Sophia:

  I looked around the house. I was starting to get bored to death. It had been two months now since I had given birth to my daughter, Lucy. She was so beautiful. She had my red hair. But Lucas’s special eyes — blue in one light and gray in another.

  It had been a whirlwind. My whole life actually had been, now that I thought of it. From nun to happy mother. It sounded somewhat strange. But it was the truth. Now everything finally seemed calm.

  Two weeks after my difficult delivery, Lucas had his film premiere. It had been exhausting but wonderful. After that, it was quite nice to be able to rest for a month and a half. But now, after two months, I was tired of being at home.

  We were going to take Lucy to set anyway, to use her as Lizzy Klein, Linda’s youngest daughter. So I’d be able to take care of my baby on set.

  “Lucy and I are just coming along,” I snapped at breakfast.

  “Phi, I get it. But you’re not quite back to your old self yet. And I still have plenty I can film with the others.”

  I rolled my eyes. I knew he didn’t want me to come.

  “I just want to work again. And yesterday you said the shots without Hannah were almost done. And I would be there for the birth scene you wanted to film. Lucy and I are coming along.”

  “I think you’re going too fast, Sophia. I don’t want you to push yourself too hard too soon. Your delivery was rough. Lucy still demands a lot from you.” He looked at me with big, worried eyes. “I just don’t want you to break down because you’re doing too much too fast.”

  I placed my hand on his. “We’ll manage, Lukiecas. If it gets too much, I’ll say so and take a rest.”

  He looked at me intensely. “Do you promise that?”

  I smiled and nodded. “Yes, I promise.”

  He sighed.

  “All right then. Go get Lucy ready,” he said, sounding slightly defeated.

  “Can I put her in her little bear outfit?” I asked.

  He chuckled softly. “Go ahead.”

  I jumped up. Lucy had received an incredibly cute bear suit from her grandma. It was a onesie — brown and made of teddy fabric. It had a hood with bear ears on it, a tail on the back, and little bear paw feet. Lucy looked so incredibly adorable in it.

  I dressed her quickly. “Look at you. Nice and warm, huh?” I said, lifting her up. I put her into my baby sling and packed some clothes and diapers for her.

  Proudly, Lucas drove us to set. He would never admit it to me, but he loved having us with him.

  The set was already busy. Emma ran up to me. “Sophia, finally!” she called. “Is that Lucy?” she asked, pointing at my sling.

  I nodded. “Yes,” I said, taking her out and kneeling down next to Emma.

  “How sweet!” She gazed at us tenderly. “She looks just like a little bear,” she said.

  I nodded. “Completely. But that’s just her outfit,” I said, laughing.

  “She’s so tiny,” said Emma.

  I nodded. “She’s only two months old.”

  She looked at me. “Is she going to play Lizzy?”

  I nodded. “Yes. If she had been a boy, Lizzy would have been called something else,” I said.

  “But isn’t she too big then?”

  I smiled. “A little, but people won’t really notice,” I explained. “Some may even think she’s a doll.”

  Emma looked startled. “Really?”

  I nodded. “Babies aren’t allowed to be on set for long. They often use twins or dolls,” I explained.

  “But we’ll take it easy. And little Lucy will often be with her daddy when we’re filming. Then it’s just Lizzy lying in bed. Babies sleep a lot,” I explained.

  “But Joyce has to act like she’s giving birth to a baby, how does that work then?” asked Emma.

  “I don’t know, that’s for Lucas to figure out.” Lucy woke up and started to move softly.

  “Oh!” Emma exclaimed. “She’s so cute!”

  I laughed softly. “She’s probably hungry,” I said. I walked away with her, fed her quickly, checked her diaper, picked her up again, and sat down with the others.

  Alexander grumbled a bit that there were too many girls now with Lucy there. He would turn five in about three weeks and had a mind of his own — and wasn’t afraid to show it.

  “Why is she sleeping again?” he asked.

  “Because Lucy is a baby, Alex,” said Lucas. “She needs to sleep a lot.”

  Alex didn’t seem too pleased.

