How did I finish this so soon? Well, my beloved readers, the answer is I have trouble sleeping and decided to binge the first season of Promised Neverland and rewatch season 4 of AOT. Whilst Promised Neverland gave me more energy, AOT(and the table scene) left me in tears as always. And as I finish this chapter I am reeling from Gang of Secrets because... HOLY SHIT is all I have to say.

Chapter Thiry

An Old Problem

She stared at the computer screen, her eyes drained and begging for sleep. Something they probably wouldn't get. She was more than used to pulling all-nighters. Let it be college, late-night shifts, or dealing with their children, she was used to getting four or three hours of sleep. But with the sleepless and stress-filled weak, she needed at least six hours of sleep, sadly, it seemed she wouldn't be getting that.

Raising the mug of lukewarm tea to her lips, she released a sigh as she stared at the series of emails from her daughter's doctor. Shockingly, none of them had to do with her daughter and granddaughter's health, all of them had to do with future complications. Technically that did relate to health, but that's not what concerned her at the moment.

The doctor wasn't sure at the moment but could guarantee some breathing difficulties in the future. Her bones weren't as developed as they would've liked and gave warnings of struggles with walking and motor skills. On the surface, that can be terrifying for a parent and she could vividly remember the worry on her daughter's face as the doctor explained the struggles her child could have. And although she was concerned for her granddaughter's health, she had other things to worry about.

Money.

It had always been a problem for them.

For years they struggled to make ends meet and had only moved out of Anarka's a few years earlier. Their first apartment had been a two-bedroom and the twins shared a bedroom whilst Oliver stayed in his crib in her and Luka's bedroom. Eventually, it became clear that wouldn't work and after lots of struggle, they managed to afford a decent-sized apartment. She'd been working part-time at many places over the years and had only just gotten her degree in nursing. And hell did her approaching student loans scare her. But all that aside, she was at a loss how they'd afford any of the stuff the doctor was saying that the baby would most likely need.

Nasal Cannula. CPAP machine. Oxygen Tank.

And that didn't even include the other costs that came with a newborn.

Kagami sighed, tugging down on her face as she clicked off the site. She'd been hoping her ob would get her some kind of discount, but she'd been quickly disappointed to find it didn't. She was going on five hours, emailing with the doctor, reading the supplies and equipment he suggested, all of which was far out of the range of things they could typically afford.

She frowned as another email surfaced, this one directly from the hospital. Hesitantly opening it, an entire other wave of stress passed over her as she stared down at the hospital prices. Cesarean sections weren't cheap and with Lyric's over a weak stay adding on to it, things were beginning to pile up. And that of course didn't include how much it would cost for the baby to stay in the NICU.

The hairs on the back of her neck shot up as two arms draped over her shoulders."It's late Tune," Luka whispered into her ear."You need to sleep."

She sighed, leaning back into his arms."I know, I'm just trying to figure out what we're going to do."

Luka raised his eyebrow, nearly choking when he saw the total cost of everything." T-That much?" he asked, staring down at the number he knew would take years to pay off. He rested his chin on top of her head, gently holding her."Don't worry, we'll pay it off."

"When we're sixty," she scoffed through another sigh." Why the hell did I become a nurse?" she asked, wishing she could forget about her piles of student loans and focus on paying for her granddaughter and daughter's health.

"Because you wanted to help people," Luka reminded her, with a gentle smile. She'd been hesitant to go to college but he'd encouraged her, saying even if she decided to drop out she still would've tried. So she did, and did she regret it? Partially. She adored getting the chance to help people, but the amount of guilt she felt missing out on mornings with her family and sacrificing family trips to pay for her schooling was only growing."And don't worry about that right now, we can get a loan to help pay it off,"

"Yes, but still, it isn't just going to disappear," she said, frowning as she stared at simple math she'd done on a random scrap of paper. The thousands of dollars they'd have to spend glared up at the two of them and the question of how rang through both their heads.

"We'll manage," he whispered, pressing a kiss against her cheek." But you need some sleep right now," he said, closing the laptop.

