"Maybe it's better because you're having a sister." Dominick nodded his head of curly hair.

They were perched at the top of the jungle gym, their usual meeting place before school started. Kerry, Noah, Dominick and Kenny were all looking at Leo.

"What do you mean?" Leo wanted to know.

"Maybe a sister won't take a much time as a brother, maybe they'll still have some time for you," Dominick clarified. "We got a brother, and he's a pain in the butt."

Leo nodded.

"We're having a sister, too," Kenny put in. Leo remembered that Kenny's mother and new father were having a baby in February, in just a couple months.

"I don't know, you guys, I have a sister, and she's icky," Kerry declared. Her skinny, white braids twitched as she looked around. "She lies, and takes my stuff."

"But she's a big sister," Dominick said. "Older ones are all icky. I have cousins like that." He looked around at the gathered kids. "A baby's different. They cry, all the time, and everyone wants to be with them, and calls them cute, even when all they do is poop and barf." He thought for a moment. "My mommy never needed a break from me until my baby brother was born."

Leo shivered, even though he was wearing his coat. He had never been so scared. And he was so confused, too, because he felt so much love for Beanie, and she wasn't even born yet. He loved knowing that she was growing in his mommy's tummy. He liked to imagine that Mommy would eat something, like broccoli, and Beanie would reach out her little baby fingers and grab it so she could use it to build her lungs, or grow some baby hair. Or, if Mommy ate something like Toblerone, Beanie would think that there wasn't much she could build with chocolate.

He didn't want to think that his mommy and daddy wouldn't want him anymore after she was born. And on the heels of that thought came the other one, the huge one that he tried so hard not to think about, ever.

He didn't belong to his daddy.

Leo's not mine.

The words, spoken in his daddy's terrible, sorrowful voice, echoed in his ears.

That could never happen to the little bean, could it? Because his parents somehow knew, even without the Q-tip in the mouth thing, that she was theirs. They said they'd always love her. Leo was glad that at least Beanie seemed to be safe from the possibility of not belonging to anyone, and of not being wanted in their house. Even if they didn't want him, Leo, to even live in their apartment anymore, Beanie would always have a home. They would never need a break from his tiny baby sister.

The bell rang, and they climbed down, grasping the steel bars of the jungle gym, which were cold from the December wind. Noah put a comforting hand on Leo's shoulder as they left the playground.

"Don't worry," he said, brown eyes serious. "You can come stay at our apartment if you need to."

Leo thought about this all morning, during centers, and snack time, and even during lunch and resting time.

Maybe he should have a plan, like some place he could go in case his parents needed a break, especially after Beanie was born. He was grateful that Noah said he could stay at his house.

He saw Amya as he was walking home with Mouse. She was perched atop a street lamp, her purple-scaled tail curled around the pole for support. Leo was glad to see her, and wished she were real, so he could jump on her back and fly off, away from his problems.

That night, he pulled out the Channel Master to talk to Lottie and Brina. As usual, they were giggling, still enjoying the clandestine nature of their talks with him. They were telling him about how their baby brother Finn, after being speechless for so long, had suddenly started spouting words all over the place.

"What did he say first?" Leo asked.

"First he said 'Lala,' it's baby talk for sorella, that means sister in Italian," Lottie explained.

"We speak Italian, it's what our daddy speaks," Brina added, her crackly voice coming through the tiny box.

"Wow, neat," Leo exclaimed, smiling in the darkness of the closet. "I can only speak English," he added apologetically.

"So now he says lots of other stuff, too, like 'doggy,' and 'mama,' and 'daddy,'" Lottie continued. "And he says 'tar' for guitar, and anch' io. That means 'me too."

Leo couldn't wait until Beanie was born, and he could teach her to talk. "Maybe you guys could teach my baby sister some Italian," he said hopefully.

"Sure we could!"

"Hey, do you think I could come and stay at your apartment if my parents need a break from me?" Leo asked. "My friend Noah from school said I could stay at his house, but I don't know where he lives. You guys live really close, though, you know?" He waited to see what they would say. He could hear them laughing and talking to each other, pushing the button intermittently as they discussed his words.

"Yeah, you could stay here. But why would they need a break?"

