39. How Do We Take Care the Baby?

"HUGO! How could you find a baby and decide to take care of it?!" Just as Arleena had expected. The loud exclamation just now came from Bernard who was surprised to see a baby in Arleena's arms. Luckily at least Arleena learned how to hold a baby properly from her brother. Now Arleena's family and Hugo's family were gathered at Hugo's house. Yes, everyone, including Arleena's older sister who is carrying the baby. "The child should be handed over to a children's foundation for care," said Zherlon, Kate's husband-Aleena's older sister. "Did you make that suggestion?" Arleena and Hugo nodded their heads. Surrounded by the worried faces of their family members, Arleena and Hugo could barely speak. Even though there were tons of sentences in their respective brains, both Arleena and Hugo could only flinch awkwardly. "Of course you have." Hugo tried to neutralize his nervousness as much as possible. "But the police said many children's foundations have closed down. The rest are in the countryside far, far away. It would be too tiring for this baby to experience such a long and arduous journey." Hearing Hugo's words was as if Zherlon had just woken up. Zherlon nodded his head repeatedly as a sign of understanding. Just like Hugo and Arleena now, Zherlon did not have any suggestions in his head. "Is it that hard to figure out where this baby's parents are?" asked Albrack, interrupting the conversation. Hugo and all eyes turned towards Albrack who looked very curious. "The police are having a hard time tracing the baby's DNA and there seems to be other factors that we're not being told about. But, the police said that they will wait until someone reports the baby missing," Hugo explained at length. He felt very tired talking that long when he was worried. "They didn't give a detailed explanation," Albrack replied, commenting on Hugo's explanation. Gradually, Albrack's feelings became agitated. Hugo nodded in agreement with what Albrack had just said. Hugo couldn't accept that Jonathan would only give such an incomplete explanation. On the other hand, Kate tried to take over the baby in Arleena's arms. Because at that time Arleena looked a little tired and sore after carrying almost two hours since the trip from her apartment. "This baby is still very small. Two weeks old is an age that should not be far from parents," Kate replied as she watched the baby in her arms. "Uuuu, are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Did your new mommy and daddy give you anything to eat or drink?" Kate asks, pointing one index finger at the baby's lips. The baby in Kate's arms was still asleep, but she responded to Kate's finger. Her mouth suddenly moved like she was sucking because she was thirsty. Kate immediately raised both eyebrows, reacting in surprise. "Huh? Apparently this baby is thirsty," she said, turning the eyes of everyone in the room. "What? Thirsty?" Hugo and Arleena became curious. They hurriedly approached Kate who was looking at the baby in her arms. Arleena immediately grimaced in discomfort. She didn't know how to give the baby something to drink, as there was only a bottle of breast milk in the box where she had first met the baby. Arleena wanted to give it to him, but she felt uncomfortable handing him the bottle. On the other hand, Kate finally took action in her mind. "All babies are the same, especially two-week-old ones like this," Kate replied, then took another look at the baby in her arms. "They can drink breast milk from any woman as long as the woman can dispense breast milk." Kate didn't seem to hesitate at all explaining that in front of all the family members. As Kate said, it wasn't long before the baby suddenly burst into tears. Her loud voice surprised Arleena. "Oh my, he's really thirsty. Is that crying a sign that he's thirsty?" asked Arleena with a panicked look on her face. Already used to dealing with this situation, Kate only nodded briefly. Kate immediately looked at the rest of the family, then her gaze stopped on Bernard. "Mr. Bernard, can I borrow an empty room here? I'm going to breastfeed this baby," Kate said suddenly. Arleena glared, as did Hugo. They both did not expect Kate's spontaneous reaction. But they were stunned for a moment, before Arleena finally approached Kate while wearing a panicked expression. "Are you really going to breastfeed this baby?" Arleena asked. Kate nodded her head. "Yes, for a while. You must be scared of bottle feeding." Arleena finally relented with Kate. Since she felt Kate understood better, she let Kate get ready for the room Albrack would show her. After Kate stepped away from them all, Arleena and Hugo were left in a troubled silence. Their gazes were both glued to Kate's back, getting further and further away. "Then how are you going to provide food and drink?" asked Sandriana, Arleena's mother. Arleena was unable to answer. The look on her face showed intense anxiety. No matter what she thought, she didn't know how to answer such a question. "I really wonder why you would take someone's baby without