Epilogue

Remy

— Two years later —

Remy walked inside the huge gallery, waiting for Julie to finish up her workday. Thursdays meant he picked her up and they had a drink or two on the Chicago Riverwalk.

She didn’t drink anymore, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t go out to have a little bit of fun before the weekend started.

It was late April, so even though the weather was warm during the day, the evenings were still cold. Julie forgot her sweater at home so he picked one at a boutique a few blocks away.

She was talking to Veronica, who was now her full time operations manager at the gallery. She was Julie’s right hand.

“…they’ll want to make an offer right away, just make sure you’re ready for it and plan accordingly. Never go for the first offer.”

“Got it,” Veronica said behind the door.

Julie turned and stopped when she saw him.

“You’re already here,” she said, looking more beautiful than ever.

“Just waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry! There’s just so much to do.”

“You have to wrap things up before leaving, it’s okay.”

She gave him a kiss.

“Are you ready?” He asked, giving her her new sweater.

She put it on, it fitted her perfectly.

“Thank you! I love it!”

“I don’t want you to catch a cold, especially now.”

He put his hand on her belly. It was swollen, completely huge.

She was pregnant.

“One week to go.”

“One week,” she replied.

Both of them felt like in heaven. He didn’t know how much he genuinely wanted to be a dad until he came back from work one day to their home in Wilmette, an incredible suburb just north of Chicago, and she told him she was pregnant.

She’d just found out, too, and neither of them could really process the news until a few hours later. They were that surprised.

He helped Julie get into his car and drove away, towards the Riverwalk.

“We need to say goodbye to this place,” he said, half joking, “we won’t be here in like, years.”

“I don’t think we can,” she replied, her words coming out slowly.

“You’re right, we’ll hire a nanny and come back here from time to time.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

He turned to her, she seemed… off.

“Honey, are you okay?”

His heart began thudding in his chest, something was going on.

She licked her lips, then turned to him, “my water just broke.”

He stopped breathing, just looked down and saw her seat completely drenched.

“Oh, God, is this it? This is it, right?”

She nodded, each time more and more rapidly.

“The baby is coming!” She said, with a mix of excitement and fear.

He pressed on the pedal and turned right, with his arm over her chest and belly, trying to protect her.

“We’re almost there, baby,” he kept saying, “we’re almost there.”

“My camera,” he blurted out.

“What?”

All kinds of thoughts assaulted him. He wanted to film the whole thing but where was his camera? In the trunk you fucker, calm down.

He took a deep breath, made another turn, the hospital was just five minutes away.

Julie yelled out in pain. The contractions had begun.

“We’re almost there, honey!”

He could see the hospital in the distance. Watch out for the cops.

He began braking. This was the worst day to start a highway chase.

Julie would freaking kill me.

He laughed. The things that came to his mind in a moment like this.

She grabbed his hand so hard she almost crushed it, yelling in pain again.

“Wait, baby, wait, hang in there!”

He turned right and into the parking lot. The hospital loomed brightly in the night.

He stopped at the main entrance, left the car on and jumped out to help her.

A nurse rushed out and Remy explained what was happening. The nurse went in and brought a wheelchair out.

He pushed her into the hospital and realized he didn’t know where to go.

He stopped. The nurse was behind him, probably used to this kind of behavior.

“You need to go to the front desk, it’s down the corridor, to the right. They’ll tell you what to do.”

“Is the doctor here?”

Julie screamed again, the pain was more intense this time.

“Of course he isn’t, baby, now go!”

Remy stood there for ten seconds, watching Julie being carried away to be prepared for labor.

He looked around, the waiting room to his right was empty. A TV played almost in silence, the evening news. Nothing mattered right now. He felt as if in a dream. The world was about to change completely for him and he just stood there, stupidly glad that he found her, the mother of his children. The love of his life.

He burst into action, going to the front desk to set everything up, thinking about rushing to his car to take all of the camera equipment.

I need to get myself together.

He walked to the front desk and took a deep breath.

“I need to check my wife in, our doctor is Gregory Dunn.”

“Thank you sir,” she said, taking out the usual paperwork for him to fill.

“Having a baby?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“Boy or girl?”

He turned to her, a smile on his face.

“Twins. One of each.”

“Congratulations.”

He nodded and completed the form. She told him where to find his wife, third floor, room 314-A.

He ran to her, happiness already filling him.

Remy. The head of the Morgan family, and Julie, heir of the Crawford’s. Together. Proof that love overcomes all obstacles.

When he opened the door to her room, the look on her face said it all. She was ready. He grabbed her hand and thanked heaven for the opportunity to be his husband. Nothing in the world could compare to that.

He would love her forever. Make her proud. He already died once for her. The paramedics said he died for three minutes, then she spoke to him and he came back.

He would do it again, a million times. He would defy death itself if he had to. He would do anything for his family, no matter the cost.

He loved her more than anything else in the world.

This was true love.