It had been a strange day when Gary got the call from Papa V. It was unexpected, he had long written off being ripped off by the super scientist. So Gary had focused himself on getting into shape to protect the other henchmen so no one else would suffer 24's fate.
The call changed a lot though, one moment he was a depressed nerd trying to pull himself together, the next... he was the father of his best friend. And he vowed to be so much better than Doug had ever been to his best friend.
"Alright, so you need to fill these out to make it legal, and you never got any of this from me." The scientist was explaining as Gary held the tiny baby Paul in one arm. "Just in case, I have a spare brewing. I know how this life is, call me if you break him."
Gary glared, insulted that the man thought he'd get the new 24 killed, but he didn't speak against it. No, a back-up was a good idea, as much as he hated it. Making his way out, he was stopped by Hank and Dean who both wanted to see the baby, and Hank asking all about the mother and what Gary had done to bulk up so fast. Neither question was answered, but he did hang out with them awhile before heading back home.
The first month or two was miserable, Paulie cried a lot and Gary had no idea how to make it stop. His mother constantly screaming for him to quiet the baby didn't help either.
At about 6 months old, Gary and Paulie returned to the cocoon, the small baby was in a car seat and Gary had a bag at his side. Of course, some of the newer scrubs tried to stop him, but he knew where he belonged. Within the hour he was standing before The Monarch and his wife, Paul up resting against his shoulder in a butterfly onesie.
"I know it might seem dangerous, but he won't be a problem!" "When did you knock someone up?!" The Monarch was still stuck on that. "I didn't, this is 24." "You had him cloned?" Sheila asked, a touch of worry in her tone.
The boy from a year ago gone, and the 21 before them now was in shape, had some unnecessary side burns and his hair in a long ponytail. His hench suit was modified and had him looking formidable, all except for the dark haired child snuggled against his shoulder.
"Yeah, kinda. But he couldn't be brought back as an adult, so this was the only real choice." He offered with a shrug, patting the baby on the back, trying to burp him lest Paulie gets fussy later. "He won't be a problem, and I am committed to not only working but helping get everything in order."
"I guess, but don't expect any help!" The Monarch pointed and called out in his always dramatic way. "Can I hold him?" Sheila asked, making his way across the room to take the child from 21. It was so weird to realize she was looking down at baby 24... but that unibrow really sold it.
Gary stood before the house he'd only been to one other time. 24 had insisted he stay in the car and not turn the music up. He had to go inside and didn't want 21 involved in the drama. He had seen 24 storms back out with an older looking man whose hair was peppered but not receding like his friends, but just as tall, following him out yelling about him being a lazy disappointment. Gary had started to open the door, but Paul had pulled open the other door. "Don't even think about it."
Paul knew Gary could have a temper and be scary when pushed. It was rare, but he'd seen it before. He didn't have to look to know his friend was fuming. They went to iHop and Paul crashed on his moms couch that night. It was one of the few times he spent the night.
This time, Gary was by himself, a bag over his shoulder and in his usual Kevin Smith look. His trench coat and cargo shorts. Ringing the doorbell, a middle-aged brunette answered. "Ain't I see you around, chubs?"
He narrowed his eyes. "You must be, Ann." He only knew Paul's ex's name due to a drunken night's ranting.
"And, you are?" "A friend of Paul's. I'm here to talk to Doug." "Paul's dead. The guild's already been here." She spoke it without a care and Gary felt his temper spiking but he took a deep breath to steady himself.
"I would like to speak to Doug." "You better not be here to say he was gay too. He's already got a gay brother." "I know dude. And no. I brought some of his stuff, you know in case he wanted it." "We don't want that junk." He heard the same voice from awhile ago. Doug pushing Ann aside sizing up the chubby young man haunting his doorstep.
"You're his little friend he always hung out with." "Gary." He introduced himself and even held a hand out. "Right, what do you want." Opening the bag he held up the few items of Paul's he had. a tshirt, a few books and a post card from Cancun. "These were his, I thought you'd want them." "Keep that junk. My son's dead, I don't want to think about it." "What about the 500 he owed you for the Stanza?" Gary spoke as he looked up making eye contact with Doug. That got some intrest.
