Forced To Be

Simon's P.O.V

I woke up to the sound of May screaming.

I sat up quickly and turned over to peer down into her crib.

She was crying and struggling against the belt that held her down to the cot inside her bed.

The belt was not tight and because it was simply a piece of fabric that went horizontally across her torso, she easily could have escaped it if she was not in her headspace. This was one of the things that I used to help me to see how old she was.

May was flailing, kicking her legs up and opening and closing her small fists very fast, trying to grasp something.

She was very, very young. Not necessarily new-born, but much younger than she had been.

I leaned over and rested my hand softly on her stomach, trying to soothe her. I shushed her quietly and her cries almost immediately stopped.

Her big blue eyes stared up at me, watery and red. I cooed at her as I unstrapped her from the belt.

I lifted her out of the crib and settled her on my chest as I leaned back against the headboard. May gripped the sleeves of my sleep shirt and gently mouthed on the collar. I was proud of how quickly she had fallen into her headspace, even though it was uneven in age. Perhaps her age would vary a lot depending on how she was feeling.

"Hello there, babe. Did you sleep well?" I whisper to her, kissing the tip of her nose. She rears back slightly in surprise and I chuckle.

"Quite an active little bug, aren't you?"

She gently patted her hands against my clothed chest and gurgled. She bouncing slightly on my lap and whimpered, tugging gently on the fabric.

I wasn't quite sure what she wanted, but I lifted a corner of my shirt as an experiment. May immediately reached down and pressed her cheek to the exposed skin.

Realizing the want for skin-to-skin contact, I pulled my shirt up and over my head.

May whimpered and snuggled into my chest, her small fingers curling around my chest hair.

I was surprised but definitely excited. My little princess was adapting to her new life! And she wanted to be near me, which was a plus.

We sat like that together for a while, May twisting her fingers through the hair on my chest and sighing every couple of seconds in contentment.