I could feel the end of Autumn sunlight on my cheeks as I slowly came to. The sunshine felt really warm and comforting on my skin. It was enough to make me ignore the beeping of the machines I kept hearing. Slowly I opened my eyes and noticed my dad asleep in the chair by my bed. I smiled, knowing my parents most have both stayed with me the entire night. I finally took notice of the beeping noise in the room. Looking down, I saw I had wires attached to my chest. I frowned, finally realizing where I was.

The hospital.

Closing my eyes again, I tried to remember what had happened. I vaguely remember being at home studying for my test next week. Then nothing. I heard the door open, and I opened my eyes again. My mom came in with my family behind her.

"Gabby, you're awake." I could hear the relief in my mom's voice.

My mom's voice woke my dad with a jolt. "Hey Princess, glad to see you're up."

"What happened?" I wondered, still trying to figure out why I was lying in the hospital.

"You fainted at home." Mom explained, pressing the call button by my bed. "Lucky Rosy found you."

I smiled at Rowan, whispering a thank you. She smiled back, giving me a wink. I tried to move, and a small groan escaped me. My dad moved to help me sit up.

"Well, you certainly gave us all a good scare." Javier greeted in a teasing voice as he came in. "You know Halloween is over; it ended like two weeks ago."

We all chuckled at his joke. Javier is the comedian in our family and never fails to brighten the mood with his infectious smile and laughter. I have a close relationship with everyone in my family, but Javier is my best friend by far. We've always been extra close, and I was happy as long as he was around.

Pain shot through my abdomen, causing me to let out another small groan. My hand flew to my stomach, and it hit me; I was no longer pregnant. I was only 30 weeks along, which meant my daughter could be in danger. The realizations sent a chill down my spine.

"Where's my baby?" I choked out. "What happened to her?"

Javier looked up from my chart in his hands. The look of regret on his face made my stomach drop. He cleared his throat before starting to explain. "Sorry, Elly, I tried not to deliver the baby. But, you were starting to go into heart failure, and nothing I tried was doing anything. So, I had no choice but to do an emergency cesarian. Since you were only 30 weeks along, she has to stay in the NICU."

Images of babies I've seen in the NICU popped into my head. A lump formed in my throat as I thought of my daughter being hooked to wires, just like all the other NICU babies I'd seen. I knew Javier had done everything he could before deciding to deliver her. But, I still felt like I failed at protecting my daughter.

Unable to hold back my tears, I started letting them fall. My dad held me trying to comfort me the best he could, but nothing he said brought an ounce of relief. Everything he said went in one ear and out the other.

My mom took a seat on the other side of me and wrapped me in her arms too. "Gabby, it's all going to be OK. You did everything you were supposed to, but sometimes these things happen. You shouldn't blame yourself for something out of your control. She has a good survival rate and is in the hands of some amazing doctors."

I wiped my tears, trying to look on the bright side. My mom had a point; she could be fine. "Is she OK?" I asked Javier between sniffles.

Javier nodded. "She's considered to be stable now. I've seen babies born at 30 weeks do worse."

I let out a relieved breath knowing my daughter was OK. "Can we see her?"

"I can run it by the pediatrician in the NICU. It shouldn't be a problem." Javier promised as he took another look at my chart. "But, you must remain calm and let me finish checking you first."

I agreed with a simple nod. Javier quickly checked me and made some notes in my chart. Once he was through checking me, he went to talk to the pediatrician in the NICU while we waited. My family tried to keep my spirits up while we waited, and I appreciated it. It made the agonizing wait for news on my daughter more manageable.

After what seemed like forever, Javier returned with an incubator holding a tiny baby. We all let out a little gasp seeing her with a tube up her nose and a wire connected to her. Wire and tube aside, she was long and skinny, reminding me of my old baby dolls. But for the most part, she looked pretty good—just a little on the small side.

"What are the tube and wire for?" I asked as I gently touched the incubator.

She heard our voices and her eyes fluttered open in response.

"The tube's for feeding, and the wire is for monitoring her heart rate."

I looked up at Javier. "Her heart rate?" I repeated with a crack in my voice.

