Not much progress.

After closing the door, Abby sat down with her back against the bed, crossed her legs, and patted her lap. Lucy crawled over to her sister, but instead of putting her head on Abby's legs she sat up next to her.

"Oh. That works too I guess," Abby said and put an arm around Lucy's shoulder to pull her closer. "Lucy, I want you to know that I love you exactly as much as I did when you were my big sister. A lot's going to change for you but that never will."

Lucy snuggled into her sister's side to let her know she understood, and just enjoyed the human contact for a while before she risked talking. "Abby..."

"No!" A hand shot up to cover her mouth and Abby scolded her in a hushed voice. "No talking, Lucy. Be a good girl. I know you just need a little time to adjust, but if daddy hears you he'll think he has to be stricter with you."

Lucy pulled the hand off her mouth and gave her sister a **** look. "Please protect me Abby."

"You know I will, but no talking! You have to promise, not a word unless it's an emergency. And even then you should do your best to bark instead of talking."

She wasn't going to get anywhere tonight, Lucy realized. Promise, she mouthed silently, which earned her an indulgent smile. Then she remembered that they might have a medical emergency sooner than expected if she wasn't fed properly. "Food?"

"Shh! I'll ask daddy tomorrow. For now, I'll just grab a snack for both of us. Can I trust you to wait while I sneak down to the kitchen?"

When Lucy nodded, Abigail gave her a kiss on the forehead and stood up. "You stay right here, and stay quiet. I'll be back in a jiffy."