“Hey.” Hazel’s greeting is soft, warm, and concerned. She’s my sister, I know, and I’ve gotten to know her over the past few months, but it’s still weird. I barely remember her being home, but she left when I was six or seven, so I guess that’s normal.

“Hey,” I say.

She reaches into her bag and takes out a candy bar for me. “Michael says it’s your favorite.”

I take the candy. “Yes! He came through. Here.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a mini bag of gummy bears. “These are for him.”

“You guys have a junk food swap going?”

I shrug a shoulder. “I’m his aunt. I’m allowed to spoil him.”

“You’re thirteen,” she says, dropping the bag of gummies into her bag. She looks at Ivy and sighs deeply. “Anything?”

I shake my head. “How’s Michael?” I still can’t believe Abel kidnapped him and Hazel. I just don’t get it.

“He’ll be okay,” she says but I know she’s not telling me everything.

“You?” I ask.

“I’m fine,” she says with a warm smile as she squeezes my hand. “Thanks for asking.”

“The baby’s awake,” I say as we both look at the blanket move over Ivy’s belly. “Let me get my phone.” I dig it out of my back pocket and start to record it.

“You know that’s kind of creepy right?”

“I don’t care. She shouldn’t miss this. I’ll show her when she wakes up.” When the baby settles down, I put the phone away and find Hazel watching me with that pitying look I’m getting to know. “She will wake up. You don’t know her like I do, Hazel.”

“Okay, Eva.”

“Not okay, Eva. She will.”

“I know she will.” She squeezes my hand, and we just sit there for a while. Hazel chatters on about Michael, telling Ivy what he’s up to. The nurses said it was good to do. To keep talking to her. Let her know we’re here, and we miss her.

Santiago arranged things with IVI with Hazel and Michael. I don’t really know what he did or what the problem was exactly, but she’s living back at home now. Dad’s back home, too, but Mom’s moved out. It’s like musical houses with us. I could have gone back too, but I chose to stay with Santiago. He needs me more than they do.

Hazel stays an hour and then gets up to go as the sun is starting to set. “I need to be home for dinner with Michael. And I’m sure Dad wants to come see you, too.” She’s talking to Ivy. “I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?” She adjusts her blanket. “You want a ride home?” she asks me.