She felt like all the late nights were finally getting to her. Life had been a buzz of hospitals, diapers, and dogs over the past three months.
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It was possible that she was hallucinating. One could never tell. But it was the smell that gave it away. She couldn’t find where it was coming from.
When Dad Is Home
The busy father Henry James paced back and forth in the living room, his dog Sparky howling relentlessly. Every time their three-month-old son, Noah, came near, Sparky would let out a mournful howl that sent chills down Henry's spine.
It had been going on for weeks, and the more he tried to understand it, the more perplexed he became. He was convinced there was a connection between Sparky's behavior and Noah, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was.
Starting To Get Annoyed
Henry sat in the living room, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched their dog, Sparky, howling incessantly. His work at the stock exchange in New York City. It was demanding, and he looked forward to the peace and quiet of his home. But he never got it.
They got sparky as a puppy a few months before Sarah gave birth. Sparky had always been a gentle and quiet dog, but lately, he wouldn't stop howling whenever their three-month-old baby, Noah, was around. This was deeply unsettling to Henry, who had grown up with dogs and understood their behavior.
Better Things To Do
Mother Sarah, on the other hand, was occupied with her work-from-home job as an interior designer. She was constantly glued to her laptop, typing away at her assignments.
She noticed Sparky's howling but dismissed it as the dog being overly protective of Noah. Although she loved her baby, she had a lot of catching up to do after he was born. She may have neglected his need for attention.
It Is Strange
One evening, Sarah was busy on a conference call, her laptop perched precariously on the edge of the kitchen counter. Noah was nestled in his crib nearby, and Sparky lay at his feet, eyeing the baby warily.
As Sarah juggled the call, she spotted a brown stain on Noah's diaper. Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't noticed it before, but it was there, unmistakably. She quickly excused herself from the call, her mind racing with questions. What was the stain? How had it gotten there?
A Mark On Noah
Sparky let out a piercing howl, his eyes fixed on Sarah as she approached the crib. She gently picked up Noah, her heart pounding in her chest.
As she changed his diaper, she noticed that the stain was gone. It had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. She shrugged it off, thinking that the new brand of diaper was ultra-absorbent and made stains disappear.
Dad Notices It Too
Henry joined her in the nursery, a concerned look on his face. "Did you see it too?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes," Sarah replied, her eyes wide with worry. "But now it's gone. What do you think it was?" Henry shook his head, his brow furrowed. "I don't know, but I think it's connected to Sparky's behavior. We need to figure out what's going on."
Tantrums In The Apartment
Henry paced back and forth in the dimly lit nursery, his furrowed brows mirroring the concern etched on his face. Sparky, their Maltese poodle, sat at the door, his mournful howls echoing through the house.
Three-month-old Noah lay in his crib, tiny fists clenched and face scrunched up in distress. His parents didn’t take notice of the baby’s expression on his face at first. They usually saw him making weird faces as he was growing.
Henry Tries To Get Involved
It was the weekend, and Henry was home to help Noah. "What's wrong with Sparky, Henry?" asked Mother Sarah, who was working from home and trying to concentrate on her computer screen. "I can't focus with all this noise."
Henry sighed, "I don't know, Sarah. He's been like this for days now. I think it has something to do with Noah. Whenever Noah is nearby, Sparky starts howling like he's in pain or something." Sarah looked up from her work, concern etched on her face. "But why would Sparky act like this towards Noah? He's never shown any aggression before." "Exactly my point," Henry replied, scratching his head. "I think there's something wrong with Noah, and Sparky can sense it."
Henry Couldn’t Handle It
The howling became more frequent and intense. Sarah tried to console Noah, but he wouldn't stop crying. He seemed fine, and he didn’t even have a fever.
She was exhausted from trying to balance her work and taking care of a fussy baby. Sometimes, she begged Henry to stay at home and help, but he always put his job first. He told her that it was a woman’s duty to take care of the children.
It’s Coming From Noah
The next evening, as Sarah changed Noah's diaper, she noticed a brown stain on it that she hadn't seen before. The smell was unbearable, and she had to hold back her gag reflex. "Henry, come here!" Sarah called out, her voice trembling.
Henry hurried into the room and immediately wrinkled his nose at the stench. "What is that smell?" He told her to flip the baby over to check his diaper.
There Must Be More To This
"Sarah, something's not right," Henry said, his voice laced with worry as he glanced over at his wife, who was buried in her work at her home office. "Sparky won't stop howling whenever Noah's around. And Noah... he's been crying more than usual."
Sarah shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know. I just noticed this brown stain on Noah's diaper. I think he’s sick," she cried. She tried to get Henry to figure it out himself.
A Faulty Diaper
Sarah looked up from her computer, exhaustion evident in her eyes. "I don't know, Henry. Maybe Noah's just going through a phase. Babies cry, it's normal."
"But not like this," Henry insisted, his heart aching at the sound of his son's cries. "And Sparky... he's trying to tell us something." He was annoyed at his wife’s don’t care attitude; she could try harder. He suspected that she was using the wrong brand of diaper.
A Cause For Concern
Sarah sighed, pushing her chair back and standing up. "Alright, let's check on Noah together." She made it known that she was stopping her work to check on Noah.As they approached the crib, a pungent odor assaulted their senses.
Sarah's eyes widened in horror as she noticed a brown stain spreading on Noah's diaper. "Oh my God, Henry, I didn't see this before," she exclaimed, her hands shaking.
The Baby Is Sick
Henry's stomach churned with dread. "We need to see what's causing this. Maybe that's why Noah's been crying so much."
With trembling hands, Sarah carefully flipped Noah over, revealing a mess far worse than they had anticipated. Noah whimpered in discomfort; his tiny body wracked with pain. "He's got diarrhea," Sarah whispered, her voice trembling with fear. "Oh, Henry, what do we do?"
Parents In Action
Henry tried to take control of the situation but he didn’t know where anything in the house was kept. Sarah was already changing his diaper and cleaning him up.
"We need to clean him up and get him some medication," Henry replied, his mind racing with worry. "He must be in so much pain." He shuffled through the cupboards looking for things as Sarah instructed him.
Sparky Saved The Day
As Sarah tended to Noah, Henry scooped up Sparky, who had been anxiously watching from the doorway. "You've been a good boy, Sparky," Henry murmured, scratching behind his ears. "Thanks for letting us know something was wrong."
He gave his dog a treat because he was alert but also because it kept him quiet. He had bought a bunch of chew toys to keep Sparky quiet, and the trick was working.
Under Control For Now
With Noah cleaned and medicated, the household fell into an uneasy quiet. But despite their efforts, Noah's condition worsened over the next few days. His cries grew louder, his tiny body wracked with fever.
Sarah felt bad because she thought that self-medicating him would work. She preferred homeopathic remedies. But it didn’t seem to be helping the baby at all.
Noah Gets Worse
Henry was angry to see his baby suffering and he took it out on Sarah, he blamed her for not being a good mother. Sarah hurried to get Noah’s things together as they rushed to the hospital.
Baby Noah suddenly let out a lot of gas which they both heard. Henry's eyes widened in alarm. "That's not good, Sarah. We need to get him to a doctor right away."
A Dog Under Stress
As they rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night, Sparky's howling seemed to get louder and more frantic. He already finished two bone chews.
Sarah and Henry exchanged worried glances as they tried to comfort Noah, who was crying inconsolably. They attached another chew toy to Sparky’s collar for later and the dog hushed. They had to take him with them.
The Ride To The Hospital
In the car, Noah was crying because of all the commotion. The worried parents were stressed and arguing with each other. “You’re never at home anyway, I had him, can’t you see him?”
