(Jay's POV)
The hospital room smelled like sharp bleach and old tears. I stretched my arms, feeling the pull of the tape on my skin where the tubes used to be. My throat felt like I had swallowed a handful of dry sand and hot charcoal, but I was alive. I could look at the white ceiling instead of being buried under six feet of dirt.
Keifer sat in the plastic chair next to my bed. His eyes had deep purple bags under them. He looked like he had not slept since the day I jumped in front of him and drank that glowing neon-green toxic juice. Oh god the incident kept coming to mind that Keigan had mixed that chemical soup during one of his bad mental breakdowns. I swallowed it to save Keifer. The next thing I knew, my voice vanished, my lungs burned, and I hit the cold floor like a sack of wet bricks.
"The doctor said your vocal cords are okay," Keifer said. His voice was rough. He took my hand and squeezed it. "The surgery took four long hours. They had to scrape the poison out of your throat. Jay, don't ever do that again. My heart stopped beating for a whole day."
I tried to clear my throat. It made a sound like a dying crow.
"I... am... fine," I croaked. Each word felt like a small spike scraping my neck.
Keifer looked at me with soft, sad eyes. The doctor had already told him the big secret while I was asleep. The medical tests showed old scars in my stomach. The doctor knew I had been in a hospital years ago for drinking industrial glue. Back then, I told everyone it was an accident. I lied to protect Keigan. I did not want Keifer to lock him up or everyone call him a monster because of his scary trauma episodes. Keifer finally understood the truth. He knew why I was always sticking my nose into dangerous situations.
"I talked to Keigan," Keifer whispered, rubbing the back of my hand. "He woke up in the other room. He cried a lot. He is so sorry for what he did. I forgave him, Jay. We are going to get him real help. A good brain doctor. A psychiatrist who can fix his mind."
I smiled, though my lips were cracked. "Good," I whispered. Then, I leaned closer and gave him a tiny, wicked grin. "But... you know... I will... never... stop... meddling... in your life. I have to... protect... my favorite... idiot."
Keifer let out a loud laugh that turned into a sob. He shook his head and kissed my forehead. "You are a nightmare, Jay. A beautiful, loud, stubborn nightmare."
The nurse came in an hour later with the discharge papers. I signed my name with a shaky hand. I was finally free from the white walls and the sound of machines going beep-beep-beep all night.
Keifer helped me walk out to the car. Keigan and Keiren, were waiting by the back doors. Keigan looked small and very quiet. His face was red from crying. I hugged him tight. He did not say anything, but he held onto my jacket like a drowning man. Keifer called a special taxi to take Keigan and Keiren back to our main house so Keigan could rest and wait for his new doctor.
Once their taxi drove away, Keifer turned to me. "So, where to? Home? You need to sleep in a real bed."
I shook my head fast. I pulled out my phone and typed a message because speaking too much made my throat feel like fire. We need to go to my family's house. Right now.
Keifer raised his eyebrows. "Your family? Why?"
I typed fast: Angelo called while you were talking to the doctor. He said baby Amara is crying for us. Well, mostly for me, but she wants to see you too.
Amara , She was only two months old, but she was already the boss of the universe. Angelo and Ion, were obsessed with her.
Keifer sighed and pulled out his phone. "Let me call Angelo first. I need to tell him we are out of the hospital so they don't get a shock when we walk in."
Keifer pressed the call button and put it on speaker. It took exactly half a second for the phone to explode with noise.
"Keifer!" Angelo's voice boomed through the car speakers. He sounded like an angry grizzly bear that had been kicked in the stomach. "You slick, smooth-talking billionaire boy! I heard what happened! Jay Jay drank green poison because of your crazy family drama! She almost lost her voice! She almost died!"
Keifer gulped. His face completely handsome even in this situation, "Boss, listen, it was an accident—"
"I don't care about your explanations!" Angelo roared. I could hear something squeaking in the background of his call, like a tiny plastic duck. "The moment you set foot in this neighborhood, you better be ready. I am going to buy wood. I am going to get my hammer. I am going to prepare your coffin personally with my own two hands, Keifer! I will make sure the velvet inside is nice and comfy for your long sleep!"
