Getting By ~ Cole & Cassie's Story

The Journey Isn't Over Yet ~Epilogue~

One Year Later

                Cole P.O.V

“Daddy?” I heard my daughter’s voice crackling through the baby monitor, followed by a whimper. I rolled out of bed, turning off the monitor so Sophie wouldn’t wake up. It was April 8th; one year since we’d spent a day and night in the hospital, waiting for my daughter to be born.

I walked blindly into my daughter’s room, the same soft yellow we’d painted it before she was born. The walls had more pictures on them now; from the day she was born to Christmas.

Ayden was standing up, grasping onto the white bars of her crib. Her green-blue eyes were wide, and brimming with silent tears. Her copper curls were flat on one side and sticking up on the other (mine were probably the same) and tangled to the extreme. She was not going to be happy when we had to brush them later on.

“Happy birthday princess,” I whispered, lifting her out of her crib and kissing her head.

“Daddy!” she cried and I shushed her. ‘Daddy’ had been her first word, ‘Momma’ her second and things like ‘cat’ and ‘dog’ and ‘yum’. Oh, and “Cass” and ‘Jay’. She used to call Cassie ‘Ca ca’ which drove her nuts –we thought it was hilarious- but she eventually got the hang of saying ‘Cass’. She was a smart little kid, and way to observant for her own good.

“Should we wake Mommy up, Ayden? Should we?” I bounced her up and down while she giggled and shrieked.

“You already did,” I turned to see Sophie leaning in the doorway, smiling at us. “Happy birthday, honey.” She kissed Ayden and then me “Breakfast?”

I nodded “I think Cassie and Jake are up, but I’m not sure.” We went down stairs, where Cassie was making pancakes and Jake was setting the table.

“Good morning, happy birthday Ayden.” Cassie said, giving her niece a kiss. She flipped a pancake and put a plate full on the table.

We all dug in (Cassie made the best pancakes), well, we did; Ayden got most of her pancakes on the floor. Sophie and I had to get to school; we both took courses at the community collage four days a week, and worked whenever we weren’t learning except on Saturdays.

“You’re going to be late if you don’t hurry,” Cassie said, taking our plates away.

“Okay,” Sophie said, grabbing her purse “Bye baby, be good for Auntie Cassie!” I kissed Ayden, whished her happy birthday again and ran out the door, wishing I could spend the day with my daughter instead of in a crowded hall. But I wished that every day.

                Cassie P.O.V

                “Alright Ayden, here’s Mr. Bunny and your rattle. I’m going to sort through this box, and we can listen to the Beatles.” For some strange reason, my little niece always behaved her very best when I played the Beatles. She was a weird one, that’s for sure.

She just smiled up at me with that adorable smile of hers and hugged her bunny. As All You Need Is Love played through the store, I tried to contain my excitement. There was a package in the bathroom that I was dying to test, but there was also a huge box of books that needed sorting. But…

“Finn, can you watch Ayden for a few minuets?”

“Sure Cassie, hi Ayden!” Finn blew a raspberry at my niece and winked at me as I ran up the stairs, bolting for the bathroom. I drank five big glasses of water and tore open eight of my purchases. I peed on eight sticks, and then waited for three minuets.

I was almost afraid to look. After less than a year of trying, could this be the month our dream would come true? Would Jake come home today with his wish fulfilled? One…two…three…