"You're gonna pay me for the car he totalled?" "He didn't total it, that was an accident outside his control. And yes, if it gets you to be less bitter with my dead best friend. I have the cash right now." He hadn't sold anything, it was just his paycheck from the Atomic Comic Collection Connection. Holding out the envolope the man took it and counted the money.
"Don't beleive me?" "You're one of that villian's crew. I have a right." "Cool. Now leave." Doug slammed the door in his face as Gary stood there shocked. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't that. He could totally see why Paul hated this man.
He walked home dejected best friendless, and now 500 bucks broker. Paul would have laughed at him for trying, but he had too. His mom was waiting at the door for his younger brother to get off the bus as Gary walked up the drive. She didn't have to ask, she could see it on his face. Grabbing her oldest around the shoulders, he pulled him in for a hug and held him close.
"It's okay, sweetie, just let it out." How lame was he, crying into his mom's shoulder while his brother got off the bus.
---
It had been nearly a year since he had last darked this door. This time he wasn't the heartbroken kid he felt he was a year ago. Now he was in shape, he was mad and he knew what he wanted.
He had left Paulie with his mom, who was still unsure how she felt about being a grandmother. She believed the story that Gary had knocked someone up and they abandoned the baby. It was better than admitting to his mom that his son was a clone of his dead best friend. Even if his mom did look at him differently now.
Gary knew he needed to be back in an hour at the latest, but this shouldn't take long. Cop knocking hard on the door. This time Doug answered. "The fuck do you want!" He yelled out, stopping when he saw the person on his doorstep.
"Who the hell are you?" The guy didn't even recognize him. Even better. Gary pulled back and swung as hard as he could into the guy's jaw. Sending him reeling back into and over the couch inside the door.
"I'm nobody. But you, your worse. How the hell could you treat him that way!" Gary's voice rose. He saw the brunette already dialing the phone. He could not afford an assault charge with Paulie with his mom. "You're so fucking lucky, dude. You had the best son in the world, and you treated him like shit. How do you get to keep going and he's dead? You stole his girlfriend!" He yelled at him, Doug already getting up, blood oozing down his face, nose very broken. He rushed at Gary, but a second swing sent him flying back again, and this time. "I hate you!" Gary yelled inside as he took off running.
He had mapped his route home before he left. Jumping a few fences and running through the small bit of woods that was between Doug's house and the suburb Gary lived in. He had to get home before news got out and get back to the cocoon before night fall. Coming in through the sliding glass door, he picked up the daiper bag and hurried up to his moms room.
"Sorry to cut this short, I gotta go, mom." She just nodded, putting Paulie in his car seat as Gary picked it up. "You take care of him, baby, and remember to love him as much as I love you." That got Gary to smile softly at his mom. "I love you too mom, even when I've been a pain in the neck, and I always will." A kiss placed on her cheek as he hurried out to the cheap car he had borrowed from another hench for the day. Time to get home before the cops got to Doug's house, since he'd have to drive past it.
It had been a simple mission, a quick gets in, fuck something up and get out. Doc Venture, Brock, and the boys weren't even home. It was like taking candy from a baby, it went off without a hitch, well mostly. Henchman 72 didn't take a sick day for fear of losing pay and tried to hide his flu until it was too late. Everyone on that mission was sick as hell within a day or two. And everyone knew when an illness went through the cocoon, it was only a matter of time until everyone got sick.
This was how 37 and 41 ended up getting to chill in the house away from the other henchmen with the baby. 37 was always in the engine room or on baby duty. He didn't mind baby duty, since 21 always came and got him quickly. But, the big guy was clearly in a bad way. Much like the original plague bringer, he kept working until it was clear he wasn't well and nearly passed out on his control panel. He didn't have a cough, but every other symptom.
37 was sitting out in the backyard while Paulie was playing in the grass. Just watching the barely walking baby moving around plucking weeds. He was playing on his phone but knew that 21 would lose his mind if he got out of bed AGAIN and found Paulie not being watched. 21 did not trust Paulie being unwatched in the yard so close to Hatred and the road.
