Chapter Text
Flying with a two month old had been no joke. Poor little Luca had been fussy and uncomfortable the whole time. And on top of that, they’d been in coach. They’d gotten an array of both sympathetic looks and annoyed ones from a number of passengers while walking him up and down the aisle to try and console him a little bit. He hadn’t completely calmed down until they were on the ground again. Thankfully, he hadn’t been seizing or trembling at all since they left the hospital. The treatments had seemed to work. They’d still have to keep a close eye on him for the following month but it really seemed like the withdrawals were over.
-
Currently they were in their SUV on the way home. Sebastian was sitting in the back seat with Luca. Luca was greedily drinking from his bottle. His little greenish-blue eyes looking up at his dad from underneath a soft little baby blue hat. His tiny hands were still covered with mittens so he didn’t hurt himself And his small body was swaddled to keep him calm and warm. It was fall but it felt like winter here in New England.
“You done?” Sebastian asked as he pulled the bottle away. Luca snuffed and murmured and his little arms flailed in an answer. Sebastian lifted him out of the seat to put him over his shoulder to burp him and with two good burps he pulled him away whispering praises.
“Ah, good burp, good for you,” he said. As he put him back into his car seat and buckled him back up. Chris looked up and smiled as he caught a glimpse of the two in his rear view. Sebastian then took a moment to look outside. They were almost home. Another ten minutes and they’d be there.
-
The sun was just beginning it’s slow decent in the sky. It was a little after midday when Chris pulled into their garage. The car turned off and the two new parents got out of the car. Chris got the luggage from the trunk while Sebastian handled Luca. Luca was quietly wiggling around in his car seat looking around with wonder and trying to fit his covered hands into his mouth. He made a happy little cooing sound as he was moved from the car and carried by Sebastian over to the stairs to get inside.
“Dodger’s here, do you think we should introduce them now?”
“Yeah, sure, he’s been around plenty of babies and children before, but let me go in and greet him separately first and then we can switch so he has a moment to get excited before we bring Luca in. You know he gets excited when we come home,” Sebastian nodded.
Chris went in first. He put the keys down on the counter and called out for Dodger in a moment the happy mutt was barreling towards him. Tongue lulling out and and jumping up at him, they hadn’t seen each other in two and a half weeks so the excitement was warranted.
“Hey bubba! Hey, yes. I missed you too! I missed you so much,” Dodger happily yipped and jumped and licked at Chris’s face as he greeted him. “Good boy,” Chris said. “Now stay,” Dodger stayed where he was asked. Tail wagging happily. A few moments later Sebastian entered and was given the same treatment as Chris with happily excited licks to the face and paws on his shoulders as he knelt down to greet him.
“You are such a good boy, I missed you too, yes I did, you’re the best,” he praised the dog and continued to generously pet him all over. “Now, guess what? We’ve got someone for you to meet, come here,” he said, he clipped Dodger’s leash on him. Dodger looked confused. They knew he’d just been on a walk because their Dog Walker had just updated them that he’d been on one before they came home.
“You’ll see,” he promised the dog. He knocked on the outside door that led to the garage to signal that it was okay for Chris to come inside with the baby. The door opened slowly and Chris stepped inside. Luca in the car seat. Dodgers ears immediately perked up when he heard the soft sounds of the baby cooing and gurgling from the seat he did a little round about, walking in a circle. His tail wagging as he got closer to Chris who was holding the carriage up high.
“Dodger, this is your new little brother, do you want to say hi? If so you have to sit,” he told the dog. Dodger sat down, right there in the side of the entrance way and let his tail thump on the ground lightly as he waited for farther instruction. Slowly Chris lowered the carriage to the floor, telling Dodger to stay as he did so. Dodger didn’t move from his spot as Chris waited.