Leo shrugged, though no one could see him but Happy, who wasn't even looking. "I don't know. My friend at school said that sometimes after there's a new baby, the mom and dad need a break from the other kid."

More silence and crackling as the girls talked about this.

"That sounds weird to us. We were all new babies once, and none of us ever had to go somewhere else. Francie was born, then I was, then Lottie came over from Haiti, and Clio never got sent anywhere.

"And baby Finn was just born last year, and none of us had to leave."

"Well, I might," Leo replied. He kind of wanted to tell Lottie and Brina about not belonging to his daddy, about the Q-tip thing, but he couldn't, he didn't know how.

Leo started to cry, sitting in the closet by himself, and he stretched out his feet so he could touch Happy. She turned and licked his toes briefly before returning to sleep. "I might," he repeated, sniffing and wiping his nose.

"Leo? Are you crying?"

"Yeah," he admitted, nodding. "I'm scared."

"Don't cry, Leo, please don't cry."

Leo could hear the sympathy in the voice coming through the Channel Master, and he wished he could see the girls in person.

"Of course you can come stay with us if you need to. You could use the emergency stairs at the end of the hall, I think, and no one would even know."

Leo thought about what she was saying. "You mean the stairs behind the red door? At the end of the hall? My mommy said never to use those stairs."

"Yeah, the red door stairs, for if there's a fire. They go all the way down to Mr. Bobby, and all the way up to our apartment."

Leo nodded again. "Okay. I will, if I need to."

He went to bed, feeling marginally better.

The next day, his daddy had to work, even though it was Saturday, and Leo and his mommy went out and ran errands. They took Happy, who really liked the cold weather, and the three of them returned to the apartment, chilled and invigorated from being out in pre-Christmas New York City.

Mommy was tired, even though she said she wasn't. Leo could tell from her eyes, and the sound her feet made on the floor of the apartment.

Sure enough, she sat on the couch with her tea, and stretched out moments later. "Just going to close my eyes for a sec, okay?" she said. "Tell me if you need anything, Leo, don't try to get it yourself."

Leo nodded, and continued playing with his legos. After a few minutes, he looked over again. She looked soft and comfortable, and Leo was suddenly filled with a rush of pure love for her. He wondered if she would love him more if he didn't have to bother her when he needed something, like a drink or an apple. He didn't want her to need a break from him.

He went to where she lay, and she opened her eyes, sensing his presence.

"What's up, big guy?" she asked. "You want something? You want me to get you something?"

Leo shook his head. "No," he assured her. "I'm good. I'm good. Keep sleeping."

She took his little hand in her warm one and pulled him to lie next to her. "You are good, aren't you?" she asked.

She put both arms around him, and he snuggled into her body, loving everything about her. She smelled good, like flowers and soap, and she was just so warm and everything.

Even though he wasn't tired, Leo fell asleep, cuddled in his mother's arms. He woke up when she moved, when he felt her stretch.

"Nothing like an afternoon nap, hunh, Leo?" she asked, stroking his hair.

And Leo, who normally hated naps, nodded, smiling at her.

And then he felt it, a poking, rolling movement, under his hand, where it rested on her tummy.

He looked at where his hand lay, eyes round.

Mommy felt it too, and remained motionless, putting her hand next to his. And it happened again, like someone was tapping on her tummy, but from the inside, very, very lightly.

Leo gasped. "Is that her? Is that Beanie?" he asked.

His mommy nodded, smiling, putting her hand over his. "Yeah, it is, Leo, it is!" She laughed, a happy sound. They waited together, not moving, to see if it would happen again, but it didn't.

"Leo! Your sister was saying hi to you," his mommy exclaimed. "How cool is that?"

"It's so cool!" he responded, blue eyes like marbles as he stared at her tummy.

"Should we send daddy a text and tell him?" she continued, reaching for her phone.

At her words, Leo's face clouded over.

Mouse carefully put her phone back where it was, on the table. "No, let's wait until he comes home," she amended, squeezing Leo's shoulder. "We'll surprise him, okay?"

Leo just nodded, trying not to look sad. He knew she was watching him, and he didn't want her to worry, to think he was sad.

But he was.