Disclaimer: Ok I'm not really sure whether this Angel belongs to me or Jonathan Larson because this is Toddler!Angel, but for the lawyers' sakes we'll say he's Larson  

Chapter One: November 19, 1981

"Oh Jesus Christ! Owwww!" My Aunt Nikki fell against the banister of the stairs and cried out. I jumped back and yelped.

"Tia, what's wrong do you have a tummy ache?"

"Yes, Angel," she gasped. "Owwww! Go get Mama!"

I could tell this was serious, so I jumped down the steps and ran into the kitchen where my mother was making tea for my Uncle Sam.

"Mama! Mama! I think Tia Nikki's kidneys are gonna 'splode!" I cried tugging at her skirt. She looked down at me and chuckled.

"Easy, Angel, why do you think that?"

"Because she's got a really bad belly ache and you need to come help her!"

The parents looked at each other and my uncle went green.

"Oh shit!" He leapt out of the chair and they ran to the staircase. I hobbled after them.

"Hey you guys, not so fast! Wait for me!"

By the time we got back to my aunt, she was sitting in a puddle of watery stuff. Being five years old, two thought warred in my little brain.

Yuck! That's so cool!    

"Raphael!" My mother was frantically shouting into the phone. "Come back, Nikki's in labor!"

Soon my papa was there too. He came running in and while he and my uncle lifted sobbing Aunt Nikki into the backseat of the car, Mama sat me on her lap in the front seat and buckled us in.

"Don't worry, Nikki," she told her. "Everything's going to be okay."

"What the heck is goin' on?" I asked impatiently. I was getting nervous.

"It's all right, sweetheart," Mama said in that voice that never failed to calm me. "Tia's going to have a baby and when you have a baby it hurts a little that's all."

"A little?" I heard Nikki shriek, followed by my uncle soothing her.

"Makes you grouchy too," my father informed me.

     When we got to the hospital a team of doctors put Tia on a stretcher and she and Mama went into the delivery room. Tio chose to stay in the waiting room with Papa and me. He shakily sat down and took two cigarettes from my father, lighting them both and smoking one in each hand.

"Sit down, Angel," Papa instructed, so I grabbed a magazine and sat down on the couch. It wasn't comfy. I remember wondering what the point of a couch was if it was uncomfortable. We sat for three hours. My uncle kept getting up and pacing around, only to sit back down. Papa kept rubbing his shoulder and saying, "Easy, Sam, easy." I sighed and began counting the leaves on the big potted plant in the corner. I got to forty nine and lost count.

Boring! I thought. Jeez Louise why did baby-having have to take so long? I was excited about my cousin, had been for nine months, but for Pete's sake I was missing the Muppet Show.

Finally a doctor came out. Tio almost knocked over the little coffee table to get to him.

"Well?" he shouted.

The doctor smiled. Years later I would learn that doctors' smiles were fake. They could tell you that you had a child, or they could tell you that you had six months left to live. They'd smile either way.

"It's a baby girl, Mr. Dumott," he said. "And they're both fine."

His eyes rolled up to the ceiling and I heard him sniff back tears.

Having a baby must be a big deal, I thought, if it can make a grownup cry.

Papa looked at me and smiled.

"Let's go, Angel," he said. So I followed them into the ward.

Mama sat beside Tia who was lying in bed with a pink blanket in her arms. She was crying. I crept over and peered at her cautiously.

"Hola, Tia," I whispered.

"Hello, Angel darling."

Tio started to cry too as she handed him the blanket-thing. When were they going to unwrap it? I wanted to see!

"She has Mom's eyes, Sam," Mama told him. "Green as an alley cat's."

He smiled at whatever was under the blanket.

"Then she should have Mom's name too. Lillian Sophia."

He handed it-her-back to my aunt, who smiled at me.

"Angel would you like to hold the baby?"

I nodded, grinning. Finally!

"Come sit up here with me."

I scrambled up beside her and held out my arms. She handed me the blanket, still keeping her arms close.

"Be very careful," Papa warned.

"I will."

Gently I peeled back a layer of blanket and looked at the face. My friend Geraldo had told me baby people looked like baby chickens and I had seen baby chickens in Miss Wolfe's class, but this was much nicer than a baby chicken. She had a beautiful round little face and bulgy green eyes that stared at me. Brown freckles dotted her nose and cheeks.

"Is she s'posed to be all wrinkly? And polka dotted?" I asked. The adults laughed.

"Lillian," Tia said, "this is your big cousin Angel. You two are going to grow up together."

The tiny creature wrapped one small hand around my finger. She was stronger than I would've expected. Somewhere in that moment I realized that this little thing I held (I was not totally convinced that it would turn into a little girl.) was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I never wanted her to leave my sight. I wanted to protect her from anything and everything.

"She's really beautiful," I told my aunt. "I want her. Can she live in my house with me instead?"

If I had known how true my words would become as we grew older, I wouldn't have said it.

"No, silly," laughed Mama. "She needs to be with her mommy and daddy."

"But." Tia looked at me. "But, Angel, you are going to have to take special care of her when I or Uncle Sam can't. Since she doesn't have any brothers or sisters, you have to be the big kid. Think you can do that?"

I looked at her wide eyed. This was my mission bestowed upon me by the all powerful adult. I had to accept, so I nodded vigorously.

"I will do my best!" I grinned.

"Thatta boy, Angel." Tio ruffled my hair and I beamed at him, exposing the gap in my teeth from a lost baby tooth.

"Well, I think we should go," Papa said standing up. "You'll probably want to be with her alone. Angel, say goodbye, mi hijo."

"Yes, Papa."

I handed Lillian back to Aunt Nikki, but she started to fuss and reached out for me with flailing arms.

"Oh, she misses you already!" Mama cooed.

I leaned forward and kissed the pudgy cheek.

"Don't worry, I'll see you again soon, promise. Bye Tio, bye Aunt Nikki!"

Papa scooped me up onto his shoulders and Mama kissed my aunt before coming to his side. I waved at my little cousin one more time before we walked away, deciding right then that I wanted children of my own someday, but none of them would be as beautiful as her, my very first love.

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