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On The Top Of The World

"Daddy, why does mommy go to the toilet so often?" Little Allison asked her father while they both waited in the hall for Teddy to come out the bathroom. They were about to leave when she had to make a little stop before leaving home.

"Because... because the baby makes her go to the toilet a lot." Owen replied.

"And why?"

"Well, you'll see." Owen knelt in front of his girl. "Your little sibling grows up here." He pointed to Allison's tummy. "And the bladder is just below, so the baby pushes mommy's bladder and that's why she has to go to the toilet so often."

"Wow!" The little girl exclaimed, her eyes wide open in amazement. She was the most curious girl. "Can you show it to me on your cell phone?!"

"Not now, baby." He tapped her nose. "We have to go now, we'll go see the baby on the ultrasound. Aren't you excited? Maybe today we can know if you will have a little brother or sister."

The little girl just shrugged. Lately she hadn't been thrilled with the idea of a new sibling, Teddy and Owen went out of their way to not make her feel replaced, so it occurred to them to include her in everything related to the baby.

"Daddy, can I have a cell phone or a tablet?"

Allison had recently discovered the wonders of the internet, tablets and cell phones, however, neither Teddy nor Owen wanted her to become a monster child co-dependent on an electronic device. They detested the idea that their child couldn't do practically any activity if she didn't have a tablet in front of her entertaining her, as they saw so often when they went out to restaurants and the children preferred to be in front of the electronic device than eating or talk with their parents, or much worse, children lost on the cell phone in the middle of the playground.

"No, I think it won't be possible, you're still too little to have such an expensive device." Owen replied in his best dad voice.

"But all children have one!" Allison argued.

Owen sighed. Despite his reluctance he also understood that times were changing, much of what was entertaining for him as a child, it wasn't for the next generation and certainly not for Allison. Probably soon they would have to give in, but not before a few rules about the use of the much-desired device.

"I'll think about it, ok? But you have to be a very good girl." Owen warned her.

"I will, I promise Daddy!"

Owen laughed and stood up, lifting his girl in his arms.

"Ready?!" Teddy joined her little family in the hall, ready to go to the Grey Sloan for their appointment.

Once there, Owen took a sit by the bed where Teddy was lying and sat little Allison in his lap, but she was very quiet. Her little face on her daddy's chest and her arms drawn to her chest. Teddy, Owen and Carina shared a look, so the latter had an idea.

Teddy had told Carina of her fear that Allison would feel replaced and how they had decided to include her in more activities related to the baby. "I still remember Allison's ultrasounds." Carina said and as soon as she heard her name, the little girl looked at her warily.

"Hey Allison, you look at this?" Carina pointed to a part of the monitor.

"Yeah." The little girl replied.

"What does it look like?" Owen asked.

She looked at the screen carefully for a couple of seconds. "A hand?"

"That's right, baby!" Teddy laughed and reached out to stroke Allison's head making her smile shyly but clearly looking more comfortable and interested. She no longer had her face in Owen's chest, she was sitting straight looking directly at the monitor.

"Can you guess what size your sibling's hand is?" Carina asked.

Allison analyzed her own hand. "Like mine?" Everyone in the room chuckled.

"No, the size of its hand is about two or three centimeters." Carina pointed out.

"Wow! Daddy, how long is 3 centimeters?"

"More or less like this." Owen replied, pointing with his thumb and index finger about how long were 3 centimeters.

"Mommy, that's too tiny!" Allison giggled.

"I know, my love!" Teddy replied as excited as her daughter. "But your sibling still has about 17 or 20 more weeks to grow. Now he or she is the size of a banana!" That made Allison laugh out loud.

"Daddy, the baby is a banana!" Allison gushed.

"You were also a banana!" Owen kissed Allison's head and shared a look with Teddy, remembering how it was also at the appointment of the 20th week when they discovered they were having a baby girl.

"Can we know the sex?!" Teddy questioned, taking Owen's hand eagerly.

Carina looked closely at the monitor, moving the handle through Teddy's belly. "Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy!"

"No, why?!" Allison whined.

"What's wrong with that, little bear?!" Owen asked.

"Because I don't want to. I want a sister to play!"

The adults shared a look again. Carina finished the ultrasound and approached Allison.

"Hey little one, having a brother is not so bad. I have a younger brother and I also wanted a sister."

"And why did you have a brother?" Allison asked, still upset.

"Because one cannot choose, little one. You only accept what you are given and learn. Having a brother is wonderful, you'll see. And you will fight, all siblings fight, no matter if they are sister or brother, but he will always defend you too." Carina took Allison's little hands. "You are very, very lucky to have a brother in your life, I spent many years without mine, and now that I am with him I am very, very, very happy to have him."

"But he won't want to play dolls with me." Allison sighed.

"I played dolls with auntie Megan!" Owen pointed, remembering how Megan always forced him to play with her.

Teddy stroked her soft copper curls. "I will play dolls with you as many times as you want, my love." Allison seemed to accept it, or at least understand that a brother was not so bad.

After the ultrasound, Teddy and Owen let Allison decide where they would go for lunch, then went for an ice cream and finally to granny Evelyn's house to tell her the good news.

Later at night, when they came back home Teddy tucked Allison to sleep, but not before telling her a story. "Big sisters are the best" was the selection of the night.

"Mommy, then, will I teach my brother new things?" Little Allison queried, snuggling closer to her mommy.

"Yes my love, you will be like a teacher to your brother. You will teach him many, many things!"

"Like what things?"

"Hmm, you can teach him to speak, for example, teach him to say words."

"I will teach him to say my name!" Allison giggled excited.

"That's a great idea, my little bear!" Allison smiled broadly. "You can talk to him too, he can hear you already." Teddy patted her round tummy.

Allison looked at her warily, then put her face in front of her bump, Teddy took her hand and put it on top. "Hello brother, I'm Allison, your big sister." Just then the baby kicked against his sister's hand, making her laugh loudly. Allison didn't want to sleep until she couldn't feel her brother moving anymore.

Once the little girl was sound asleep, Teddy returned to her room where Owen was already waiting for her to sleep. It had been a day full of emotions, however, with Allison's reaction they had no chance to absorb in the news that they expected a baby boy.

"So... we are having a baby boy. Can you believe it?!" Owen marveled.

"We are having a baby boy." Teddy responded in amazement, as if just letting the idea sink in.

"We are having a baby boy!" Owen repeated, hugging Teddy lifting her off the floor and twirling her in the air. "Oh my god, oh my god, a boy! Not that I don't love my princess, she is the light of my life, but this is amazing, our family will be amazing!"

"I'm so happy, Owen." Teddy cried.

"You make me so happy. Our children make me so happy. You make me feel like the luckiest man, you make me feel on top of the world."