Keifer looked at me with not even a single second of fear. He is used to Angelo's threats . (Even though Angelo looked like a movie villain who broke bones for fun. )
"Wait, Angelo," Keifer didn't stammer, his voice cool persona still there. "If you are that mad, maybe we shouldn't come over today? We can just go back to my place and—"
"What?!" Angelo barked. The squeaking toy sound got louder. "Who said you could change the plan? You said you were coming home! Baby Amara heard your voice on the text messages earlier! She made a face! She made a little noise! That means it is an official order from the baby! You do not say no to Princess Amara!"
Listening Baby Amara's name-
Keifer did not even think for a second. He stood up straight, even though he was just sitting in a car seat. "Yes, sir! We are on our way right now! No delay! Please tell the baby I will be there in ten minutes!"
The phone clicked shut.
I leaned against the car window and laughed so hard no sound came out. It was just a silent, shaking belly laugh. My throat hurt, but it was worth it. Seeing the big, rich, powerful Keifer get bullied by a two-month-old baby and a giant angry man (Demon in disguise of Angel) was the best medicine in the world.
We drove across town to the family house. The sun was starting to go down, casting long yellow shadows on the street. Keifer parked the car three feet away from the sidewalk because he was thinking about Angelo's coffin threat. He was calm and not terrified. Sometimes I can't even judge this man.
"Do I look okay?" Keifer asked, fixing his hair in the mirror. "Do I look like a guy who deserves to live?"
Even through he was teasing me right now.
I patted his cheek and tried to open my door but before I could , keifer came in a flash of light and opened the door of car for me. We walked up the wooden steps to the front porch. The house looked normal from the outside. The white paint was clean, and the flower pots were neat. But the moment Keifer turned the brass doorknow and pushed the door open, we stepped into a completely different dimension.
The house did not belong to adults anymore. The house belonged to a tiny dictator.
In the middle of the massive living room, a large pink fluffy blanket was spread out across the floor like a royal rug. Sitting right in the dead center of that blanket was baby Amara. She was wearing a white onesie with little yellow ducks on it. She had fat, chubby thighs that looked like rolls of bread dough, and three hairs sticking straight up from the top of her head.
She was not sleeping. She was not crying. She was sitting up with her back straight, looking around the room like a king looking at his servants.
"Gaga! Boop! Ma-ma-ba!" Amara shouted. She pointed a tiny, wet, slobbery finger toward the kitchen.
"Right away, your highness!" a voice screamed from the hallway. It was Tita Gemma. Right now, she was running across the hardwood floor with a warm bottle of milk in one hand and a soft cloth in the other. She was moving faster than an Olympic runner. She slid on her knees onto the pink blanket, presenting the bottle like a knight offering a sword to a king.
Amara looked at the bottle. She sniffed. She waved her hand flatly, knocking it away. "Noo-ba!" she grunted.
"Oh, no! She doesn't want the milk yet!" Tita Gemma cried, looking up at the ceiling in pure panic. "Mom, mom, come quick! The queen rejected the milk! What do we do?"
From the dining room, my old grandmother, Lola, came power-walking out. Lola usually moved at the speed of a snail because her knees were bad. Today, she looked like she had rockets attached to her rocking chair. She was holding a giant colorful picture book about farm animals.
"Move aside, Gemma!" Lola gasped, puffing for air. "Look here, my sweet angel! Look at the cow! The cow goes moo! Look at the horse! The horse goes neigh!" Lola started bouncing up and down, making loud animal noises that made her false teeth rattle.
Amara watched Lola with cool, judgmental eyes. She did not laugh. She just blinked once.
Then, I looked toward the sofa and froze. My jaw hit the floor.
Angelo—the giant, scary, demonic tough guy who had just threatened to build a coffin for Keifer— The Ceo of Fernandez corp was sitting on a tiny wooden stool. He was wearing his usual black leather jacket and heavy boots.
But his head and face were completely covered in bright pink plastic toy accessories. He had a giant pink plastic crown sitting crookedly between his ears. He had a pink toy necklace wrapped around his thick neck like a tight dog collar. There were pink plastic butterfly hair clips stuck into his short beard. He had plastic pink rings on his massive thumbs.
