(no subject)
Long shift at work. Half the staff failed to make it in due to the snow, and there's always a surge of elderly people at this time of year.
After about fourteen hours on, he gets a call from Frogspawn saying she's getting pregnancy sickness and needs him to go and pick up Alex. Somewhat relieved, he takes this as a fair time to call it a day, and heads over there.
The nursery is very noisy this afternoon as Guppy enters. There's been six new kids this week, to replace the ones who fell out with the management over Alex - he still feels bad about that, if relieved. Three of them are in Alex's new class - one is playing nicely in a corner, another is sitting on a nursery nurse's knee reading a book, and the third is... bouncing up and down on the sofa screaming. Lucy, special needs assistant, is occupied trying to distract the bouncing child, and Alex is... nowhere to be seen.
"Um, Lucy? Hi."
"Oh! Dr Sandhu! It's okay, I'm still following Alex, it's just he's hiding under the table and I now have two special needs kids to watch, sorry. He's been there a little while, but he's okay, he just said it was noisy."
"It's okay, I can't expect you to be with him one to one all the time. How's he been otherwise?"
"Good as gold. Not a nibble. He continues to show no interest in the children unless they're bothering him, but he said 'no' when one of the little ones pulled his hair at playtime, and just moved away. Also he told me it was monday and kept up with the other kids when we did counting."
"That's great." Guppy grins. "Thanks Lucy, it's good to have someone being supportive and, at times, an alibi for him."
"You know, I think he was getting blamed for a lot of stuff before that he didn't do." Lucy says, getting a hand puppet out and wiggling it at the bouncing boy, who finally starts to calm down. "Parents give you any trouble, you come find me."
Guppy retrieves Alex from under the table, and they set off out into the snow. They get about ten metres out before hearing an irate 'Oi! I wanna word with you!' from behind.
"Yes?" Guppy asks, looking around. They're just out of the grounds of the nursery now, on a path that's more sheet ice than snow.
"Your boy bit my daughter today."
"Er, sorry, but I don't think so." Guppy says. "Lucy has been watching him all day, and she was very certain he's not bitten anyone."
He carries on down the road, deep in thought, and occasionally glancing down at Alex. Sure, he does sometimes still bite at home, but how many times has he got blamed for something he didn't do?
"Do you still like nursery Alex?"
"Yeh."
"Then we'll keep trying."
"Tell bouta baby."
Guppy hesitates. Generally, when Alex repeats a phrase, it doesn't mean he understands it, but it sometimes means he's a little anxious. But if he's going around nursery blabbing, probably time to actually explain what he's heard.
"Yes, Mummy's growing a baby in her tummy. Babies start off very small and then when they're big enough they're born. It usually takes about nine months, but you were quite early, so the baby will probably arrive in another five to eight months."
He looks down to see if Alex got any of that. It's hard to tell; his expression is much the same. Come to think of it, he probably can't understand what five to eight months feels like. He tries to go for more simple.
"Mummy is growing a baby. You will have a little brother or sister. I will tell you when the baby is nearly here."
Alex stops walking. Guppy looks down, trying to get eye contact, wondering what he's thinking.
"Pingu now." Alex says, hurrying on again.
After about fourteen hours on, he gets a call from Frogspawn saying she's getting pregnancy sickness and needs him to go and pick up Alex. Somewhat relieved, he takes this as a fair time to call it a day, and heads over there.
The nursery is very noisy this afternoon as Guppy enters. There's been six new kids this week, to replace the ones who fell out with the management over Alex - he still feels bad about that, if relieved. Three of them are in Alex's new class - one is playing nicely in a corner, another is sitting on a nursery nurse's knee reading a book, and the third is... bouncing up and down on the sofa screaming. Lucy, special needs assistant, is occupied trying to distract the bouncing child, and Alex is... nowhere to be seen.
"Um, Lucy? Hi."
"Oh! Dr Sandhu! It's okay, I'm still following Alex, it's just he's hiding under the table and I now have two special needs kids to watch, sorry. He's been there a little while, but he's okay, he just said it was noisy."
"It's okay, I can't expect you to be with him one to one all the time. How's he been otherwise?"
"Good as gold. Not a nibble. He continues to show no interest in the children unless they're bothering him, but he said 'no' when one of the little ones pulled his hair at playtime, and just moved away. Also he told me it was monday and kept up with the other kids when we did counting."
"That's great." Guppy grins. "Thanks Lucy, it's good to have someone being supportive and, at times, an alibi for him."
"You know, I think he was getting blamed for a lot of stuff before that he didn't do." Lucy says, getting a hand puppet out and wiggling it at the bouncing boy, who finally starts to calm down. "Parents give you any trouble, you come find me."
Guppy retrieves Alex from under the table, and they set off out into the snow. They get about ten metres out before hearing an irate 'Oi! I wanna word with you!' from behind.
"Yes?" Guppy asks, looking around. They're just out of the grounds of the nursery now, on a path that's more sheet ice than snow.
"Your boy bit my daughter today."
"Er, sorry, but I don't think so." Guppy says. "Lucy has been watching him all day, and she was very certain he's not bitten anyone."
He carries on down the road, deep in thought, and occasionally glancing down at Alex. Sure, he does sometimes still bite at home, but how many times has he got blamed for something he didn't do?
"Do you still like nursery Alex?"
"Yeh."
"Then we'll keep trying."
"Tell bouta baby."
Guppy hesitates. Generally, when Alex repeats a phrase, it doesn't mean he understands it, but it sometimes means he's a little anxious. But if he's going around nursery blabbing, probably time to actually explain what he's heard.
"Yes, Mummy's growing a baby in her tummy. Babies start off very small and then when they're big enough they're born. It usually takes about nine months, but you were quite early, so the baby will probably arrive in another five to eight months."
He looks down to see if Alex got any of that. It's hard to tell; his expression is much the same. Come to think of it, he probably can't understand what five to eight months feels like. He tries to go for more simple.
"Mummy is growing a baby. You will have a little brother or sister. I will tell you when the baby is nearly here."
Alex stops walking. Guppy looks down, trying to get eye contact, wondering what he's thinking.
"Pingu now." Alex says, hurrying on again.