Vanessa swallowed her pre-natal pills, already glowing from the knowledge she was pregnant. It wasn't planned, but she knew she'd love this baby just the same. She'd made a follow-up appointment so Lin could come along and watch the ultrasound live. She wasn't showing yet, of course, but she still instinctively ran her hand over her belly every now and then.

Lin walked into the bathroom behind her, bedhead on full display. He put a hand on her hip and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Morning," he said in his gravelly morning voice. He went straight to the shower and turned it on. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said. It was something he asked her constantly throughout her other two pregnancies. He was so sweet and took extra care of her. Towards the end of the pregnancies, he would massage her feet and go on late night ice cream runs. He really was the best.

"Mom already sent another text this morning," he reported. "Eight more baby names to consider."

Vanessa rolled her eyes as she began to put on her make up. Sebastian and Francisco had both been on her lists, so she thought she got a say in what they named their babies. Truthfully, it didn't sway them. It was important they named their kids to honor their heritage.

Sebastian ran into the room as Lin began stripping his shirt off to get in the shower. "Daddy!"

"Homeboy!" He greeted his son.

"Come play with me!"

"In a minute, bud," he told him, ruffling his dark brown hair. "I'm about to hop in the shower. Can you go make sure Lexi and Emma are up?"

He nodded and took off running out the bedroom and down the hallway. Though he'd been reminded many times, he still pushed the doors open without knocking. Emma was already up and fully dressed, trying to figure out what shoes to wear.

"Sebby!" She greeted her younger brother. When he ran to her, she bent down to receive his hug. "Which shoes do you think I should wear today?"

Sebastian looked between the two pairs she had picked out, and pointed to a pair of black Chucks. "Thank you," she told him. He took off running to Alexis's room. Predictably, she was still in bed. Sebastian propelled himself onto her bed and sat on her back.

"Wexi, wake uuuuup!" He told her. When she groaned and turned her head the other way, he not-so-gently pushed her hair aside and leaned in closer to her ear. "Weeeexiiiiii!!"

Alexis burst out laughing. This was really the best way to wake up. She turned onto her back underneath him and began tickling him mercilessly. Sebastian escaped by jumping off the bed, causing a loud boom.

"Alright, I'm up!" She said as Sebastian raced towards the living room and his toys. Reluctantly, Lexi swung her legs over the bed and stretched. It was her third day at Hunter today. So far, things had gone okay. Some of the kids were really intense, but most were pretty cool. She missed having Amber, especially at lunch time.

Unlike her older sister, who carefully applied make up and did her hair to perfection, Lexi threw on a semi-clean pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and threw her hair up in a ponytail. She didn't see the point of bothering with make up, and she luckily had flawless skin. After quickly brushing her teeth, she went to the kitchen to grab some quick breakfast. She was ready within 15 minutes.

"Bye girls!" Vanessa called as she started to make some toast for the boys.

"Bye, V!"

At school, the girls quickly parted ways as they went to their lockers and got ready for first period. None of the school work so far had been too difficult. Things seemed to go at a bit of a faster pace, and the work load was greater. Still, she didn't mind. Lexi had to admit it was nice to have the extra challenge. School was more interesting and she wasn't bored and finishing her work too fast.

In English class, her teacher, whom Lexi liked, started to introduce a new unit they were doing about poetry. Inwardly, she cringed. Poetry had never been her thing. She liked the funny poems they got to read as little kids, like Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, but the poems they had to read now were all complicated and deep and hard to understand. She started to tune out a bit, when Mrs. Newkirk began passing out papers. A project.

They had to write a series of poems that they would be turning into a book. Twenty poems in all. And the worst part – they had to choose one to read, memorized, in front of the class.

Lexi loved being the center of attention most of the time. She loved playing sports and goofing around with friends and family. But getting up in front of the class and reading something she'd made up? Definitely not something she'd choose willingly. Lexi felt her heart drop as she went over more requirements. They had to show emotion and it had to be at least two minutes long. As the bell rang, Lexi stuffed the paper into her backpack and trudged towards her next class.

