you home and fed, Little one. Fingers crossed that the doctors are correct, and it’s the formula that’s making you so tired.”
Chapter Thirteen
Zingar
I’m worried about Bailey having the strength to sit up in her highchair, so I’m careful as I settle her and strap her in securely before putting the tray on. She’s not going to fall, but I don’t want her to slump to the side either.
This Little girl is my heart, and it’s beating fast. Mostly I’m excited that she’s awake, but also her being awake means my fear is increasing. Anything can happen to her if she starts crawling around or, heaven forbid, walking. Maybe I can convince her to stay low to the ground for a few weeks.
“Do you feel stable, Little one?” I ask, still holding her biceps.
She nods, curls bouncing. I need to fix her hair. So far all I’ve done is wash and brush it. She’s been mostly unconscious while I did so. I bet she’d like to have it pulled up in pigtails or braided.
“I want you to have your hands free to help brace yourself. Can you do that? Keep them on the tray to help your stability.”
“I will, Papi.”
I’m downright excited as I follow Thabo’s instructions and prepare a bowl of cereal for my girl. It’s plant-based as all food on Eleadia is. This one is high in fiber and one of the first foods we serve our human mates when we introduce foods. It’s the least likely to cause an allergic reaction. But I’m still nervous since until now no human has suffered any ill effects from the formula either.
She was fine while we were still on Earth, so I have to assume she built up an intolerance to the formula or some ingredient in it over the months. Hopefully the doctors can figure out what ingredient might be causing my Little girl to be lethargic and perhaps remove it. I hate the thought of her not getting enough nutrition.
After preparing the bowl, I pull a chair up so I’m facing Bailey. “I made it pretty thin this time. I want to be sure you don’t have any trouble swallowing. There is no data about feeding foods to our mates until after they’ve been here for months. I’m just going to give you a little this first time. If you can tolerate it, I’ll feed you more later.”
“Okay, Papi. What is it?”
“Chimspa. It’s similar to oatmeal on your planet.”
She leans forward and looks in the bowl. “Can I feed myself?”
I smile. “No, Little one. You’ll never feed yourself. There may come a time when I set small bites of various snacks on your tray and let you pick them up and eat them with your fingers. I’ll only give you a few pieces at a time when you’re ready for that. But most of the time I will feed you, Little one. I will always monitor how much you eat and how fast.”
She rolls her eyes. “Papi, that’s silly.”
“Do you know what’s not silly?” I tease, beyond grateful that my argumentative girl is back.
She sighs. “Me getting my bottom spanked for arguing?”
“Exactly.” I scoop a small amount of the cereal onto the spoon and bring it to her mouth.
Bailey opens for me and accepts the bite.
I watch her as she tastes it and then swallows. “What do you think?”
“It’s different. Not really like oatmeal. I guess the texture is similar. The flavor is not something I can put my finger on.”
“That will be true of all foods here, Little one. You won’t recognize any of them.”
I offer her another spoonful, relieved when she seems to have no problem swallowing. It only takes a few minutes for her to finish the bowl. I don’t want to tempt Fate and give her too much. It’s important to make sure she can digest it without issue.
When it’s gone, I wash the bowl and prepare her a bottle of water. She isn’t getting nearly enough calories this way, but she’ll survive for a few days while I increase the amount and even add other foods. Chadka said she would be fine as long as she gets enough to drink, and I use the suppositories.
I unfasten my Little girl from the chair and lift her into my arms, beyond grateful that she’s still awake and not showing signs that she’s about to pass out again. That gives me great hope. It also makes me feel bad for continuing to feed her the formula all this time. It never once occurred to me that she might be having an adverse reaction to it.
I carry Bailey into her nursery and sit on the rocking chair to feed her the bottle of water.
“I could drink from a cup, you know, Papi,” she sasses.
“That’s not going to happen either, naughty girl. Letting Littles drink without supervision is not one of our practices. Just like we don’t allow Littles to go outside alone or climb on furniture or stand in their playpens or cribs, we also take great care to make sure they don’t choke on food or drinks.”