“Auntie, my little sister won’t stop crying.” For all his usualposure, Max was still just a child. His voice trembled as he looked at the neighbor, fear flickering in his eyes.

    The neighbor scooped up the baby and gently touched her forehead.

    “She’s burning up! Max, call your parents right now. I’ll take your sister to the hospital–if her fever keeps climbing, she could end up with brain damage.”

    Everything became a blur of frantic motion. Max dashed to the end of the street, shoved a dor bill into the payphone slot, and fumbled with the buttons, dialing wrong several times in his panic.

    Scott didn’t pick up. Max immediately tried Yvonne’s number–no answer there either.

    Gritting his teeth, he abandoned the phone, rushed back to their cramped apartment, dug out the emergency money Yvonne had left him, and sprinted toward the hospital.

    He ran around like a headless chicken, lost and desperate, until finally a nurse stopped him and led him to the pediatric clinic, where he found his baby sister and the neighbor waiting.

    The baby was fast asleep in the neighbor’s arms, a fever patch pressed to her forehead. Her cheeks were still flushed, and tears clung to hershes–she looked heartbreakingly small and helpless.

    “Auntie, my parents aren’t answering. Here, take this money first. I’ll pay you back once theye home,” Max said, thrusting the crumpled bills

    toward her.

    The neighbor looked at the sweat–soaked Max and gently pushed the money back.

    “Keep it, sweetheart. I’ll ask your parents for itter. Your sister caught a chill–she’s had her shot, and once the fever breaks, she’ll be all right. It’s

    b1/2 /b

    07:45

    cold these days, so make sure she’s bundled up at night. bAnd /bbyou/bb, /btoo–don’t get sick.”

    Max clutched the wrinkled bills and nodded.

    “Thank you,” he whispered in a low, earnest voice–trying his best to be ba /blittle man.

    The neighbor pressed her lips together, her eyes falling to his faded coat. She said nothing more, but the worry lingered on her face.

    After that day, two new parenting books appeared in their tiny apartment.

    “Max, how’s your sister doing?” Marian dropped by one afternoon, carrying a lunchbox.

    “She’s better now.”

    “If you go outside to y, make sure you wash your hands when youe back. If you touch the baby without washing, germs could make her sick, okay?”

    Marian yed with the baby, who wasn’t shy at all–in fact, she grabbed Marian’s finger and giggled, the sound sweet enough to melt anyone’s

    heart.

    Max said nothing, but he quietly took her words to heart.

    He started going out less and less.

    Every time he picked up his baby sister, he washed his hands over and over, even if he hadn’t left the house.

    Other kids from the neighborhood woulde by, asking to see the baby, but Max turned them all away.

    His sister was his and his alone–he wasn’t about to let a bunch of grubby kids poke and prod her. She was delicate, and what if she got sick again? Days turned into weeks, and his baby sister gradually grew into a curious toddler. At two or three, she was fascinated by everything.

    Whenever Max got ready to leave, she’d clutch his shirt band /bbcall /bbout /bbin /bher soft, pleading voice, “Big brother!” She looked so pitiful, it bwas /bbimpossible /bnot to relent.

    At those moments, Max always sighed and changed his ns, taking bher /bout for a stroll.

    Not that he had any grand ns–most of the time, he just went to help out at the local bookstore in exchange for a few secondhand picture books to make her happy.

    The rosy–cheeked little munchkin was a ma for attention–everyone wanted to pinch her cheeks or ruffle her hair.

    After a few outings, Max started taking Alessia out less often.

    When she realized her sad little act wasn’t working anymore, Alessia sulked for days.

    Max stood his ground, grumbling under his breath that she was an ungrateful little rascal.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!