Epilogue
Nine Months Later
Delaney ‘Laney’
“Elias Hawke calm down and do not fuss at the nurse.”
“Babe, you’re in pain. She has to stop it.”
“Sweetheart, it’s called childbirth. Trust me, I’ve had worse pain than this.”
“Watching you suffer is killing me.”
I glance at the nurse who is trying to hide her laughter. She meets my gaze and rolls her eyes, essentially saying that all men are big wimps. I nod in agreement.
A noise in the hall alerts me to another incoming nuisance. “Where is my sister?”
I roll my eyes. I really do not want to deal with either of them right now. Especially when another contractions hits.
“Laney, Laney, honey are you alright?”
“Yes, Frank. It’s just a baby.” Another contraction hits, twisting my insides like someone wringing out a towel and I moan.
“Alright gentlemen, out.” My Doctor, MaryElizabeth, walks in. Thank god. “We’re going down for the c-section. You go sit in the waiting room. We’ll let you know when you can see mom and the little one.”
Once they’re gone, she leans close. “How you doing, Mom?”
“Better now that you’re here. Thank you. They mean well but... well you know how they can be.”
“Everything is okay. Everything looks good for you and your son. But, as we discussed, with all your other prior injuries, I don’t recommend you do this again.
“I know. We know.”
“Alright, let’s go welcome this little one.”
Epilogue Six Years Later
“Evertt, will you help Dad by carrying the baby bag, please.”
“Sure, Mom. I can take Elodie’s hand and get her in the car, too. We need to hurry so we aren’t late.”
“Thank you.” He is so much like his father. Organizing and watching over everyone. The most gentle and caring person.
I glance to where my husband stands, phone to his ear.
“We’re on our way. Twenty minutes.” He hangs up and turns toward me.
“What’s wrong?”
“The mom’s not doing well. She was badly injured in a car accident last night. Brain injury. They think the baby is ok but are doing a C-section. Thankfully, she signed all the adoption papers last week.
“The baby is good sized and only two weeks early. They think everything will be okay.”
“We’re ready. I called Hazel and let her know. She’s on her way over. She wants to make-up the baby’s room and prepare food for us.”
He nods and helps me to the car, makes sure Evertt and Elodie are bucked in properly and we head out.
I stare out the window as he drives. Life has been good to us the last six years.
Allen and his uncle both got life without parole. Most of the families got closure.
We married two weeks after the arrested when my brother was home on leave. Neither one of us wanted to wait. We’d already known for years what our hearts wanted.
I started working for Halo Security and we found out a month later I was pregnant. As the pregnancy progressed, I had to cut my hours, but they were comfortable with me working from home. I still do, only going in for meetings.
Hawke reached out to Hazel, she was thrilled to come work for us as both housekeeper and to help with the baby. We bought a modest home with a mother-in-law apartment on the property. She’s really family now.
When Frank got out of the military, he also joined Halo.
When giving birth again for me was ruled out, we made the conscious decision to adopt abandoned children or children born to girls like Hawke’s mom, who had been abandoned themselves when they needed it most. Who better to help them grow into adulthood, unconditionally loved, than by a man who survived from the same beginning.
Elodie’s mom struggled with alcohol addiction. She managed to stay clean through the pregnancy but after giving birth she died a couple months later of a drug overdose. We got our precious Elodie at three months.
The mother of our current adoption was abandoned by her family. I know this hit Hawke especially hard. We offered the young woman a place to stay with us, but she’d just started a new relationship and declined. She did agree to let us adopt her baby when it was born.
He pulls into the hospital parking lot. I can see the sadness in his face. He always wants to save everyone.
Frank and I lost our parents early, Hawke never really had one.
I stop him with a hand on his chest. “We’ve got this Hawke. We’ve found our family. No matter what, we’ve got each other and we’ve got this. Our babies will always be loved and know they are loved.”
He takes a deep breath and wraps his arms around me. “I love you, Laney. With all my heart. You are my life.”
“And you are mine.”
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