She was a procrastinator at heart, so Lexi pushed it out of her mind for now. It was due in a month, so she'd probably start maybe 5 days before. She found she worked best under pressure. Unlike Emma, who planned out every moment of her life and wrote it down in her day planner.

At the end of the day, Lexi waited on the front steps for her older sister. She didn't feel like going to the skatepark today, so she texted Amber that she was sitting this one out. It had been almost five minutes, when Lexi looked to her right and saw that Emma was standing by the bus stop, talking with some guy she didn't know. He looked a little shady, but recognized him from the hallways. He handed her something and Emma tucked it into the bottom of her backpack. Lexi walked down the steps to meet up.

"Who was that?"

Emma's face looked a bit guilty, like she'd been caught in some heinous act. "Nobody. He's from my math class."

"What did he give you?"

"None of your business! Let's go."

There was no reason to argue, so the girls got on the subway and headed for home. It was Emma's day off from ballet, so they both immediately hit the couch when they arrived. They started to fight over what to watch.

"I'm the oldest, so I get the first say," Emma told her, trying to push her sister's grabbing hands away from the remote.

"But I had a hard day!" Lexi protested, still grabbing.

"Tough shit," Emma told her as she hid the remote in the couch cushion. Lin and Vanessa wouldn't get them TVs for their own rooms, having read about the dangers of too much screen time. Their bedrooms were for relaxing and down time, not for binging TV.

Lexi gave up and decided to just go to her room, rather than get subjected to whatever melodrama her sister had chosen. She could clean her room, but there were more important things in life than having a spotless bedroom. Grumbling, she turned over on her stomach and pulled out her poetry assignment sheet. Why did teachers torture students in this way? What benefit did humiliating yourself in front of your classmates have?

It wasn't like her, but Lexi decided to give the assignment a quick try. There were multiple formats they were supposed to use – cinquain, haiku and such. Since they were so short, she decided to bust out a couple of haikus. Those were easy enough. One-twentieth done. She felt a sense of accomplishment.

___

At dinner that night, the family enjoyed a nice meal of roast chicken and vegetables. It was usually a family favorite, so Lin and Vanessa were surprised to see that Emma only ate about half of hers. Since she was so physically active, it was important for her to get enough calorie intake, and especially enough protein.

"Em, are you feeling alright?" Vanessa asked as she sipped her water.

"Fine, just not that hungry," she told her.

"You should try eating a little more," Vanessa urged her.

"No thanks," she said. "May I be excused?"

"Sure," she said.

Emma pushed herself off and took her plate to the kitchen, rinsing it off and setting it in the dishwasher. She went back to her room to tackle her pile of homework.

___

A week later, Emma handed her classmate her last $20 bill, which gave her four more pills. This was the last of the cash she had stashed away in her bedroom. She knew she had tons of money in savings at the bank thanks to her parents, but it didn't feel quite right to touch that. She needed more money. She needed to get a job.

She'd heard about a teen job board through a teacher at school, so when she got home she searched on her computer. Fast food wouldn't really be her thing. Retail sounded okay. She found there were a few stores hiring associates, so she decided to apply. Minimum wage was $12. If she worked ten hours a week, that would give her $120, or 24 pills.

A couple days later, she was called for an interview at a teenage-themed clothing store. She went in the next afternoon and was interviewed by the manager. She'd been impressed by Emma's grades and the fact she did ballet. It seemed like she would have a good work ethic, so Emma was offered the job. She could start Saturday.

On Saturday morning, Emma was up at 8 a.m. so she could be at the store at 9. Usually, she lazed around quite a lot on the weekend, so Lin and Vanessa were surprised she was up so early.

"Got plans?" Lin asked from where he nursed a cup of coffee in his pajamas.

Emma pulled on her shoes. "Uhhh...yeah. I kind of got a job?"

Lin swallowed his coffee and looked at her. "A job? Where?"

"Hollister," she said as she grabbed her purse.

"And when were you going to tell us?" Lin asked.

"Ummm...now?"

Lin sighed and stood up to go get another cup of coffee. "Emma, I really wish you would have run this by me first. Your schedule is already packed. Is it about money?"