Javier nodded. "Dr. Tran told me that there was a dip in her heart rate a couple of times."

"Is it serious?" Dad asked, reading my mind.

There's never hiding anything from dad. He always knows what we're all thinking. That's why we couldn't get away with anything growing. But the fact that we never had any secrets made it much easier for us to talk to him, which is one of the primary reasons why we're so close to him.

"Not according to Dr. Tran," Javier replied. "Dip in heart rates could very simply be a premi trying to get the hang on breathing on their own. He said there isn't a reason to worry until more tests are done, and there's more of a cause for concern."

We all breathed a sigh of relief. "Can I hold her?" Cruz asked for the zillionth time since I told her I was pregnant.

I turned to Javier for the answer, unsure if she could be held.

Javier nodded. "She's stable enough to be held, but Elly should be first since she's the mom."

Cruz scrunched her face into a frown. For a brief moment, I wondered if she would stomp her feet and protest like she did as a kid. "Fine, but I'm first after Gabby."

"How would you like to be first?" I offered, knowing how much Cruz had been looking forward to holding her niece.

Cruz's eyes widened in shock as a smile stretched across her face. "Oh, I'd love it!" She threw her arms around me. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I knew you're the best big sister in the world."

"Hey!" Esmerelda and Isabella exclaimed in unison. "What are we…..chopped liver?!"

We all laughed as Cruz gave them an innocent look in response. Dad got Cruz to sit in the chair by my bed as Javier brought the baby over. I smiled, watching Cruz cuddle and talk to my baby. It was so precious and reminded me of my relationship with my siblings.

After a couple of minutes, Cruz reluctantly gave me a turn holding my little girl. The moment was more than anything I had ever dreamed of since I found out I was pregnant. A flood of emotions hit me hard as I held my baby girl for the first time. Overwhelmed by all the feelings, my tears started coming again.

"Aunt Gabby sad?" Summer asked, reaching over to me. "I may bewr."

I sat her by me on the bed and let her hug me. I knew she was too young to understand why I was crying. So I let her believe I was crying because I was sad.

"Thank you, Summer; you have the warmest hugs." I returned her hug.

"You feel bewr?" She asked after adding a kiss on my cheek.

I smiled, brushing her long wood brown hair from her face. "Loads."

A knock at the door grabbed our attention. We all exchanged glances, wondering who it could be. Maya was the only one who wasn't looking completely clueless.

"Come in." She answered with a sneaky grin.

The door slowly opened as we held our breath. "I heard we have a new family member." My eldest brother, Miguel, greeted us, popping his head in.

We all stood in shock, not believing our eyes. Miguel stood before us in his yellow and purple Lakers Uniform that read Lakers with his number on the front. It had been nearly four weeks since we last talked to him, much less seen him. While he was away, his wife, Maya, and their four-year-old daughter, Olyvya, stay in San Francisco with us.

Miguel tried to call as much as possible and visit as often as possible, but it wasn't the same. Nothing ever beats having him home.

"Daddy!" Olyvya squealed, reaching out toward him.

"Lulu bear, I missed you." Miguel greeted her with a bear hug. "Were you a good girl for mommy?"

Olyvya nodded, "I'm always good."

We all recovered from our initial shock and gathered around Miguel for a hug. Everyone's talking overlapped as we all tried to catch him up. The smile on Miguel's face told me that he was glad to be home too.

"So, how are you feeling?" Miguel asked me, sitting Summer on his lap before taking a seat next to me on the bed.

"Sore," I told him point blank. "But glad you're home."

"You didn't really think I wasn't going to be here for my niece's birthday, did you?" He pretended to be hurt. "What kind of Uncle do you think I am?"

I smiled, shaking my head, and pretended to be amused. "A busy one."

"Never too busy for family." He reminded me. He smiled at the little bundle I had in my arm. "So, this is my new niece?"

"Sure is," I confirmed with pride in my voice. "She's tiny but perfect."

"No arguments there," Miguel stated, adjusting a restless Summer on his lap.

