"Junior, come down please. Jules and Connor should be here any minute."

Junior shifted her weight in her desk chair upon hearing her mother's voice. It was customary to spend her Sunday evening eating dinner with her parents. Her sister Jules, erratic and passionate like their mother, would show up on occasion with her husband, Connor. Junior still couldn't believe that Jules, her baby sister, got away with marrying a man fifteen years his junior right after college, and yet she plowed through her parents' concern and threw the most lavish wedding the Bay area had seen in ages, according to the local paper.

Junior grew to look forward to these Sundays; they were extremely restorative and peaceful and her childhood home served as a safe refuge to conquer long hours of studying and research. She would often camp out in her father's study, and they worked side by side, wordlessly, for hours on end, sharing the same energy flow and concentration. Dr. Hesse often joked that Junior's sixth sense was knowing exactly when he needed a cup of coffee which she prided herself in making. Junior was her father's daughter to her core, from their similar pensive personalities to their conservative style of dress; this was an identity she embraced.

This same sense of security and serenity were absent, however, on this particular evening. Junior had been feeling somewhat unsettled, almost perturbed after her night at the bar with Jake, which happened almost four weeks ago. Sitting in her childhood bedroom, thumbing through old photo albums and yearbooks, she didn't realize how often Jake's presence intertwined with her life.

Before this summer, she savored every bit of their detachment upon entering adulthood. But now, her heart ached as that same separation started to evolve again.

During dinner, Junior was relatively mute; it was fairly easy to do when Jules was in attendance.

"They put Connor in charge of a monumental case, so he's been working long hours at the firm. I. am. so. proud. of. him," she gushed, pausing between each word to stroke her spouse's face and kiss him on the lips. Together, they looked like a poster couple for J. Crew, Connor with his all-American looks and Jules' rich blonde hair coiled in a tight bun, her perfect makeup highlighting her perfect bone structure.

Their father sat at the head of the table and smiled. His dominating physical presence asserted his "Man of the House" status, but having two daughters certainly softened him. "Congratulations, Connor. And how are things in retail, sweetheart?"

"Absolutely wonderful. All of my new clients are young millionaires who can't tell the difference between a sports jacket and a blazer. It's adorable," she continued. Jules worked as a personal stylist for male professionals in the city, which is how she met Connor.

Jules pursed her red-stained lips and looked at her older sister from across the table. "How's your, erm, science lab stuff coming along, Junior?" Jules definitely didn't inherit the science gene in the family.

"Just dandy," she replied, and resumed stirring her beef stew.

"I heard Jake's in the lab, too. I bet you're more than pleased," she mused, knowing of their tumultuous relationship.

"You bet," Junior said, hating that her sister mentioned the one person she couldn't get out of her head but was desperately trying to.

It's just that things were so off between them ever since that night at the bar.

Junior couldn't understand how they could be minutes from kissing to barely speaking. Like after weeks of flirting and heartfelt conversations they were on the cusp of something but he quickly backed off. Jake steered clear of her at the lab as if she did something wrong; they no longer shared their lunch breaks together or went on their customary walks afterwards, she didn't even see Jake eating lunch at all. Whenever she tried to strike up a conversation with him he would look disinterested, almost pained, clearly not paying any attention. "I have to go see Quentin about something," he would mutter and walk away. The two were inseparable as of late.

She wondered if this was what it felt like to be included on Jake's long list of booty calls, ex-girlfriends, and any woman who fell hopelessly in love with him, only to have their heart broken. She hated herself for falling in that same trap.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Diana, her mother, asked.

"Yes, just stressed about things in the lab is all."

"Larry's mentioned that Jake has been stressed, too. At least you both are staying busy," Dr. Hesse responded thoughtfully, and reached out to comfort his eldest daughter. The two shared a smile, and Junior felt somewhat better.

"Well, I think that Jules and I have some news to lighten the mood a bit," Connor cleared his throat and gazed at his wife, who could barely contain her excitement.

"And what is that?" asked Dr. Hesse.

"I'M PREGNANT!" Jules exclaimed, and everyone gasped.

"Oh my word, Jules I am so happy for you!" Diana immediately rushed to her daughter to give her a hug.

"Congratulations," her father grinned and placed a firm hand on Connor's shoulder.

"It's still super early but we just couldn't wait to tell you all!" Jules enthused.

Junior sat there, stunned.

Jules, her baby sister, pregnant? Even though they were only 14 months apart, Junior always assumed the role of caregiver, nurse, protector. Her parents claimed they wanted another child right away so that Junior would have an instant playmate and life companion, but Junior secretly believed that they just wanted a built-in babysitter, a guardian to watch over their carefree baby girl.

Jules' beautiful looks and vivacious personality almost always got her in trouble, which meant Junior was responsible for picking up the pieces. Jules marched to the beat of her own drum while Junior stood silently in the background, monitoring every movement to make sure she didn't fall. When she became engaged to Connor, all of their family friends started pestering Junior about her love life, if there were any suitors (no), if she was thinking about marriage soon (no), or if she knew what direction her life was heading in (no).

And now, her sister was about to become a mother, while Junior sat in a research lab freezing eggs.

At the dinner table, Jules wiped tears from her face as she continued to embrace her family members. She glanced at the still-sitting Junior, almost as if she was looking for approval.

"I love you so much, sister," she said, and cradled Jules in her arms.

Later that evening, Junior and her father camped out in his study, analyzing data and writing lab reports, their elbows occasionally bumping against each other due to the proximity of their workspace.

"So Jules is going to be a mother," Junior murmured, looking over her report. "It seems like only yesterday you were paying her cell phone bill."

"I think I still do," her father jested, and turned to her. "Are you sure you're alright? I understand a scientist's frustration better than anyone, but it seems like there's something else bothering you."

Her father knew her too well, as always.

"I just feel like my life is unraveling at an unpredictable rate while everyone else's is gathering up quite nicely. I mean, I can't even be responsible for my own life while Jules is creating one herself. It's just a lot, is all," she confided to her father, completely skipping over her perplexed feelings about Jake.

Her father took his burly arms and with the utmost delicacy wrapped them around his daughter.

"You know how she is. I don't think any of us know what Jules has schemed in her mind, but at this point you just have to accept it. She'll understand parenthood eventually, all new parents reach that epiphany at different points."

"When did that happen for you?" Junior asked.

Her father breathed deeply and her head rose and fell as it rested on his ribcage. "After your mother had you, when they placed you in my arms for the first time. The idea of you, from the moment of your conception to your first breaths, you were a miracle, almost too good to be true. You weren't a reality to me until you were born."

For some unexplainable reason (Junior wasn't a crier), her eyes began brimming with tears, to which her father brought her even closer.

"You have made me more proud than you will ever know. Your compassion is what makes you a great scientist and daughter, and that is why you are the most important person in my life," he said softly, and they stayed in this embrace for quite some time.