Page 7 of Secret Baby's Second Shot

“Well, Bunny is a great helper,” I said, crouching to her level. “You’re lucky to have him.”

Summer’s soft laugh drew my attention. “She insisted Bunny come along,” she said, shaking her head. “Apparently, I don’t make the cut for emotional support.”

“Bunny’s important,” Ava declared, hugging the toy to her chest.

“Very important,” I agreed, winking at her before standing up. “All right, ladies. Ready for a few tests?”

Ava nodded eagerly. Summer, on the other hand, looked less enthusiastic, her lips pressed into a tight line.

“Follow me,” I said, leading them to the pediatric diagnostics wing. Ava’s chatter filled the hall as we walked, a bright contrast to Summer’s silence.

Inside the exam room,I explained what we’d be doing: a few simple cognitive and motor skill tests, followed by a routine scan to double-check everything before her surgery.

“It’s like playing games,” I told Ava. “You’ll see—it’ll be fun.”

Ava’s eyes lit up. “Games? I’m really good at games!”

“I’ll bet you are,” I said, setting up the first task.

The tests started with something simple—a sorting game where Ava had to group shapes by color and size. She dove into the task with enthusiasm, her little fingers moving quickly as she explained her choices out loud.

“This one’s red, so it goes here,” she said, dropping a triangle into the red bin. “And this one’s a square, but it’s blue, so it goes in the blue bin.”

“You’re fast,” I said, watching her with genuine admiration.

“She loves anything that lets her sort or organize,” Summer said from her seat nearby, her voice soft but proud.

Ava finished the task in record time, then beamed up at me. “What’s next?”

I handed her a puzzle. “Let’s see how fast you can put this together.”

She tackled the puzzle with the same determination, her little tongue poking out as she worked. Summer watched her intently, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

“She’s really good at this,” I said quietly, glancing at Summer.

“She always has been,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I bought her first puzzle when she was two, and she had it done in minutes. I thought it was a fluke, but… well, she just kept surprising me.”

“She’s brilliant,” I said, and I meant it.

Summer’s smile faded slightly, and she looked down at her hands. “She’s… special. In so many ways.”

I wanted to press her on what she meant, but Ava finished the puzzle and looked up at me expectantly.

“Done!” she declared, her grin wide.

“That was amazing,” I said, clapping lightly. “You’re officially the fastest puzzler I’ve ever met.”

Ava giggled, the sound pure and joyful.

The final partof the tests involved Ava’s motor skills. I handed her a small ball and asked her to roll it into a target a few feet away.

“This is easy!” she said confidently.

Her first roll landed perfectly in the center of the target, and she clapped her hands in excitement.

“You’ve got great aim,” I said.

“I practice,” she said with a shrug. “Mommy and I play catch sometimes.”

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