Epilogue
Seven Months Later
I stood in the hospital room by the far window, a robe wrapped around me. I looked out into the night sky. The blues and purples wrapping around each other to create an elegance I hadn’t looked upon in quite some time. The stars shone through as much as they could and the half-moon that reflected in the glass gave me a hope I couldn’t have asked for.
People would expect me to be broken down at home, not wanting to live any sort of life, but that just wasn’t something I could afford to do. I knew that if I wanted to live any sort of life, even without Law, I had to keep moving. I had to keep living, if not for anything other than the child growing inside of me.
“Anya,” the nurse whispered to me as she made her way quietly into the room, a baby cradled in her arms. She handed the sleeping child to me, who stirred in my arms and aimlessly reached out for something to hold on to. I gave him my finger and relaxed him into my embrace.
Two hours ago I’d delivered a healthy eight-pound baby boy who was a devil to get out, after being in labor for over twelve hours. Cary had said she’d been just as bad with Law when he was born. It had felt good to have memories of Law with us today. Even though my heart felt numb each day I woke up, today it didn’t. Looking down at this child, all I felt was a love I never thought I’d feel again.
I bounced the child in my arms and looked up at the nurse, who was still standing there. The light in the room was set on a full dim for those who were still sleeping in here. My parents were in one corner, Law’s in another, and Leah sat in a chair next to my bed and Axel on the floor next to her.
I twisted us into small circles and leaned down to kiss his forehead. A pang filled me as I thought back to each dance Law and I had ever shared. Us spinning together, a kiss, a smile. I held the child closer to me and let a small tear fall down my face. It wasn’t from sadness, though. It was from the sheer fact that this was something I would forever get to share with this child, because this was now our pas de deux.
“What are you going to name him?” the nurse asked and brought me out of the memories. I hadn’t even begun to fathom what I was going to name this child, but when he opened his eyes, the motions were already put into place.
I looked up and around this room at this family, my family, our family.
A family I never thought I would have, even after everything that had happened. After losing Law, I thought I would have lost all of these people too, but that wasn’t the case. They all rushed to my side and never left. Leah, Axel, my parents, all moved to Alabama. Every single person in this room was a part of this child’s life and I knew I wanted to do them justice.
I looked back down into my son’s eyes. Deep blue eyes that brought back so many memories.
Eyes that had once stared back at me.
Eyes I had once compared to Neptune.
Eyes that drew out a name from me I’d never expected to come from my lips.
“Lawson.” I looked back up at the nurse.
“His name is Lawson.”
