Chapter Text
Arthur sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in one hand and his wife's hand in the other. Sadie sat beside him, hand gently resting over the growing swell of her belly.
Maisie Morgan—two years old, wild-haired and barefoot—was coloring on the floor nearby, humming a made-up tune and occasionally babbling words that sounded like “’daddy flyin’ on a horsie” and “mama makes big soup!”
Sadie turned to Arthur with a smirk. “You think it’s time?”
Arthur fondly gazed down at their daughter. “Saw her wrangle a chicken with her bare hands the other day, she'll be fine hearin' it.”
Sadie chuckled, then walked over to where Maisie was and knelt beside her.
“Hey, baby," she starts, brushing a curl behind her ear. "Mama’s got a surprise to tell you.”
Maisie looked up at her, eyes wide. “A surpriiiise?”
“Yep. You know how you’ve got your toys and your animals and your Papa?”
“An’ my horsie! An’ my bunny!” The little one beams, holding up her stuffed toy to show.
Arthur joined them, grinning from ear to ear. “What if we told you… that soon, there's gonna someone else living with us? It's someone very special, and someone you'll love very much.”
Maisie looked between them, her face scrunching in that same way Arthur did when he was concentrating. “Umm… a new doggie?”
Sadie laughed. “No, honey. A new baby. A little brother or sister. They’re in Mama’s tummy right now.”
Maisie’s face twisted in confusion. She toddled up and gently poked Sadie’s belly.
“…They’re in there? Why they do that?” she asked, genuinely baffled.
Arthur couldn’t stop the laugh that rumbled from his chest. “’Cause that’s where they grow, little pea. It’s like a seed. Mama’s tummy’s the garden.”
"And it means... you're gonna be a big sister soon," added Sadie.
Maisie tilted her head again. Then looked at Sadie’s stomach. Back at Arthur. Then gasped, in innocent child-like theatrics. “Big sister? Me?"
“That’s right, sweet pea.”
The little girl squealed and did three little jumps in a row, arms flailing like a baby chick. “WE GONNA HAVE NEW BABY!!!”
She ran straight into Arthur’s arms, nearly knocking his chair over as she buried her face in his neck, giggling wildly.
Arthur scooped her up and kissed her cheek. “Think you’re ready for that job, little peanut?”
Maisie nodded fiercely. “I’ma teach them how to run! An’ jump! An’ throw mud!”
Sadie raised an eyebrow. “Throw mud, huh?”
"Yes, Mama," said Maisie, before sheepishly following it with a: "Only a little’ bit…”
Arthur met Sadie’s eyes over their daughter’s shoulder, his smile soft and full of that quiet kind of awe he still got whenever he looked at their life—the home, the child, the love.
Sadie walked over and wrapped her arms around both of them, her bump pressing gently between them all.
“She’s gonna be the best big sister in the world,” Sadie whispered.
Arthur kissed her forehead. “Damn right she is.”
Maisie, still squirming in excitement, threw her arms around both Arthur and Sadie's necks, then proudly says, “Baby is gonna be my friend forever!”