Baby Steps

The End

Brooke Lynn's POV:

My life has been very different since the accident. It left our family in pain. Things were very different for a while.

It was a drunk driver. That itself angered me. Who is out driving drunk at 2pm? Vanessa's side took all the impact. I had some scratches and was sore for a while, and Emma was completely fine.

But Vanessa...Vanessa was not fine. Vanessa was hurt badly. At first, I thought she was dead, I won't lie, and in that moment for a split second, my body felt cold, and I wanted to die too. But then I heard Emma let out a cry and a loud "mamamama!" from the back seat and remembered that my baby needed me. Both did.

"Vanessa!" I screamed. No response.
I looked around; people were looking. Someone was running toward us.

"Ma'am, we have someone calling for help, are you okay?" a young man asked.

"I-I don't know." I stammer, "my baby is crying, and my wife won't answer me, and I don't know."

My face was wet. I'm crying. Am I hurt? I look at Vanessa, she's not alert. Yes, I'm hurt, my heart is hurt.

"Ma'am, your baby is okay." The young man said after looking at Emma in the back seat. He rushed to Vanessa's side.

"Ma'am, what's your wife's name?" he asked.

"Vanessa. Her name is Vanessa, and I'm Brooke."

"Alright, Brooke, my name is Alex." He said, leaning through Vanessa's busted out window, "Vanessa?" he called, "Vanessa?"

He pressed his fingers to her neck.

"There's a pulse, she has a pulse."

That's when we heard the sirens. Help is coming.

The medics get Vanessa out first, she was in bad shape. They rush her away and I don't see her again.

Next they helped me and Emma. Everything was a blur as they loaded us up into the second ambulance and took us away.

Emma and I were discharged about 2 hours later. We were fine.

Vanessa, however, had been taken to surgery. The impact had not only completely shattered her leg, but also done damage to some of her internal organs.

I don't know what happened to the driver of the other car.

I don't care.

I could lose my wife because of them.

I don't care.

Vanessa healed well. She had to do a lot of physical therapy for her leg, but she got there. She was walking on her own just in time for my 26th birthday.

"Babe!" Vanessa yelled down the hall.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"We need to go; we have to be at the airport in like an hour."

"I know, but I'm trying to make sure I have everything. It would be easier if you'd tell me what the plan is."
"No can do, Mary." Vanessa said quickly.

She had been planning this for around two months. All I knew was that we were going to Florida. Specifics were not known by me.

I rolled my eyes, finished getting ready, and then walked with Vanessa out to the car. Emma had already been dropped off at my parent's house already. This was adults only.

Vanessa still had anxiety about getting in cars, but it was getting easier for her.

We got to the airport, parked, and got checked in for our flight with time to spare. As we are sitting in the terminal looking out the window, I saw a big group of women walking our way, and I couldn't believe it.

Walking towards us was Nina, Katya, Trixie, Aquaria, and Blair. My jaw dropped and tears threatened the corners of my eyes.

"Guys what are you doing here?!" I yelled, running to hug each of them.

"We're coming with you!" Nina said, excitedly.

"Coming with me where?!" I tried.

"Nope." Trixie laughed.

"It was worth a try."

"Kameron is meeting us there." Explained Blair, "And don't even asked where there is because Vanessa threatened to kill us all if we told you."

I looked over my shoulder at my wife who was sitting there with an innocent smile on her face.

I'm so in love with her.

All my favorite people were here. Vanessa did that for me.

I sat down next to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you." I said softly.

"I love you too." She smiled back.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going now?" I asked.

Vanessa shakes her head no, and I roll my eyes.

I soon find out though. Once our flight lands, and our Uber gets us where we need to be, I see it.

It's a ship. I look at Vanessa, and she beams back at me.

"A cruise?!" I asked.

She nods.

"Happy birthday, baby." She said, kissing me.

We get on the ship to find out that Kameron was already there on the pool deck. We met up and our group was complete.

I watch Vanessa, and I'm taken back to the first time I ever saw her.

Suddenly I'm 18 again, and I am looking at the most beautiful girl in the world for the first time.

I'm 20 and Vanessa is holding me after I've had yet another nightmare about the retreat.

I'm 23 and Vanessa is down on one knee proposing to me near the pool, where we kissed for the very first time.

I'm 24 and I am saying "I do" to the love of my life.

I'm 25 and I'm kissing my wife in the back of an ambulance after she gave us the best thing in the world: our beautiful, perfect daughter.

I'm 25 and I'm admiring my wife as she learns to walk again.

Now, I'm 26, and I am the luckiest girl in the world.

I have everything I need, and it can't get better than this.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who rode this ride with me. I had so much fun writing this. I'm really bad at writing endings, so I'm sorry if it's terrible. If you have any suggestions for oneshots or multichapter fics, feel free to send me a message!