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Scrooge frowned at the list of instructions Grandma Duck had left him. It'd just be two hours, he could take care of a baby for two hours. Especially since Donald was asleep. If Elvira usually managed well enough with twins on her own it couldn't be that hard.
Scrooge walked to the drawer-turned crib the duckling was sleeping in. Breathing peacefully.
You just got to watch him, he is starting to be at the age where he might get up... But he'll probably be asleep for the whole time I and Della are at the Doctor's. It will be easy.
It will be easy.
Slowly, Scrooge poked the baby.
"Nnnnh..."
Should the baby even sleep during the day? Surely this meant he wouldn't be asleep during the night. Grandma had complained about that anyway...
Oh he saw how it was. Elvira thought he didn't know how to deal with children.
Well, Scrooge McDuck had faced bigger challenges than this! Admittedly there hadn't been many ducklings in Klondike but once a bear cub had wandered into his cabin and no one had gotten badly bit. He'd wake the baby up, get him dressed, feed him dinner and be excellent at it.
Now then.
Scrooge suddenly realized he didn't quite know how one went about waking a baby up. Of course the waking part would be easy but he could start crying.
Scrooge poked him again. "Morning."
Donald didn't even mumble this time.
"I'll just go and... work..." Scrooge informed him.
Smugly satisfied with himself, Scrooge took out his bag of money. He'd just start making pleasant noise and eventually the baby would wake up to it. It wouldn't even be his fault.
After five minutes of counting his gold coins Scrooge had forgotten all about Donald.
"Aaanhhh!"
Scrooge frowned. "Two thousand and twenty, Two thousand and- Wait a second... Two thousand and... Look what you did, I lost count..." He smiled. "Morning!"
Donald wiggled, trying to sit up.
Scrooge lifted him up. "This is how you sit up." He could probably even teach Donald a thing or two. Definitely no babytalk.
Donald giggled and reached at his extended finger. Tiny fingers were wrapped around Scrooge's hand.
Scrooge frowned. Hopefully he wouldn't be too good at this. Or he might end up becoming the permanent babysitter...
Scrooge pulled the still oversized onesie off Donald. Upon seeing the diaper he hesitated for the first time, wondering if waking him up had been a mistake. But well, how fast would a baby's digestive system work anyway?
"And now we dress you up," Scrooge informed him.
This turned out to be somewhat more challenging. As soon as Scrooge had managed to pull the second of the sleeves of the sailor suit on Donald the duckling had wiggled out of the first one. Eventually Scrooge managed to pull the shirt on but...
"No, your right arm should not come out of your neck hole!"
Donald's beak quivered. "Aaaannnnhhh... Waaaannnnnhhh...."
"Nonono we're having fun, aren't we? No crying, Donald no crying. If you let me dress you and stop crying I'll let you play with my coins. Would you like that?"
Donald struggled free of the shirt. "Buuh!"
It was warm, babies didn't need to be dressed all the time anyway, this was fine.
Scrooge lifted Donald to his lap. "Here we go."
The duckling giggled.
Scrooge pulled out the bag and held out some coins. "Look. Gold coins. This one has a number ' one hundred' on it, and this one has a number 'fifty' on it. This one also has a number 'one hundred' on it. This one also has a number 'one hundred' on it, see? Here. This means 'hundred'."
Donald watched transfixed as the shiny coins clicked together. Scrooge smiled.
The tiny hand reached out to the coins. They were quickly moved out of his reach.
"No, you watch, no touch. These are mine, you get to earn your own once you're older."
Donald's bill quivered again.
"Crying won't help you. It didn't help me when I was your age- Please no, we were doing so well-"
Scrooge set Donald down on the floor and handed him the cheapest coin in the bag. "This is just a loan."
Donald grinned and before Scrooge could react the coin was thrown across the room with a "Wrooom!"
"No!"
Scrooge dashed after it. Where had it landed? There!
He strolled back to Donald. "No! No throwing coins away!"
This time the shivering bill was a true precursor of a full-blown cry.
"I'm sorry, but... Please be reasonable, you don't see me throwing your toys around the room do you?"
This somehow failed to calm the baby down and soon he was crying even harder.
Scrooge looked at the list. Was he hungry? Where was the baby food Grandma had left in the-
Scrooge lifted Donald up and for a second the crying stopped.
Okay so he had liked that? But now he was making those noises again... Maybe he missed his twin? Scrooge set him down and pushed a teddy at Donald. It was about the same size. Donald pushed the teddy over.
"Unnnhh!"
That had sounded almost demanding!
Scrooge grumbled inwardly but set Donald down on the money. He gringed a bit at snot flying on his antique coins.
Scrooge clicked two coins together again. "Hey look!"
Donald reached a hand to them again and-
In horror Scrooge watched the duckling put the coin in his mouth and before he could react-
Grandma duck stepped to the porch of his house. Hopefully Scrooge was fine. Baby Donald was probably still asleep and-
As soon as she had stepped inside an another baby was pushed at her. Luckily at this point she was used to juggling the hyperactive twins.
"How quick does it work?"
What she wasn't that used to was dealing with Scrooge and the twins at the same time. Grandma Duck blinked. "What?"
"How quick does everything come out? Out of this. Out of a baby. He swallowed something important. Also is it deadly?"
"What did he..." She spotted the coins on the floor. Nevermind she could guess.