"Most parents would be proud their teenager was taking responsibility," Emma pointed out.

"How many hours a week are you working?"

"Twelve," she told him. "Eight each weekend and a four hour shift on Wednesday, my day off from ballet."

"Are you trying to save up for something or what? You know you've got money from your parents in the bank."

"I gotta go," she said, avoiding the question. "I'll see you at 5:30!"

___

Emma got home around 5:30, exhausted but feeling accomplished from her first day of gainful employment. She plopped her purse on the counter, kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the couch.

"How was your first day?" Vanessa asked her from where she was reading a book.

"It was good," Emma told her. "It's fun working the cash register. And I like cleaning things up, so it's perfect."

"You are good at cleaning your room. Did you put that on your resume?"

"I should," she said. "Where is everyone?"

"Lin took them all to a movie," she reported. "Then pizza. If you want to order something in, go ahead."

Vanessa and I ordered in Panera for delivery and put on a romantic comedy since we wouldn't have to listen to Lin complain. Lin and the kids came bounding in, hyped up on pizza and soda. As the credits rolled, Vanessa brought up the subject of romance.

"Anyone you've got your eyes on at school?" Vanessa asked.

"How about that grungy-looking guy you keep talking to after school?" Lexi asked, plopping down on the couch next to her sister. Emma seemed overly embarrassed, smacking her sister with her arm.

"Oww!! I'm just saying, you see him all the time and he's always giving you stuff."

"Shut up!" Emma told her sister. The dope didn't realize what she was talking about. "I don't like anyone, okay? I'm too busy."

"I can't imagine Emma even talking to someone grungy," Vanessa commented.

"Yeah, he looks like a total drug dealer," Lexi said, grinning at her sister, who did not seem at all amused.

Emma got a text from one of her school friends, asking if she wanted to hang out with a couple other kids from school. Relieved, she texted back that she would be there. Emma disappeared to her room to change and touch up her make up.

"I'm going to Sara's," she announced to her parents on the couch.

"Have fun!" Lin said. "Be back by 11."

___

Emma met her friends outside a little café in Washington Heights. They all ordered smoothies and shared a basket of French fries, gossiping about school and complaining about teachers. Almost all of them were juniors, and many had been together since kindergarten, having gone to the elementary part of Hunter College.

"Did you hear that Sam kid got suspended from school for dealing drugs in the boys' bathroom?" Megan asked the group. Emma's heart dropped. That was her guy.

"Really? What was he selling?"

"I think just pot, and he had some candy," Megan said. Candy was the street name for Adderall or other upper pills.

"Trying candy sure is tempting sometimes," commented Katie, who was a senior. "I've heard it really helps your concentration."

"Anyone tried it?" asked John.

Emma wasn't going to dare admit to her friends that she used them. It was a bit embarrassing, really. Emma felt like she couldn't handle her life and was almost like a failure for having to use Adderall. She didn't join in the conversation, just stirred at her smoothie with her straw. If Sam had gotten caught dealing drugs, she was really going to have to be more careful. He was already on the school's radar. Lin and Vanessa would kill her if they found out what she was doing.

For whatever reason, Emma wasn't feeling particularly fun that evening, and decided to head home at 10. She walked into a quiet house, Lin and Vanessa snuggling on the couch. Lin looked at his watch.

"You're home early," he commented.

"Yeah, the cops busted up our party and took all our alcohol," she joked.

"Not funny," he said. "There's popcorn if you want some."

Emma walked over and grabbed a handful, then walked back to her room and popped them into her mouth one by one. She didn't bother brushing her teeth and fell asleep in her clothes.

___

On Monday morning, a kid brought a note into Emma's second period class. The teacher read it and announced that Emma needed to be seen in the main office. It was close to the end of class, so she packed up her stuff and took the pass. Nervously, she told the secretary she had been called and was told to sit down.

A few moments later, the principal's door opened, and Sam walked out with what she assumed were his parents. It was surprising that they looked like bank executive types. They were in full business suits, looking like they were about to head to Wall Street, in contrast with Sam's torn jeans and messy hair. Emma averted her gaze from Sam and instead examined her feet. Shit.

