The Final Chapter
“What do you mean, maybe I can?” Victor asked.
“Well, maybe you can simply video chat instead of actually going there. Nicolette does it all the time,” Nichole replied.
Victor scratched his chin and he thought for a moment. “Do you think it would be that easy?”
“You’re a very busy man, Victor. I’m sure anyone would allow you to contact whomever you wished just because you’re that important,” Nichole responded.
“I just want to be home more often. I want to spend more time with you all. Tashka and Zap miss me more than anything,” Victor replied with a puckered lip.
“I might cry if you don’t come home,” Nichole said with a sad face.
“Okay from now on, I will only accept video chat calls instead of flying or driving all over the place,” Victor vowed.
“Yay!” Nichole cheered. “It’ll be great to have you home. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and I would love it if you would go with me!” Nichole exclaimed as she hugged Victor tightly.
“Of course, I will go with you. Give me all of your appointment dates! I never want to miss one.” Victor smiled.
The next day came and Nichole and Victor were sitting in a doctor’s office. The doctor entered the room and looked at Nichole. “Hey Dr. Barbosa, how are you today?” the doctor asked.
“I’m doing well, and how are you?” Nichole asked.
“I’m good. Let’s see how good the baby is doing,” the doctor replied. She took Nichole’s weight and measured how round her stomach was. Then she applied the gel to Nichole’s stomach and began to look on the monitor as she moved the instrument around to see the baby. “Oh wow, this is an itty bitty one,” the doctor announced. “Don’t worry he’s still in great shape.”
“He?” Nichole asked.
“Yeah, it’s a boy!” the doctor exclaimed. “I love my job, you know? I get to spread good news all the time. Things like this just make my heart happy,” the doctor replied. “Just try to eat more. We want to fatten him up.”
“Okay,” Nichole replied with a smile. The two left the doctor’s office and went home.
“That was a fast appointment,” Victor brought up.
“Yeah, it’s usually like that,” Nichole replied.
“I really have been missing a lot, haven’t I?” Victor sighed.
“Yeah, but it isn’t your fault. You’re here now, my love,” Nichole assured.
“I feel like I need to do better. You’re the love of my life and I don’t want to lose you over being a workaholic,” Victor said sounding worried.
“You won’t lose me. Where did you get an idea like that?” Nichole asked.
“I’ve seen things like this happen all the time with a lot of my guy friends. I know I shouldn’t worry but I always try to expect the unexpected. I just don’t want to lose you and the kids,” Victor said as a tear slid down his cheek and onto his shirt.
“I promise you, I will not leave. For better or for worse. I want you to remember that. Never forget, okay?” Nichole replied as she held onto his hand.
“From now on, work will not revolve around my life. You want me home, then I’m home,” Victor replied. “I don’t want to miss Nicolette and Miguel’s lives,” he finished.
“You won’t miss it because I won’t let you miss it,” Nichole demanded. “You need to get out of this rut because I hate seeing you like this. You’re a great husband, a wonderful father, and the perfect man,” Nichole assured. “You can’t go around stuck in the clouds. If you spend your time worrying then you might stress yourself out and I can’t have you losing your mind right now. I love you and I’m never going to let you go. I understand you want to get enough money to last a lifetime for the rest of the generation and the next and the next over that but you have to understand that you are my lifetime partner.
“We may even meet again and be together in the next life. My love for you is stronger than any storm. My heartbeat is so strong it could break through diamonds. You are my life support. You move, I move. You fight, I fight. You cry, I cry. Your happiness is my happiness and your stress is my stress. Victor Barbosa, I need you to realize I am in this forever.”
Victor gave a smile and told Nichole he was lucky to have her. She smiled back and told him she loved him too and need him to stay strong. Then she went and laid down for a nap while Victor went and picked up the kids.
Nichole had a strange dream about Victor cheating on her. She begged him to stay and asked him who the other woman was. “She’s nobody. You’re the only one for me,” he replied. Nichole looked over at his phone and it was ringing. She picked it up and answered it. “Hello?” she asked. “Hey, it’s me. Thank you so much for the other night,” the voice replied. Nichole hung up and screamed at Victor.
“So, you don’t know who she is, huh? Then why did she call your phone and say she enjoyed last night?” Nichole shouted. Victor proceeded to repeat the speech she told him before she took a nap. “My love for you is stronger than any storm. My heartbeat is so strong it could beat through diamonds. You are my life support. You move, I move. You fight, I fight. You cry, I cry. Your happiness is my happiness and your stress is my stress. Nichole Barbosa, I need you to realize I am in this forever.”
