Epilogue - Taran
“You’re a little distracted this afternoon, my friend,” my patient tells me in a low, amused voice. I smile to myself as I pack away my supplies and throw away my gloves. If he only knew just how distracted I am.
“Sorry, Mr. Weaver. I’ve got big plans with my girl tonight. I’m just really looking forward to it.”
“I love to hear that, you have fun. You know you can call me Miles, you’ve been taking care of me for weeks.”
“You’ve been a fantastic patient. The physical therapy seems to be helping a lot, your mobility has been so much better the past couple of visits.”
“I’m feeling much better, but a double knee replacement is no joke. I don’t know what I’d do without you during this recovery, Taran.”
My throat tightens when he says that, because it’s exactly why I started doing this full time. I love making an impact on people’s lives. Miles is freshly cleaned up, looking good, and getting better each time I come. He always smells like tobacco and mint, which I like. His wife Georgia comes bustling out of the kitchen holding a cookie tin with their terrier Scamp at her heels.
“Here, dear. If you have a special night going on with your lady love tonight, you need some dessert. I just made these peanut butter cookies and we can’t eat them all.”
At this point, I know better than to refuse Georgia’s food offerings. She does not play around, and no one is allowed to leave her house without some kind of treat. My company doesn’t allow any type of monetary gift due to ethics, but if our patients want to offer us food or a glass of something (non-alcoholic) to drink, it’s not against the rules.
“Thank you, Georgia. She loves anything with peanut butter.”
Georgia beams. I say my goodbyes to them and give Scamp some scratches behind his ears before I hop into my car to head home.
As I’m driving, my heart begins pounding an out of control rhythm in my chest. Lyra is at an all day training and won”t be home for another hour, so there”s plenty of time to get everything ready. It also happens to be the anniversary of her surgery, so I knew I wanted to do something special. I can”t think of anything more special than what I”m about to do. Her recovery over the six months it took to get her completely back on her feet again went as well as could be expected. Once everything healed, all of the benefits of the surgery have been easy to see. She has had such an easier time chewing, and the joints have stopped hurting. She”s teased me that I”ve had to get used to a new face on her. There is definitely a difference if you look at before and after photos. Her chin is more defined in profile, and her jaw is more angular and squared off. It”s all still her, though. She still has those insanely gorgeous, bright green eyes, slightly sloped and adorable nose, and smile that makes me weak.
All this to say, she”s everything to me, from her striking face to how much she encourages me every day in my new career. When I finished my schooling, I got hired by a visiting nurse service to do just a morning rotation of helping people get washed and dressed for the day before doing my normal UPS shift. I ended up loving it so much that I knew pretty quickly I wanted to do it full time. I loved being a UPS driver, and I can’t say I don’t miss it sometimes. Being a CNA has become such a huge passion, though. The company that originally hired me thankfully liked me enough to have me start doing all day shifts of going into people”s homes and helping them. Val has been so fantastic with giving me advice from her wealth of experience, too. There are challenges sometimes of course, but overall it”s so unbelievably rewarding. Most of the patients are elderly and treat me like a grandson, always making sure I”ve had plenty to eat that day and am hydrating enough. Miles and Georgia are a prime example. Along with giving them their medical care, we have fun. I sing and dance with them, play with their pets, and meet their families. I adore my patients, it’s the interpersonal connection I always crave.
Pulling into the driveway, I see that Ma and Val are already here getting everything set up, thanks to the key I gave them. They made sure to park down the street, though. I know the Hernandez clan and Gina will be here very soon, too. Seth, Sienna, Addy, Mason, plus the LeFevre family are on standby to be brought in via video chat. When I go inside, I”m immediately greeted by Brody and his recent girlfriend Lilly. We brought her home a few months ago when we saw her at an adoption event at the pet store. She”s a gorgeous, dainty, sable brown and light tan girl with big eyes that look like black boba pearls. Her previous owner passed away alone, and she wasn”t found for days after. Poor Lilly was a hungry, attention starved girl when we met her. No one knows what breeds she might be, but down the road we could look into the genetic testing to find out. There is absolutely some hound in her with her long snoot. Brody and Lilly are now inseparable, and it makes me and Lyra melt any time they cuddle. Right now, they are freshly groomed, decked out in fancy collars, with a sign around each of their necks saying, “Mama, please say yes.”
When the rest of our loved ones show up, we get into position. Everyone else is going to hide in the kitchen, and I”m going to greet Lyra at the door. I don”t want to overwhelm her with the crowd at first, and have the moment be just about the two of us, then our dogs. My pulse begins to thrum when I hear her pull in. Everyone shushes everyone else, and I hear Gina getting our far away family online with the video call.
Lyra comes in, her brow creasing when she sees me, no doubt reading that something is up. I give her a big kiss, and murmur, “Welcome home, Firecracker.” She smiles and gives me another kiss.
“Hello to you, too, handsome. How was your day?”
“Same old, same old. Before we sit down for dinner, I have a surprise for you.” She swats at me.
“I knew it! What are you up to, Taran? I don”t like surprises.”
“Hopefully you”ll like this one. I”ve just got a question to ask, that”s all.”
I whistle for the dogs, and they come running in looking so proud of themselves. They”ve been training for this on the sly with me for weeks. She stares at the signs wide eyed and uncomprehending, until she whips her head back to me. Her eyes go even wider, and start to fill with unshed tears when she sees me on one knee with a ring box in hand. There’s no question that my heart is in my hand right along with it.
“Lyra Spinelli, we found each other at exactly the right time in our lives, and I could not possibly love you more. This life we have built is everything, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you. We”ll go on adventures, spoil the hell out of our pups, and forever dance to Sinatra in the kitchen. Will you please do me the honor of marrying me?”
Her tears start falling as I pull the box open and show her the ring. It”s her favorite, rose gold, with a delicate band and a center oval diamond that is surrounded by two little diamond roses. The way the sunlight coming in from the front sidelights catches on the diamonds is dazzling, throwing little prisms of light all over the foyer. It”s slightly different, symbolizing her signature scent, and hopefully exactly her taste. I”m hoping that”s what the tears mean. Then she starts nodding vehemently before she throws herself at me. In between an onslaught of kisses all over my face, she just keeps saying, “Yes,” and I don’t think my heart could possibly grow any bigger. We kiss deeply, every ounce of emotion from the moment going into it. By the time we pull apart, we’re breathless, and I slide the ring onto her finger. It looks completely perfect on her, and the meaning of it all overwhelms me with emotions. A few tears run down my cheek, mingling with hers.
She”s going to be my wife.
This incredible woman, her face so completely lit up with happiness that she glows, is going to be MY wife. She’s not unlike the flower she loves so much. If you look past the thorny defenses, she opens up into the most stunning, vividly colorful, wonderful person, and I can’t believe my luck. Feeling absolutely giddy, I lead my future wife toward the kitchen where everyone is hiding.
“There”s more of a surprise in the kitchen,” I warn her.
“I’m in too much of an emotional daze to be mad about that,” she chokes out on a laugh.
Everyone cheers when we walk in, and the hugs and kisses start flowing all around. Ma and Alejandra are both crying their eyes out as they hold each other, with Hector smiling proudly as he rubs Alejandra’s back. Gina is teary, while Ava jumps up and down squealing. Carlo is smiling so bright that it’s blinding. Surrounded by our very nearest and dearest, eating delicious food, we get to celebrate the beginning of something truly beautiful.