"Emma, come on in," he waved her over and he stood at the door. As Emma passed, he closed the door behind him and they both took a seat.

"How are you today?" He asked her.

"Fine?"

"You're not sure?" He asked, rearranging some papers on the desk.

"Well, I'm a little confused as to why I'm here," she said.

The principal nodded. "Do you know Sam Rawlings?"

"Uhh...I know of him," she said evasively.

"You're not friends?"

"I wouldn't say that," Emma said.

"A few students have said they've seen you with him a lot recently outside of school," he went on. "Has Sam tried to coerce you in any way?"

"Like how?"

"Like offering you anything, or asking you to buy something?"

"No, sir," Emma asked politely.

"Have you heard of him doing this to anyone else?"

"No, sir."

"Okay, good," the principal said. "That's all I wanted to ask you. If he does approach you and makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, would you let me know?"

"Of course," she said as the bell rang.

"Thank you, Emma," he told her. "As the president of the student body, I know I can count on you to be honest and come forward. Have a good rest of your day."

Emma felt a bit shaky as she stood up and got out of there as quickly as she could. She'd felt for sure that she'd been caught and that Sam had ratted her out. Breathing out a long breath of relief, she headed to third period.

___

For the next week, Sam wasn't in school. He must still be suspended or had transferred to another school. He wasn't answering his phone, so he'd probably gotten it taken away. Emma was down to her last pill and would need more very soon. She felt like a total addict.

The next day she ran out and she had no one to turn to. Sam still wasn't answering his phone and she didn't know of anyone else who would have the pills. In the afternoon, she felt a horrible headache coming on, and wondered if it might be because she hadn't had a pill in two days.

That night, she reluctantly took a pill from Lexi's prescription again. She knew it would hurt Lexi, but she couldn't help herself. One pill wouldn't hurt. She'd already have her next refill by the time she reached the end. As she popped the pill and chased it with water, Lin stopped at the bathroom door.

"Headache?" He asked her, assuming she was popping a pain killer.

Emma spun around, surprised. "Uh...yeah. I think I'll lay down for a bit."

"Okay," he said. "Let me know if you need anything."

Emma knew she had to be more careful. If they found out she was using Adderall, they'd flip. Of course they'd make her quit and get help. It's not like she was doing heroin. Adderall was helping her succeed.

___

At lunch the next day, Lexi sat talking to a couple of her friends. They were both kind of oddballs, not really fitting in. Lexi at least had volleyball and softball, but still hadn't made many friends at school.

"I'm trying out for the school play tomorrow," Emily announced.

"I've been thinking about doing that," Savi chimed in. "They're doing Moana, right?"

Emily nodded excitedly. "I'm trying out for Moana, but I'm probably not going to get it. Lexi, are you gonna try out?"

She felt her stomach tumble a bit. "Uhhh...I don't know if I'm all that good," she admitted.

"It's only a school play," Savi pointed out. "You don't have to be in the lead or anything. You can just be part of the ensemble. It's fun!"

"Is it going to be a musical?" Lexi asked.

"Yep," Emily said. "Hey, didn't your dad write the music for it?"

"Yeah he did," Lexi said, knowing Lin would be super into supporting her if she did try out. She wasn't sure about doing theatre when everyone knew she was Lin-Manuel Miranda's daughter. Didn't they know she wasn't biologically his? His talent didn't just rub off on her.

"Maybe you can be Heihei," Savi teased, referring to the less-than-intelligent rooster. The bell rang and they went to their afternoon classes.

___

That night after dinner, Lexi and Lin did the dishes together in the kitchen.

"Um, Lin? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he said.

"So...my school is doing a musical," she began.

"I am not directing," he told her jokingly.

"I know," she said. "But...I'm thinking about trying out. The try-outs are tomorrow."

"Really?" He asked her. "I think that's great. It would be good for you to get more involved at school and meet some new kids."

"Yeah, maybe," she said.

"What musical is it?"

