Hurts So Good (Neil Melendez (The Good Doctor) x OC)

Epilogue

ONE YEAR LATER

"Happy birthday Bee!" everyone shouts in the room. My beautiful girl is so hyped up that can't sit still in her baby's chair. In front of her there's a white cake with a couple of cake pops resembling bees flying around above the butter cream. Her dark brown eyes look like shiny melted chocolate and I drown happily in that chocolate every single day.
Her little hands are flying around hitting whatever comes in their way and her little screams are accompanied by those of little Vivien, now a six months old baby girl. Lea and Shaun never take their eyes off of her and she's growing up to look like a balanced mix of both her parents: her skin the exact same shade of pink like that of her mother from whom she has also inherited her little nose, and she has eyes so blue like her father's that the sky might throw a temper tantrum one of these days just because it might be jealous of her, and then her hair is a dark shade of caramel.

I smile and I look at Neil, who's by my side. This year has been so good to us that I hardly believe it.
Neil managed to get tons of interesting cases and was successful in almost all of them, what went wrong, we faced together like we learnt to do.
The boutique also got lots of new clients and got booked for a tons of marriages after our first one... A year and a half ago. Time flies.
And then... We've been blessed with the happiest, most beautiful and most undemanding girl ever.

Bee is a... Spitting image of me. But with slightly darker skin. Kelsey always says that I must have accidentally hit the copy/paste button when trying to conceive and I'm quite convinced that something like that might have happened for real.

We cut the cake and I start serving it to all present people. Our favorite people... And one piece will go in a box ready to be taken to St. Martin's later today so that Gabby, the only one who can't be here today, can also enjoy a bite of it.
I give it to Claire, whose smile is genuine now, no longer afflicted by the pain of losing her mother. She also might be in the process of dating someone, but I'm still waiting for details.
I give it to Lea and Shaun, who thank me in unison and we don't say it out loud, but we really hope our girls will grow up to be best of friends.
I give it to Morgan and Alex Park, who are now a officially a couple and they're currently looking for a place to live in together.
I give it to Dr. Glassman, whose heart was recently broken, but we're all in the process of mending it day after day.
I give it to Debbie, who recently broke a heart because she felt like that was the right thing to do for herself, and we're here supporting her choices as well.
I give it to Kelsey and Tammy, whose diamond rings and gold bands shine on their hands, their smiles telling stories of their own.
And then I give it to Neil. The one and only surgeon who managed to mend a broken and faithless heart.
The only one who can make me laugh late at night when I'm exhausted because Beatrice can't sleep.
The only man I love. The only one I want.
But before I hand it to him, I give him a peck on the lips.
"I love you," I tell him. A year ago, without this man I probably would have died.
"I love you," he replies, a soft smile on his lips.

We eat the cake while talking non stop, sharing memories of the last year, making promises and resolutions (it is New Year's Day after all) and then Neil starts playing with Bee on the ground. Kelsey comes closer with a glass of wine in her hands, "they're so cute when they play together."

"They are indeed. His eyes sparkle in a way I had yet to witness when he's with her."

She looks back at me and puts on a smile, "she'd be very proud of you. All of you."

"She is proud. Of all of us."

She nods her head, tears at her eyes, but she swallows them back in.

"Oh look!" Kelsey exclaims.

Neil is on his knees, his hands keeping Bee upright. But he's barely touching her.