Chapter Text
A few minutes later, activity in the ward increased again. The time for the next bottle had arrived, and several nurses walked between the cribs carrying small trays with bottles that had already been prepared. The environment once again filled with quiet voices, occasional cries, and the sound of the wheels of the carts sliding across the white floor. Flame remained lying down with half of his vision covered by his brother’s long hair, while Wemmbu distractedly stared at the ceiling, as if he were still trying to convince himself that all of this was real. Two nurses walked down the hallway talking to each other until they stopped right in front of the twins’ cribs. One of them smiled as she looked at the two. —Look at that... the little brothers are already awake. The other smiled as well, leaning forward slightly. —And they’re still very quiet. These two almost never cause any trouble. She gently picked up the chart attached to the side of the crib just to confirm the times. —It’s time for their bottle.
Very carefully, the first nurse picked Wemmbu up in her arms, while the second did the same with Flame. The two were lifted almost at the same time. Flame let out a small mental sigh. “Here we go again...”. Wemmbu had practically the same reaction. “Can I go a single day without being carried?”. The answer, obviously, was no. The nurses settled them comfortably in their laps, supporting their little heads very carefully. —You two are so calm... —one of the nurses commented with an affectionate smile. —It makes me want to hold you all day long. “I’d rather you didn’t”, Flame immediately thought. “Pleasee, nooo”, Wemmbu thought silently.
The two picked up the bottles and brought the nipples toward the babies’ mouths. Flame still tried to discreetly turn his face to the side, in an almost symbolic attempt to resist. Wemmbu did exactly the same thing, turning his head as much as his small neck allowed. The nurses laughed at their reaction. —Oh, don’t be fussy, little one. —That’s it... just a little bit. After a few seconds of completely useless resistance, the two ended up giving in once again. “Damn...”. “How humiliating...”. Despite their wounded pride, both of them were very hungry. As soon as they started drinking, all that resistance disappeared almost instantly. The nurses exchanged an amused look. —See? You were hungry. —These two always make that face before they start feeding. Flame continued drinking in silence, pretending that none of that was happening, and Wemmbu did exactly the same. Neither of them intended to admit, not even to themselves, that the bottle was actually very good.
After a few minutes, the bottles were finally empty. The two nurses carefully removed them, supporting each baby against their own shoulder while gently patting their backs to help them burp. Flame closed his eyes for a moment, completely resigned. Wemmbu also remained still, accepting that resisting that routine simply made no difference. A few seconds later, the inevitable little baby burps escaped from both of them almost at the same time. “...”. The two preferred to pretend that had never happened. The nurses, on the other hand, simply smiled in satisfaction.
Since the movement in the ward had decreased at that moment and almost all the newborns had already been fed, neither of them was in a hurry to put them back in their cribs. They continued holding the twins while chatting calmly, walking slowly down the hallway between the cribs. —It’s much calmer today, huh? —one of them commented. —It really is. I think almost all the babies decided to sleep after their bottles. She quickly looked around the ward before continuing. —Sometimes I feel sorry for them. Her colleague tilted her head, curious. —Why? —They hardly ever leave here. Except when they go for an examination with the pediatrician or need some kind of appointment, they spend practically the entire day in this ward. The other nodded with a small smile. —That’s true... for now, they only really know this room.
Meanwhile, Flame and Wemmbu listened to the entire conversation in silence. “Yeah...”, Flame thought. “I’d like to get out of here for a while too.” Wemmbu had exactly the same impression. Since waking up, all he knew of this new world was that white ceiling, those cribs, and those smooth walls. “At least I’d like to see the outside...”. The nurses continued talking without noticing the interest of the two. —I hope these little ones find families soon. —Me too. I’m always happy when I see someone come to meet a baby. —Even more so when they manage to adopt siblings together. Separating twins must be very sad. She looked at Flame and Wemmbu and smiled. —These two deserve to stay together. The other nodded. —Definitely. You can tell they were made to grow up side by side.
The two babies exchanged an extremely discreet glance. “She’s way too optimistic”, Wemmbu concluded. The nurses continued walking slowly as they talked about possible families who had visited the ward during the week, adoption documents, and how they always hoped that each child would find a good home. Meanwhile, Flame and Wemmbu had reached exactly the same conclusion. “I want to go back to the crib...”. Being carried for so long was already becoming tiring and, as strange as it seemed to admit, the small crib mattress was beginning to seem like an extremely comfortable place. “Damn...”, the two thought almost at the same time.
The two nurses continued talking for a few more minutes as they slowly walked through the ward. Since almost all the newborns had already been fed, the environment was much quieter than before. Some children were sleeping deeply, others were simply staring silently at the ceiling, and a few were still crying from time to time. Taking advantage of that moment of calm, the two friends talked about random hospital matters, laughed at small stories from their shift, and commented on how quickly those days seemed to pass when the ward was full. After some time, one of them looked at the two babies who were still in their arms. —I think it’s time to put these two back. The other agreed. —I think so too. They’ve already eaten, burped... now they probably want to rest a little.
The two returned to the cribs. When they arrived in front of them, one of the nurses stopped for a moment, looking from one crib to the other. Then she gave an amused smile. —You know what? —What? She let out a small laugh. —I’m going to put them in the same crib again. Her colleague raised an eyebrow. —Again? —Well... they’re brothers. Very carefully, she settled Wemmbu in first and, right afterward, laid Flame down right beside him. The two were practically touching, sharing the same small mattress. The nurse adjusted the blanket over both of them and smiled, satisfied with the result. —There we go. The other laughed softly. —That way they can keep each other company. The first gently stroked both of their heads. —That’s right... you can form a bond from when you’re little.
Flame’s eyes widened. “No...”. Wemmbu thought exactly the same thing. “Please, no.” The nurse continued speaking as if she really expected an answer. —Make sure to talk to each other a lot, okay? Siblings need to be friends. The two burst out laughing. —Yeah... maybe they’re sharing baby secrets right now. —Or planning to cause trouble when they grow up. The nurses found their own idea extremely funny. Flame and Wemmbu, however, remained completely still. “Talk how?”, Flame thought. “We can barely lift our heads.” Wemmbu discreetly looked at the brother beside him. “Besides... I don’t even know who you are.” Flame also cast a sideways glance. “And this thing is reminding me a lot of that guy.” The two held that eye contact for a few seconds. “...” “...” Neither looked away first. Then, almost at the same time, both decided to look at the ceiling again. “There.” “We’ve socialized enough for today.”
The nurses, completely satisfied with the “moment of sibling bonding”, said goodbye to the two with a smile before returning to take care of the other newborns. When they were finally alone again, Flame let out a long mental sigh. “I hope she doesn’t come up with any more brilliant ideas like that.” Beside him, Wemmbu remained silent, still staring at the ceiling as he tried to get used to that new reality. The small crib seemed cramped for the two of them, especially with both of their wings and tails taking up space, but despite that, neither of them complained. After all, after everything they had experienced before waking up in that place, that strange tranquility might have been one of the few things they could enjoy. For now, all they could do was remain there, side by side, still unaware that the strange baby beside them was someone who had already been part of their lives before.