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

Extra: The Wedding

SET ONE YEAR AFTER THE EPILOGUE

"Where's Bee? Have you seen her?" I ask Claire breathing hard. Running up the stairs of Kelsey and Tammy's new house isn't easy while being squished inside a beautiful mermaid blue dress.

"I think I saw her in Kelsey's prep room. She was running around the hairdresser."

"Oh no," I fret, "gotta go, I'll see you downstairs!"

"Yeah, see you later," she says as I'm already sprinting down the corridor.

I burst into the room as everyone's giggling: Beatrice has a hairbrush in her little fist and is brushing someone's imaginary hair, talking baby non sense while doing so. I heave out a breath and then say, "I was this close," and I show them how close with my fingers, my thumb and index closing in on each other, "to calling the police."

"She's been helping us! Good job Bee," says Kelsey bending forward to give her a high five while her hairdresser is desperately trying to finish her job.

We have to go down in fifteen minutes.

"I need to steal her away though, we need to get ready downstairs."

"Yeah, no problem. Go go go."

I pick up Bee in my arms, and share an I-am-sorry-for-troubling-you smile with the hairdresser, who smiles back and shakes her shoulders.
I make my way downstairs toward the backpatio ruling over a big backyard where the ceremony will be held. The theme is all about the rainbow colors: reds, oranges, yellows, greens, light-blues, blues and violets are everywhere: first and foremost, they can be found in the flowers, then the colorful chairs (who would have known that green chairs would be so difficult to find?) have been arranged in such a way so to form a rainbow if seen from far away, the cake is seven levels high and each is filled with a different colored cream but you wouldn't know that from the outside, since it is completely covered with a pearly white fondant enriched by white orchids, the kids' accessories are all rainbow colored as well and even the brides nails have been painted in the rainbow colors.

With Bee still in my arms, I make my way down the wooden stairs and I approach Lea so that I can give her and little Vivi the basket with the rose petals that they're going to throw on the carpet as Tammy makes her way to the little altar that has been constructed just for the occasion.
They're gonna throw white petals for Tammy and then Bee is gonna throw red petals for Kelsey with the help of Neil, who's promptly walking towards me now that I've finished explaining Lea the plan.

"Ready?" he asks me. He's looking absolutely stunning in his gray suit and white shirt and his boutonnière is made of the same flowers as my wrist corsage: white anemones, baby's breath and blue lupine. Sincerity. Innocence. Happiness.

"Yes. Nervous, and I know I'm gonna cry, but I'm very ready," I say meaning to sound determined, although inside I'm already crumbling. I'm gonna cry so bad.

He tilts his head to the side, takes Bee from my arms (she gladly strangles her dad almost to death by wrapping her strong little arms around his neck) and then he continues, "it's okay. You can cry all you want," he pauses, "because I took your make up bag here. You had forgot it in the bathroom at home."

My goodness this man. What would I do without him?

"You're really my knight in a shiny armor then!"

"You can put everything back on as soon as you're done crying. Once, twice or thrice, it doesn't matter. It's okay to cry, it is an important day after all," he says with a smile on his face.

Indeed it is.

I spot Tammy's parents going upstairs, they're smiling and I believe Tammy's dad has already had his fair share of tears spilled.

I guess I should go upstairs too.

I slowly make my way up again, check in with Kelsey, who's now just nervously waiting by the door, and I too have to wait until Tammy has gone downstairs to then open the door and say, "it's time!"

We go down, and since Kelsey doesn't want to see her bride until she's walking down the aisle, I spy on everything that's happening outside so that I know when we have to go in.

Tammy is radiant in her white soft dress: her arms are covered in a thin white veil, but her shoulders are exposed to the June sun, as well as her entire back. Her generous curves wrapped by the white fabric make her look like a Greek goddess. Her hair is up, held back by a beautiful shiny pin and her face looks so bright and happy that she could light up the world. Her dad by her side is the proudest man on earth, most probably.

They slowly walk down the carpeted aisle, air is moving the few strands of Tammy's hair that couldn't be pinned back. Lea and Vivi are just a few steps ahead of them and white rose petals are being transported everywhere by the light breeze.

They arrive at the altar, everyone pauses in their tracks for a couple of seconds and then it's Kelsey's turn. She's wearing almost a princess like dress, but less puffed up that most of them are. Her arms and shoulders are bare, the neck line is a sharp line just below her collarbones and her back is semi-naked. Her blonde hair have been partially braided so that she could have a sort of 'natural' crown that has been embellished with pearls and little white flowers selected by yours truly.

I look back at her and I'm most certain that she's sweating.

"Kelsey?"

"I'm ready. Let's go."

I take her by the arm, as her dad should have done if he were here. But he isn't. None of her family is here, but all her friends decided to support her and her partner. So instead of her dad... I am the one taking her to the altar. She would have asked my mom, had she still been here. But life decided to play a different game, so here we are.

She links her arm with mine, and then we're out. Neil and Bee are in front of us hand and hand throwing red rose petals left and right, letting them fly everywhere, like little hearts fluttering around.

We arrive at the altar, I give her a kiss on the cheek, I get closer to her ear and I whisper an 'I love you' that makes her sob. I lightly squeeze her fingers in between our bodies and give her a quick reassuring smile that I hope says something like nothing is gonna change, I'll still be here! Then I look for Neil and Bee on the chairs at the front.

And the ceremony begins.