“Good boy,” Chris told Dodger and that was Dodger’s cue to stand. As if on instinct he came up to the baby carriage and sniffed around. Not licking or jumping or doing anything wrong. He’d been around babies before but it was like he was taking extra care around this one. He kept his distance and didn’t put his face into the seat. Staying around the boarder as he sniffed. Luca cooed again, little hands coming out far enough to touch Dodger. Dodger just let the baby gently bat at him. Finally he got closer. His nose gently nudging at Luca’s little head as he sniffed him. Luca’s head moved as he tried to follow the dog’s movements. Neither one seemed distressed. Only curious about one and other. Dodger slowly sniffed down Luca’s little body before sitting down in front of the baby carrier. He tilted his head one way and then another before leaning in again and getting right up into Luca’s face.
“Whoa, Dodger-“ Sebastian cut himself off when Luca gave a happy squeal snuffle and his arms flailed around as Dodger licked the side of his face. Luca was laughing. It was a sound they’d only heard one other time and it warned both of their hearts to hear it for the second time directed back at Dodger. Dodger didn’t bark or startle at the sudden loud noise. He just sniffed again at the top of Luca’s head before sitting back and then looking up at Chris. A wide doggy smile on his face. As if to say “I like it, what is it? Are we keeping it?” All in one. Chris gave Dodger a pat on the head and told him he was a good boy once again as he went to get a baby wipe from the counter to wipe off Luca’s face from dog slobber. After Luca was clean Sebastian headed upstairs with him nestled into his arms, while Chris took a moment to take a few work phone calls he’d been putting off. Dodger followed Sebastian up stairs. Taking the steps two by two and arriving at the top first. Dodger trotted over to the nursery without prompting. A very smart dog indeed, Sebastian thought. He smiled at Dodger as he entered into the room. Dodger followed him inside. Sebastian took a seat in the comfortable rocker. He unswaddled Luca partway, Not wanting him to overheat inside. He let the blanket draped across his arm and lap as he held Luca on top of it as he rocked him slowly to sleep. It didn’t take long, the baby was tired. Dodger had taken a vigilant watch a few feet away from Sebastian. He was relaxed but still alert. Lying on his stomach but with his head up and panting. Ready to jump up at a moments notice of danger. When Sebastian stood Dodger did as well. Sebastian slowly lowered Luca into the crib, he turned the mobile above his crib on, it was a set of glowing stars and moons. The mobile could be hooked up through Bluetooth to play lullabies or simply just spin and twinkle. He put it on the latter setting this time. Dodger sat by the crib. Watching as Sebastian brushed a soft hand over Luca’s tiny head before he leaned against the crib to just watch him sleep for a while. Luca didn’t move much in his sleep. Occasionally he smacked his little lips together and his hand would twitch but there were no violent seizing motions or twitches like there had been early on before the withdrawal. Then it had been hard to watch him sleep. Too painful of a reminder that there was nothing more they could do to help his pain and suffering, now that he was sleeping calmly Sebastian felt like he could watch him for hours as his tiny chest rose and fell Sebastian felt himself falling more and more in love.
Finally after another fifteen minutes of watching him sleep Sebastian straightened up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dodger stand at attention as well. Sebastian reached down to pet him.
“Good boy,” he said, “come on, this way, let’s let him sleep.” Sebastian was standing in the door frame. He hadn’t heard he tinkle of Dodger’s collar following so he looked back. Dodger looked unsure as he stood between Luca and Sebastian. He glanced back at Luca in the crib, as if to say, “you’re just gonna leave him? Are you sure that he’s gonna be okay?” As if to prove his thoughts Dodger turned his head back and gave a little whine. Sebastian chuffed at the sweet gesture.
“Come on bud, he’ll be fine. He needs to sleep for now. You two can hang out later,” he told him. And with a few more cursory glances back Dodger finally trotted over to the open door. Sebastian hooked the baby monitor to his belt and turned the volume all the way up as he cracked the door behind him.
-
Sebastian reached the top of the stairs ready to head down. Once again caught off guard when Dodger wasn’t at his heels. He looked back, Dodger was again glancing back at the half closed door. Sebastian let out a low chuckle,
“Come on Bub, Luca will be okay, I promise,” Sebastian went back over to Dodger and knelt down in front of him to scratch him behind the ear.