having any knowledge," Bernard commented on Sandriana's words. Hugo felt even more guilty and confused. His thoughts were filled with how to raise this baby. Also, thoughts of whether they knew the little nooks and crannies of caring for the baby they had found. "If you didn't know that, you shouldn't have taken it, Arleena. The experience of taking care of a baby when you have no knowledge is very difficult," Zherlon replied, speaking to remind Arleena of his own experience when he first had a child. "Never mind, let's not push their mistakes too hard," Quinn finally spoke up after a long silence. Her soft eyes looked at Hugo and Arleena in turn. "Now, if they've decided to take care of it, let them take responsibility. We can supervise and help back up the two of them," Quinn continued with a sweet smile. "But the problem is, how can they be responsible?" replied Bernard, then sighed softly. "They should have thought of it earlier. Is it because papa wanted a child from you two?" Arleena and Hugo both glared in surprise at Bernard's conclusion. They immediately shook their heads because they didn't want to make Bernard think of anything. "Of course not," said Hugo. "Papa, why do you think that? We've already explained that it wasn't our wish, but a compulsion from Jonathan - the policeman in charge of finding the baby's parents." "Honey, whatever you want to say, it's already happened," Quinn replied while holding Bernard's shoulders from his wheelchair. Quinn stroked Bernard's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Bernard sighed softly. "I don't know why I've become more sensitive..." "The point is, if you dare to take care of the baby, then you must take responsibility. I agree with what Mr. Bernard said," Sandriana said. Arleena and Hugo couldn't help but nod their heads, obeying their parents' words. Arleena knew that this would not be easy, but there was no other choice. She and Hugo had to face something even more difficult than Bernard's request. Instantly Arleena remembered her worries about Bernard's request for a child from her marriage with Hugo. Were her worries being solved now? Arleena didn't know why the timing was so perfect, but the baby was not something anyone wanted. *** Two Weeks Later. As time went on, Arleena and Hugo got used to taking turns caring for the baby. Although Arleena and Hugo got into arguments many times as they each defended their opinions, they eventually managed to divide the baby care duties. Including today. "Hugo, that's not how you put the diaper on! Didn't you know it was upside down?!" Arleena grumbled in annoyance when the diaper Hugo had put on was upside down. The adhesive glue that should have been attached to the top, was instead attached to the bottom. Instead of feeling guilty, Hugo laughed very loudly. It was such an explosive laugh that Arleena looked at him in astonishment. "Oh, my gosh, taking care of this baby is driving me crazy but it's also very funny," Hugo replied between his amused laughs. "Look at this child's face. Why is it so innocent and looking at me like that?" Arleena looked at the baby who was staring at Hugo in confusion. Because she heard Hugo's amused laughter and witnessed the baby's expression that looked so silly, Arleena could not help but laugh. Gradually, both corners of her lips twitched before finally joining in the amused laughter. "Hey, Hugo, you should feel guilty in a situation like this. Why are you laughing at an innocent baby?" Arleena asked between laughs. She had closed her eyes because she was tired of Hugo's unpredictable behavior. Hugo was still laughing amusedly and turned to look at Arleena. "You're laughing too, which means I'm right, right?" he asked. Arleena finally hissed in exasperation although it did not diminish her smile. After giving Hugo a small and gentle punch on the left shoulder, Arleena replaced the upturned diaper. Eventually, both of their laughter had died down. The situation returned to silence as they put on serious faces. "Arleena, why is it so hard to find a baby sitter?" asked Hugo. "Ah, it's not difficult, but you're complicating things. There have been almost ten baby sitters who applied for this job position. You rejected them all." While Arleena was still focused on putting clothes on the baby, Arleena replied, "I have a woman's instinct as a mother. So, there are some people who... just looking at their faces doesn't make me feel comfortable." "Do you already have feelings like that?" asked Hugo, making a face of astonishment. Arleena had finished putting on the baby's clothes, then turned her gaze towards Hugo. "Of course. Most women have maternal instincts from a young age," Arleena replied. Hugo nodded his head. "I can't believe you already have something like that. Ah, I thought you had no feelings at all." Arleena immediately glared fiercely at Hugo. She raised her hand, about to throw a small punch, but Hugo was already running towards the kitchen. "I'll just cook. Don't attack me, Fierce Woman!" "Hey, you're really pissing me off, Hugo!" exclaimed Arleena.