***
Nichole began to scream and woke up in a cold sweat. As soon as she sat up, Victor walked into the room. He automatically knew something was wrong.
“What is it?” Victor asked.
“I had a dream you cheated on me,” Nichole cried.
“Honey, you know I would never!” Victor exclaimed.
“I feel like I’m old to you now. You could have any woman you wanted and you’re stuck here with me!”
“Why would you think that way?” Victor asked.
“I don’t know. I just feel like you’re going to look for someone new!” she cried. Victor grabbed her and held her.
“It’s just the hormones playing with your mind. I would be a fool to leave a priceless gem for a rock. I cannot leave a beautiful parrot for an empty egg. How could I abandon a mama bear and her three cubs if they are my cubs too?” Victor asked. Nichole sniffled and laid down.
“Will you lie down with me?” Nichole asked.
“I will make us something to eat and I will be right back, okay?” Victor asked. Nichole nodded her head and turned on the television to wait for Victor.
When he returned she was watching cartoons. He put their food on their nightstands and lay down with Nichole. She took a couple bites of her food and cuddled up against him. They fell asleep but were shortly woken up by the kids.
“We’re hungry,” wined Miguel. Nichole handed her plate of food over to Nicolette who happily accepted and walked away. Victor handed his food over to Miguel and he left but ended up going to the kitchen for a snack shortly after. Nichole ended up sleeping all through the night and so did Victor. When Nicolette and Miguel woke up, they realized their parents were still fast asleep.
“Call Terry, he’ll take us,” Nicolette told Miguel. Miguel did as he was told and he called Terry.
“Hey Miguel, is everything okay?” Terry asked.
“Yeah, we just need a ride to school,” Miguel answered.
“Oh, alright. I’m on the way,” Terry replied. When he got there, he saw that the kids were already dressed and waiting.
“Why aren’t your parents taking you?” Terry asked.
“They were asleep. Mom’s pregnant and Dad’s been really busy. We thought it would be best to catch a ride,” Miguel responded.
“Oh, I see. Why didn’t you just take the bus?” Terry asked.
“I forgot about the bus,” Nicolette admitted.
“We have our bus numbers and everything,” Miguel gasped.
Terry chuckled. “It’s all right, I don’t mind. I was just curious.”
Nichole woke up and gasped. “Where are the kids?” Victor shot upright and looked around.
He glanced at the time and sighed. “They’re at school.”
“Did you take them?” she asked.
“No,” Victor said, growing wide-eyed. They called Terry after checking the entire house.
“Terry! The kids are missing!” Nichole screamed.
“I took them to school.” Terry laughed.
“What? When?” Nichole asked.
“This morning, they gave me a call. They wanted to give you a break. I don’t blame them. You two are always running and you’re feeding for two,” Terry explained. “Don’t be mad at them. I didn’t mind it at all. I thought it was really sweet. I reminded them they could ride the bus too.”
Nichole took a deep breath. “Thank you, Terry. I’ll talk to you later.” She sighed and hung up the phone.
“What did he say?” Victor asked.
“He took them to school,” she replied.
“Tashka! Zap!” Nichole screamed. Shortly after the two walked into the room and waited for instructions. “Come to Mommy,” Nichole instructed. They jumped onto the bed and got comfortable and Nichole cuddled with them and fell asleep.
“Hey Mom, here’s our report cards,” Nicolette said as she sat two papers on the nightstand.
“Dads taking us out for ice cream!” Miguel cheered.
“Tell him to bring me back something,” Nichole mumbled before falling back to sleep. She woke up and Victor was lying on the bed, asleep. She looked over and saw the report cards. She picked them up and examined them.
“All A’s. Go Nicolette!” Nichole whispered. She looked at the other one. “Yay! Miguel also gets all A’s!” she whispered. She noticed her drawer that is usually empty was slightly opened and she opened it all the way. There was a large silver dish with condensation on the outside of it. She lifted the lid and saw ice inside of it. She reached her hand inside of the ice and found a spoon and a chocolate fudge sundae.
She turned on her favorite movie and she began to eat her sweet treat. She looked over at Victor who laid on his back, had his head turned to the side and his mouth was slightly open. Even when he looked weird she thought he was the most handsome man in the galaxy.
Nothing could make her think any less of her man. Not even the nightmare she had earlier. She knew he loved her and nothing would change that fact. He had done so much for her. He gave her beautiful kids, including the one on the way. He built her a house. He got her a car with Tashka’s face on it. He got into a fight to protect her. He came home for her and the kids.
