Chapter Forty-One
EVELYN
Six months later...
Logan’s speech at the inauguration was the most moving I had ever heard. And I wasn't the only one witnessing it; everyone present could understand his words perfectly, thanks to the sign language interpreter standing beside him.
At the end, applause filled the air as he cut the ceremonial ribbon. The small, long-vacant building attached to New York Center Hospital now had a purpose, a brilliant idea born from Logan’s new role as director.
After cutting the ribbon, he pulled away the fabric covering the plaque beside the entrance, revealing its new name:
Aurora Turner Hearing Center
After extensive testing, Logan had confirmed that Aurora’s deafness was irreversible; implants or devices wouldn't change it.
But that wasn't a negative sentence. Our little girl was happy, and that was all that mattered.
However, Logan had the resources to ensure she had access to every possible treatment for a better quality of life—a privilege many families lacked.
The Hearing Center would offer a full spectrum of services: medical care, surgery, diagnostics, speech therapy, and even a social sector providing sign language classes, all at affordable rates or completely free for families in need.
The ceremony was brief but powerful. Anna and Aurora were there in beautiful dresses of their own choosing—pink for Rory, baby blue for Anna.
We had worried Anna might feel jealous of her sister being honored this way, but instead, she was incredibly proud, telling anyone who would listen that her twin sister had a whole center named after her.
The love and complicity between them was a constant source of wonder and joy.
The four of us returned home together and were greeted by the excited bounds of Blue, our dog.
The name, of course, had been Anna’s idea.
He was a German Shepherd mix we’d adopted from a shelter two months prior.
We’d gone intending to get a puppy, but the girls fell in love with Blue, a fully-grown, enormous dog.
We brought him home that day, and he’d become a beloved member of the family who brightened our days, even when he was chewing on shoes (Logan’s were his favorite).
The girls ran inside to play with Blue, while Logan and I hung our coats by the door, falling into a very serious and important debate.
“I’m telling you, Evy, it’s a complete pile of nonsense.”
“I don’t believe you, Logan.”
“How can you not believe me?”
“I think you’re exaggerating.”
“Me? They use the defibrillator thirty times an episode, and I’m the one exaggerating?”
I had finally convinced him to binge-watch Grey’s Anatomy with me, and now he was contesting everything. We were debating the episodes we’d watched the night before.
“That’s what you do when a patient is in cardiac arrest,” I countered.
“No! For cardiac arrest, you do chest compressions and resuscitation maneuvers. Defibrillators are for arrhythmias—to restore a regular rhythm, not to bring people back from the dead!”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Maybe because I’m a doctor. A real doctor.”
“The problem is you complain about everything. Just wait until you see today’s episode. It’s one of my favorites. A patient arrives with a bomb inside his body, and the paramedic who treated him has her hand stuck in his wound to stop the bleeding. If she pulls it out, the bomb goes off.”
As I spoke, Logan looked at me with an expression of pure, professional distress. “Seriously, Evelyn? I don’t think you need a medical degree to see the absurdity in that.”
“Fine. If you’re going to be like that, we won’t watch it.”
“No way. I need to know if Meredith and Derek will work things out.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, and he joined me, the playful argument dissolving into shared amusement. We shared a kiss and walked into the living room to find Anna and Aurora standing right in the middle, waiting for us. Blue sat dutifully by their side.
“What’s up, you two?” I asked curiously.
They nudged each other, silently debating who should speak. Finally, Anna began, “So, Evy… It’s just… Rory and I… We wanted to ask you something really important.”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Yes!” Anna continued, her words tumbling out. “It’s just that… We wanted to know if… if… if you…”
Impatiently, Aurora stepped forward and finished for her sister, her hands moving with clear intent:
Do
You
Accept
To be
Our
Second
Mommy?
Anna sighed in relief. And my God… why were they so unsure about asking for something so beautiful?
I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice failed me. Within seconds, tears were streaming down my face beyond my control.
“Are you sad, Evy?” Anna asked, her face clouding with worry.
Aurora quickly signed that if I didn’t want to, it was okay.
How could I not want this?
Anna explained, “In the video Mommy left us, she said she would be our mom forever. She’s our mom in heaven now, but she said we could have another. And we love you so much. And we think it’s a little weird to just call you Evy.”
Aurora added, her signs gentle and hopeful:
We want
To call
You
Mommy.
Can we?
I felt Logan’s strong arm wrap around my shoulders, pulling me close as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. I looked up at him through my tears, and we exchanged a smile full of more love than I ever thought possible.
Then, I knelt down in front of the girls—our girls.
They would always be Eleanor’s daughters, as they themselves remembered. But I knew that love was never divided; it only multiplied. The feeling I had for them was so vast it overflowed my heart.
“I will be the happiest woman in the whole world if you call me Mommy,” I said, my voice trembling, my hands repeating the words in signs.
Their faces broke into the most beautiful, radiant smiles, and then they threw themselves into my arms for a double hug.
Logan knelt down too, wrapping his arms around all three of us, completing our family.
*****