The Hazelnut Epilogue

While everyone at the Scott household rejoiced in the impending arrival of Hazel and Greg's baby, Hazelnut had his reservations. Surely, he loved Hazel and he knew how much Hazel wanted a baby, but he didn't see why the arrival of said baby had to cause so much trouble for him!

There was the noise; of course, as they redid the nursery, and then Greg's insistence that Hazelnut had to be checked to make sure he didn't carry any diseases that might harm The Precious Child. So, Hazelnut went to endless rounds of vet consultations and was bathed and disinfected within an inch of his furry life.

Of course, Hazelnut had had Hazel's support, and she had cuddled him after every vet consult or bath, and he was able to glare accusingly at Greg but still! There were just too many indignities and he was one little squirrel.

Then, Hazel went into labor and wouldn't come back for three whole days. Now, that's when he worried. He didn't know what was happening at the hospital, and since he had climbed up Hazel's window when she was ten, they had never been apart save for her honeymoon, but then he had been staying at Rebe's house with Rebe's cat Sakura and he had been happy, at least.

Now, he just paced around his Squirrel Dream residence and waited for someone to come. Finally, he heard voices and doors opening and closing and not ten minutes later Greg was there.

"She wants to see you," Greg said, picking him up gently even though he wasn't exactly happy with having him around his newborn son, who seemed so small and fragile.

Hazelnut allowed Greg to carry him to the nursery, were Hazel was sitting in a rocking chair with a bundle of blankets in her arms. Hazelnut jumped from Greg's hand and went to Hazel, climbing up her arm until he was standing on her shoulder.

"What do you think Hazelnut?" She asked, drawing the blanket back a little to show him the baby.

Hazelnut leaned forward, sniffing at the baby and jumping to the armrest of the chair, bringing him self close to the baby's head.

"His name is Christian," Hazel added.

As he leaned closer to the baby, suddenly a small, baby-sized hand reached out and grabbed his tail, not hard but it also didn't let go.

"Christian likes you, Hazelnut." Hazel said with a smile.

Hazelnut twisted, trying to free himself, but Christian held and then he yawned and promptly fell asleep.

Then, Hazel gently pried his son's hand from Hazelnut's tail and Hazelnut ran back up her shoulder.

"You're going to take care of him, right Hazelnut?" She asked. "Like you took care of me?"

Hazelnut let out a little squirrel-sigh and nodded. Hazel was his human, after all and he wanted her to be happy.

So, later that night, Hazelnut snuck out of his bed and went to the nursery, climbing up to a stool set next to the crib and looked at Christian Scott again. He was all right, Hazelnut supposed, for a human. And so, he curled on the stool's plush seat and fell asleep next to the baby.