Luckily, he was down for the count, but 37 wanted his lunch break. So he slipped into the house, quietly setting a fussy Paulie by the bedroom door, so he'd crawl in there and quickly bailed. Paulie kept trying to walk and crawl himself to places he thought his dad or Titi might be. 41 would be pissed, but better him than 21. Which would only be an issue if the Monarch was alone in there. He'd march the baby back up to the cocoon or scream and demand to know why they're in his house if he's stuck with the kid. Sheila, he figured, would take the baby for a while.
It was another day that ended in y, which meant their #2 in all but name was out leading a storm on the venture compound again. The Monarch and Sheila on their thrones watching the chaos below on the big screens. Gary was going toe to toe against Hatred and it was getting pretty serious.
The Scarianette had Doc all twisted up while the battle raged below.
The babysitter of the night, had fallen asleep, ignoring Gary's very clear orders to watch Paul closely since he was starting to get closer to real crawling and knew where to crawl too to make the auto door open. Still, the henchman passed out on Gary's bunk and didn't see Paulie pulling himself from his crib beside the bunk. Pulling himself past the man and onto the pillow on the floor, Gary had put there the first time Paulie throw himself into the floor. The baby didn't cry when he landed on the pillow. Nope, he was ready to go exploring.
His dad was gone again, and he never liked that. The determined baby was pulling himself as he seemed to realize he could use his legs more. Crawling quickly out the door in his Jedi onesie, and a diaper that should have been changed awhile ago. The room the two shared wasn't far from the control room and that was where he was crawling too without really realizing it. The henchmen who ran past paid no mind too the baby as they rushed to their stations. It was the evil laugh of the Monarch that caught his attention.
As the Monarch snapped a little later at his henchmen for bitching about a night off. He took a sniff of the air. "Honey bun, what is that?"
Sheila making a face, before hearing a noise and looking down to see Paulie sitting between their thrones, chewing on his own toes through the onesie. She facepalmed. "Page 21, and we have got to take 37 off baby duty. This is getting ridiculous."
Instead of paging 21, he blasted it off the intercom, so even Venture heard it. "21! Your child smells terrible, come get him! RIGHT NOW!"
Hatred was laughing as Gary rushed across the lawn, a threat yelled back at Hatred. Oh, he was going to rip 27 a new one this time. At least he knew Sheila would be there to keep Monarch from complaining too much. She was the best titi a baby could ask for after all. And it would buy Gary some time to get back on the Cocoon and deal with getting his child cleaned and probably a bath again. He never should have left him in a white onesie.
Once Gary was back aboard the Cocoon and had collected Paulie from his bosses, he'd apologized for the hassle and carried the boy back towards his room. He'd been irritated before, but feeling the fact that Paulie had not only leaked through his diaper but through his clothes too? He wasn't gone more than a few hours!
"Get up!" He yelled as he flipped on the light and saw 37 asleep on his bed. The other hench jumping away, as Paulie buried his face in his father's chest. He was used to hearing him yell orders, it was not a scary inflection anymore. "What the HELL do you think you're doing!"
He carried Paulie over to the changing table and laid him down after getting his little hands to let go of his bulletproof vest. "I trusted you, dude! And fucking fell asleep!" 37 was stammering apologies and trying to make excuses. "No! Fuck that, you were out with 45 playing Tekken half the night! You KNEW we had a job to do today! Your apology is worthless! What if he had been trampled by people running? What if he had escaped to the fight? OR worse, fallen out of the hatch? Huh? Sorry, wouldn't cut it, dude!" The dirty diaper removed and tossed in the bin. Cleaning the baby up, he didn't bother with a new diaper, just wrapping him up in one of his swaddling blankets, and grabbing the bag that held his bath toys and a change of clothes.
"You're off this detail. You're back on the engine room and field duty for the next month!" Gary screamed at him as he picked up the baby and held him again. 37 stammering still, this had been a pretty sweet gig, he hated the engine room. "You could have killed him, dude, I don't give a fuck. Now get out. The Monarchs are waiting to see you." That was scarier than two ton 21 yelling at him, and that was scary enough.
