Arleth's first night had been quiet. For the first time in months, she had let her mother rest well. She only woke up at 6:20 a.m., crying softly.

"I think she'll be calmer than Olive..." Derek whispered as he lifted her from the hospital's glass crib.

"Do you think so?" Addison asked, opening her eyes.

"Well, I remember that Olive cried all night on the first night. Without breaks. I had to take her to the hallway to calm her down and nothing seemed to work."

"I don't remember that."

"It's because you fainted that night, Addie. You were very tired."

"I'm tired now too," she said, yawning.

"She slept for over 7 hours, isn't that enough? Too much? Is she okay?"

"It's normal..."

"Olive didn't sleep for even 3 hours straight when she was a baby."

"I think my brain decided to erase that information from my memories, otherwise I wouldn't have willingly gone through this again."

"Arley won't do that... she's an angel, right, my love? I'm well behaved, Mommy," he said in a childish voice.

Addison smiled and sat up in bed.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Derek. She's not even 24 hours old. Give her to me," she gestured with her hands.

Derek gave her a little kiss on the head and handed her to Addison to breastfeed.

"It's your gaze..." she said, looking at her. Arleth had her eyes wide open. She looked at her mother with curiosity.

"Do you think so? I think she looks more like Olive, who clearly has your eyes."

"No, Der. Olive has greener eyes... Arley's are more blue, like yours. She's more Shepherd."

"She looks a bit like Amelia."

"Yes, I think if I hadn't given birth to her, I would think she's her daughter..."

"It's a sort of karma or something like that for me to have a daughter just like Amelia... speaking of which, did they have a good night with Olive? Should I call and find out?"

"Ollie must be sleeping... it's Saturday and it's 6:30 in the morning."

"Yes, she hates getting up early... are you okay, Addie?"

"Yes, why?"

"You had a very intense day yesterday..."

"I'm fine, Der. I can't wait to go back home."

"Mom sent me a message a while ago, her flight to Seattle has already taken off. She's coming with Nancy."

"I imagined they would come..." she said, gently caressing the baby's cheeks while she breastfed.

"Everyone is dying to meet this little one..."

"Everyone?" she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Your parents too, Addie."

"I doubt they care about her existence."

"They love Olive, and they were very happy when she was born. The same will happen with Arley."

"Sure..."

"You'll see. You should call them and let them know she's born."

"Or I could wait a few more days until I regain the energy to talk to them..."

"You could simply send them a photo of the baby, and a text below with her name."

"Like you did with Olive? A photo of me as an exhibitionist? Bizzy called me in the afternoon saying I should be more careful with what I showed publicly, that it was distasteful to take those kinds of photos with the babies 'hanging' from the nipples."

"We could do it again, to not break the tradition," he said, unbuttoning the other side of Addison's gown, leaving her completely naked from the top.

"Hey! Show some respect for your daughter who's eating."

Derek laughed and she bit her lower lip, holding back the laughter too.

~•~

"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Amelia shouted as she felt a sharp object poking her face. It was Olive with a tree branch that she had gone out to collect.

"I thought you were dead."

"Olive, what are you saying? What time is it?" she asked, opening one eye.

"It's already tomorrow."

"Hmm... it's seven in the morning," she said, looking at the clock on the trailer wall, "why are you awake? There's no school today. Go back to sleep."

"You said we would go see my mom tomorrow and it's already tomorrow."

"We'll go later, they must be sleeping."

"No, they're not sleeping. Dad gets up at this time."

"Shhh," she said, closing her eyes again.

Olive sat down next to her, impatient. Why was her aunt always so unenthusiastic?

"I'm hungry..."

"Check if there's something in the refrigerator."

"There's beer."

"Well, have one," she muttered half-asleep.

"I'm a kid. I can't have a beer," she said, rolling her eyes.

Amelia didn't respond. She was asleep again.

Olive got up from the bed again, grabbed a chair, climbed up on it, and started looking in the trailer pantry. There wasn't much food there, as it was usually shut down most of the time. She knew Addison hated the trailer and always told Derek they had to get rid of it, that they didn't need it anymore. But he insisted that it brought back good memories and that someday they would go on vacation touring the country in it.

Amelia used it sometimes when she wanted a little more privacy or wanted to spend the night with a guy. She didn't dare bring men for casual sex into the same house where her niece lived. So they had agreed with Derek that she could use it as long as she left it in impeccable condition afterward.

Upon opening one of the cabinets, Olive found some instant coffee. She didn't usually have that for breakfast, but she saw her parents did. And there was nothing else... and she didn't have the keys to her house to get in. She didn't know where her aunt had kept them.

So she carefully stood on the countertop, held onto the pantry doors tightly and took the coffee out. She opened the fridge and grabbed a milk carton.

She had no idea how to make coffee with milk, but she had seen on previous occasions that her father would put some coffee spoons, stir until foam formed, and then add milk. Of course, the times when he didn't use the coffee maker.