  “But, no offense, Daddy,” Joyce said, “where do you put her when she’s not on camera?”

  “Upstairs in the bedroom where we’re not allowed to film. I’ve arranged that. Sophia can also pump there or just feed her,” he explained.

  “And who watches her?” Joyce asked.

  Lucas pulled a baby monitor from his backpack. “I’ve got a production assistant. If my girl needs me, my assistant can keep an eye on you guys,” said Lucas, laughing. “Because my little one is a bit more important to me,” he added.

  “I have two girls in my life for whom I’d do anything. And Lucy is the first,” he said.

  “And let me guess,” started Sam, “Joyce is the second?”

  …he teased. I saw a mischievous sparkle in Lucas’s eyes. “Absolutely, Sam,” he laughed.

  “All right then. Let’s see what we’re filming today. The birth scene is scheduled. The hospital knows about it. They’ve got an old room in the basement we can use. And I want to film the first scenes with Lucy. So we’ll start with that. After lunch, we go to the hospital,” he said.

  “Yeah, and what about Lucy?” Jonas asked.

  “I called mom,” admitted Lucas.

  “Oh God, she’s probably bringing a whole bag of stuff, believe me,” said Jonas, rolling his eyes.

  “Someone has to take care of her when we’re gone,” Lucas snapped.

  “He’s just teasing,” I said, placing my hand on his leg.

  “Sorry, Joon.” Jonas smiled.

  “Still dealing with hormones?” I laughed and shook my head.

  “Oh yes. And mood swings, man. One moment I’m calm and the next…” He stood up and grabbed Jonas, startling him — then the two brothers laughed.

  “Let’s get started,” said Lucas. “Phi, you’re on set. James and Hannah are getting the house ready. The baby is coming home.”

  Reluctantly, I handed Lucy over to Joyce.

  “Does she really have to wear that outfit?” Joyce asked.

  “What’s wrong with it?” I snapped.

  “Nothing. But I don’t think Linda would dress her baby up as a bear.” Lucas nodded. “Buy something you think fits, yes, Linda style for Lizzy.”

  I wanted to protest, but they did have a point.

  “All right, if you’re ready,” he said, giving the action cue.

  “A girl, James. Oh, I can’t wait — dresses, doing her hair,” I said, as it was written in my script.

  Hannah and James were setting up the crib. “Well, you can also handle the night feedings and the messy diapers,” said Jonas.

  “I did that for the other three. I can still hear the missus the second she came home with all three of them: ‘Finally, I’m rid of that misery! James, the baby smells! Do something, chop-chop!’” he said in a high-pitched voice.

  “To her, kids are like Pokémon cards.”

  I looked at him. “That’s not really true, is it?”

  Jonas shook his head. “You’ve been working here for three years. Have you ever seen her wipe a nose? Not even her own — probably because it’s always in the air.”

  We stared at each other intently for a second.

  “Yeah, cut. Nice,” said Lucas. “I just don’t know if you need another layer of makeup, darling. You look a bit tired on camera.”

  “She just spent an hour wrestling with that crib and keeping the kids calm at the hospital while Linda was giving birth in the middle of the night.”

  He nodded. “Okay, fair enough, then Hannah can look tired.”

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Joyce came back in with a bag in hand. “Bought with my own money, because she’s going to wear this more often,” she said, pulling an off-white dress from the bag — with a tulle skirt flaring out thanks to petticoats, and a collar with little pearls. Matching shoes with pearl decorations and a bonnet to hide Lucy’s red hair, with a pearly bow. “From a bridal boutique — isn’t it adorable?” she asked.

  She quickly dressed Lucy. She also had a tiny bracelet with an L in the middle. “I think Linda would dress her like this,” she said. “Look at her — the ultimate fashion baby, right?”

  Lucy fussed a little after being taken out of her warm bear suit. But as soon as Lucas took her from Joyce and started gently singing their song to her, she calmed right down. He always sang our song to her as a lullaby.

