Broken Together // J. Washington

Epilogue

It had been several months since what happened at the lodge. Josh and I were still together, Chris and Ash finally decided to get together as a couple after years of hiding their feelings for one another. Sam was still adventuring and being as courageous as she always was. Mike and Emily rekindled their relationship, as Jessica and Matt had passed on. Things were okay, people were okay, I was okay. Or, well, sort of.

"I feel so fat. But I really want that ice cream." I say, sitting at the coffee shop with Josh, Mike, Emily, Sam, Chris, and Ashley.

"So you go get that ice cream!" Emily says, chanting to me. I laugh at her, but I really am uncomfortable. Being eight months pregnant wasn't very fun.

"I thought pregnancy was beautiful. Turns out it's just back pain and having to pee literally every five damn minutes!" I say, moving around in my seat.

"Well, to me you're one gorgeous woman. Too bad you have a fiancé." Josh says, bring me some ice cream. But, I was confused. Fiancé? He hasn't proposed?

"W-what?" I say, not believing my eyes. Josh gets down on one knee, I look around and everyone had their eyes on me. This was so special.

"Bella, we've been together for a very long time and we've known each other for as long as I can remember. But, that doesn't change how much my love changes for you each and every day. Bella, I love you so much." Josh says to me, holding both of my hands before reaching in his pocket for the ring.

"Well just say it already!" Emily shout excited. I have tears in my eyes. This definitely wasn't expected, but it was so incredibly thoughtful and amazing. It was wonderful having everyone together.

"Isabella Gavins, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?" Josh asks, gently opening the black box, revealing an absolutely beautiful sterling silver ring with pure diamonds in the center. It was just gorgeous. It shined so much in the light of the sun.

"Joshua Washington, of course I will! The answer will always be yes!" I say, as he slides the ring on my left finger. Everyone in the cafe is cheering for us. In that moment, I was truly happy. I had everything I had every wanted; a loving fiancé, a baby on the way, my supportive family and friends, and of course my big bowl of ice cream.

-ONE WEEK LATER-

"BABE! WE GOTTA GO!" I yell at Josh as he's grabbing the emergency labor kit. I had a bag ready filled with several sets of clothes, diapers, bottles, and other things ready for when I went into labor. I wanted to be as ready as I could be.

"Okay, come on. Let's get you to the hospital!" Josh says excited as we both hop into the car. A strong contraction hits me as I grip onto Josh's sweater he has on.

"Oh my god! This h-hurts like a motherfucker!" I grit my teeth and continue to clench into anything in sight. The pain was just so unbearable.

When we finally do reach the hospital, they conveniently only have one room left and put me in it. I was thankful that I didn't have to be in labor in the waiting room. That was literally my worst nightmare.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but it seemed to go by very slowly. I heard footsteps enter the room, so I look up and see my doctor.

"Hey, me again. I'm just going to check to see how dilated you are." The doctor checks me, and sighs in clear annoyance. Wow, thanks.

"Still only three centimeters. I'm afraid we're not that ready yet." She tells me and I also sigh at the bad news.

"How long have I been in labor?" I grab Josh's hand for support. The doctor looks at her watch and tells me instantly.

"Nearly seven hours." She says, and I just lay my head down on the pillow. How long does it take for a baby to come out? Was this normal? At that point, I started checking the clocks every so often and it started to drive me crazy.

"TWENTY HOURS?" I sigh, I was getting extremely frustrated. I wanted to get this baby out of me and out right now. I didn't want to hear anymore women yelling and giving birth. I wanted to be them.

"Babe, it's okay. Just calm down. Only a little bit longer." Josh says, trying his best to calm me down.

"Oh yeah? How long?" I laugh, still gripping onto the hospital bed. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before. It was uncomfortable and unbearable. I wanted it to be over already.

"It's time!" The doctor says, cheerfully. Thank the lord. I thought I'd never get this baby out.

They rolled the bed down to the delivery wing of the hospital and got me set up to push.

"Ms. Carver, I need you to breathe. Can you do that?" The doctor asks me, and I only nod back. I wasn't able to speak, like the pain was too loud or something.

"You've got this, just one more push!" Josh coaches me, he's holding my hand in utter support. I'm so grateful for him being here and being with me. He was mine forever.

"It's a girl!" The doctor says, showing me the baby. It was covered in blood and other probably disgusting stuff, but I could tell it looked so much like Josh. The head full of dark hair, the green eyes, the pale skin. She was perfect.

"Hi, Hayden Rose." Josh says, holding her little finger. She was so fragile and I made sure to hold her with a firm grip so I wouldn't drop her.

"Hayden?" I ask, not sure if that was what he actually wanted to name her.

"I like Hayden. It's beautiful." Josh says, brushing a piece of my hair behind my ear. I look down at Hayden and she's nearly asleep. She was warm, wrapped in my arms. I was incredibly happy.

There was nothing that could make me any happier than I am right now. Nothing at all.