We continued to talk and catch up as my little girl was passed around like a hot potato. As she made her way around, she gave us a few scares as her heart rate fluctuated. But, every time her heart rate dipped, it would come back up once she was kept still for a couple of moments. Eventually, she made her way back to my awaiting arms.

"So, were you able to come up with a name?" Mom asked, grabbing my attention.

"Yup." I broke eye contact with my little girl. "This is Maria Lucille Bolton, after both her grandma's."

Mom looked dazed as the realization sank in. A smile of pride spread across her face, and she hugged me. Maria cooed, almost like she was singing.

"She sounds like she's singing," Cruz spoke up.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I guess it does."

"Melody could be her nickname," Cruz suggested as Maria cooed again.

I scrunched my face considering for a moment, and decided to see how Maria would respond to the name. "What do you think, Maria? You want to be called Melody?"

Maria stared at me like she was taking in what I was saying, and after a couple of moments, she responded with another coo. I nodded like she was talking to me.

"Well, judging from her response, I'd say she loves it," Lukas, my brother-in-law, concluded, wrapping his arm around my second sister-Isabella.

"Welcome to the family, Melody." Javier stated, "you don't know it yet, but you couldn't wish for a better family. Your aunt and uncle already love you to bits, and to top it off, you have the world's best grandparents."

We all smiled at his words, knowing where they came from. Javier wasn't always a part of our family. Now that he is, we wouldn't change it for the world.

I stared closely at Melody, taking a good long look at her. For the first time, I took in all her little features. I mentally noted how she was like Troy and how she was like me. She stared back at me with her sea blue eyes that were identical to Troy's. Staring into her piercing blue eyes, I recalled the last time I saw Troy.

6 Months Earlier

Berkeley Campus

As Javier pulled the fully packed van into the nearly empty Berkeley Campus parking lot, my attention was out the window. I've been saying goodbyes for so long now that it was second nature. But, this goodbye was different. I knew this goodbye was coming from the moment I met Troy and had been dreading it for just as long.

I didn't notice Javier pulling into an empty parking space near the front before killing the engine. We sat there in silence for a good several minutes before I felt Javier's hand on mine. He handed me my phone as soon as he knew he had my attention.

"Thanks." I took the phone and saw the message flashing on the screen.

Wildcat: Finished last final. Meet you in fifteen minutes at our usual spot.

I stared at the message rereading it over and over again. Just over a month ago, I made a couple of decisions that I've been avoiding telling Troy. Last month I had projects and presentations to focus on. Then, Troy had his final game. After that, it was time for us to cram for finals. I barely had time to review everything I wanted, much less think about how I would talk to Troy. Once my finals were over, Troy had his. Now that Troy had taken his last final, there were no more excuses.

Me: Front parking lot. Crossroads.

I held back my tears, willing myself to stay strong. I've known this day was coming for over a month, but it didn't make it any easier. The vibration of my phone made me jump.

Wildcat: 5 minutes. Handing in English paper. Love you.

I pocketed my phone, not bothering to reply, and got out of the car. I felt the cool Spring breeze the second I opened the door. Each wave of gentle wind felt like pressure on my chest, making it much harder for me to breathe. Each breath I took made my heart ache even worse, and I questioned if I had the strength to do this in person. Unable to take the pressure, I felt a tear fall down my cheek.

"You sure you're OK?" Javier asked.

I nodded as I wiped my tear. Using everything I learned about acting from my friend, Sharpay, I stepped out of the car like everything was fine. I heard Javier step out after me.

"Elly, sure you're OK going alone?" He called after me. "I can come with you if you want."

I paused for a moment, actually considering the offer. I was about to accept Javier's proposal, but something stopped me. I closed my mouth again and shook my head.

"I have to do this alone," I told him with as much confidence as I could muster. I didn't wait for him to reply before walking off.

Crossroads wasn't too packed when I got there. I quickly grabbed a table further back, away from the few students grabbing lunch. The wait for Troy to arrive seemed to pass at a snail's pace, and at one point, I was so nervous the butterflies in my stomach made me nauseous.

