E: 8, M: 6, J: 3, A: 0
Rick St. James and his wife Beth quietly made their way into the hospital room with their nephews 8-year-old Eddie and 3-year-old Jesse, and niece 6-year-old Maggie.
In the bed was Rick's sister-in-law Margaret, who had just given birth to a baby girl. Margaret and her husband Ed, Rick's brother, had only planned on having three children. Sometime last year, Margaret had started looking into getting a hysterectomy. Given the pink bundle in her arms, however, she hadn't made the appointment in time - and she and Ed weren't exactly thrilled at now being the parents of four.
"Children," Ed greeted Eddie, Maggie, and Jesse with a slight smile.
Eddie and Maggie just smiled politely back, while Jesse reached his arms out for his father.
"Daddy!" He said excitedly. Ed took Jesse from Beth. It was blatantly obvious to Eddie and Maggie that Jesse was the favorite. Ed and Margaret weren't exactly the most affectionate parents in general, but Jesse was their last planned child, and still young enough to idolize Mommy and Daddy, while those days were over for Eddie and Maggie.
"What's her name, Mom?" Eddie finally asked.
"Anne Marie St. James," Margaret replied. She was exhausted. She'd given birth four times - all had been hard, of course, but Anne's birth had been by far the most grueling.
"Can I call her Annie?" Maggie asked, happy to no longer be the only St. James sister.
"Her name is Anne," Ed said firmly. He and Margaret were already annoyed that they seemed to be the only ones who called their namesakes by their legal names. "Anne" was on the birth certificate so "Anne" it was.
Maggie looked down. Beth put a comforting hand on her niece's shoulder.
"She's beautiful," Beth said.
"Thanks," Margaret sighed. She was forty - much too old to have a newborn - even having Maggie and Jesse at the ages she had them at was pushing it, but geriatric pregnancies or not, at least she'd still been in her thirties.
"She's stubborn, too. Took her forever to finally latch on," Margaret absentmindedly looked down at her youngest daughter.
"What do you think, Jess?" Rick asked his youngest nephew. Ed tensed up at his brother's question. What was so hard about calling his children by their actual names?
Jesse promptly stuck his tongue out at his baby sister and spit.
"Oh, Jesse!" Margaret chided lightly. "Big boys don't do that."
"I'm not a big boy - I'm a baby," Jesse said. He was the baby of the family not…Anne or whatever her name was. This alleged sister of his better go straight back where she came from!
"Yes you are son, you're three years old now," Ed said, giving Jesse a light pat on the rear.
"Anne is the baby," Margaret added. She did have four kids whether she (and Jesse) liked it or not.
Jesse frowned but didn't protest further.
"Can Edward, Margaret, and Jesse spend one more night at your house?" Ed asked Rick and Beth.
"Of course!" Rick replied.
"Thank you," Margaret said wearily. All she wanted to do was sleep, but it was only a matter of time until Anne needed to eat or be changed again. At least she and Ed could focus on just the baby for 24 hours before adding the preschooler and elementary schoolers to the mix.
"Do the children have enough clothes?" Ed asked.
"Yes, I just did some loads of laundry last night," Beth said.
"Excellent," Ed replied.
"Well, we'd better let you and baby Annie…er Anne, rest," Beth said. Surely every adult named Anne was a baby at one point, but Beth agreed with Maggie that "Annie" suited her sister better.
"Say goodbye to your mom and dad, kids," Rick said, taking Jesse from Ed.
"Bye Mom, bye Dad," Eddie said.
"Bye Mommy, bye Daddy," Maggie said.
"Bye bye!" Jesse said.
"Goodbye, Edward Darling, goodbye, Margaret Darling," Margaret said. "Goodbye, Jesse Darling," Margaret cooed at her second youngest.
"Goodbye, kids. Be good for your aunt and uncle," Ed said.
Beth and Rick led Eddie, Maggie, and Jesse out of the hospital room and back to the car.
"She's pretty cute, I guess," Eddie said on the car ride back.
"I can't believe I finally have a sister!" Maggie exclaimed.
"What do you think, Jesse?" Beth asked. "Do you like your new baby sister?"
Jesse scowled.
"No way, José!"