Mettle of Honor (gxg)

Epilogue

Four years later...

               "Come on Ruby, open up for the choo choo!" Elsie cooed to her little two year old. "Mommy wants to eat too." Her tummy was already grumbling, so having her daughter eat would really help!

               "Here, I'll feed her," offered her husband, Dane. "Eat while it's still warm. You gotta feed the little nugget too."

               Elsie sat back gratefully and took a bite of mashed potatoes as she rubbed the belly holding baby number two. It was a good thing that she'd married a man that could cook, because she was still hopeless in a kitchen after all the time. She'd never married Kate. Hell, they didn't even make it six months after they got their nurses' licenses, and things before then hadn't been good, with Elsie getting more and more distant every day. Not surprisingly, Elsie never got over Justice, and when she got a job in a doctor's office, she stumbled upon someone who wouldn't constantly remind her of her failures as a wife.

               No, it wasn't like Kate had rubbed it in her face, but just seeing her on a daily basis made her remember why they were even together in the first place. Dane was gentle, and exactly what she needed, even if it had been a shock for her to be interested in a man again after years of being with women. But after Justice, she couldn't consider dating another woman, for fear of being reminded of her, which was sad to even think about. For Elsie, it was Justice or nothing when it came to another women. With Justice wanting nothing to do with her, she let herself be open to someone else.

Dane was the son of the doctor she was working for, and in medical school himself, when they met. He was also the first person since she'd lost Justice that could make her feel good just by holding her, and she found him easy to talk to, even admitting her past failings. He knew she wasn't perfect because he ended up being the person she cheated on Kate with, and he accepted her as she was. He had gone through a bad breakup too, having found out the girl he'd been engaged to was only after him for his father's money, and the hopes that he would be just as wealthy. They graduated from talking, to heavy petting and making out, to outright sex in the doctor's office, after hours on the examination tables. Their love was never like what she had with Justice, but it was nice and gentle, and she could be happy enough with that.

Therapy had helped Elsie a lot. She truly hated herself a lot, and it took over a year to forgive herself for all of her terrible decisions regarding Justice. The worst part was, Justice had forgiven her long before, having left a note with her father to give to Elsie's parents, though she refused to see or talk to her. Justice had moved on, quite happily, which was something else that burned Elsie's heart. But how could she be upset? That was her decisions and choices coming home to roost, and she deserved it all. So, she never pursued her love again already knowing it would be pointless.

               Kate had been holding out hope ever since the two divorces, always trying to find clues that Elsie would finally return her love the same way that she loved her, but she never did. Finding out that Elsie was pregnant was shocking, since Elsie hadn't shown an interest in men since she'd met Justice, but their split was still inevitable even without Dane showing up in her life. Just the week before they broke up, Elsie had moaned Justice's name in her sleep, breaking Kate's heart a little more. That had been over a year after the divorce, and Kate realized once more that Elsie would never get past her, much like Kate couldn't get past Elsie.

               The two never spoke after they broke up, and now Elsie was living up near Boston with Dane as he opened up his own practice there, and it gave Elsie a chance to escape the history and memories back in North Carolina. The atmosphere had only grown worse after their quick divorces once the news of just what Justice and Sara had gone through became public and their faces were on TV and on the internet night and day, and everyone calling them heroes. Elsie was so proud of Justice for having gone through what she did and surviving, and sick that she wasn't able to show her that in person. She watched every interview and read every story, mentally chastising herself for cheating on such an amazing woman. It got bad for a while when reporters wanted to ask them questions too, and Elsie took to hiding during those periods. Dane giving her a chance, and even better, a life far away from her old state, saved her sanity.