So she grabbed a cup and started adding coffee spoons. She didn't know how many were needed. Ten? Twenty? Yeah, she thought twenty was the right number.

The cup was filled halfway with coffee powder. Then she opened the milk and poured it over it. She spilled most of it on the floor, as the carton was heavy for her small hands.

Then she started stirring. It was very thick, thicker than she would have liked. Maybe it was because it was cold? How could she warm it up? She couldn't turn on the trailer's burners. She didn't know how to do it, and her mother wouldn't let her try. "These are not things for kids, Olive."

She sighed and saw there was a microwave there too. She could put the cup in there and heat it. It would be easier and wasn't prohibited by her parents.

She pushed the chair again to climb up to where it was, put the cup with the spoon inside, and pressed one of the buttons. She had no idea which one to press. But one that had a drawing of a cup with steam seemed fine.

She pressed the start button and in just a few seconds she heard small chirps coming from inside the microwave. She had never seen something like that before, but perhaps it was because it didn't look like the one in her house's kitchen.

The sounds quickly intensified and before she knew it, there was an explosion inside. She got down quickly from the chair and was shocked.

Amelia woke up suddenly at the sound and ran to where her niece was. The microwave quickly caught fire.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO, OLIVE?" she shouted in desperation as she saw the fire spreading.

"NOTHING!" she exclaimed, crying. She was very scared about what had just happened.

"GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"

Olive ran outside, terrified, while her aunt put out the fire.

Once she managed to put out the fire, she opened all the trailer's windows to let the black smoke out. It had left a horrible atmosphere in the whole interior.

"What the hell did you do, Olive? How could you?" she said, coming out of the trailer agitated.

"I'M SORRY!" she exclaimed, crying.

"God, you can't sit still for a minute without breaking things. What did you do? How the hell did you set the microwave on fire?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Right and I was born yesterday. What did you do?"

"I wanted to heat my coffee with milk."

"Heating coffee? You can't even have coffee. Stop lying. What did you do?"

"I'm not lying," she said through tears.

"I don't believe you, Olive. Tell me the truth or..."

"Don't tell Mom and Dad, please!"

Amelia sighed impatiently. How would she tell her brother that she neglected his daughter for two seconds and almost set the trailer on fire? The scolding would be worse for her than for the girl.

"Listen, stop crying. I won't tell your parents... but tell me what you did."

"I already told you! I made coffee with milk!"

"And it caught fire on its own?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"What did you put in it?"

"The cup!"

"Did you put the spoon?"

"Yes."

"God, Olive! You don't put metal objects in the microwave! You caused an explosion!"

"I didn't do it on purpose! I didn't want to burn it," she cried louder.

"I know you didn't want to... well, enough. Stop crying. Nothing serious happened. The important thing is that you're not hurt."

"Dad's going to kill me!"

"He won't... your dad won't find out. We'll figure out how to cover this... but you must never, never, never put metal objects in the microwave. Because metal contains particles that can spark when heated, and these sparks can cause a fire. Do you understand?"

She nodded, still with tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

"And you also shouldn't cook! Did you climb onto the countertop to reach the pantry?"

"Yes."

"You could have fallen and hit your head, Olive!"

"But I didn't fall!"

"Don't ever climb up again. Because if you do it again, I'll tell your parents."

"I was hungry, you weren't going to make me breakfast, you were sleeping."

Amelia was silent for a moment. In a way, this had also been her fault for not supervising her.

"Alright, let's go home to shower and change. We'll go out to have breakfast somewhere and then we'll go pick up your grandma from the airport."

"And my mom?"

"After picking up grandma, we'll go to the hospital. And remember, not a word of what happened here. Do you hear me?"

Olive nodded and Amelia sighed tiredly. Was it that difficult to take care of a child for a few hours?

~•~

"GRANDMA!" Olive shouted as she saw Carolyn coming out of the arrival gate.

"Hello, my dear!" Carolyn exclaimed, hugging her. "My god, how you've grown! You're so tall!"

"You look just like your mother!" Nancy smiled, stroking the little girl's hair.

"In two years she'll be taller than me," Amelia said, approaching to greet her mother and sister.

"How have you been? Are you happy with your little sister?" Carolyn asked.

"Yes... you'll get to meet Milo!" Olive said excitedly.

"Milo?" Nancy asked, puzzled.

"He's my kitten! He's been living with me for a year," Olive said, bouncing with excitement.

"I've seen the photos you've sent me, darling," Carolyn said. "He's very cute...I still don't understand how Addison agreed to have a cat..."

"She actually brought him," Amelia said.

"It was her patient's, but she went to live in a very faraway country and could never see him again. So she gave him to me! And he's my best friend."

"Her patient gave her a cat?"

Amelia made a cutting gesture with her hand, indicating to Carolyn that the patient had passed away and the truth had been kept from Olive.

"Oh..."

"Do you want to see him now? You have to see how we decorated my room with glitter too!"

"We're going to the hospital first. I want to meet your little sister," Carolyn said.