He was holding two pink plastic maracas. The moment Amara turned her head toward him, Angelo's face twisted into a giant, fake, desperate smile. He started shaking the maracas with wild energy.
"Look at Daddy, Amara! Chica-chica-chum! Look at the silly pink man! " Angelo sang in a high-pitched, squeaky voice that sounded like he had swallowed a bird. He did a little dance on his stool, making the pink butterfly clips flutter in his beard. He did it with total focus. There was no shame in his eyes. Only the desperate need to make his two-month-old daughter happy.
Next to him on the couch was Ion. She looked exhausted, with her hair in a messy bun. She was holding a small battery-operated fan, pointing it directly at Amara so the baby would have a nice, cool breeze. Even when the AC was on!!
In the corner of the room stood Aries, my horoscopic brother. That Horoscope was standing next to his Ella. The two of them were holding a giant bedsheet by the corners. They were waving it up and down like a sail, trying to keep any dust from flying through the air toward the baby's blanket.
"Keep waving, Aries!" Ella whispered, her arms shaking from the workout. "If a single piece of dust lands on her duck onesie, Angelo will kill us both!"
"I am waving! I am waving as fast as I can!" Horoscope hissed back, his face red. "My shoulders are burning! This baby is a tyrant!"
The whole house was a factory, and baby Amara was the boss running the assembly line. Nobody was allowed to rest. Nobody was allowed to speak in normal adult voices.
Keifer stood next to me, completely frozen. He looked at Angelo's pink beard clips, then at Lola mimicking a chicken, then back to the baby. He slowly moved behind my shoulder, using my body as a human shield.
"Jay," Keifer whispered into my ear holding his laugh after seeing Angelo. "I think we walked into a strange cult. Can we go back to the hospital? The hospital was safe. The hospital didn't have a giant man in a pink crown."
Before I could type a response, baby Amara's head snapped toward the front door. Her dark, shiny eyes locked onto me and Keifer.
The room went completely silent. Lola stopped mooing. Angelo stopped shaking his pink maracas. Horoscope and Ella held the bedsheet still in mid-air. Everybody turned their heads to look at us like we were new actors entering a stage play.
Amara's eyes grew twice their normal size. Her tiny mouth opened into a perfect 'O' shape.
"Jaa-jaa!" she squealed.
Then, she did something that did not seem physically possible for a two-month-old baby. She dropped down onto her hands and knees and started crawling across the blanket. She did not just crawl; she sprinted. Her little arms and legs moved like a blurry wheel. She moved across the floor like a tiny, determined bulldog chasing a steak.
"Watch out!" Angelo yelled, dropping his maracas. "She is moving at high speed! Clear the runway!"
Amara reached the edge of the blanket, crossed the wooden floor, and slammed straight into our legs. She was surprisingly heavy for a tiny baby. She wrapped her left arm around my right ankle and her right arm around Keifer's left ankle. She held onto us like a pair of human pillars, locking us in place.
She looked up at us and let out a loud, wet, bubbling chuckle. "Baa! Ma-ma!"
My heart melted into a puddle of sweet syrup. I forgot about my sore throat. I forgot about the scary green poison. I bent down carefully, slipped my hands under her chubby armpits, and lifted her high into the air.
Amara kicked her fat legs and laughed. A giant glob of baby drool fell from her chin and landed directly on my nose, but I did not even care. I held her close against my chest. She smelled like baby powder, milk, and clean laundry. She buried her face in my neck, her tiny warm breath tickling my skin.
Then, she turned her head toward Keifer. Keifer didn't flinch at all. He just smiled warmly and knelt down so he was eye-level with the tiny girl.
Amara reached out with one tiny, chubby, wet hand. She slapped her palm directly onto Keifer's smooth cheek. Smack! It wasn't a hard slap, but it made a loud popping sound in the quiet room.
Keifer didn't even blink. He just let out a soft laugh and kissed the tiny palm pressed against his skin.
Amara smiled, showing her pink, toothless gums. She gave his cheek a little pat-pat-pat, leaving a shiny smear of drool across his cheekbone.
"Hey there, little princess," Keifer said to the baby, his voice smooth and gentle. "You really do run this place, don't you?"