  “Okay, as we agreed: Jan and Linda come home. Put the car seat down roughly, facing away from the camera, loud — with a thud. That’s why we’re not using my baby,” he began. “You say, ‘Your problem now, Hannah.’ Then we cut, put Lucy in the car seat, and continue with Linda dramatically saying, ‘I need rest. This horrible experience took five years off my life — I need beauty sleep.’” Lucas continued. “You storm off upstairs, Jan nods, yells about the store, and runs off too.” Sam nodded.

  “Hannah picks up Lizzy, puts her in the crib, says something like, ‘Hush now, little one. You’re home. Hannah will take good care of you.’ We zoom in on Lizzy. And done.”

  I nodded.

  “All set, everyone?” He looked at Lucy. “You too, my little starlet?”

  I smiled briefly. He was so beautiful when he held Lucy — soft and gentle.

  We filmed the first part of the scene. Lucas found the way they dropped the car seat too gentle three times.

  “Joyce, you don’t care about your baby. You’re even a little annoyed by her. You didn’t want another screaming thing, but you forgot your pill,” he said, glancing at Lucy. “Not true, sweetheart,” he added, rocking her. “Your figure got ruined by that brat. So you kind of hate Lizzy. I want the audience to be shocked.”

  Joyce nodded.

  “Sam, you’re terrible — ‘Are you okay, Linny? Are you in pain? Is she too heavy? Should I carry you both?’”

  Jonas chuckled softly. “So, a bit of you, then, Lucas?” he asked.

  “If I weren’t holding Lucy!” Lucas teased.

  We filmed the scene for another half hour before Lucas was satisfied. He walked to the car seat with Lucy asleep in his arms. Carefully, he lay her down.

  “Okay, action,” he whispered and left the set.

  I wanted to pick Lucy up, but before I could, she started crying.

  “Yeah, cut for a sec, guys, I think she’s hungry,” Lucas said.

  I lifted Lucy out of the car seat and left the set to feed her. After about forty minutes, I laid her back into the car seat, content and calm, and went to my starting position again. Lucas nodded and whispered “Action” once more. This time everything went smoothly. I lifted Lucy up, laid her in the crib — which we had stuffed with teddy blankets to make it look expensive — and delivered my lines. Then the cameraman moved in for a close-up of my little girl.

  Lucas let him film for about thirty seconds before calling it for lunch.

  Halfway through lunch, my mother-in-law came in with a huge shopping bag. Jonas looked up and put his hand to his forehead. “Told you, Lucas!” he sighed.

  “Where’s the little one?” she asked, setting the bag down next to us. Both Jonas and Lucas immediately turned their attention to it.

  “Ah!” she exclaimed, giving them both a light smack on the hands. “That’s not for you,” she said firmly. She walked to the crib where Lucy lay and picked her up. “All for you, sweetheart,” she cooed, rocking her gently.

  “Grandma’s going to spoil you rotten.”

  Jonas sighed. “Her, yes.”

  “I also brought things for Alexander — he’ll get them when you get back!” she snapped.

  “Right, Lucy?” she said, kneeling down and pulling a little package from the bag. “But Alex can have this one already,” she said, handing him the package.

  He tore it open, excited. It was a small chest. “Open it up,” she said, still rocking Lucy.

  He opened the chest, and his favorite song started playing. Inside was also a small silver good-luck charm.

  “I know that in the film world, ‘toi’ gifts aren’t strictly necessary, but I find it such a beautiful tradition,” she said. Kneeling next to him, she continued, “That’s a toi gift. And that chest is made just for you. When you’re older, you can keep all your toi gifts in it. It’ll be your treasure chest.” She ruffled his hair. “Hey, my little boy,” she said.

  “Everyone likes Lucy better. Even you, Grandma!” he said, a bit upset.

  “Oh no. You’re my little boy. And she’s my little girl. I love you both equally. How about this: you come stay with Grandpa and Grandma this weekend — all by yourself, just us doing something fun.”

  His frown turned into a wide smile. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Really.”

  He jumped up and hugged her.

  We ate lunch together a bit longer and then got ready to leave.

  “You know where the bottles are?” Lucas asked his mother. “And my cell number, in case something happens? Do you know her feeding and sleep schedule?”

