And got quite a shock when the child opened up and bit down. Something sharp poked his skin and he pulled back. When the child wailed at being denied the chance to chomp on Red’s finger, Red got a good look at one single white cap in his pink gums.
“You two bonding?” Peyton asked, a bottle in her hands, a more relaxed smile on her mouth. She reached for the child and Red gave him up easily. Maybe she’d just needed a break. Listening to that wailing for hours on end would drive him insane. If it was a moment of peace she needed, he was willing to lend a hand. Though it wasn’t his idea of a great night.
“Yeah. That tooth there caught me by surprise.”
“Tooth? He doesn’t have any teeth,” Peyton said, distracted while she attempted to offer Seth a bottle. The kid wasn’t having it.
“Then it might be brand new.” Red shrugged. “I just know he bit down and I got a poke. Looked inside and there it was.” He might not know much about kids, but he knew a tooth when he saw one.
Peyton stared at the baby. “Do you have a tooth?” She angled around until she smiled. “You do! When did that show up, huh?” She glanced at him. “Could that be what the problem is? Teething?”
Red shrugged. “Honey, I know horses, not humans. But it sounds logical. Does Trace have a baby book around here somewhere?”
“Yes!” She all but shoved the kid back in his arms and ran off.
“Well. Another round of manly bonding, then?” Red walked around the room, whispering in the child’s ear. Not that it helped. But it was better than nothing. The faintly pleading look Seth sent him, as if begging him to make the pain end, shot through him. “Sorry little guy. I’m not exactly good at this kid thing. If I could go through it for you, I would.” He’d do just about anything to wipe the desperate look from the baby’s eyes.
“Sweet offer,” Peyton said softly behind him.
He turned. “Any clues?”
She held up a book about as thick as a dictionary. “It suggests numbing gel for the gums, or a teething ring that we stick in the freezer for a little bit. Also, some baby Tylenol. I’ve only got the last one. The other two? I dunno. I guess he’s a little early on the teething front so we didn’t consider it before.”
Red continued walking while she administered a tiny dropper of pain medication to the child. Though it didn’t take effect immediately, Red hoped it would kick in soon. Then he had an idea.
“Care if I peek through your freezer for a minute?”
Peyton took Seth back as he held him out. “Uh, yeah, but if you want something to drink, I can go get it for you.”
“Not a drink. Just gimme a minute.” He hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. After a quick search of the freezer, he found what he was looking for. Baggies were also easy to find, thanks to Emma’s militant organization. The woman was a treasure. Red quickly poked a few holes in one corner of the plastic bag, slipped a frozen slice of peach down there, and hustled back up the stairs.
Peyton glanced at his offering. “Late-night snack? Thanks, but I don’t really go for fruit so late at night. I’m more of a midnight ice cream binge eater.”
“For him, not you.” Not at all sure this would work, he waited for the boy to let out another wail, then took the frozen peach slice in the baggie and held it over his gum right where the tooth was. Seth, suddenly distracted by the new sensation, grabbed for the baggie and started to gum the offered snack. The small holes he’d poked allowed the taste and juices through but kept the fruit inside the bag, keeping the possibility of choking to—Red hoped—an impossibility.
After another minute of crying, the sounds slowly dwindled into soft whimpers. Red settled down on the couch and watched Peyton pace the same invisible track he’d walked earlier with the boy, murmuring things he was desperate to hear. Seth drooled peach juice over her shoulder, but she didn’t mind. And as the boy’s eyes slowly closed, his chest rising and falling in the sleep of the truly exhausted, she sat down in the armchair next to the couch.
“Is he asleep?” she asked.
“Yup.”
She sat silently for another few minutes, then stood and turned. “Grab the bag, if you can,” she whispered. When he managed to pry the plastic from the boy’s sweaty grip, she disappeared with the child through a doorway—presumably the nursery—and came out a few minutes later empty-handed.
She plopped down in the chair and covered her eyes with her hands. “Seemed so easy, so obvious after you said it. I can’t believe I missed something that simple.”