"It's time," said Patty, putting a hand on her abdomen.

"Are you sure?" asked Anton. "Your due date is still a month away. Perhaps you simply overdid it at Thanksgiving dinner."

"Oh, it's the real thing, all right. I'm sure," Patty replied. "I've already been through it once, so I know."

"In that case, we had better leave right away." Anton knew second babies often came faster than first ones.

"I haven't even packed my suitcase yet - "

"Never mind. I will bring the things you need later." Anton fetched Anna's small suitcase and began to fill it. "The baby is going to come sooner than we thought it would, so I am taking your mother to the hospital and you to Laura's house," he explained to his daughter.

"I can't wait to meet my baby sister!" said Anna.

"I hope you will not be too disappointed if it is a baby brother instead," said Anton.

Anna wrinkled her nose. "A baby sister would be more funner."

Anton picked up the suitcase and began to carry it outside.

"I can carry my own suitcase!" Anna protested.

Anton smiled. "Of course you can." He handed the suitcase to her, and she beamed.

The family walked outside to the car and got in.

"Are you sure the baby will be all right?" Patty asked as they rode along.

"The baby will be fine," Anton assured her, although he was a bit worried himself about its lung maturity. "If it is a bit small, it can simply stay in the hospital until it is big enough to come home."

He pulled up in front of the Brimmers', and he and Anna got out of the car. Elizabeth met them at the door.

"I thought she wasn't due for another month!" she said.

"Her pains started early," Anton replied. "I hope it will not be a problem for me to leave Anna with you tonight."

"Not at all! Come on in, Anna. I sure hope everything will be OK!"

"Thank you," said Anton.

Paul was watching the news on television. Max and Laura came out of their bedrooms.

"Hi, Anna," said Laura. "Are you spending the night?"

Anna nodded. "Daddy's taking Mommy to the hospital 'cause my baby sister is gonna be born tonight."

"Hurray!" said Laura. "I was just about to feed my dollies their dinner. Wanna help me?"

"Sure!"

The two girls went into Laura's bedroom, where Raggedy Ann and Andy, Tiny Tears, Nancy Ann, and Terri Lee were all lined up on Laura's bed.

"I'll feed them their chicken, and you can feed them their mashed potatoes," said Laura. She and Anna fed the dolls from imaginary bowls with imaginary spoons for awhile.

"Don't spit it out, Nancy!" Laura scolded. "That's not nice! Now I have to clean the floor!" She wiped an imaginary mess up with an imaginary rag.

"The dollies are finished eating," she announced a few minutes later. "Now I want to color." She got out a coloring book and her crayons. She found the page she wanted and put the book on the floor, where she colored one page while Anna colored the page opposite it.

After a while, Max stuck his head in the door to announce The Lone Ranger was coming on. The girls went into the living room to watch television with him, and when The Lone Ranger ended, Elizabeth turned the television off, saying it was time to take a bath and go to bed.

As the youngest child and the guest, Anna went first. She only needed a little help from Elizabeth. Then it was Laura's turn, then Max's.

"Let's let Anna choose the bedtime story, since she's our guest," Elizabeth suggested later.

"I wanna hear 'The Gingerbread Man'," said Anna.

Elizabeth read the story, then tucked Laura and Anna into Laura's bed. It was large enough they both fit comfortably.

Anna couldn't sleep; instead, she felt mischievous.

"Chomp!" she said softly, then giggled.

"What?" asked Laura.

"Chomp! Chomp!" Louder this time. "I'm the fox eating the Gingerbread Man."

"Oh!" Laura giggled, then joined in. "Chomp! Chomp!"

Elizabeth knocked on the door. "Quiet, girls! It's time to go to sleep!"

"Chomp!" whispered Anna, and both girls giggled again.