"Awesome. Then I'm not gonna feel guilty about this," Ryan said as he flicked off the lid and dug the spoon into the untouched swathe of ice cream.
And then he suddenly dropped the spoon.
"Uh oh." Ryan's voice was thin. "Uh, Ulysses? I think we better get to the hospital."
My finger had been hovering over the call button on Ryan's phone all day. "Already on it."
"Wait, where's Andrew?" Ryan asked. "He'll need a sitter."
"Oh, don't worry your head off," Ms. Smith called.
Ryan sputtered when he saw her wheel into the room. "When did you get here? Did I fall into an ice cream induced time warp or something?"
Ms. Smith cackled. "I wish it was something that fancy. Ulysses grabbed me a chauffeur earlier because he had a feeling today was the day."
Ryan whirled around to stare at me. "How did you know?"
I smiled and gestured to where my magical unicorn horn would've been in my other form. "Just a little hunch."
* * *
One of Darcy'schauffeurs was there to pick us up in an instant. It was times like this that I was grateful for his friendship. Maybe there was some use in having human contraptions like cars around after all.
The driver sped us to the hospital, where I'd called ahead to let them know we were coming. The staff wasted no time taking Ryan and making him feel comfortable. It was a relief knowing he was in good hands, even if they were non-magical ones.
Speaking of hands, Ryan's were clasped so fiercely around mine that I wondered if he actuallywashuman, because oh my heavens he was strong.
That day I got up close and personal with the non-magical yet still magical experience of human childbirth.
And that was certainly something I would never forget.
* * *
She cameinto the world just as the afternoon light outside the window bled into twilight, the most mystical time of day.
Ryan's forehead was streaked with sweat and he was utterly exhausted, but I could tell from the look on his face that he forgot all of that the instant that he saw her. Elizabeth, our daughter. She had my pale blond hair, white if you looked at it a certain angle, and Ryan's sweet dark brown eyes. According to the nurses, she wasn't as loud or fussy as most newborn babies, but they didn't seem to be concerned about this. She was healthy and strong, just a little quiet. I wondered if it was the unicorn blood in her. We are a calm and collected bunch, after all.
When we took her home, Andrew and Ms. Smith met us by the door. After the incident with the elevator and the management not doing their jobs to keep the building accessible, I eventually lost my patience and ended up purchasing Ms. Smith a home near us that was specifically modified to be accessible. She was an important person in Ryan and Andrew's lives and I wanted to repay her. She also loved babysitting Andrew, so it worked out for everybody.
Ms. Smith put her hand to her mouth. She had tears in her eyes as she gazed down at Elizabeth.
"She's beautiful," she murmured to Ryan, then grinned and gestured to me. "I told ya you picked a good one, Ryan."
Ryan's brown eyes sparkled with affection. "I know I did."
Our son was bouncing off the walls with excitement, eager to show his new little sister his dinosaur collection. He skidded to a halt in front of us and lowered his voice, like he knew he had to be gentle around her.
"Small," Andrew said.
"Soon she'll get bigger and then you can play with her," I reassured him with a smile. "Right now, she and Daddy need to rest."
Andrew pouted for a moment, then beamed at me with big pleading eyes. "Daddy Yooshy play with me?"
My heart warmed every single time he called me that. "Of course, Andrew."
Ryan gave me a tired smile. "Thanks, Ulysses. I love you so much."
"And I love you even more, my little clover."
