Kenny Flashbacks [M]
 

It was a warm day in late June of 1964, and the Randy household was full even so Randy and Susan themselves were not yet home. They had six children together and were about to bring home their seventh. Randy II, the oldest of the lot at age nineteen, had moved out on his own a few years earlier and had already visited his parents and the new arrival at the hospital. Still waiting at home were Randys III-VII, with Randy III being very nearly of age to move out, himself. But so long as he was still there, he was in charge of looking after his younger siblings while Randy and Susan were away. He was fourteen, the next in line being Randy IV, who was twelve, followed by Randy V at eight, and Randy VI at five. The youngest in the household, at least for the moment, was Randy VII, who was only three.

Randy VII was anxious so see his new sibling, he was a big child for his age, with a wide mouth that was filled with slightly crooked, over sized teeth. Of the children he was the calmest but today even he couldn't contain his nervousness...

At last the door opened and all of the children looked up to see their father with his usual stern expression. He paused, knowing that they were all waiting to see what stood behind him. "It's a Randy," he announced proudly, suddenly grinning as he stepped aside to lead Susan into the house.

Seven rushed over, eager to see the new baby, he gave each of his parents a hug before Susan lowered the infant so that Seven could see. "He's so little," said Seven reaching out his little hands to very, very carefully hold the baby. He was surprisingly gentle for his age and large size, "Hi! I'm your big brother," he said softly giving the baby a kiss.

Randy VIII stirred in his arms and yawned, revealing tiny, pointed teeth with a notable gap between the top front two. Over time, those teeth would grow along with the rest of him--though if his father was any indication, the gap was likely staying. His eyes opened slightly, one pink and one black. As he blinked up at Randy VII, the colors swapped. He uttered a small sound as if in acknowledgement of yet another family member, then shut his eyes again.
The other children began to crowd around Seven, eager to see the baby, though Randy warned them to keep quiet and not overwhelm him all at once. They'd all get their turns eventually...

Seven smiled and giggled, rocking Eight carefully, "He's really cute," he said giving his brother a tender nuzzle.

Randy nodded to Susan. They'd already had strong suspicions that Seven might be nurturing-class, and the way he handled the new baby only served to prove them further. "Would you like to help take care of him?" he asked Seven, testing for a certain response.

Seven gasped, "You mean it?" he asked, his eyes shining, "I'd love to! I'll feed him and keep him safe and make sure no one ever hurts 'im! I promise!"

Randy chuckled, his suspicions confirmed for the time being. "It will be appreciated," he said, bending to give Seven a kiss on the head. "For now, I think we need to put him to bed."

"Can I do it?" asked Seven already carrying the baby to his bedroom.

"Alright," Randy agreed, following closely behind him. "Be very careful." Of course, something told him that this would not be much of a concern when it came to Seven.

Seven was indeed, quite careful as he put his baby brother to bed, he gave the baby a kiss, "I love you Baby Boy," he said.

Randy watched them, quite pleased with the sight. There was little doubt that Seven and Eight were bound to be close.

When Seven returned to his father he put a little finger to his lips, "Shhh, the baby's asleep,"

Randy picked him up and gave him a kiss. "Thank you for helping," he whispered. "Now, let's get back to your mother."

Seven nodded and put his arms around his father's neck, although he didn't want to spoil the excitement of the new baby...he was suddenly feeling oddly weak...

At first, Randy didn't notice anything out of the ordinary as he brought Seven back into the main room where Susan was resting and most of the other children had gone back to doing whatever they had been before the arrival of the baby. He plopped Seven onto a chair near the sofa, then paused to inspect him.

Seven's eyes were closed and he seemed to have withdrawn into himself, his little chin sunk onto his chest and he drew up his knees and curled his arms around himself as though he were trying to protect himself from the cold.

