Closed One More Makes Five

[James Holland]

James had been waiting for today with excitement and trepidation ever since they brought Lucy home from the hospital. Though he had spent weeks now getting settled into a routine as a stay-at-home father, it felt like today was the first day Lucy would truly join their family. Eva had kindly agreed to watch the baby while they were picking the girls up from the train station, so as not to cause a fuss in front of too many people, and now the time had come. The girls were home for the holidays... Rose was home for good, and they were going to introduce their daughters to the new member of their family.

After thanking Eva for her time and seeing her off, James led the girls quietly to the nursery, pausing at the door. "Lucy's sleeping right now, but we'll be quiet." He whispered before gently, quietly turning the handle, ushering his older daughters in to meet their new sisters. Lucy was sleeping peacefully in her crib, face so still and perfect it hid any suggestion of how fussy she could be when awake. "This is Lucy..." James said softly, showing the sleeping infant to her big sisters for the first time.

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana knew her holidays would be all about her baby sister, and wasn't thrilled about it. Sure, having a baby in the family was fun, she guessed, but she had her own life and didn't want to spend the entire break babysitting her newest younger sister. She wondered how Alice was taking it, as she hadn't been very happy about it before. But it wasn't like there was anything any of them could do about it. The baby was here, and she would stay. Diana looked over into the crib, and her annoyed thoughts faded away the moment she saw her baby sister's face. She was so tiny. Diana glanced at her other sisters, then at her dad. Finally, she whispered. "Is she supposed to be this small?"

 

[Alice Holland]

If Alice was completely honest, she had to admit to herself that she was a little bit nervous about meeting her baby sister. She had opposed to the baby very much, and still wasn't very happy about it all. She had liked being the youngest, and being replaced in that way... stung. Especially when her mother was already too busy to really pay attention to them like she used to.As her father led them up to the nursery, Alice felt nervous. But at the sight of her baby sister, all she could really do was stare. She was so tiny, and it felt strange to think she had harbored such mean feelings toward her. She was still a bit annoyed at her parents, but it wasn't the baby's fault. Alice's expression softened as shes watched her, but she remained quiet.

 

[James Holland]

Seeing his daughters faces as they met their sister for the first time warmed James' heart in a way he didn't think he would feel. He had been especially worried about Alice's reaction, but the softness on her face was everything James had hoped for when she actually met her new sister. He chuckled softly at Diana's question, nodding. "They're very small when they're born." He said softly, stepping closer quickly as he saw Lucy shifting slightly. "Oh, she's waking up..." He breathed, gently scooping Lucy into his arms. He had been learning quickly that she preferred to wake up in someone's arms - if she was in her crib she would be more likely to grizzle. James watched the baby's eyes flutter open, smiling warmly as she made a small unhappy noise before settling, blinking up at him with wide eyes. "Good morning, sleepy..." James whispered softly, a warm smile on his face. "It's time to meet your big sisters... it's okay girls, you can come closer." he said with a smile, looking up at his older daughters again.

 

[Rose Holland]

Being home after graduating felt surreal for Rose. She knew she should be starting to look for jobs, for things she wanted to pursue, get started on her career. She should be starting to work towards being independent, but that thought terrified her. She was still only seventeen, and really didn't know what she wanted to do with her life yet. She knew in vague terms, like how she knew she wanted to work with plants and be a Herbologist, but she still didn't really know specifically what she wanted to do. Even though she knew there was plenty of time to figure everything out, there was a part of her that felt pressured to leave her parental home with the new baby there. She knew Lucy wasn't replacing them, but with her being so young and her parents needing time and room to take care of her, Rose worried she would be in the way. But her worries faded a little at the sight of her baby sister, and she watched with a smile as the baby woke up. Her dad picked her up, and Rose stepped closer. "Dad, could I hold her?" She asked him softly.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe had known that seeing her baby sister for the first time would be a whole ordeal, but she didn't quite understand why they were all going up to the nursery at the same time to see her. Sure, she was happy to see Lucy and thought she was pretty cute, as far as babies went, but the newness would soon wear off. Probably the first time she woke up the whole house with her crying. It was pretty incredible how tiny she was, and how complete she was at the same time. But Phoebe knew she wouldn't really seek out the baby much, not until she was a bit older. Phoebe wanted a little sibling she could teach things to. Lucy was clearly too small for that. She was happy to let Rose hold her for now if she wanted, as she had no real urge to do that herself just yet.