"Moana," she said, grinning.

"The dude who wrote the music is pretty amazing," he bragged, then chuckled. Lexi rolled her eyes.

"I can't really sing though," she pointed out. "Or act."

"Well, you don't have to be Moana your first time out," he reminded her as they loaded the dishwasher. "You can have a small group part. No pressure."

"True. That's what Savi said."

"Is Savi a new friend of yours?" he asked as they continued.

"Yeah, we've been eating lunch together. And a girl named Emily too."

"You should invite them around this weekend."

They continued in silence for a few minutes, then added the dishwashing detergent and closed the door.

"So, do you think you're going to audition?" He asked his daughter.

She smirked a little and decided to go for it. "Yeah."

Lin squeezed her shoulder with encouragement, knowing this would be a big step for her. He followed her to her room, where she had a packet of audition materials. Some of the songs had Polynesian words which were hard to pronounce, so Lin helped her out. She wrote the phonetic pronunciation on the paper above the word. They sang together a little bit, and Lexi was feeling good about it.

The next day, auditions for the play were after school. They had a few minutes of down time before the auditions started, and all the kids were sitting in clusters with their friends, looking over the audition packet.

"My dad helped me last night," Lexi said, pulling out her packet. "He showed me how the words are supposed to be pronounced."

She went over a few tricky words with her friends and they sang the parts together. Lexi knew she didn't have an amazing voice, but it was a workable voice. She didn't have to do a solo; just blend in.

When it was Lexi's turn she felt more nervous than she had stepping up to bat in a championship game. The piano started playing and she nervously messed with her paper. She sang the required portion of the song that everyone auditioning for the ensemble was doing. The director stopped her, holding up his hand and thanked her.

Lexi went off stage and let out a deep breath. She was glad that was over. But did that mean she didn't like being on stage? Shouldn't she enjoy being in the spotlight? She cheered her two friends on before they each took the stage. They were all told the cast list would be posted tomorrow morning outside the theatre room and rehearsals would start next Monday.

Lin asked her how her audition had gone that night as soon as he got home.

"It went fine," she said. "They post the cast tomorrow morning."

"I'm sure you'll get in," he told her. "It's important to have a decent sized group for the ensemble."

"Lin, are you supposed to be relieved when you leave the stage?"

"What do you mean?" He popped a peanut in his mouth.

"Well, I was super nervous at the audition and I couldn't wait to get off the stage," she explained. "Does that mean I'm not really into it enough?"

"No, it's an audition," he crunched away. "Everyone hates auditioning. Totally normal to want to get the heck off the stage as fast as possible."

"Okay, good," Lexi said, relieved. Lin smiled at her before eating some more peanuts.

"Opening night," he said simply. "You'll know if you belong in theatre on opening night. The thrill of it."

Lexi nodded and disappeared to her bedroom to listen to the soundtrack. She had to admit, her dad wrote some pretty catchy tunes.

___

The next morning, Vanessa woke up to some abdominal pain, right under her ribs on the right side. She gently pushed at it with her fingers and was bothered enough to let out a couple groans. Lin stirred next to her and turned over. She felt his arm rest over her side, his nose right behind her ear.

"You okay, babe?" He asked groggily, still half asleep.

"Just some pains," she told him, but she contorted her face with discomfort. She let out another groan and Lin opened his eyes more, realizing his wife was really not feeling well.

"Want me to get the heat pack?" He offered. She nodded and he was out of bed quickly, and returned a couple minutes later with the heat pad and a towel. Vanessa laid on her back as he gently set the towel and heat pad on her stomach. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pushed some hair away from her face.

"Did you get these pains with Sebastian or Francisco?" He asked, his eyes blurry. Vanessa shook her head. This fact worried her. Both pregnancies had been relatively easy with no complications. "Just lay here. Should I call the doctor?"

"I don't know," she moaned. "Let's see if the heat pad helps."

Lin nodded and kissed his wife's forehead. They heard Sebastian in the hallway, so Lin took the lead with getting him breakfast. He scooped Francisco out of his crib so he could toddle after his big brother. When he returned to the bedroom fifteen minutes later, Vanessa looked worse. She was sweating and holding her head.