Randy gave a sound of alarm, a brief firing of clicks intended to alert Susan of what was happening. Meanwhile, he bent to check Seven's temperature and scan him for other signs of illness. As young as he was, Seven had already taken ill more times than most of his siblings--though so far, none of it seemed to have been very serious.

Seven's body temperature had dropped significantly and he barely responded to his father's examination, with a slight whimper he reached out his little hands as he often did for his mother when he wanted her to hold him....

Susan came running into the room, "What is it?" she asked.

"He's taken ill again," said Randy, lifting Seven from the chair. "Feel how cold he is."

Susan put her hand on Seven's face, "My poor baby..." Seven burrowed into his father's chest, squeezing his eyes shut, his tightly drawn lips were pallid and his face pale.

"I will take him to the doctor's," Randy offered. "I think he needs a thorough examination."

Susan nodded, "I...I hope it's nothing serious," she said.

"As do I," said Randy, though his ears were lowered in a show of concern. "You stay here and rest." He gave her a brief kiss before hurrying out the door with Seven tucked against him.

....

The doctor told Randy that Seven had and autoimmune deficiency but that there would be no telling how serious it was until he was a good bit older, until that time it was best to monitor him closely and being him in for an examination each month.

Randy agreed, and when they returned home he gave Susan the same news.

Susan hugged Seven close, "What does this mean for my baby?"

"We will have to be very careful with him, but it is too early yet to tell," Randy replied. "There is a chance he could grow out of it... but I wouldn't count on that. We are to monitor his health closely and bring him in for regular exams."

"I'm going to put him to bed and sit with him for a little bit," said Susan, "The least we can do for him is try to make him feel a little better,"

Randy nodded in agreement. "Feel better soon," he cooed softly as he gave Seven one more kiss before his mother took him off to bed.

Seven opened his eyes and gave his father a weak wave, "Night Daddy....."

Eventually Seven did feel better, and before long he was back to his usual happy self, playing with his brothers and helping with the new baby as though the whole thing had never happened. Randy and Susan still kept an eye on him, and maintained the monthly doctor's visits.
As the months went by, Randy III moved out on his own, and Randy VIII was growing rapidly. Just as predicted, he already seemed fairly attached to Seven, who was always first in line to help look after him. By six months, Eight was crawling about the house non-stop and making the occasional attempt at taking his first steps.

Seven never let Eight leave his sight, when the baby tried to stand he would be right behind him to catch him if Eight cried Seven was there to pick him up. Susan commented to Randy that Seven was acting more like a parent than a sibling to his brother.

"There is no doubt at all about what class he is," Randy noted fondly.

Eight, on the other hand, proved to be quite a handful. He was never still for a moment, ever curious, and had quite a temper for such a small child. Whenever one of his brothers picked up something he'd been eying, he would let out an angry screech. He flailed his chubby limbs and snapped his teeth at anyone who came too close when he was feeling cranky, including Seven--though at the end of the day, it was always Seven who was able to put a smile back onto his face. Despite being a bit tempestuous, Randy VIII was equally playful and when he wasn't expressing his disdain for something or wrapped in curiosity, he was laughing. One way or another, he kept his brother busy.

As time passed Seven often suffered bites from his brother, which he would bear stoically, with minimal fuss, he calmly cleaned up any messes and always seemed to know just what Eight needed to become contented again.

As such, Eight gravitated toward him more and more. He was a feisty child, often a bit much for his other siblings who were less inclined toward babies naturally and had already had their turns looking after a baby brother.
Soon Eight was walking and talking, and he ran across the yard after having stripped out of his clothes, and proudly presented his brother with a large dead grasshopper. "Here, Sewen! I get it for you."

Seven took the grasshopper with a smile, "Thanks Baby Boy! You're gettin' good at huntin' bugs!" he said putting the insect in his pocket.

Little Randy VIII beamed and danced around a bit. "I good?" he questioned, still attempting to get a grasp on his English.

Seven gave him a kiss, "You good Baby Boy," he said.