"Luka," she groaned, glaring her deep amber eyes up at him.

Luka smirked, easily lifting her from the seat." Come on, we can worry about money in the morning," he said, noticing the sun beginning to rise over the city. He smiled at the memories of sitting out on the deck of the boat with twins so Kagami could get in a few extra hours of sleep. The sun would rise over the harbor as he tried to tango between the two infants."Well, I guess it's already morning,"

"Exactly," she said, trying to pull away from him."So can you please let me get back to it?"

Luka shook his head with a smile."No, you need sleep,"

"But I-"

"No buts," he said, able to tell he'd got to her. A yawn she tried to refuse eventually escape as she spread her arms out. Her glare intensified and she pushed his face away.

"You're so annoying," she muttered, her heart jumping a sweet kiss on her cheek.

"I know now go to bed."

Rolling her eyes, she eventually obeyed, dragging her feet into their bedroom. Pulling her untied robe off, she slumped down onto the bed, almost immediately drifting off as her head made contact with the cloud that was her pillow. The storm raining down on her brain began to clear out and soon enough all the stress of the past week and months drifted away. The fear of student loans and hospital bills, and worrying about her granddaughter all disappeared...

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy," Oliver repeated with a toothless smile on his face. He bounced lightly as he continued to chant to his mother. Kagami opened an eye, able to tell it had been at least a few hours. A blanket had been dropped over her and she was no longer sprawled over the side of the bed. Most certainly the work of her husband.

"Hi honey, did you sleep well?" she asked, raising her head to cup his cheek. His brown eyes were more chocolatey than hers, always reminding her of her mother's. There few happy things she could remember of the woman who'd practically abandoned her, but she could remember her eyes. Most of the time they were covered by glasses to block out the sunlight, but she was always surprised with how they were the perfect shade of brown. Warm and creamy, the eyes you'd expect to see on a kindhearted and warm person. That was certainly not her mother.

The boy shook his head, continuing to bounce up and down on her."Daddy and Blossom made bacon. Blossom was yelling cause the bacon squirted at her."

"Is she okay?" Kagami asked, smiling as Oliver rolled down beside her.

"Yup, but she sounded like a dolphin."

"A dolphin?" she laughed.

"Mhmm," he hummed, nodding his head. Kagami's smile widened, brushing his bangs from his face.

"Hey, I told you to get her," Blossom's voice chimed from the doorway. Her periwinkle nightgown clung to her petite frame and a bandage wrapped around her index finger.

"You okay?" Kagami asked, trying to hold back her smile at the thought of Blossom's shrieks.

Blossom raised her eyebrow, oohing when she held up her finger."Ya, I'm fine, just a splash."

"Ya Miss Dolphin," Oliver said, shrieking himself as he hurried down the hall, Blossom chasing behind him. Kagami chuckled, happy to see some joy in the home that had been almost entirely vacant the past week. Stretching her arms out, she let out a sigh as new energy made itself home in her body. Although she wouldn't admit it, like usual, Luka had been right. But she didn't like seeing him cocky and chose to keep the information to herself.

Standing up, she pulled her bathrobe back on, shivering as a chilly breeze wafted through the room. The rain had finally stopped and the sun was yet to warm the city."Do you have a window open?" she asked, shivering as the soft grey fabric did nothing to warm her. The window facing another apartment building was wide open, allowing the crisp air to venture in.

"The bacon started smoking," Luka said, setting the pillow he'd been waving at the smoke back down onto the couch."It should be good now."

The window closed with a quiet thump and after just a few seconds she could feel the cold beginning to melt away."Smells good," she hummed, sniffing the tasty aroma of half-burnt bacon.

"Let's hope it tastes good," Blossom sighed, holding a piece out to her younger brother. The grease and pieces of charred meat rubbed off onto her freshly painted hot pink nails. It wasn't her first pick when it came to colors, but she didn't want in on Esther and Sadie's feud over colors.

"I'm sure it does," Kagami assured her, hand lightly rubbing her shoulder as she grabbed a piece herself. A bit overdone as expected but not inedible.

"I don't like it," Oliver whined, his mouth open with the half-eaten bacon inside.