"But you have to meet Milo first. He was born first, Grandma."

"Olive, didn't you want to see your mother?" Amelia asked.

"Yes..."

"Then let's go, she must be waiting for you. Grandma will come to the house in the afternoon."

"Will you stay here to sleep?"

"Yes, my love. I'll stay with you for a few days."

"You can sleep in my room!"

"I think it would be better if Grandma sleeps in the guest room, Ols. Your bed is very small," said Amelia.

"Then can I sleep in your bed, Grandma?"

"Yes, dear. But for now, let's go, I'm dying to meet the baby," Carolyn said, taking her suitcase and starting to walk.

"What do you think of her, Olive?" Nancy asked.

"Hmm... she's heavy."

"Did you carry her?"

"Yes."

"You must be very strong then."

"Dad helped me."

"And what did the baby do?"

"She cried."

"My love..." Carolyn smiled, imagining it.

"And then Mom breastfed her. Did you know my mom has milk like the cows?"

"Yes, that's how babies eat."

"Mmm… Grandma, are you going to Julie's birthday?"

"Yes, I'll go back to New York for her birthday."

"Can I go with you?"

"Come with me? How?"

"Dad told me I couldn't travel alone but I can travel with you. Can't I?"

Carolyn looked at Amelia, unsure of how to respond.

"Olive, you can't travel now, your sister has just been born," Amelia said.

"But she's already been born. She won't be born again by Friday."

"Talk to your parents about it later, Ollie," Carolyn suggested. The girl's responses were always quicker than they imagined.

"Well. Let's go," Amelia said.

~•~

"Heyyy, what a surprise!" Derek said, opening the door to the room.

"Daddy!" Olive jumped into his arms excitedly and he lifted her.

"How are you, my love? How was your night with your Aunt Amelia?"

Olive looked at her aunt and she widened her eyes, pleading with her not to say anything about what had happened in the trailer earlier.

"We had a good time," she said.

"Oh my goodness, where is Grandma's little beauty?" Carolyn exclaimed, entering the room.

Arleth was sleeping cuddled in Addison's arms. She smiled as she saw her mother-in-law and sister-in-law approaching.

"She looks just like Derek," Nancy said as she saw her.

"Derek had the same chubby cheeks when he was born," Carolyn smiled. "She's so beautiful."

"I think she'll have brown hair like him," Addison smiled as she gently handed the baby to her mother-in-law. The baby didn't even notice that she had been moved from one pair of arms to another.

"Aww, she's so tiny. So precious."

"How did your first night go?" Nancy asked without taking her eyes off her niece.

"Very well, actually. Arleth only woke up in the middle of the night to eat and then went back to sleep. She's very calm," Derek said.

"She has an angelic face, she's very good," Carolyn smiled as she caressed her little face.

Olive silently watched everything from her father's arms. It was the first time she wasn't the center of attention, and she didn't know how to feel about it. All eyes were on the sleeping baby. What was so interesting about her?

"Are you coming back home today?" Amelia asked.

"We're staying one more day, Arley's blood tests came back with slightly high bilirubin levels, and they want to monitor her just in case," Addison explained.

"But is she okay?" Carolyn asked.

"Yes, she's fine. It's something that often happens in newborns, it goes away in the first few days. All the other tests were fine," Addison said.

"Won't you be sleeping at home again today?" Olive asked disappointedly.

"No, my love. But Grandma and Aunt Nancy will. Didn't you keep saying that you wanted to show your new stuffed animals to Grandma when she came? Now she will! And she will see the swing in the garden!"

"Yes..."

"Wow, do you have a swing, Ollie?" Nancy pretended to be surprised.

"Yes."

"Will you show it to me?"

"Yes..."

"I was so sure you were going to have a little boy," Carolyn changed the subject.

"I was too, but Addison sensed from the very beginning that it was a girl," Derek said.

"Why did you decide to keep it a surprise then?"

"Because we wanted to and we could," Addison murmured.

"Well, you'll have to go for the boy now, won't you?"

"Carolyn, please, I gave birth less than 24 hours ago..."

"We're done having children, Mom."

"Are you going to miss out on having a boy, Derek? But your dream was always to have a son."

"My dream has already come true with these two. We won't have any more children."

"It's a shame, you make beautiful babies. Arleth is a beauty, chubby, with rosy cheeks, and curly eyelashes, she looks like she came out of a fairytale. She has porcelain skin, she's an angel."

"She's really beautiful, Addie," Nancy added.

Olive continued to silently watch everything. Could her sister win so many compliments just for sleeping?

"Come to Mom, Ollie," Addison said, noticing that she looked a little sad. Like her, she couldn't hide her emotions.

Derek sat her on the bed next to her mother and she hugged her in silence.

"We love you very much, you know that?"

"Yeah..."

"Tomorrow we'll go home and we'll all be together, okay? Are you ready for us to bring Arley home?"

Olive simply nodded. Could she say no anyway?