  He looked worriedly at Lucy. “Be careful lifting her, Mom, she’s still so tiny.”

  My mother-in-law laughed. “I raised two boys, remember? I survived you and Jonas. This little girl is easy,” she said.

  “Yeah, but Mom, you’ve never taken care of a girl before, and she’s so small. And what if she’s scared and can’t find her mom and dad?”

  His mother laughed again. “Then she’ll find Grandma. Come on, son, go shoot your scene. I’ll take care of this little one.”

  Lucas sighed and walked to the door, where we were all already waiting for him.

  “We’ll be fine, won’t we, Lucy? Now that Daddy’s gone, we can zoom around on Grandma’s motorcycle,” she said with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

  “Mom! She’s still a baby!” Lucas exclaimed.

  My mother-in-law laughed and looked at Lucy. “Daddy sure gets worked up, huh? He should know Grandma doesn’t even have a motorcycle.”

  Lucas snorted through his nose. I grabbed his arm. “She’s teasing you,” I said, laughing. “She just wants to get a rise out of you — and she knows Lucy’s the way to do it.” He took my hand.

  At the hospital, it took about four hours to film the scene. After that, Lucas decided we were done for the day. It was scorching hot and stuffy, inside and out. We drove back to pick up Lucy. When we walked in, the house was completely silent.

  “Lucy? Mom?” Lucas called out.

  No answer.

  “Lucy?!” I saw worry flicker in his eyes.

  “Mom!” he called again. Still no answer. “Mom!” he shouted. “Lucy!” He looked around frantically, running through the house, screaming her name again and again — his panic rising with every minute.

  Five minutes later, he returned, face pale.

  “Sophia, call the police,” he said in panic.

  I grabbed his hands. “Calm down,” I said. “Your mother isn’t here either — she’s probably just doing something fun with Lucy.”

  He looked around wildly, like he hadn’t heard me.

  “They’ve kidnapped her,” he yelled.

  “Lucas!” I called. “Listen to me.”

  But he kept that wild look in his eyes.

  “Your mother probably just took Lucy out for a bit.”

  He still looked frantic.

  “If she’s not back in twenty minutes…” he said.

  “Call her,” I said.

  He snatched his phone and called his mother. After about three minutes, he hung up again.

  “She’s not answering.”

  He looked almost desperate.

  I managed to calm him — well, calm enough — for about five minutes.

  Then we heard the door open and footsteps in the hallway.

  “Mom?” Lucas shouted, pulling away.

  My mother-in-law stepped into the living room, her hair wet and Lucy wrapped in a towel in her arms.

  “Lucy!” Lucas yelled, quickly taking her from his mother.

  “Where were you?” he said, checking every inch of our little girl.

  “At the pool around the corner,” said my mother-in-law.

  “She’s two months old!” Lucas shouted.

  “So what? Can’t she be too hot in this weather? She sat in her swim ring with me for two minutes while I swam, boy. You both loved it at her age. And come on, it’s unbearable out there — thirty-seven degrees.”

  Still breathing heavily, Lucas rocked Lucy in his arms.

  “Next time, just text me, Mom,” he said.

  “Oh, did I forget?” she said, grabbing her phone. “Yes, I see — I typed it out but didn’t send it,” she said. “Oh, dear boy, were you that panicked?” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  I walked over to them. “Give her to me for a bit. She can still feel your leftover panic.”

  I took Lucy. “Did you have a nice swim, little one?” I said, walking a few steps away.

  Lucas sat down in his chair and buried his face in his hands.

  “Are you okay, Lucas?” I asked, sitting next to him.

  He shook his head. “I’ve only been this afraid once before,” he said. “Two months ago — when I almost lost you.”

  I got up, placed Lucy in the crib for a moment, and went back to Lucas. “Look at me.” I saw tears in his eyes.

  “There was nothing wrong,” I said, hugging him. “It’s okay. Nothing happened. Let it go.”

  It took me a few minutes to calm him down.

  “Come on, darling, let’s go home.”

  He nodded, stood up, lifted Lucy from the crib, and held her protectively against his chest the shock still clearly visible.