When Grecia arrived at the daycare center, she was still recovering from the shock of nearly losing two of the members of her family to a misunderstanding. She’d never been confrontational, nor would she consider herself to be articulate enough for a spur-of-the-moment speech.
Usually when Grecia had needed to speak up for herself in the past, she’d clammed up and been unable to think of a single thing to say. This morning, she’d been on fire though, perhaps because she’d been so frustrated with Dawson and Elias for jumping to conclusions.
She was still only working half days in the daycare center, but when she stepped into the room, she immediately knew things were hectic today.
The Wanderers had an amazing setup. They’d been perfecting their carefully selected secret society for more than two decades and they’d overlooked nothing, including providing care for children so their parents could help out in whatever fields they specialized in.
As far as Grecia was concerned, she had no real skills, but she’d quickly learned that she was great with babies. Somehow, she could make even the fussiest of babies relax in her arms.
“Oh, good, you’re here,” Silvia said by way of greeting. She was holding a newborn, bouncing the little guy all around, but still the baby wailed at the top of his lungs.
Grecia knew the baby’s name was Orson and he was only a week old. She’d seen him a few times in one of his fathers’ arms in the cafeteria. She was surprised to see him in the daycare at such a young age.
Silvia continued to pat the baby’s back as she spoke again. “His mother’s milk hasn’t come in. He’s hungry.”
Grecia stepped closer. The little fella’s face was bright red and his fists were flailing around as he continued to scream. Grecia handed Amelia off to one of the other workers and reached for Orson.
Silvia took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. “I feel bad for him. I’m not sure what to do. Julie is trying to get some formula, but it’s hard to come by. The mother—her name is Renee—is trying to pump, but it’s not working.”
Grecia stroked the little guy’s cheek. Amelia was only three months old, but already Grecia couldn’t remember her being this tiny.
It had only been about an hour since Grecia had pumped, but her breasts were swelling from the crying. The female body reacted to a crying baby instinctively. Suddenly, she lifted her gaze to Silvia. “What if I nursed him?”
Silvia blew out a relieved breath. “That’s what I was going to suggest. If you don’t mind? I know that’s asking a lot. I wouldn’t want to interfere with Amelia’s feedings.”
Grecia glanced down at Orson’s scrunched-up face again. “I’ve been pumping ever since I had mastitis. I’ve got a small stockpile going. Even if I somehow didn’t have quite enough for Amelia’s next feeding, I could get her a bottle out of the fridge.” Grecia paused, an idea forming. “Actually, for that matter, I could also give Renee some of the bottled milk to help tide her over.”
Silvia gave Grecia a side hug around the bundle. “Thank you for offering. One of his fathers went to get a bite to eat. That’s why he left him here for a bit. No one is sleeping well in their apartment, and there’s not much downtime to eat.”
“I should probably talk to him first. I don’t want to overstep. Maybe they’d rather wait for the mother’s milk to come in.” Grecia continued to rock the little guy back and forth, but he was still screaming, and it was hard to communicate over the volume. Plus, all the other babies in the daycare were fussing as a result of the noise.
As soon as Grecia finished her thought, a man showed up. His brow was furrowed, and he looked exhausted. He ran a hand over his face as he approached. “Thank you so much for giving me time to eat. Renee can’t rest with him in the apartment, and everyone in the cafeteria has started staring at us when we bring him in.”
Silvia smiled at him. “It’s fine. That’s what we’re here for. Bring him anytime you need to.” She motioned toward Grecia. “Leo, this is Grecia. She has a newborn herself. Do you think Renee would mind if Grecia tried to nurse Orson? If his tummy was full, I bet he would feel much better.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God. Could you do that?”
Grecia nodded, still patting Orson’s back. “I can certainly try.”
Leo hesitated. “Maybe I should check with Renee? It feels like a decision that’s not really mine to make.”
Silvia nodded. “Of course. How about if Grecia goes with you to your place? We can manage without her for a little bit.”
Grecia glanced around. “Are you okay with me leaving Amelia here?”
“Absolutely. She’ll be fine.”
“Okay then.” Grecia smiled at the distraught father. “Lead the way.”
Leo led her down the hallway back into the main section of the compound where the cafeteria was located and then down another side hallway, finally coming to an apartment.
As Leo let them in, Grecia glanced around. There were two other men in the living room and a woman who was lying curled up on the couch. Grecia assumed she was Renee.
Renee glanced up. Her eyes were swollen and red and streaks of tears were dry on her cheeks.
Leo rushed toward her and perched on the edge of the sofa at her side. “Hey, sweetie. This is Grecia. She has a baby too, and she’s offered to try nursing Orson for us. What do you think?” He rubbed her arm.
The other two men stepped closer. They both looked just as tired. Grecia felt horrible for them. She knew from living with three men that it could be a godsend. Four people taking care of a baby was much easier than one. But if the baby was crying around the clock, no one got to sleep.
Renee pushed to a more upright position. “You would do that?”
Grecia nodded. “I have plenty. I’ve even been pumping and building up a stash. I don’t mind at all. Maybe if we can get his little tummy filled, he’ll be able to sleep.”
Fresh tears fell down Renee’s face. She swiped at them. “Thank you so much,” she whispered. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s been five days. He tries to nurse, but only a tiny bit comes out. Julie says sometimes it takes longer.”
Leo looked up at Grecia. “Julie also says some women simply never get milk to come in.”
Grecia swallowed. What would happen to Orson if Renee’s milk never came in and no one could find formula?
