Chapter 262

The little fist moved slightly, fingertips spreading open for just a moment before curling back.

Eloise's eyes lit up with an almost startling brightness. "She touched me!"

Sophia smiled. "Eloise, you're a big sister now."

Eloise nodded hard, then suddenly straightened up, clasped her little hands behind her back, puffed out her chest, and announced with great seriousness:

"I'm a big sister now. I'll take good care of my little sister."

Everyone laughed.

Nicholas picked up the baby, walked to Sophia's bedside, and gently laid the tiny bundle back beside her.

Sophia turned her head and looked at her second child, then reached out a finger and lightly tapped her between the eyebrows.

The baby wrinkled her nose, as if annoyed at being disturbed, but quickly relaxed her face and went right back to sleeping peacefully.

"Have you thought of a name?" Nicholas asked suddenly.

Sophia was quiet for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curved up.

"Yes."

She reached out and gently wrapped the baby's tiny hand in her palm. The little pinky curled slightly, as if trying its best to respond to its mother.

"Serena," Sophia said.

The delivery room went still for a moment.

"We've chosen Serena as our baby's name. May every one of us return to the one our hearts yearn for above all others."

Sophia looked up at Nicholas.

"Do you like it?"

Nicholas's eyes went red almost instantly.

Serena.

He had waited for her all those years, and she had finally come back.

He had missed the first three years of Eloise's life. This time, he hadn't let go.

His body had been broken and pieced back together. His hair had gone white. His heart had been hollow for so long, for so very long. But now…

She was back. They were all here.

He leaned down and gently pressed his forehead against Sophia's.

"It's perfect. It really is."

Eloise tilted her head and mulled over the name for a moment before suddenly letting out an excited gasp. "I'm Eloise, and our little sister is Serena! If you put our two names together…"

She furrowed her brows in thought for a second, then her eyes lit up brightly. "It means safe return!"

Everyone fell silent, stunned by her observation.

The little girl had stumbled onto something beautifully meaningful.

Nicholas let out a tearful smile, unable to hold back the upward tug of his lips. "That's right," he nodded firmly. "Eloise and Serena together stand for a safe homecoming."

Satisfied with herself, Eloise leaned down close to her baby sister and whispered, "Did you hear that, little one? Your name is Serena. With my name, Eloise, we represent coming home safely."

She paused, then added one final thought to wrap it all up.

Sophia's tears suddenly spilled over.

She reached out and pulled Eloise into her arms, shifted the baby toward the middle, and the three of them huddled together.

Nicholas stood at the bedside, watching them, his eyes going red all over again.

His world had once been nothing but cold conference rooms and endless spreadsheets.

And then for years after that, nothing but an empty bed that never felt full and a cane that kept him standing.

He had thought that was just how the rest of his life would go — grinding through it in a broken body with an unfinished ache in his chest, waiting for the day he finally ran out of steam, waiting for the day he wouldn't have to dream that dream anymore.

But now, his world suddenly had color. His life suddenly had somewhere to belong.

"Nicholas." Sophia's voice came through.

"What is it?"

"Why are you standing all the way over there? Come here."

Nicholas walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Sophia nudged the baby toward him, gesturing for him to take her.

He reached out again and cradled the tiny bundle steadily in his arms.

Eloise squeezed in beside him, her little head poking over and resting against his shoulder.

"When is the baby going to grow up?"

"Soon," Nicholas said softly. "Just like Eloise — she'll grow up fast."

"Yay!" Eloise clapped her little hands excitedly. "When she's big enough, she can dig in the sandbox with me!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Another two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

Serena grew fast, changing almost every single day.

The little face that had been all scrunched up at birth was gradually smoothing out. She was starting to look a lot like Eloise had as a baby — you could already see the resemblance in her brows and eyes.

But Sophia had never once brought up Eloise's surgery.

She didn't say a word about it, but inside, she was more anxious than anyone.

So was Nicholas.

But he didn't dare push. Didn't dare ask. Didn't dare let too much of his worry show in front of Sophia.

All he could do was pour that restless energy into action.

Getting up in the middle of the night to change Serena's diaper. Coaxing Eloise to sleep. Simmering soups and cooking porridge for Sophia. Keeping every corner of the house in perfect order.

As Benjamin put it, he looked like he was ready to scrub the grout between the floor tiles with a toothbrush.

But Nicholas couldn't stop. He was afraid that if he stopped, everything he was holding in would start to show.

On the fourteenth day after Serena was born, the good news finally came.

Floyd and Benjamin showed up at the door. The weather had already turned cold, and neither of them had dressed warmly enough — they were shivering slightly — but both of them were wearing smiles they couldn't quite contain.

The moment Nicholas saw them, he went completely still.

His eyes dropped to the document envelope in Benjamin's hand. His voice came out a little tight. "The results are in?"

Floyd nodded, his gaze moving past Nicholas's shoulder into the living room, just in time to see Sophia stand up from the sofa with Serena in her arms.

She had heard the noise at the door. Her expression shifted immediately — a trace of tension crossing her face.

Benjamin stepped forward and held the envelope out to Nicholas.

"The compatibility results. A perfect match."

Both of their eyes went red almost at the same instant.

Sophia looked down at Serena, sleeping soundly in her arms, and felt something tremble deep in her chest.

She had no idea what was happening. She was still sleeping away, perfectly content.

And yet this tiny little person, only fourteen days old in this world, who didn't even know her own name yet, had already given her big sister the most precious gift imaginable — without knowing a thing about it.

"We can breathe now," Nicholas finally said, his voice rough.

Sophia's tears fell without a sound.

They had waited so long. And the day had finally come.

Eloise still had no idea what was going on. She came running over, holding up a family portrait she had just finished drawing.

She tilted her little face up and asked in her sweet, childlike voice, "Mommy, why are you crying?"

Sophia bent down and pulled Eloise into her arms.

"Eloise, you can have your surgery now."

Eloise froze for two seconds, then blinked.

"If I have the surgery, will I get better?"

Sophia nodded hard.

"And then I can go to kindergarten?"

Sophia nodded again.

"And I won't have to keep going to the hospital to get my blood drawn?"

Sophia buried her face in Eloise's hair, crying too hard to speak.

Eloise was quiet for a little while. Then she reached up her small hand and patted Sophia's back, clumsy but gentle.

"Don't cry, Mommy. Eloise isn't scared. Eloise is a big sister. Eloise is brave."