Ruby pinches her nostrils together and makes a sound at the back of her throat. "Oh God, ugh. Pretty sure that ain't coming out anytime soon."

I just sigh dejectedly. "I guess not. We just bought this onesie, too. What a waste."

I press down the pedal with my foot and throw the ruined onesie in along with the rest of the diapers. The lid slams down, though oddly enough Garnet doesn't seem to be fazed by the noise. She's never disturbed by loud noises, which probably comes as a relief when there's a thunderstorm outside or someone's knocking on the door to our flat.

"At least we have enough onesies to dress up a small army," I assure myself.

"Yeah, if that army was made up of babies," Ruby replies.

"In fact, you could even call it a tiny army."

"Ooh, good one! Bump me one!"

"You'll probably want to wait until I wash my hands for that."

"Well, you got me there. I'll take an IOU on that."

I just let out a small chuckle before leaving the room to clean up. Suds fill the sink, the bubbles lingering in the drain long after I've turned off the faucet. I can't believe how much being a mom changed my life. Before, I wouldn't worry about the little things so much. Now, I'm constantly on edge. I suppose that's probably a good thing, though, since constantly being stressed out must mean that my maternal instincts are kicking in. I didn't even think I had maternal instincts before I got pregnant, but the day Garnet was born, I vowed to do everything in my power to protect her. I've also found myself inclined to listen since even a second without hearing anything from Garnet might mean something's wrong. Then again, if anything did happen to her, Ruby and I would be on that right away.

"Hey, Sapphire!" Ruby calls out to me from another room.

"Yeah, Ruby?" I call back.

"Check out these packages our friends sent us from America!"

"Alright, coming!"

As soon as I make my way over to the living room where Ruby and Garnet are, my eye is drawn towards the large pile of packages from our friends back in America. Small ones, large ones... these packages surely contain what our friends, mutual or otherwise, think we might need. We immediately start with the smallest one.

"Ooh, check this out," Ruby says. "It's more onesies. We've already got so many. What are we gonna do with these?"

"Really?" I ask curiously. "Let me see."

I manage to snatch up a onesie from the package. It's purple, and on the front are the words "I Am A Conversation."

I just smile. "Aww, how cute."

"Yeah." Ruby gives me a wide grin. "I love when people strike up conversations about our child. It makes me proud."

"I know it does."

"Hey, look! There's even more in here!"

Indeed, I can spot a purple onesie that reads "Mommy's Princess," a white onesie covered in red hearts, a red onesie with the words "Eternal Flame Baby," a blue onesie with the words "Ice Ice Baby," and some more novelty baby clothes.

"Wow, these sure are something," I remark quietly. "Gotta love the 'Mommy's Princess' one."

"Yeah, and that 'Eternal Flame Baby' one! Reminds me of myself."

"Who do you think bought that one?"

"Amy, I guess?"

"Yeah, that seems like her. Did you look and see what else we got?"

"Not yet."

"Well, why don't you check real quick? I'm hoping they sent more than just onesies."

Ruby gets on that right away and opens up some more packages. I come and join her. In those smaller packages, there are some baby bottles and pacifiers. Some of them just have plain colors to them and no other features. I have no doubt in my mind that Pearl had sent those our way. It just seems like her to take into consideration what kind of things a baby will need. After all, she told me once that she helped Petunia babysit a friend's younger sister. Damn it, why did I have to think about Petunia?

"Hey, Sapphy!" Ruby exclaims. "Look how Garnet's liking the onesie I changed her into."

I turn my head around to see Garnet wearing a different onesie from the ones we just received. It's a white onesie with purple letters spelling our her name. Garnet just smiles and exposes the two pairs of teeth in her mouth.

I smile back. "Aww..."

Garnet just looks so adorable. It's almost unbelievable that she came out of my body. She's my pride and joy... my daughter. She helped me and Ruby realize what life is about. It's about the feeling of love, about being surrounded by family... it's about how much we care for one another. It's about how important it is to show love, care, and support for one another regardless of race, religion, etc. It's about knowing that when one dies, they don't actually disappear. They stay with us for as long as we can make them... but I'm getting carried away here.

I pick Garnet up and have her head lay on my shoulder. She gurgles something that I can't understand, but I hope it means "I love you."

"Hello, Grandma?" I say as soon as she picks up the phone. "I have to tell you something."

"Yes, what is it, starlight?" Her voice is cold and emotionless. "It better be something important."

"I was wondering if I could borrow some money from you..."

I can hear her sigh at the other end. "Please don't do this. I've already had to grieve over what happened to your aunt. I don't need you asking for money on top of that."

"Why not? I've been trying to reach you, but you never answer my phone calls."

"Starlight, whatever it is you have to tell me..." She lets out a heavy sigh, heavy enough that I can hear her frustration with everything that's happening. "Please, just get it over with..."

I gulp. "Okay... I think my daughter Garnet's deaf in one ear... or at least partially deaf."

"Really? This is why you wanted to call me now?"

"Look, I get that you might be stressed out after what happened to Aunt Petunia, but Ruby and I need your help. Garnet needs something to help her hear better."

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Grandma Diamond paid attention to anything except for Ruby's name. "Ruby? Who's Ruby?"

"Ruby's my girlfriend, Grandma." I don't hear from her for the next couple minutes. "Hello?"

"I'm hanging up now. Let me know when you've gotten out of that kind of lifestyle, okay, starlight?"

Just like that, she hangs up. It's then that I start crying. Just like that, Grandma's abandoned me at a time when I might need her most. I don't know what we can do now.