"Gross!" Blossom cried turning away as her brother grinned. He spit it out in the trash, staring up at the stove."Can I help you with the eggs mommy?" he asked in a high-pitched voice she could never say no to.

Smile in place, she nodded, helping him up onto the counter. Cracking each egg, she assisted him with whisking and pouring them. Oliver watched intently as she moved the mixture of eggs, milk, salt, and pepper around the pan." Mommy, can I see the baby and Leery today?" he asked, brown eyes wide.

Kagami managed to maintain her smile as she shook her head."No, today Auntie Rose and Jules are taking you to the zoo today."

His face lit up a little but disappointment still remained."When is Leery and the baby coming home?"

"Your sister's coming home this weekend," she said, turning the stove off with a flick of her wrist."But the baby has to stay in the hospital for a while,"

"Why?" he asked, face brightening again as she pulled the bottle of ketchup from the fridge. She personally found it disgusting but all three of her kids liked to top their eggs with ketchup.

"She was born very very early, so she has to stay in the hospital until she's healthy."

Oliver tilted his head, eyebrows knit together."Is she sick?"

"Not sick, but she can't breathe well and it would be very easy for her to get sick, so she has to stay in the hospital until we know she won't get very sick," she explained, lifting him onto her hip. Setting the bowl down on the table, she was pleased to see he understood a part of what she meant. Sitting down beside him, she opened the laptop, immediately overwhelmed by the emails lined up for her. Most were related to work, but a great sum of them was related to the baby and Lyric.

"Kagami," Luka frowned, sitting down across from her. She glanced up for a moment, ignoring the face he wore. Opening a new tab to look into cheaper oxygen tanks, she frowned as he pushed down on the laptops back."Eat your breakfast before you overwhelm yourself again."

"How's mom overwhelming herself?" Blossom asked, sitting down with her own bowl of eggs and ketchup.

Luka and Kagami shared a long look. Neither talked about their money issues with their kids, mainly so they wouldn't stress. Of course, that had been difficult, especially after Oliver was born. She wouldn't be lying if the thought of an abortion hadn't crossed her mind. At the time they were nearly able to afford moving out and she knew another baby would put a damper on all of that. Especially when the apartments they had been looking at hadn't been anything nice. Luka had helped her and within a few days of knowing, she knew that they were going to keep him. And she was glad they did.

"Just grown-up stuff," Luka said, hoping that would satisfy the sixteen-year-old. Of course, it didn't.

Blossom stared at the two of them, concern and worrying beginning to surface on her face."What-"

A knock at the door cut her off and Kagami felt a wave of relief." That's Rose and Juleka," she said, smiling as Oliver hurried to pull his shoes on. Waving them off, the thought of Blossom soon being at her piano lesson eased her mind. If she was going to have a panic attack, she only wanted Luka present for it. To her dismay, her teenage daughter stood directly behind her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her face straight and serious. At no response, the frustration was replaced with fear."I-Is it the baby? Is she okay? Is it Lyric? Don't tell me she-"

"No, no no," Kagami said, shaking her head as she held her daughter by the shoulders."It's nothing to do with that," she paused, able to tell that Blossom wouldn't go without an answer."Things are just expensive and we're just trying to figure out how we'll afford it."

"How much?" Blossom asked, relieved that her sister and niece weren't sick.

Kagami stiffened and was grateful when Luka placed his hand on her shoulder."You don't need to worry about that," Luka said, smile in place. It was a mystery to her how in such awful and stressful situations he managed to smile.

Blossom stood with stands of worry in her mind but ones she fought off."Okay," she sighed, forging a smile for her parent's sake." I'm going to go get ready," she said, relieved when the two let her go. Walking down the hall she paused in her bedroom, pulling out her cellphone. Scrolling through her contacts she pressed on Sadie's with urgency.

[Blossom: I'm coming over your place, I'll be there is 20]

She knew when her parents were sugar coating things and after a few quick searches, she knew they were definitely leaving out just how expensive everything would be, and how they just couldn't afford any of it. So, she was going to help.