He turned, leaving the henchman in his room as he carried Paulie down to the house. He'd gotten permission from both awhile ago. The communal bathrooms on each housing floor just were too busy and probably stressful for Paulie to be washed in. So, he soon was sitting on the floor of one of the bathrooms of the house, Paulie in his little bath floaties his many toys around him, and his dark hair spiked up like a fauxhawk with the shampoo.
"You scared me so much today, little dude. You can't be wandering like that. I'm going to have to get a gate to put on the door." He grumbled as he let the baby play in the water for now. He knew it wouldn't work, not with the ways the doors were tapered.
"How's our little man doing?" He heard Sheila's deep voice and looked up from where he was sitting on his knees before the tub.
"He's doing fine, boss. Totally needed the bath though, he was smelling ripe. That idiot didn't change him at all, he was asleep in my bunk." He grumbled, as he took up a cup to start pouring water over Paulie's head. He had a little crown shaped water hat to protect his eyes from the bubbles so it was just happy times for the little guy.
"I told him he's off the detail. I know Paulie lies to explore, but that was scary, what if he had crawled out of the hatch?"
"21, that would have taken hours for him to get down there. Relax, but I do agree, he's done on that. We'll find someone else."
"Thanks, boss. I appreciate it." He responded as Paulie lifted his squeaky frog out of the water and shook it towards Sheila. "I don't know what I would do without you guys."
"You'd do just fine, Gary. Just like you're doing now."
When Sheila said that he had to take a moment to scrub his eyes, trying to pretend that didn't make him almost want to cry. "Bubbles got in my eyes." He quickly covered, which was half true now that he got it in his own eyes.
Paulie had been playing more and more with Crayons and after a trip to visit Gary's mom a box of finger paints and some paper had come back with him. Gary had laid some newspaper down on the floor, and sat in the chair watching the toddler and his many colors. a few slapped handprints of purple and yellow over other smeared colors.
"Trying to make a picture of home?" He asked, watching the boy working on his colorful image.
"Titi." It was all Paulie said, he was very slow with his speaking. He knew words, but it was clear he was going to be shy, just like Paul himself had been. He would babble at Gary and sometimes Malcolm and Sheila, but most got baby noises still. Or upset demands for 'Da.'
"Oh, it's for you're Titi, huh? What about uncle Monarch?" He asked patiently as another yellow handprint was slapped in the middle. The child looking proud. "That's for him, huh? I see." He nodded as Paulie smiled.
A while after Paulie was bathed and put to bed, Gary checked to see if the paints were still wet, before taking the painting and signing the back with Paulie's name and the date. Leaving it on his desk to dry more overnight, but tomorrow he would give it to Sheila before training began. She deserved to see what Paulie made for her.
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twoton_twentyone) wrote2023-08-17 11:25 pm
The Baby and the Henchman (Paulie-verse)
Back to the Start
The call changed a lot though, one moment he was a depressed nerd trying to pull himself together, the next... he was the father of his best friend. And he vowed to be so much better than Doug had ever been to his best friend.
"Alright, so you need to fill these out to make it legal, and you never got any of this from me." The scientist was explaining as Gary held the tiny baby Paul in one arm. "Just in case, I have a spare brewing. I know how this life is, call me if you break him."
Gary glared, insulted that the man thought he'd get the new 24 killed, but he didn't speak against it. No, a back-up was a good idea, as much as he hated it. Making his way out, he was stopped by Hank and Dean who both wanted to see the baby, and Hank asking all about the mother and what Gary had done to bulk up so fast. Neither question was answered, but he did hang out with them awhile before heading back home.
The first month or two was miserable, Paulie cried a lot and Gary had no idea how to make it stop. His mother constantly screaming for him to quiet the baby didn't help either.
At about 6 months old, Gary and Paulie returned to the cocoon, the small baby was in a car seat and Gary had a bag at his side. Of course, some of the newer scrubs tried to stop him, but he knew where he belonged. Within the hour he was standing before The Monarch and his wife, Paul up resting against his shoulder in a butterfly onesie.
