After waking in a strange place with strange people looking at her and talking to her, it had taken Lily approximately two minutes for her initial panic and the strangeness of everything to ebb away and be replaced with a new panic when she recognized the little girl that was being tended to near her. Just like that, she hadn't cared that she had no idea what was going on. She would have crossed a volcano to get to Helena if she'd had to, so it had been a simple thing to brush aside hands to hurry over and wrap her arms around her niece. And they had stayed right there, all through the doctors finishing their checks on them, through the explanation of where the two of them were, through the gifting of the device she didn't know how to use and the assignment of being a doctor herself. She was given so much information at once and her head felt like it was spinning right off her shoulders, but that was nothing compared to the realization that she suddenly had an almost three-year-old in her care.
After that particular realization, Lily had steeled herself for this sudden responsibility -- but then that turned out to be unnecessary, when she found that Albus was here, too. Maybe the rush of relief she felt at that knowledge was a bad thing, but it was probably best for Helena. If there was one thing Lily was certain of, it was that she was not cut out for being a mum just yet. An aunt that spoiled her niece enough for two lifetimes? Definitely. A mum? She could feel herself breaking out in hives at the very thought.
Lily heard Albus's approach before she saw him, the stomp of his feet with his hurried pace unmistakable. She had been sitting with Helena in her lap, her cheek pressed to her soft hair as they waited semi-patiently. Next to her was a now opened box with Christmas wrapping paper crushed into a ball next to it. She remained seating as Albus took his daughter from her and she couldn't help but smile. It was rare that she saw her brother looking so, well, happy. Briefly she wondered how long he had been there without Helena. She might not have felt like she was ready to be any sort of parent, but she had a suspicion that if she had been panicked at the thought of being away from Helena, his would have bee much worse.
"Alby," she replied softly, giving her brother a smile as she took his offered hand. Lily dipped her head just a bit, pressing her cheek to his knuckles.