Addicted

Epilogue

Fall 27 Year 13

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The rooster crow came ringing through the house as Shane tried to force himself out of the bed. His three-year-old son, Eli, was laying across Maree's chest as she strained to open her eyes. He'd heard her up and down all night with the boy, opting in the end, to just bring him to bed with her. Maree opened her eyes with a sleepy groan and looked up to Shane, who lifted the child off of her. "Nightmares, again?" he asked in a whisper, kissing Eli on the forehead before laying him back down in the spot that Shane had just gotten out of, then covering him up.

"All night," said Maree rolling off the edge of the bed, catching herself before she hit the floor. "Nowhere near as bad as your daughter's though." She half smiled, looking up at Shane. The two pulled on their clothes as quietly as possible and made their way out of the room. After Shane had closed the door behind him, Maree clapped him on the ass, "Last day of work this season, baby." Her voice happy and light through the lack of sleep weighing on her eyes in bags.

"Good morning, mom," Jas and Peyton chimed from the kitchen, both of them preparing pancakes and bacon for the family in an effort to be nice on Maree's forty-first birthday. Jas had grown considerably since Maree had met Shane, fifteen now, and with a body to boot, making Maree become overly protective, having been a young girl once herself. Jas was in severe need of someone who knew how to take care of her hair type, moving her to a private school in Zuzu City and making sure to keep a stylist on call for Jas's weekly style changes. Maree made sure that Jas had all of the coolest clothes as well, making frequent trips to the city just to see Jas and spend, in Shane's opinion, way too much money on clothes and whatever else that Jas's heart desired. Jas wasn't Maree's baby, but was her first child in a sense that she did help raise her while her and Shane were only dating. Jas's phone dinged over and over as she prepared the pancakes, remarking a 'Shuddup' every time that it went off and she wasn't able to check it, causing Shane to eye her suspiciously.

Peyton, however, was Maree's pride and joy. The baby she thought she'd never have, ultimately convincing Shane and Maree that they needed to get married. She'd walked down the aisle pregnant and had asked her father to come. He refused, allowing Jake to walk his baby sister down the aisle and give her away. It was for the best, she'd convinced herself, even though traditionally the father was supposed to be the one to give the bride away. Maree had decided on Abigail being her maid of honor, and to his excitement, Sam accepted being Shane's best man. Though the wedding was everything Maree had imagined, right down to Shane spinning her around on the dance floor to the first song they had danced to in the Saloon on their first real date, she'd spent much of the pregnancy in an uneasy state. Shane refused to let Maree lift a finger on the farm, only for Peyton to come a whole month early. She was healthy though, Maree specifically remembered all of the hair that Peyton had, remarking how adorable she looked in Jas's old bows, but buying out Pierre and the Jojamart of every bow they had in stock. Doctor Harvey delivered Peyton on the porch of the farmhouse, with Maree protesting that the baby wasn't ready, and Shane in a panic as he tried to round up everything needed for the trip to the Zuzu City Memorial Hospital. Shane held Peyton first, crying tears of joy as he watched the precious little buddle yawn in his arms while Maree, being the trooper that she always was, sent the doctor to get her a simple pad from the bathroom. She'd stood up from her spot on the porch and only looked at Peyton for a moment before taking wobbly steps towards the porch swing and dropping herself down in exhaustion. Jake drove them to the hospital in the van, Maree having severe blood loss, Harvey in a Panic, and Shane worried about Maree, but completely occupied by the tiny person that he clutched in his arms. Maree didn't remember anything else after half of the ride, passing out. Maree was in surgery for hours as Shane paced the waiting room floor, the small bundle tight in his arms as nurses brought him formula to feed her with Maree being unavailable. The waiting room was still and quiet when a doctor finally came in to tell them that she was fine and stable and ready to go home the next day. Harvey and Jake took the bus back home while Shane stayed overnight with Maree and the baby. Maree's second memory of Peyton would always be when she finally woke and tried to feed her, unsuccessfully. Postpartum depression had taken Maree away from her little one for a while, unable to breastfeed, on bed rest from the doctors, and Shane breathing down her neck every time she tried to do something around the house that wasn't absolutely necessary. She'd received help for it, saying she didn't want to hurt herself or her baby, but she felt her baby would be better off without her. The medicine did help though, helping her regain the feelings she should have had when she first held Peyton, and in the angry feeling at herself, decided that Peyton would always be her favorite child.