Sometimes, David was the only person who heard Alexis. When she cried during the night, when she yelled out, when she snuffled in her sleep. Alexis was so little, and sometimes her yells were too small for people to hear her.
But David heard her. He was only four, but he heard her. And while she was getting too heavy for him to safely lift her out of the crib- she was three months old, and he only had little arms- he could climb in with her.
"Hi", he said quietly, padding towards her crib. "Its okay, 'Lexis. Its okay". His voice was crackly with sleep, and he pulled himself up into the crib with surprising ease for a child who did not like climbing.
His baby sister blinked seriously at him, her big blue eyes wide- he'd heard their dad say how those eyes were going to get her out of trouble one day- before she gave him a tiny baby grin.
"Hi", he said again, laying down beside her. He patted her belly gently, and Alexis reached out one chubby baby fist.
"It's okay, Alexis", David said, even though his sister had stopped crying. "I'm here".