Chapter Text
Kyle woke up one morning (the week before Winter Break) in the spartan dorm room he shared with Stan and looked at the clock, “Oh shit!” he thought and started to hop in the shower quickly and then out, brushed his teeth, put on deodorant and body spray, then styled his curls with some mousse Wendy left on her last visit. Then he put on a clean sweatshirt and jeans and started to tune into his Facetime.
“Hey!” trilled Ben and a bedridden Devi in a long crochet cardigan (teal with sunflowers) over a long blue dress with a plaid Peter Pan collar she got from Kamala. Ben gestured at the baby in his arms, “Come say ‘Hi’ to your Uncle Kyle!”
Kyle and Stan (who woke up) gasped at seeing the small girl: her buttery smooth bronze skin, the full lips she inherited from her mother, her Daddy’s nose, the baby was plumping out some (the traditional Tamil postpartum diet did wonders for Devi’s breast milk), her black hair had the tight curls that Nalini possessed, her eyes were as wide as her mother’s but the eyes were the same shade of azure as Ben and Kyle’s.
“Hey pretty little girl,” Kyle cooed “it’s Uncle Kyle, I can’t wait to see you in person.”
As the baby let out some affirmative gurgles, Kyle took a peek at Ben: the fuller hairstyle, with some curling hair, really suited Ben better and he grew some stubble and then Kyle noticed a little belly.
“So Devi,” Kyle smirked “dealing with this lumberjack?”
Devi lovingly rubbed Ben’s belly, “I love having a little more man in my bed, kind of sexy, too bad sexy is a forbidden no-no in my condition.”
Ben murmured, “Want me to check your stitches?”
Kyle chortled, he heard that story about how Ben had to visualize Joan and Mohan squeezing his balls across time and space so he wouldn’t faint at seeing Devi get operated on, “Felt great to cut the umbilical cord, didn’t it Ben?”
The boys saw Sharon and Sheila come up with Nalini, with Nirmala and Vivian in a anti-bacterial suit coming up behind them.
“Mom!” The boys greeted them.
“Hello boys!” Sheila focused the screen on herself so Ben and Devi would have privacy while Nalini held the baby “isn’t she precious? Nalini, I always wondered what it was like to have a little girl!”
Nalini, her face beaming and hair frizzled, held her granddaughter and cooed at her, with Sharon giving “Oohs and ahs” while giving Sheila a subtle reminder that she could have always borrowed Shelly.
“So much joys and challenges, Devi never made life dull,” Nalini started to lay the baby on the changing table for Nirmala to give her an oil massage. Nalini then thought back with a satisfied and serene smile on her face, “I believe she will do the same for her daughter.”
Vivian frowned, “Why do I have to wear this suit?”
Sheila was about to snap until Nirmala cut in: “You haven’t abided by the guidelines needed to protect this child from RSV and other contagions! You either get doused by the spray or it’s the suit! Now help your son and my granddaughter draw the water for the baby’s bath, Devi is getting one of the towels.”
Kyle and Stan cooed at the baby while they saw her great-grandmother and grandmother massaging the baby and turning her around and the baby delighted at seeing Kyle’s and Stan’s faces.
“What’s her name?” Kyle asked Devi as soon as she showed up in a swimsuit, Kyle snickered, “We’re not in Australia, Devi.”
“Damn, Devi! You look hawww…” Stan then turned to vomit in his trash can.
“Ew!” All the women in the room responded.
“Her name is Anjana. I’m going to bathe the baby soon and I already showered, now Mommy will have splash time,” Devi chortled and added, “Perv.”
“What does it mean? It sounds pretty,” Kyle commented.
“ ‘Anjana’ was the mother of Hanuman in Ramayana ,” Nalini explained, “and it was also the name of my grandmother.”
Ben came in, “My Mom is pouring some hot water to balance the temperature and the water will be perfect for the baby,” he then turned to the camera, “see you Kyle, stop looking at my hot wife Stan.” Everyone laughed on both sides.
Devi was rinsing Baby Anjana with the warm-ish water when she spotted Ben staring at her, “Won’t you join your hot wife and firstborn?”
Ben smiled and took his shirt off, joining his wife on the niche that was perfect to sit with just dipping your feet in the tub. He took the little bucket and lightly sprinkled the water over his daughter.
They both smiled as the baby gurgled, “Devi! Benjamin! We’re going to prepare lunch!”
Later in bed, Ben supported Devi in bed while she nursed the baby, staring at her: Devi’s breasts were swollen with estrogen and breast milk, she still looked somewhat pregnant and slowly regaining her shape, her hips and thighs were wider with stretch marks, her midsection had a bandage he put every so often after he put ointment on her cesarean scars, and she was looking more well-rested. She looked really beautiful and wanted to touch her, but given her recovery, she was far too delicate.
“Snuggle into me?” Ben asked as he took the baby and kissed her little sleepy face, putting her in the bassinet.
Devi grabbed him, “Can you put coconut oil on my nipples after they dry if I fall asleep?”
Ben murmured, “You’re such a Princess, but yes.” He started kissing her and she kissed him hard.
“Ben, you’re no longer lonelier than the Home Alone kid,” Devi smiled as Ben got up to grab the oil.
The young family rested and as his wife and daughter fell into their slumber, Ben smiled. He figured to order a pizza for dinner, even if his in-laws and aunt objected. Plus Devi’s breast milk needs its calories.