Alexis smiled as she scrolled through her contact list. She found the one she was looking for – Kate's – and dialed. Kate had had a doctor's appointment today to see if Alexis' little brothers were ready to be born. If everything was good, Alexis was going to pick up Lily so she could sleep over while her mom was in the hospital. Kate answered quickly and told Alexis that it would be happening tomorrow as planned.
"I'm so glad that things are okay. I can't wait to meet my little brothers! And is Lily ready for a sister's night?" Three year old Lily was a frequent sleep over guest at Alexis' apartment. Lily didn't know that her brothers would be born tomorrow, but she did know that she would have dinner with Alexis tonight and then sleep over.
As the two women discussed times, Lily walked into the room. Kate stopped talking to Alexis and said to Lily, "Alexis is on the phone. Do you want to talk about your sleepover?" Lily grinned and took the phone from her mother.
"Hi Lexie!" Even if she could now say her big sister's name properly, the nickname had stuck, and Alexis loved it. No-one had ever given her a nickname before. "Mommy says you're taking me to a restaurant for dinner!" When Alexis told her it was true, Lily had another question. "Do they have chocolate cake there?"
Alexis laughed and said, "Yes, they do. But you have to eat your dinner first!" They talked a little more, Lily gave the phone back to her mother and Alexis and Kate finalized their plans.
A few hours later, Alexis knocked on the door and it was quickly opened by her dad. "Hey pumpkin, thanks so much for doing this. We really appreciate it!" he said as she walked inside. A blur came running out of the kitchen to attack Alexis' legs – Lily had heard her big sister and was greeting her with enthusiasm. Alexis laughed as she picked her up.
"I guess I don't have to ask if you're excited, Lilybug!" she grinned at her sister as Lily nodded her head. "Did you pack your bag? Have you got Lucky?" Alexis knew that Lily took Lucky, her stuffed elephant, with her every time she slept over. She nodded her head again. "Well, let's go say good-bye to Mama, and we can get going, okay?" Lily nodded again, and Alexis let her down so she could run over to the couch, where her mother was sitting.
Lily climbed up beside her mom and threw her arms around her neck. "Bye Mama, I'll miss you!"
"Come here, and give me a kiss!" Kate said, and Lily did. Kate smothered her cheeks with kisses, and Lily gave her some too. Then she moved to pat her mom's belly.
"Bye, my babies. I love you," the three year old said. All of the adults got a bit misty eyed at her sweet gesture. Alexis moved over to kiss Kate's cheek too.
"Good luck, Kate," she whispered in her ear. The two women hugged, and Alexis looked over at her dad and Lily saying good-bye with some kind of complicated handshake. She grinned at them as she grabbed Lily's bag. "Bye, Dad. Take care of Kate and my brothers, okay?" Her dad assured her he would, and with a kiss on the cheek, and a check that Lily did indeed have Lucky, the sisters were off.
After dropping Lily's stuff inside her apartment, the sisters were seated at the restaurant. Alexis knew that when people saw them together assumed they were mother and daughter, but that never bothered her. She adored her little sister and was thrilled at the idea of two little brothers. Alexis helped Lily choose her dinner – spaghetti with the sauce on the side – and made sure that Lucky was out of harm's way. She buttered some bread for Lily and herself, and sat back. Lily looked so much like Kate, but she was like her dad in so many ways – and like her dad, Lily loved to talk. So Alexis knew it wouldn't be long before the conversation started.
And she wasn't disappointed. Lily looked at her, and then said, "Lexie, do you like being a big sister?"
"Yes, I do. I wanted to be a big sister for a long time, and when dad and Kate told me that you were coming, I was very excited."
"But you didn't know it would be me, right?"
"That's right, we didn't know. But I knew you would be special, and you are. Are you excited to be a big sister?" Alexis knew Kate and her dad were a little worried about sibling rivalry. Of course, being only children meant that none of them were sure what would happen.
"Yeah, I am. But can you teach me some more?" She grinned and Alexis laughed. Their food arrived, and Lily forgot about talking for a while. Lily did everything with gusto, and eating was no exception. Alexis enjoyed her dinner too, and the sisters talked about all sorts of things. Lily put her folk down, and Alexis wondered if she remembered the chocolate cake.
And then Lily said, "Did I eat enough to get some chocolate cake?" so Alexis knew she didn't forget. She laughed and told her she had. She got their server's attention, and ordered the cake. And as Alexis had suspected, Lily took a few bites and was done. Their waitress came back to the table, and as she was boxing up their leftovers, Lily told her "I ate my belly full!" Alexis smiled at her sister, but when the waitress came back with the check and some chocolates, Lily said, "My belly's not full anymore!" Alexis was still smiling as she paid the check and they left.
When they got back to Alexis' apartment, they watched a movie, but Alexis could tell Lily was tired. She helped her get ready for bed, and the sisters were sitting on the bed as Alexis read a bedtime story. When she was done, Lily cuddled up next to her and said, "Lexie? Can I ask you a question?" When Alexis said she could, Lily looked down at the blanket and played with a loose thread. And in a very quiet voice she said, "Are mommy and daddy still going to love me after the babies are born?"
Alexis took Lily's hand in hers, and then she put a finger under Lily's chin so she could look her in the eyes. "Oh sweetheart, of course they will! They will love you forever!"
Lily's lip quavered a bit, and she said, "But the babies will be little and cute, and I'm almost all grown up! And there will be two of them! How can they love all of us?"
"Lily, our hearts are wonderful things. With every new person in our lives, our hearts get bigger and bigger, and we can love a lot of people. I know that's true. For a long time, it was just me, Daddy and Gram. Then Daddy met your mommy, and he loved her, and I loved her. And when I got to know him, I loved Grandpa Jim, too. And then you were born, and my heart got bigger. Now we're waiting for our brothers to be born, and I already love them. Don't you?"
"Yes. So Mommy and Daddy will love all of us too?" Lily no longer sounded like she was going to cry.
"That's right. Now, they may be busy taking care of them, but they will still tuck you in at night, and they will still play with you and Daddy will still give you horsey rides, and Mommy will still read to you. And they will still love you. No matter what," Alexis watched as Lily's smile grew. "Are you ready for sleep?" Lily nodded and Alexis tucked her in.
And the next day, when Alexis got the call that Mommy, Daddy, Jacob and Reese were ready, big sisters Alexis and Lily walked into the room hand in hand to greet their new little brothers. Alexis's heart was full as she watched Lily greet their brothers with a big smile.
A/N: I had to post this today. Fourteen years ago today, my sister was pregnant with her second child (and about a week overdue), and I took my then three year old niece out to dinner. Before we went, she asked me the same questions Lily asked Alexis, and we had a similar conversation about how mommies and daddies love all their babies. The very next day, her little sister was born, and my niece found out for herself how much mommies and daddies' hearts grow even bigger. Happy 14th birthday, Dana!