"Baby, what hurts?" He asked her, feeling a bit panicked. He kept himself together so he wouldn't worry his wife.

"My head," she said, tears in her eyes. "And still my stomach. And I'm nauseous."

Lin pulled out his cell phone and found his wife's OB/GYN in his contacts. He pressed call and soon got the receptionist.

"Hi, my wife is about two months pregnant and she's experiencing some pretty severe abdominal pain, headache and nausea. I think she needs to be seen by the doctor today."

"Any bleeding?" She asked.

"V, any bleeding?" He asked and she shook her head. "No."

"Shortness of breath?"

Lin asked his wife and she responded that she did a little bit. The receptionist told Lin she could be seen at 10:00. In the meantime, keep her comfortable and give her some pain pills.

Lin helped his wife sit up in bed and then found some Advil and got a glass of water. He brought it back to her and she took them, trying to keep herself calm. Lin rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I don't like seeing you like this," he told her. "I'll drive you to the doctor at 10. Need me to call your boss?"

She nodded, not really feeling up to having a conversation. Lin called her boss and also cancelled an appointment he had that morning. He disappeared to get the kids ready for the day, hiding his worry from them.

Lin helped his wife into the shower as soon as the kids left and then she got dressed in some sweats and a t-shirt. He helped her walk down the hallway and out to the car a few minutes later. They arrived at the doctor's office where the nurse first had Vanessa stop to do a urine test, then led them to an exam room. She began by asking Vanessa some questions and taking her vitals.

"The doctor will be in shortly," she told them and left the room. Lin sat with his arm around his wife, his head rested on top of hers. Soon, the doctor came in and had her lay down on the exam table. He felt at her abdomen and asked her to tell him where it was tender. She felt pain below her right rib.

"Well, we're going to do some blood work, but I'm thinking you might possibly have preeclampsia," he began to explain. "We'll know if we find protein in your urine and a low platelet count in your blood. You've got some other symptoms, like headache and pain at your upper right abdomen. The nurse reported your blood pressure was a little high."

"And what is preeclampsia?" Lin asked.

"It's basically high blood pressure during pregnancy. Usually it presents itself after 20 weeks, so this is a bit unusual. It puts your pregnancy at a high risk, so we'll need to see you weekly. We'll be monitoring your blood pressure very closely. It's all fully treatable, but we just need to stay on top of it."

Lin and Vanessa nodded and asked a few more questions, which he answered patiently and thoroughly.

"Alright, since we're here, let's have a look at your little guy," he said. "We'll do a transvaginal ultrasound this time."

Vanessa was told to change into a paper gown, and the doctor would be back in a few minutes. Lin helped her change and sit back up on the table. A few minutes later, the doctor came back in with a nurse assistant. He pulled out the stirrups and Vanessa laid back, never really enjoying this part of the pregnancy.

"Deep breath in," he instructed her. "And out."

Lin stood by his wife's head to give her some privacy and held her hand. Her face contorted in discomfort as the doctor began his exam.

"Good," he told her as he turned his head towards the screen. The screen of black, white and gray began to move and show images. Lin and Vanessa both looked at the screen, anxious to see their baby. Finally, a tiny blip came on the screen, gently pumping with life. They smiled and Lin squeezed his wife's hand. It was magical to see their baby on the screen together for the first time.

"The fetus is looking completely healthy," the doctor reported. "No signs of distress."

He poked around a little more before finishing the exam. Vanessa relaxed, relieved, and sat up. The doctor told them to make a follow up appointment for a week later, and then left. After Vanessa got dressed, they went to see the receptionist and worked out appointments for the next month.

___

At Hunter, a large cluster of students milled around outside the theatre room, waiting for the director to post the cast list. Lexi found her friends Emily and Savi, and they nervously held hands. Emily was the only one who had actually tried out for a big part. Savi and Lexi were just hoping to get into the ensemble. Finally, the director came out of the room, taped the list up, and quickly ducked away behind the door so he wasn't trampled.