One of the other men in the room added, “There are other alternatives if we get desperate, but most of them aren’t ideal. It’s not healthy for a newborn to get nourishment from other animals’ milk, and access to decent formula isn’t easy.” The tall, slender, dark-skinned man lifted a hand. “I’m Trent, by the way. And this is Parks.” He nodded toward the redheaded man who made up the fourth member of the family.
Leo stood to get out of the way and Renee slid her legs off the side of the couch and patted the space next to her. “Please sit.”
Grecia lowered onto the sofa.
“Maybe we should wait in another room,” Parks suggested.
Grecia smiled at him and glanced at all of them. “No need. He’s your son. I’m sure you’d rather be near him. Trust me, after three months of nursing Amelia, I’m no longer very modest about exposing her food source.”
“Okay,” Leo murmured as they all took their seats. They were collectively stressed, each of them rubbing their hands together, worried about their newborn and his mother.
Grecia lowered the little cherub against her thighs so she could unbutton her shirt and unfasten her bra. Orson was still wailing, but when she lifted him to her breast and nuzzled his lips, he stopped fidgeting and opened his mouth. “They can smell it,” Grecia whispered.
“That’s amazing,” Trent stated as Orson latched on and started suckling.
Renee was silently crying as she rubbed her baby’s head and leaned in close. “I feel like a failure.”
“It’s not your fault, sweetie,” Leo responded. “Julie has told you that.”
Renee sighed. “I know, but I can’t shake the thought that I’m doing something wrong.”
While Orson sucked, Grecia looked at Renee. “When he’s calm, you might try pumping. I really struggled to pump when Amelia was screaming. As soon as someone took her out of my room so I could relax, I finally had success.”
“I’ll try that. Julie suggested I pump too. Anything to try to convince my body to do its job.”
When Orson started fussing, Grecia switched sides. “I pumped not too long ago, so I don’t have much to give him from just one side right now. I think he’ll be satisfied after he’s had both.”
“What about your baby?” Renee asked. “Isn’t he eating her meal?”
“I have plenty saved up.” She met Renee’s gaze and held it. “I’ll do everything I can to help. I’m sure I can increase my production with a bit of effort, and in the meantime, I’ll give you some of my saved bottles.”
Renee was crying again. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Grecia smiled. “I’m just glad I can help. To be honest, I’ve felt like there wasn’t much I can contribute to this society since I arrived. I’ve been feeling like I’m a drain on resources and assistance. If I can help someone else out, I’ll rest easier at night.”
Renee reached an arm around Grecia’s shoulders and leaned into her. “You’re a lifesaver.” She shuddered. “I haven’t been able to sleep worrying that he might die if I can’t feed him.”
Grecia set a hand on top of Renee’s. “We won’t let that happen. I promise.” There was a lump in her throat. Grecia was choked up and trying not to cry. She hadn’t been kidding. She had felt useless in this bunker. If her milk supply could be increased, she would have a purpose. Maybe Renee’s milk would come in tomorrow or the next day, but there could easily be another mother living in the compound who needed supplemental help. Not everyone on the planet was able to breastfeed. Sometimes it didn’t work out. Hundreds of years ago that could be life threatening. With the invention of formula, babies had been fed for decades without worry. But the days of easily attainable formula were gone. All that was left was the kindness of strangers in the event a mother was unable to nurse.
Grecia closed her eyes and leaned her head against Renee’s. “We’ve got this. Orson will be fine.”
Renee nodded. “Thank you so much.”
“She’s right. I’ve been scared out of my mind,” Parks added. “Bless you.”
Finally, Orson was done. His heavy eyes drifted closed, and Trent stood to lean over and take his son out of Grecia’s arms. He held the little guy close, kissing his forehead.
Grecia righted her clothes, hugged Renee again, and stood. “Try to pump. I need to get back to the daycare, but I’ll come by again in a few hours.”
Renee squeezed her fingers. Her eyes were watery and her cheeks were pink as she held Grecia’s gaze.
Grecia looked around at all four frightened expressions. They really were in a panic that had undoubtedly been growing with every passing hour. She wanted to reassure them. “We’ll figure this out. Orson isn’t going to suffer. I promise. Worst case scenario, I eat twice as much and feed them both.”
Renee swallowed hard, her eyes sliding closed. Finally, she released Grecia.
Leo opened the door for her. “I can’t thank you enough,” he repeated.
“You don’t have to. This society is a collective. I’m relieved to have found a way to contribute. I mean it. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Grecia’s mind was running rampant with the implications of what had just happened. She wondered if she really could feed two babies if needed. Had she offered something she might not be physically capable of?
She shook the negativity from her head. She could do this. She would do everything in her power to make sure both babies were healthy and happy. The alternative was too horrifying to ponder. She would never want a baby to suffer from malnourishment while there was something she could do about it.
Maybe her racing thoughts would end up being all for naught. Maybe Renee’s milk was coming in right this very moment. It was possible, but it didn’t change Grecia’s conviction. Orson couldn’t be the only baby who was struggling to nurse. There were surely others. And there would be in the coming months.
By the time she got back to the daycare, she was smiling and feeling pretty good about herself.
“How’d it go?” Silvia asked, brows furrowed.
“Great. He latched on like a champ. I told them I’d come back in a few hours. If he needs me again, I’ll be there.”
Silvia wrapped Grecia in her arms and hugged her tight. “You are one of the kindest, most selfless people I’ve ever met. I’m so glad you’re here.”