Caregiver! Dana Evans & Little! Emma Nolan
- That’s Dana’s little lamb right there, and absolutely nobody in the Pitt is allowed to argue otherwise.
- Emma loves coloring. Give her a fresh coloring book and the giant 128-pack of crayons, and she’ll disappear into her own little world for hours, tongue poking out in concentration while Dana quietly works beside her. Dana keeps coloring books everywhere now - In her house, in the car, even stuffed into her work bag for bad days.
- Emma is a deeply anxious little, so Dana is rarely allowed out of arm’s reach once she regresses. Fingers hooked in her sleeve, clinging to her hand, curled against her side, Emma attaches herself to Dana like a baby koala.
“You’re my tiny shadow, y’know that?” Dana teases one day.
Emma just nods solemnly and clings harder.
- Emma goes absolutely insane for watermelon-flavored anything. Candy, lip balm, slushies, gummies, you name it. If it says watermelon on the label, Dana’s already buying two.
- Emma is ridiculously giggly. Dana lives for it. She’ll do dramatic readings of discharge paperwork in a princess voice, pull ridiculous faces across the kitchen island, or loudly accuse Emma’s plushies of tax fraud just to hear her dissolve into helpless little squeaks.
- Princess play is sacred in Dana’s apartment. Emma owns dresses in every possible color and texture, complete with plastic tiaras and sparkly shoes she constantly trips over. Dana rotates between playing the brave knight, the queen, and the big bad dragon.
- Dana kisses Emma constantly without even realizing she’s doing it anymore. Forehead kisses while passing by. Cheek kisses during movie nights. Tiny absentminded kisses pressed into Emma’s curls while she’s half asleep.
- Emma is obsessed with Barbie movies and Disney films. Dana swears she’s heard the entire Moana soundtrack often enough at this point. And yet, somehow, she still catches herself singing along.
- Emma’s plushie collection amounts to a small army. Dana keeps saying she’s cut off from buying more, and then Emma gives her the biggest puppy eyes, and suddenly Dana’s carrying another plushie to the checkout counter.
- Emma is painfully shy around other littles at first. Dana usually has to gently coax her into group activities, rubbing circles into her back while Emma hides behind her shoulder, but once Emma warms up, she’s the sweetest little thing in the world.
- Dana loves swaddling Emma in blankets after especially hard days. Emma gets all warm and sleepy almost immediately, blinking slowly up at Dana before inevitably passing out against her chest.
- Emma absolutely adores playdates with the other Pitt littles, especially Victoria. The two of them can spend hours playing princesses, coloring, or lining up plushies for elaborate tea parties while the adults supervise from nearby. Dana also finds endless amusement in teaching Cassie the very serious art of caring for little girls.
“No, see, the strawberry detangler matters,” Dana explains gravely.
Cassie looks exhausted already.
- Bath time is one of Emma’s favorite parts of the day. Dana’s bathroom has slowly been overtaken by bubble bath bottles, bath bombs, tiny toys, and approximately fourteen different lotions.
- Dana adores Emma’s curls. Wash nights became a whole ritual without either of them really meaning for it to happen. Warm towels fresh from the dryer, detangler that smells like strawberries, soft music playing quietly while Dana patiently works through Emma’s curls section by section. It’s one of the few times Emma gets completely still.
- Emma loves being read to, even though she can absolutely read by herself. It’s never really been about the story. It’s Dana’s steady cadence and the feeling of being tucked safely against her side while someone she trusts reads the words for her.
- Dana learned how to braid hair entirely because Emma liked “princess hair.” There are bookmarked YouTube tutorials all over her phone now. Some mornings, Emma walks into work with little star clips or ribbons woven into her curls, and everybody immediately knows Dana had time off the night before.
- Emma is obsessed with stickers. Puffy stickers, glitter stickers, scented stickers, any of them. Dana has absolutely shown up to rounds with a sparkly dolphin sticker mysteriously attached to her ID badge.
- Consequently, Emma loves sticker charts. Dana jokingly made one once for things like drinking water, taking meds, and getting enough sleep, and Emma became deeply invested in earning sparkly stickers.
- Emma likes sitting on the bathroom counter while Dana does skincare at night, kicking her feet while handing Dana products like a very tiny assistant.
“Moisturizer,” Dana says, holding out her hand.
Emma passes it over with the seriousness of a surgical nurse.
- Emma thrives on routine when she’s little. Same blanket. Same bedtime snack. Same movie she’s seen a hundred times already. Dana memorizes all of it without even trying because consistency makes Emma feel safe, and Dana would do just about anything to preserve that safety for her.
- Thunderstorms are terrifying for Emma in little space. Dana eventually turns stormy nights into cozy nights instead. Blanket nests in bed, Disney movies, warm tea for Dana, and watermelon juice for Emma, counting the seconds between thunder while Dana holds her close until the storm passes.
- Dana keeps emergency regression supplies in her hospital locker now without even thinking about it anymore. Crayons, Watermelon candy, hair ties, Strawberry detangler spray, and a tiny plush lamb. Nobody in the Pitt comments on it, mostly because everybody already knows exactly who it’s for.
