when you dream

February 2029 - Benjamin Long is 37, Elizabeth is 31, Christopher and Margaret are 18 months (Clara is 10).

Benjamin was already a father before the twins were born, but this time it's different. It's not that he loves Christopher and Margaret more than Clara, but he's more involved this time. Violet was the one who stayed home with Clara when she was a baby, and since he was an intern at the time, he worked long hours nearly every day.

But now he's an established doctor, and he has much more reasonable hours. He and Elizabeth take turns staying home with the babies so that neither of them has to put their career on hold.

Elizabeth has always put her career first, and she's surprised by how happy she is to stay home with the kids. They're so sweet and beautiful, and as they get older their personalities get more developed and interesting.

When they're napping, sometimes she reads medical journals, but usually she reads parenting books. She'd always scoffed at mothers who studied parenting books, but now she studies them as carefully as she studied her textbooks in medical school. Are her children getting proper nutrition? Are they learning to walk and talk on schedule?

When Benjamin gets home, he takes over with the kids so Elizabeth can relax for a few hours. He's more confident and relaxed with the kids, perhaps because he's been through this before with Clara.

But even though he's seen all this before, it's different now. This time he gives the kids baths and tucks them in at night. This time he's there for them every day.