“I promise, he’ll be okay, let’s let him sleep for now, you want to go outside? Dad brought you back some new dog treats? Maybe we can play fetch, huh? How does that sound?” He asked Dodger at the word “Treats” and “outside” his ears perked up and he was following Sebastian down the stairs with a pep in his steps.
-
The next day Chris had Luca propped up in a baby chair in the living room as he sorted through a pile of paperwork. Sebastian was somewhere else in the house doing some sort of chore. Probably laundry. But Chris didn’t know. Every few moments he’d find himself looking up and smiling at the sight in front of him. Luca was in his chair playfully batting at the dangling rattling, crinkly, and shiny objects hanging from the handle above him while dodger lied out half curled around the chair with his head in his paws. Dodger had really taken to the two month old in the last 24 hours. As soon as Sebastian had woken up at the cries in the middle of the night Dodger had too. He had followed Sebastian into the baby’s room and stayed with Sebastian and Luca until Luca was quiet and sleeping again. This happened three more times throughout the night and each time Dodger was up and alert and ready to protect and watch. He even did his own check of the crib every time before leaving the room and it warmed Sebastian and Chris’s hearts to see.
-
Luca was in his baby carrier crying his eyes out. They’d taken him to the doctor after the fourth day of near constant crying. Dodger, the poor pup, had only been able to take so much before retreating outside to his Doghouse. It wasn’t colic and Sebastian and Chris were glad of that. They’d done all they could think of. He didn’t need a change, he didn’t want food, didn’t need to be burped, rocked, held, or anything else. It was breaking Chris’s heart to have to watch and was quite frankly, driving Sebastian slightly mad. But he remained calm. Doing all he could think of. Currently Luca was in his carrier on the floor, still bawling his little hands and legs flailing as he did so. Chris came in from Dodger’s morning walk. Unlike usual for the past few days Dodger didn’t immediately head outside. This time he slowly and cautiously walked up to the carriage. Chris was about to call him back but Dodger didn’t bark or pounce, he instead placed his paw on it and began to rock it slightly. Still crying, Luca opened his eyes. And for the first time in a few hours he paused in his crying. His hands coming out and reaching for the dog. Dodger moves forward. He began licking Luca’s head and Luca’s little fists fisted themselves in his fur. Dodger pulled away and stopped licking but he sat down, resting his body over the baby carrier completely and just lying there. Chris and Sebastian watched on with awe as Luca slowly stopped crying his cries fading to quiet whimpers and then silence before soft and content cooing sounds replaced them as Luca continued to run his little hands through Dodger’s fur.
“Well would you look at that?” Chris commented coming over to Sebastian. Sebastian was still shocked himself.
“You couldn’t have tried this three days ago Dodge?” He wondered aloud. Chris laughed,
“He’s a Good boy,”
“That he is,” Sebastian said as he sighed. Closing his eyes for a moment and relishing in the silence for the first time in days.
-
From then on whenever Luca would start wailing Dodger would come running. If Luca was crying in his crib Dodger would stick a paw or a snout through the bars and as soon as Luca saw him he’d begin to calm down. It was almost like magic. When Luca would be playing on his play mat during the day dodger would sit and watch from his spot close by where the sun would shine in through the window. When Luca would push a ball a little out of his reach (before he started crawling) Dodger would be sure to nudge it back before the whimpering started.
Dodger was taking his duties as big brother very seriously and it warmed Chris’s heart the most to see baby and dog bonding so well.
The only place they drew the line at was when Luca was sleeping at night. Dodger wasn’t allowed in the room and there was a baby gate that opened and closed for that reason at Luca’s door. Dodger was the best baby monitor there was at night though, because he’d be jumping onto Chris and Sebastian’s bed before the cries got loud enough to wake them up to let them know Luca was up and needing attention.