"I know it might seem dangerous, but he won't be a problem!"
"When did you knock someone up?!" The Monarch was still stuck on that.
"I didn't, this is 24."
"You had him cloned?" Sheila asked, a touch of worry in her tone.
The boy from a year ago gone, and the 21 before them now was in shape, had some unnecessary side burns and his hair in a long ponytail. His hench suit was modified and had him looking formidable, all except for the dark haired child snuggled against his shoulder.
"Yeah, kinda. But he couldn't be brought back as an adult, so this was the only real choice." He offered with a shrug, patting the baby on the back, trying to burp him lest Paulie gets fussy later. "He won't be a problem, and I am committed to not only working but helping get everything in order."
"I guess, but don't expect any help!" The Monarch pointed and called out in his always dramatic way.
"Can I hold him?" Sheila asked, making his way across the room to take the child from 21. It was so weird to realize she was looking down at baby 24... but that unibrow really sold it.
Two times Gary Fischer met Doug.
Paul knew Gary could have a temper and be scary when pushed. It was rare, but he'd seen it before. He didn't have to look to know his friend was fuming. They went to iHop and Paul crashed on his moms couch that night. It was one of the few times he spent the night.
This time, Gary was by himself, a bag over his shoulder and in his usual Kevin Smith look. His trench coat and cargo shorts. Ringing the doorbell, a middle-aged brunette answered. "Ain't I see you around, chubs?"
He narrowed his eyes. "You must be, Ann." He only knew Paul's ex's name due to a drunken night's ranting.
"And, you are?"
"A friend of Paul's. I'm here to talk to Doug."
"Paul's dead. The guild's already been here." She spoke it without a care and Gary felt his temper spiking but he took a deep breath to steady himself.
"I would like to speak to Doug."
"You better not be here to say he was gay too. He's already got a gay brother."
"I know dude. And no. I brought some of his stuff, you know in case he wanted it."
"We don't want that junk." He heard the same voice from awhile ago. Doug pushing Ann aside sizing up the chubby young man haunting his doorstep.
"You're his little friend he always hung out with."
"Gary." He introduced himself and even held a hand out.
"Right, what do you want." Opening the bag he held up the few items of Paul's he had. a tshirt, a few books and a post card from Cancun.
"These were his, I thought you'd want them."
"Keep that junk. My son's dead, I don't want to think about it."
"What about the 500 he owed you for the Stanza?" Gary spoke as he looked up making eye contact with Doug. That got some intrest.
"You're gonna pay me for the car he totalled?"
"He didn't total it, that was an accident outside his control. And yes, if it gets you to be less bitter with my dead best friend. I have the cash right now." He hadn't sold anything, it was just his paycheck from the Atomic Comic Collection Connection. Holding out the envolope the man took it and counted the money.
"Don't beleive me?"
"You're one of that villian's crew. I have a right."
"Cool. Now leave." Doug slammed the door in his face as Gary stood there shocked. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't that. He could totally see why Paul hated this man.
He walked home dejected best friendless, and now 500 bucks broker. Paul would have laughed at him for trying, but he had too. His mom was waiting at the door for his younger brother to get off the bus as Gary walked up the drive. She didn't have to ask, she could see it on his face. Grabbing her oldest around the shoulders, he pulled him in for a hug and held him close.
"It's okay, sweetie, just let it out." How lame was he, crying into his mom's shoulder while his brother got off the bus.
---
It had been nearly a year since he had last darked this door. This time he wasn't the heartbroken kid he felt he was a year ago. Now he was in shape, he was mad and he knew what he wanted.
He had left Paulie with his mom, who was still unsure how she felt about being a grandmother. She believed the story that Gary had knocked someone up and they abandoned the baby. It was better than admitting to his mom that his son was a clone of his dead best friend. Even if his mom did look at him differently now.
Gary knew he needed to be back in an hour at the latest, but this shouldn't take long. Cop knocking hard on the door. This time Doug answered. "The fuck do you want!" He yelled out, stopping when he saw the person on his doorstep.
