Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Sean said quietly, "I was eleven when my mother was pregnant with Cathy. I've just started sixth grade.’ That seemed like such a long time ago. Sean could barely remember it.

He could only remember running up and down happily, fetching whatever his mother wanted, going grocery shopping with her as they chatted over whether it would be a little boy or little girl. What they would name the baby if it was a boy, or a girl.

"It was me who came up with the name Cathy too," Sean said quietly. He had even prepared a gift for her in secret.

"The day Mom gave birth to Cathy, everyone was so nervous. Dad was rushing around bringing things to the hospital, and | rushed to the hospital first thing after school as well. Cathy came out of the delivery room just as | got there." "l was the first to hold her.’ Sean was overjoyed then. His mother had asked him if he would like a younger brother or sister, to which he had said that he was fine with either— but really wanted a little sister just a little more. Then it turned out to really be a little sister.

"She was like a kitten! She was only this small!" Sean gestured with his hands. "I reached out to touch her face, and she grabbed my finger.” Sean would never forget the shock and joy he felt the first time his sister grabbed his finger. Then came the few days of Dad running to and from the hospital, delivering meals to Mom.

His mother had gotten pregnant at an older age, and there had been complications post-birth that required her to be on medicine. Cathy could not be breastfed because of this, and Sean thus learnt how to make her formula.

Another chaotic week passed, and his mother and sister finally returned from the hospital.

"There were lots of relatives over. They all fussed and cooed over my sister. Mom talked to them, and Dad was so busy." Everyone was so busy.

Group after group of relatives visited the house. Everytime an older aunt or grandaunt came she would snatch Cathy out of Sean's arms, saying that he didn't know how to hold her and might hurt her.

The house was abuzz with people, his parents chatting and laughing with everyone as they held Cathy in their arms.

He stood by the door by himself. A whole half hour passed, and no one even thought of him.

"That was the first time | ever felt left out,” Sean said. "Dad finally saw me standing there, and asked me what | was doing. He told me to go wash and cut up some fruits for everyone." Sean smiled. Lilly would never know how he felt when he was washing those fruits. He was sorry to say it, but she would truly never feel it.

"And then?" Sean ran a hand through his fair. "Then Cathy fell sick for the first time." It was jaundiced, and it wouldn't go down. His parents saw that Cathy's stomach was bulged up like a frog's. It had only been a week, and she had begun crying all day and night without stopping aside from the occasional nap during the day.

They brought her to the hospital, but the doctor said it was just bloating. The bloating was because she did not take well to breastmilk, which meant she couldn't drink breastmilk or she would have an upset stomach from all the gas in her intestines.

So there was no choice but to make her formula. But Cathy was stubborn too, refusing to be bottle-fed ever since she had a taste of breastmilk. So she would cry, which made the bloating worse, which left them no choice but to breastfeed her... and the cycle repeated itself.

Sean had secretly given his sister's belly a little press. Other babies" bellies were soft and floppy, but his sister's was hard and bulged up. "lI only pressed it once, and Cathy burst into tears. She cried so hard she was practically screaming, her lips were all purple.” "That was the first time Mom got mad at me since Cathy was born.” He could not sleep the entire night, and Cathy cried the entire night. Sean's mother's expression turned terrifying.

"My mom looked at me like she was looking at an enemy, shouting at me asking why | made Cathy cry." Sean was scared too. His sister was only so young, and she had indeed only cried because he pressed her belly.

His parents did not have time to care about how he felt, because Cathy was truly getting worse by the second. Everyone rushed her to the hospital, and she was hooked up to an intubator for a long time until they could go home.

He wanted to help with something when he got home, but his mother said...

"You're not needed, you should go to bed and get some rest." His father said that Sean didn't need to care about this either, as long as he didn't cause any more trouble.

In the days to come after that, Cathy would make round trips to the hospital every couple of days. Sean was truly neglected.

He would be neglected and picked on every single time his sister cried. He would be picked on for not boiling the water well enough, or not washing the bottles cleanly enough. One time Cathy was throwing up and he rushed over with napkins to help— only for his mother to shout at him to get lost.

This happened time after time, day after day. Eventually, he got tired.

"I understand that they were worried over their sister, but had they thought of me before?” Sean smirked. "It was unnecessary." Lilly opened her mouth, unsure how to comfort him.

Pablo piped up all of a sudden. "There's a method of forcing someone to confess where you don't allow the prisoner to sleep.

You only need three days, and the prisoner will confess everything.” "No human being can survive without sleep. Scientists once conducted an experiment where they didn't allow their participants to sleep, and the conclusion was bone-chilling— they would lose all sense of logic, and even murder or feast on each other like monsters.” The no-sleep experiment yielded photos that would send chills down anyone's back. Even reading the description itself... was a terrifying experience.

Everyone knew how terrifying regular human beings could become when deprived of sleep, but not mothers who were deprived of sleep. Cathy's mother had developed severe stress from not being able to sleep for whole days and nights, and this had to do with Cathy's illness. She was tortured to the point of growing impossibly weak. This was a double dose of both physical and emotional torture. She probably didn’t mean it, but she just could not control herself— she had fallen victim to the torture.

Lilly listened to everything silently. Sean obviously could not see Pablo, and thus the room was silent.

Lilly raised her head to look at Sean.

From what her Master said, she could understand Cathy's mother. But she just felt that there was no need to speak to Sean like that. What he had needed was not a cold explanation, nor a terrifying experiment to explain things to him...

He needed none of that.

Lilly hopped off the bed, softly hugging Sean.

Sean jerked harshly from the gesture.

Lilly patted his back softly. "Sean, you're awesome.’ "You're not unnecessary at all." "You're the very best brother in the world.’ "You've done well, Sean..." Sean could not help but get choked up all at once.

His eyes reddened, blurring his vision. All he could hear was Lilly's words.

“You weren't wrong. You've worked hard... You're the best. You're the best brother in the world” Sean hugged Lilly hard, the tears in his eyes finally spilling out all at once...