The moment Amara touched Keifer, the tension in the room snapped. Angelo stood up from his tiny stool. The pink crown on his head tilted to the side, covering one of his eyes. He walked over to us, his heavy boots thudding against the floor. He stopped right in front of Keifer, looming over him like a dark mountain covered in pink plastic butterflies.
Keifer stood up calmly, matching Angelo's height without a single worry on his face.
Angelo patted Keifer on the shoulder with enough force to make a lesser man collapse. "Well! Look at that!" Angelo shouted in his regular booming voice. "The baby still likes you! If the baby likes you, it means your execution is delayed! You get to live for another day, london boy!"
Keifer smiled and gave a mock salute. "Appreciate it, Boss. Good to know my coffin can stay in storage for a bit longer."
"Don't get too comfortable," Angelo grunted, shaking his finger. "You still owe my little cousin a huge apology for letting her drink toxic waste. But for now, you have a job to do. Everyone in this house works for the queen. Ion! Bring the backup accessories!"
Ion ran over, carrying a bright blue plastic bucket. Inside the bucket were more toy jewelry pieces, plastic sunglasses, and silly hats.
"Since you are the guest," Angelo said to Keifer, his face dead serious. "You get to wear the royal lei. And the special glasses."
Before Keifer could say a word, Angelo reached into the bucket and pulled out a giant, neon-pink plastic flower necklace. He dumped it over Keifer's head. Then, he took a pair of oversized, bright green plastic sunglasses shaped like starbursts and forced them onto Keifer's nose.
Keifer didn't even argue. He just adjusted the glasses and looked at himself in the large mirror by the hallway. He was a rich, handsome businessman who usually wore expensive black suits and gold watches. Right now, he looked like a giant, confused tropical fruit.
I started coughing because I was trying so hard not to laugh out loud. I pointed at Keifer and shook my head, my eyes watering with joy.
"Don't laugh at me, wifey," Keifer teased, flashing a bright grin behind the green star glasses. "I make this look good."
"Don't laugh, Jay!" Horoscope yelled from the corner, still holding the dusty bedsheet with Ella. "Look at what they made me do!"
I looked at Horoscope. He was wearing a pink feather boa around his waist like a belt and a tiny yellow party hat strapped under his chin with a tight rubber band that squished his cheeks together.
Ella was wearing giant plastic bunny ears that kept falling into her eyes. "We have been waving this sheet for two hours," Horoscope complained, his voice cracking. "My arms feel like they are going to fall off. If I stop, Angelo threatens to put me in a chokehold. Jay, save us! Tell the baby to go to sleep!"
Amara heard Horoscope's voice. She turned her head toward him, her face darkening into a tiny frown. "Ba! No-no!" she barked.
"Ah! Sorry, your highness!" Horoscope screamed, immediately shaking the bedsheet up and down with furious speed. "Waving! Look at the breeze! Very clean air! No dust!"
He muttered, " I have to find out who taught her to say the word no!"
Tita Gemma walked over to me and took Amara out of my arms. "Let me take her for a minute, Jay. You just came from the hospital. You shouldn't lift heavy things. This baby weighs as much as a watermelon because Angelo keeps feeding her high-quality milk."
"She needs to grow big and strong so she can beat up boys who cause trouble! Just like Jay for instance " Angelo shouted, though his fierce look was completely ruined by the pink butterfly beard clips.
Keifer smirked. "Whatever you say, Boss. But for now, I think the baby wants more entertainment."
"Good eye, london boy," Angelo said. He sat back down on his tiny wooden stool. It let out a loud creak under his weight. He added, "Now, Keifer, pick up those maracas. You need to do the welcome dance again. The baby is looking bored."
Keifer looked at the floor. He picked up the bright pink plastic maracas without hesitation. He winked at me through his star glasses.
I walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Ion. I pulled out my phone and typed a message, showing it to Keifer with a big grin: Dance, my tropical fruit. Let's see your moves.
Keifer took a deep breath. He held the maracas up by his ears. Then, he started shaking them. Chica-chica-chica-chum. He did a hilarious, exaggerated dance with his feet, his expensive leather shoes squeaking loudly on the wood floor. He looked completely ridiculous with his neon-pink flower necklace and star glasses, but he did it with total confidence.