"Who the hell are you?" The guy didn't even recognize him. Even better. Gary pulled back and swung as hard as he could into the guy's jaw. Sending him reeling back into and over the couch inside the door.
"I'm nobody. But you, your worse. How the hell could you treat him that way!" Gary's voice rose. He saw the brunette already dialing the phone. He could not afford an assault charge with Paulie with his mom. "You're so fucking lucky, dude. You had the best son in the world, and you treated him like shit. How do you get to keep going and he's dead? You stole his girlfriend!" He yelled at him, Doug already getting up, blood oozing down his face, nose very broken. He rushed at Gary, but a second swing sent him flying back again, and this time. "I hate you!" Gary yelled inside as he took off running.
He had mapped his route home before he left. Jumping a few fences and running through the small bit of woods that was between Doug's house and the suburb Gary lived in. He had to get home before news got out and get back to the cocoon before night fall. Coming in through the sliding glass door, he picked up the daiper bag and hurried up to his moms room.
"Sorry to cut this short, I gotta go, mom." She just nodded, putting Paulie in his car seat as Gary picked it up.
"You take care of him, baby, and remember to love him as much as I love you." That got Gary to smile softly at his mom.
"I love you too mom, even when I've been a pain in the neck, and I always will." A kiss placed on her cheek as he hurried out to the cheap car he had borrowed from another hench for the day. Time to get home before the cops got to Doug's house, since he'd have to drive past it.
Dropping the baby on the Monarchs
This was how 37 and 41 ended up getting to chill in the house away from the other henchmen with the baby. 37 was always in the engine room or on baby duty. He didn't mind baby duty, since 21 always came and got him quickly. But, the big guy was clearly in a bad way. Much like the original plague bringer, he kept working until it was clear he wasn't well and nearly passed out on his control panel. He didn't have a cough, but every other symptom.
37 was sitting out in the backyard while Paulie was playing in the grass. Just watching the barely walking baby moving around plucking weeds. He was playing on his phone but knew that 21 would lose his mind if he got out of bed AGAIN and found Paulie not being watched. 21 did not trust Paulie being unwatched in the yard so close to Hatred and the road.
Luckily, he was down for the count, but 37 wanted his lunch break. So he slipped into the house, quietly setting a fussy Paulie by the bedroom door, so he'd crawl in there and quickly bailed. Paulie kept trying to walk and crawl himself to places he thought his dad or Titi might be. 41 would be pissed, but better him than 21. Which would only be an issue if the Monarch was alone in there. He'd march the baby back up to the cocoon or scream and demand to know why they're in his house if he's stuck with the kid. Sheila, he figured, would take the baby for a while.
Paulie crawlin'
The Scarianette had Doc all twisted up while the battle raged below.
The babysitter of the night, had fallen asleep, ignoring Gary's very clear orders to watch Paul closely since he was starting to get closer to real crawling and knew where to crawl too to make the auto door open. Still, the henchman passed out on Gary's bunk and didn't see Paulie pulling himself from his crib beside the bunk. Pulling himself past the man and onto the pillow on the floor, Gary had put there the first time Paulie throw himself into the floor. The baby didn't cry when he landed on the pillow. Nope, he was ready to go exploring.
His dad was gone again, and he never liked that. The determined baby was pulling himself as he seemed to realize he could use his legs more. Crawling quickly out the door in his Jedi onesie, and a diaper that should have been changed awhile ago. The room the two shared wasn't far from the control room and that was where he was crawling too without really realizing it. The henchmen who ran past paid no mind too the baby as they rushed to their stations. It was the evil laugh of the Monarch that caught his attention.
As the Monarch snapped a little later at his henchmen for bitching about a night off. He took a sniff of the air. "Honey bun, what is that?"
Sheila making a face, before hearing a noise and looking down to see Paulie sitting between their thrones, chewing on his own toes through the onesie. She facepalmed. "Page 21, and we have got to take 37 off baby duty. This is getting ridiculous."
Instead of paging 21, he blasted it off the intercom, so even Venture heard it. "21! Your child smells terrible, come get him! RIGHT NOW!"
