Alicia breathes deeply, resting a hand on Mariana's back as she sleeps comfortably against her chest. Ricardo is next to her, Clara in a similar position, although she's awake and making soft little noises against his collar. Andre is between them, playing quietly with some blocks that are his current favorite toy. Sofia sits nearby, staring at her hands. All of them are quiet, lost in thought, absorbing the somber moment.

"It could've been me, a few years back," Ricardo says slowly and Alicia makes a pained noise, reaching out for him, finding his hand and squeezing it tightly. "It... it could've..."

"I am beyond thankful it was not, mi hijo," Sofia says in a shaky, quiet voice.

"Me too," Alicia says, trembling as she laces their fingers together. "Me too." She lifts Ricardo's hand and kisses it, tears fresh in her eyes.

Andre shifts, sets his blocks aside and carefully gets to his feet, wiping at the tears filling Alicia's eyes. "It's ok, mama," he says quietly. "Please don't cry."

Ricardo meets her halfway, taking Mariana from her, and carefully adjusting both twins to fit comfortably as Alicia scoops Andre up and holds him close, kissing his forehead and cheeks before hugging him tightly. "Mama's ok," she promises him. "Just a hard few days, honey."

Andre blinks up at her with his gentle, dark eyes. "Do hugs help, mama?"

Alicia chuckles wet and squeezes him again. "Yeah, baby. Hugs help a lot."

"Then I'll hug you even more until you feel better."

Alicia nods. "I'm looking forward to it," she murmurs, hugging him even tighter.

Ricardo smooths a hand over the twins' backs before looking up and catching Sofia's eye. They share soft, sad smiles. Yes, he thinks. It is a hard time right now, but we'll get through it. We somehow always do.