I shrugged. “I live with the guy, and I’m still getting used to it.” I smiled and held out the tube to the dragon shifter. “I do believe this is for you. Or actually, for your little guy,” I said as we walked down the hallway.
“What is?” Garin asked. He glanced at my hand, and his eyes went wide. “I didn’t even think to ask you to bring some. It’s been a rough night, and none of us have gotten very much sleep. Castiel was going to see if one of us could get up to your clinic to get some.”
I smiled. “Well, apparently, Maxwell knew just what you needed,” I said. “Where’s Otto now?”
“He’s actually with Geoffrey, who is in my office, holding him. He was willing to go to Grandpapa, and he’s trying super hard to fall asleep, but every time he does, his cheek has pressure on it.”
I winced. “Did you want me to look at him? Is it just teething or something else, do you think?” Immediately, I was in doctor mode myself. Nobody liked to see a toddler suffer. They often couldn’t tell us what hurt the most and where, and when you had a fussy little gargoyle baby, you knew he was in some serious pain.
“I won’t say no to you checking him out really quick. But we’re here for you to see me, not the other way around.”
I shrugged. There was a baby in need. I wasn’t going to not see him. I followed Garin to his office, and when he poked his head inside, there was a somewhat quiet, trying-not-to-fuss baby Otto being sung to by who I had to assume was Geoffrey. It was over once Garin came into view. Little Otto wanted nothing to do with his grandfather and only wanted Daddy.
“It doesn’t matter who holds him, but since I don’t have anything with me, I’ll need him by a source of light so I can try and look in his mouth.”
“We have a light,” Garin said. He took Otto from Geoffrey and introduced us. “Papa, this is Camden. He’s one of the doctors for the council. He works up on the mountain.”
“Oh, so you deliver the babies?”
I smiled while nodding. “Yes. And take care of the little ones and their daddies before and after they deliver them.” I reached out and touched Otto’s hand, and he immediately reached for me. Garin looked at me with wide eyes, but I chuckled as I pulled the toddler into my arms. “Hello there, Otto. Does your mouth hurt, buddy? I can help with that,” I told him. I knew he didn’t completely understand me. In fact, he probably didn’t understand most of what I’d said, except for his name. He continued to fuss, and when Garin handed me the penlight, I passed the baby back to his daddy. It made it so much easier to look in Otto’s mouth. Immediately, I was able to discover why he was so fussy.
“Yep, he’s teething,” I said. “He recently turned two?”
“Yes. Last month.”
“So the bottom molars always cause more pain for some reason. He has three bright white spots there,” I said. “Two on his left and one on his right.” I ducked down and tried to get a look at his upper teeth and smiled. “The one on the top right is just breaking through. The one on the left is still white, so the tooth is just under the gums.” I reached out and ran my fingers through his dark hair. “Poor little guy. Daddy has some gel that is going to make you feel so much better.” I offered Garin a sympathetic smile.
“Seriously? Five molars?”
I nodded. “Yeah. He wants to get them done and over with, apparently. The gel will really help. Put it on up to four times a day. It’ll numb his gums for four to six hours and should provide relief. Also, try teething biscuits. They’re messy, but they’re hard, and the pressure from chewing on them can also provide relief.”
“Where do we get these teething biscuits?” Geoffrey asked.
“We might still have some,” Garin said. “But they have them at the store. I can ask Castiel to go and get some.”
I held up my finger.“Maxwell? Do you think you can do that magic thing and get us some teething biscuits? Poor little Otto actually has five molars coming in.”
“Done. They’re out front with Henry. Drew is probably going to give birth in the next day or two. Sebastian said the omega line is barely pink, but when I examined him, it’s already turning red around the line.”
“Maxwell said the biscuits are up front with Henry,” I told them.
“I’ll go and get them for the little guy. Hopefully, we can get him some relief and a nap,” Geoffrey said.
“Thank you, sweetie. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to come back. And fingers crossed for Drew.”
Garin stood Otto on his desk, and after he put some of the gel on his finger, he rubbed it on his son’s gums.
“Please tell Maxwell thank you for all of this.”
“I will. But it’s nothing out of the ordinary. It’s what we’re there for.”
“We were going to try for another soon, but I’m second-guessing myself right now.”
I chuckled at that. “I can understand that. I’m the youngest of eight. I’m not sure how or why my parents had so many, but they did. Ma is a fox shifter though, and her gestation is short like mine.”
Almost immediately, Otto’s fussing quieted. “It works so fast. He didn’t really cry too much with the fronts, but these molars are causing fits.”
“I think it’s more that he’s decided that five need to come in all at once.”