Hatred was laughing as Gary rushed across the lawn, a threat yelled back at Hatred. Oh, he was going to rip 27 a new one this time. At least he knew Sheila would be there to keep Monarch from complaining too much. She was the best titi a baby could ask for after all. And it would buy Gary some time to get back on the Cocoon and deal with getting his child cleaned and probably a bath again. He never should have left him in a white onesie.
Aftermath
"Get up!" He yelled as he flipped on the light and saw 37 asleep on his bed. The other hench jumping away, as Paulie buried his face in his father's chest. He was used to hearing him yell orders, it was not a scary inflection anymore. "What the HELL do you think you're doing!"
He carried Paulie over to the changing table and laid him down after getting his little hands to let go of his bulletproof vest. "I trusted you, dude! And fucking fell asleep!" 37 was stammering apologies and trying to make excuses. "No! Fuck that, you were out with 45 playing Tekken half the night! You KNEW we had a job to do today! Your apology is worthless! What if he had been trampled by people running? What if he had escaped to the fight? OR worse, fallen out of the hatch? Huh? Sorry, wouldn't cut it, dude!" The dirty diaper removed and tossed in the bin. Cleaning the baby up, he didn't bother with a new diaper, just wrapping him up in one of his swaddling blankets, and grabbing the bag that held his bath toys and a change of clothes.
"You're off this detail. You're back on the engine room and field duty for the next month!" Gary screamed at him as he picked up the baby and held him again. 37 stammering still, this had been a pretty sweet gig, he hated the engine room. "You could have killed him, dude, I don't give a fuck. Now get out. The Monarchs are waiting to see you." That was scarier than two ton 21 yelling at him, and that was scary enough.
He turned, leaving the henchman in his room as he carried Paulie down to the house. He'd gotten permission from both awhile ago. The communal bathrooms on each housing floor just were too busy and probably stressful for Paulie to be washed in. So, he soon was sitting on the floor of one of the bathrooms of the house, Paulie in his little bath floaties his many toys around him, and his dark hair spiked up like a fauxhawk with the shampoo.
"You scared me so much today, little dude. You can't be wandering like that. I'm going to have to get a gate to put on the door." He grumbled as he let the baby play in the water for now. He knew it wouldn't work, not with the ways the doors were tapered.
"How's our little man doing?" He heard Sheila's deep voice and looked up from where he was sitting on his knees before the tub.
"He's doing fine, boss. Totally needed the bath though, he was smelling ripe. That idiot didn't change him at all, he was asleep in my bunk." He grumbled, as he took up a cup to start pouring water over Paulie's head. He had a little crown shaped water hat to protect his eyes from the bubbles so it was just happy times for the little guy.
"I told him he's off the detail. I know Paulie lies to explore, but that was scary, what if he had crawled out of the hatch?"
"21, that would have taken hours for him to get down there. Relax, but I do agree, he's done on that. We'll find someone else."
"Thanks, boss. I appreciate it." He responded as Paulie lifted his squeaky frog out of the water and shook it towards Sheila. "I don't know what I would do without you guys."
"You'd do just fine, Gary. Just like you're doing now."
When Sheila said that he had to take a moment to scrub his eyes, trying to pretend that didn't make him almost want to cry. "Bubbles got in my eyes." He quickly covered, which was half true now that he got it in his own eyes.
Finger Paints for Sheila
"Trying to make a picture of home?" He asked, watching the boy working on his colorful image.
"Titi." It was all Paulie said, he was very slow with his speaking. He knew words, but it was clear he was going to be shy, just like Paul himself had been. He would babble at Gary and sometimes Malcolm and Sheila, but most got baby noises still. Or upset demands for 'Da.'
"Oh, it's for you're Titi, huh? What about uncle Monarch?" He asked patiently as another yellow handprint was slapped in the middle. The child looking proud. "That's for him, huh? I see." He nodded as Paulie smiled.
A while after Paulie was bathed and put to bed, Gary checked to see if the paints were still wet, before taking the painting and signing the back with Paulie's name and the date. Leaving it on his desk to dry more overnight, but tomorrow he would give it to Sheila before training began. She deserved to see what Paulie made for her.