I leaned back in the chair and placed a hand on my stomach, hoping to ease my nausea. I shut my eyes for a moment, and my mind drifted into a daydream again. I wasn't sure how long I had been dreaming before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes to see Troy smiling at me in his Berkeley basketball uniform and sneakers. He wasn't sweating too bad, but his breath was heavy like he'd just run a marathon. I returned his smile, and he slipped his hand into mine.

"Sorry, that took longer than I thought." He apologized once he caught his breath, taking a seat across from me. "Did you have to wait long?"

I shook my head in response before pulling my hand away. Troy narrowed his brow as if trying to figure me out. Neither of us said anything for a long minute.

"Sorry." I finally apologized, refusing to look at him.

"Why are you apologizing?" There was confusion in his voice.

I let out a weak breath. There was no way out and no more excuses. It was now, or I might lose my nerve.

"I'm dropping out of school, and I'm moving," I explained in a whisper, hanging my head.

Troy's sea-blue eyes widened and stared at me as if I had spoken in gibberish. I gave him a minute to let everything sink in. Dropping out of school and moving was the easy part; what was coming next was the part I'd been dreading for the last month.

"What do you mean you're dropping out of school?" Troy questioned when he found his voice. "You can't just drop out of school, and where are you moving to?"

"I can, and I did," I told him.

"OK, then why did you drop out?" He tried again. "And again, where are you moving to?"

"None of that is your concern," I answered simply, trying to mask the sadness in my voice.

He ran his hand through his light brown hair, nearly covering his brows. It was a habit he'd had when he was frustrated. "What do you mean it's not my concern? I'm your boyfriend."

I could see he was really getting frustrated and upset. The news I had next was only going to make things worse for everyone. I took a breath and mentally braced myself for the worse of it.

Here goes, I thought to myself, just rip it off like a bandage.

"Not anymore." I forced myself to look him in the eye and continue the lie. "I no longer see a future for us."

The hurt and sadness in his sea blue eyes were like a knife to my heart. It took everything in me not to break down. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I placed the T necklace he gave me in high school on the table in front of him. I apologized again as I got up to leave before Troy could protest.

I made it as far as out the Crossroads doors before the pressure in my chest became too much. I looked back in Troy's direction before racing through the Berkeley Campus, praying I could hold my tears in until I got to the parking lot.

Javier was leaning on the passenger side of the car with his hands in his pocket as he waited for me. His relaxed nature shifted as soon as he saw me running off campus. Pushing off the car, he met me on the sidewalk, and I ran straight into his arms.

"Everything's OK." He whispered, wrapping me in his arms.

I let my tears fall, crying into his chest. After a good cry, I was well enough to walk, but the tears started again as soon as we were in the car. Javier held me, letting me know everything was OK, as the waterworks came harder than ever. The waterworks seem to develop a mind of their own as time dragged on. I finally managed to cry myself to sleep in Javier's arms.

I heard Javier's voice through my daydream. "Elly, I need to take Melody."

"What?" There was fear in my voice as I continued. Javier took Melody from me and laid her back in the incubator. Melody's breathing turned shallow and rapid. "What's wrong?"

Javier frowned and took out his stethoscope. We waited impatiently for Javier to say something as he shook his head. It felt like years had gone by before he finally said something.

"I'm not liking the murmur I heard." He stated with a look of worry in his eyes. "It may be what's causing her heart rate to dip."

"Murmur?" I repeated in a shaky voice. "Does that mean?"

I couldn't finish the thought. I had to stay positive.

"Nothing is for certain until we run some test." Javier reminded us. "It could be nothing; I'll talk with Dr. Tran and see what he says."

Javier quickly left with Melody. My stomach felt queasy as I watched them leave. Maybe it was what one would call maternal instant, but I didn't think Melody's heart murmur was nothing. I only hope I was wrong.

Dad wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug. "No matter what happens, we'll get through it as a family." He reminded us. "Just like we always have."

"Just like we always will." Mom finished.

"Always." They all agreed, gathering in a group hug.

I smiled, feeling the warmth and love of our family. I knew my parents were right. We've weathered a lot as a family, and no matter what comes our way, we'll still endure it together. Nothing was ever going to change that.