Lexi hung back, knowing her turn would come, making her way through the sea of kids – some excited, some disappointed. As they reached the paper, she found hers and Savi's names on the ensemble list. They high fived and smiled. Emily didn't get the part of Moana – she did get a speaking part, though. She would be a random tribe member. Emily shrugged it off and they decided to go get sodas and throw bread at the pigeons in Central Park.

The three middle schoolers were having a great time, and Lexi realized she had made two new friends. She remembered what Lin had said about inviting them over. They were both super excited about Moana and were obsessed with the music, so she knew they'd like to meet Lin.

"Hey, do you guys want to have a sleepover at my house this weekend?" She asked.

The girls looked at each other and nodded. They'd have to check with their parents, but they didn't see why not. Excitedly, they started planning out their sleepover. They talked about what movies they would watch (Moana, obviously), what food they'd eat, and what else they could do.

By the time Lexi arrived home, she was flying high. She couldn't wait to tell Lin and Vanessa about her part and the sleepover.

"Lin, guess what?!" She said immediately when she got in. He was working on his laptop on the couch.

"What?" He asked in a cheerful voice.

"Savi and I got into the ensemble for the play, and Emily got a speaking part!"

Lin put his laptop aside. "That's awesome!" He got up and gave her a big hug. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," she said, and her expression showed that she was proud of herself too. "And I asked Emily and Savi if they could come stay for a sleepover this weekend."

"Sounds great," he said, glad that she was making friends at Hunter. "What do you guys wanna do?"

"Well, we'll probably practice singing Moana songs, and watch movies and pig out on junk food," she said.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. "You can get pizza for dinner or order whatever."

It was Wednesday, and Lexi wasn't sure she could wait until the weekend. The sleepover was going to be so much fun! She rushed off to the living room and turned it on MTV. Her favorite song was being played, so she turned it up.

"Actually, Lex, can you turn that down?" Lin asked. "Vanessa's not feeling very well."

Lexi immediately turned the volume back down. "What's wrong?"

"She's just having more pregnancy pains than she's had before," he explained, not wanting to get into the details and scare her. "She's been resting in our room all afternoon."

Lin told her the boys were at his parents' for the day so Vanessa could rest. She'd taken the full day off work. Lin was being very attentive, checking on his wife every hour or so and bringing her heat pads, food, and water. The rest was doing her good.

Luis dropped the boys back at home around 6, just as Emma was getting home from work. She looked exhausted, and it worried Lin. He really wished she hadn't taken on a job on top of everything else she was doing. It was nice that she was being responsible, but it's not like they were strapped for cash.

For the third night in a row, Emma barely ate any of her dinner. Lin had noticed she had been skipping breakfast some days as well. He didn't know how much she ate at lunch, but when she was at home it usually wasn't a whole lot. Lin knew he needed to keep an eye on her. As a ballerina, he knew she was more likely than other girls to develop an eating disorder.

After putting the boys down, Lin went into the master bedroom to check on Vanessa one last time. She was stirring slightly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and gently rubbed one of her arms.

"Hey, sleepy," he said softly. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Hey," she said a bit weakly. "Do you need me to help with bedtime?"

"Absolutely not," he told her. "They're already down anyway."

"You should've woken me," she protested.

"Vanessa, you're in no state to be wrangling the boys. Don't worry, I took care of it," he tucked some hair behind her ear. "I think you should stay home from work again tomorrow."

"I'll see how I feel in the morning," she said, which didn't surprise Lin. Vanessa hated missing work and only called in when it was absolutely necessary. Judging by the way she looked now, Lin highly doubted she'd be able to return tomorrow.

He decided not to argue because it would do him no good. "Get some rest," he told her, and kissed her on the forehead again. Lin gently closed the door behind him, feeling badly that his wife was feeling so crappy. They'd been lucky with their first two pregnancies, but for some reason this one was beginning to get stressful. If it was going to be like this the whole time, he wasn't sure how he'd cope for seven more months. He closed his eyes for a moment and composed himself to go check on the girls. Responsibility called, and a lot of the weight was on him.