Angelo joined in, shaking his own maracas. "More energy, Keifer! Lift those knees! Make the sound louder!"
"Chica-chica-chum!" Keifer chanted, throwing his arms in the air and laughing as he danced even faster. Angelo added, "Look at the silly uncle, Amara! Chica-chica-chum!"
Amara watched them from Tita Gemma's arms. Her little mouth curved up into a giant smile. She let out a high, ringing screech of pure joy and started clapping her tiny hands together.
The whole family cheered. Lola started doing her chicken dance again, Horoscope and Ella waved the sheet like crazy people, and Tita Gemma marched around the room in a circle.
I leaned back against the couch cushions, watching the madness unfold. My body was still tired from the four-hour surgery. My throat still ached with every breath. My family was completely insane, and Keifer was happily jumping straight into the middle of their crazy web.
But as I looked at Keifer dancing with pink plastic toys just to make a two-month-old baby laugh and to tease my overprotective cousin, I felt a deep, warm wave of happiness fill my chest. We had survived the green poison. We had survived the dark secrets. Keigan was getting help, and Keifer was right here, playing along with his 'Boss' just to make sure my family felt connected.
I closed my eyes and let out a tiny, happy, raspy sigh. Everything was going to be completely fine. As long as baby Amara allowed it, of course.
We ended up playing with baby Amara for a few long, wild hours. Keifer and Angelo did three more rounds of the maraca dance. Then, Keifer had to let Amara pull on his ears while Lola made silly monkey sounds. We passed the baby around, played peek-a-boo until our hands were tired, and watched her babble her strange baby language at the walls.
But by the time the clock struck nine, my body was completely finished. My eyes kept closing on their own, and my throat was aching. Getting any actual rest in this house with Amara running the show was completely impossible. Every time I tried to lean back and close my eyes, she would shout "Jaa-jaa!" and demand that someone bounce a toy in front of her face.
Keifer noticed me shivering and looking pale. He immediately took off his star glasses and flower necklace, tossing them into the plastic bucket. "Alright, Boss," Keifer said, standing up and checking his phone. "Wifey needs real sleep. We have to go."
We walked out to the car, saying goodbye to the tired family. Once we were inside the quiet vehicle, Keifer pulled out his laptop. Our original plan was to take a night flight back to our home in London. But Keifer took one look at my exhausted face and shook his head.
"Nope," he muttered, tapping the keys fast. "You are way too exhausted to fly across the ocean right now, wifey. It is dangerous for your healing throat." With a few quick clicks, he cancelled our expensive plane tickets to London without a single regret.
I wonder someday, all the Watson money will be transferred to airport!
Where are we going?" I asked. My voice came out loud, clear, and very smooth. The long resting hours must have helped, because I was finally speaking very well again.
"We can't go to the main house," Keifer explained, shifting the car into drive. "Keigan and Keiren have their big school exams tomorrow morning. If we walk in there with all our drama and medical bags, we will totally disturb them. They need quiet to study."
I also agreed with him.
Instead, Keifer drove us deep into the city center. We parked under a huge, luxurious skyscraper. He led me up a private elevator straight to his personal, secret condo. It was a massive, beautiful apartment with dark wood floors, huge windows looking out at the city lights, and the biggest, softest king-sized bed I had ever seen.
We were so tired we didn't even change into proper pajamas. We just kicked off our shoes, collapsed onto the cool white sheets, and fell into a deep, heavy sleep instantly.
The next morning, the bright sun streamed through the glass windows, waking me up. I stretched my legs under the warm blanket, but something felt very wrong. My face felt incredibly tight. It was tingling and itching like crazy, as if a hundred tiny ants were marching across my cheeks.
"Ugh, why does my skin feel so weird?" I mumbled to myself.
I dragged myself out of bed, rubbing my itchy cheeks, and walked into the grand marble bathroom. Keifer was still snoring softly in the bedroom. I turned on the bathroom light, walked up to the large glass mirror, and looked at my reflection.
The moment I saw my face, my eyes nearly popped out of my skull.
I opened my mouth and let out a loud, horrified, ear-splitting scream that echoed through the entire condo. "KEIFER!"..