He was a true family man and she refused to think he was any less of a man. She loved him to death and she would continue to love him till death did them part. So, she ate her ice cream and she watched her movie as he slept. When she finished, she laid back down and gave Victor a kiss on the lips. She turned off the television and went back to sleep.
When she woke up this time, it was because Tashka was howling. “What’s wrong Tashka?” Nichole asked. She turned on the light and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Tashka was sleep howling. Nichole began to pet her until she stopped. She hadn’t had night terrors like those since she was a puppy. Nichole was afraid Tashka was going to wake up everyone in the house so she woke her up.
Tashka woke up, whined, and laid against Nichole. Her behavior was strange and worried Nichole but all she could do was hope for the best. She held Tashka close to her and Tashka fell right back asleep. “It’s time to get up, baby. Nichole? Nichole?” Victor repeated. He had to wake her up to take her temperature.
Nichole woke up and looked around. “What is it?”
“I woke up and you were burning up,” Victor replied.
“I don’t feel hot,” Nichole replied, confused.
“Feel your head,” Victor demanded. She touched her head and all she felt was sweat.
“I need to go to the doctor,” Nichole replied.
The two went to the doctor and they checked her temperature and checked her levels. “Everything is fine. You might have just gotten too hot. You may have had a slight fever but that’s normal sometimes,” the doctor assured them.
Nichole sighed. “Thank goodness.”
Victor still looked concerned. “Is it possible this may happen again?”
“It is,” the doctor confirmed, “but it is highly unlikely.” Victor nodded his head and looked down at Nichole.
“Is everything okay?” Victor asked.
“Yeah, I feel fine,” Nichole replied. “So, I’m clear to go home right?”
“That is correct,” the doctor answered with a smile. “Just remember to get a lot of rest.” The two headed home and Nichole became bed ridden. Victor babied her and made sure she didn’t leave the bed. He took the kids to school. He brought her, her food. The only thing he let her do was use the bathroom on her own. Melissa came to visit her and brought her coffee and snacks that Victor wouldn’t let her eat.
Then when the time came, he rushed her to the hospital. Her water broke a week early and Victor was horrified. “This happens all the time, Victor. I might not be in labor. I might just be dilating. They’re probably going to induce me,” she attempted to explain. He took her to the hospital anyway.
“Ma’am it’s going to be a minute,” the doctor insisted.
Victor forced them to let her stay an entire week. Every day they checked her vitals and the first two days, everything was fine. The third day they were at the hospital, they couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat. “He was just kicking! I felt him kick! I know I did!” Nichole cried.
“You may have thought you felt him kick,” the doctor sighed. “It’s going to be a stillborn.”
Nichole screamed, “My baby is alive! I’m telling you, there’s nothing wrong with him!” The baby kicked her stomach. “Look! Look at my stomach. He just kicked!” she screamed. The doctor gave into her cries and watched her stomach.
Everyone witnessed a kick. The doctor and the nurses jumped back in shock. “We have to get the baby out of there! Either the sac or the umbilical cord aren’t providing what the baby needs to survive any longer,” the nurse said as she rushed through the room. She began to grab IV bags and hooked them up. “Don’t just stand there, doctor! Move!” the nurse screamed.
“We’re going to have to do an emergency C-section,” the doctor replied as he moved towards Nichole.
“Someone call my husband!” Nichole screamed. One of the nurses left the room to make the call for her.
Victor showed up as soon as he could. When he got there, they had just begun to cut open her stomach. Victor rushed over to see what was going on. “What are you doing to her?” he screamed.
“Emergency C-section. You were right, something was wrong. The baby was doing well until today. His heart stopped for a moment,” the doctor rushed to get out as he made the incision inside Nichole.
“Are they both going to be okay?” Victor asked.
“Yes, more than likely,” the doctor replied. Nichole was asleep and Victor hated seeing her on a hospital bed, looking like someone’s lab project.
When all was said and done, they pulled out a baby boy. He was crying before the doctor even smacked his bottom. They wiped him off and handed him to Victor. Victor looked up at Nichole but she was still unconscious. If only you could see this, Nichole, Victor thought. He looks exactly like you. He smiled. Victor watched the doctor close up his wife with stitches and waited for her to come to.
He had the kids wait in the waiting room due to unforeseen circumstances. When everything was over, he called his kids into the room with him. They looked at the baby and they were in awe. They both held him and waited for their mother to awaken. When she finally woke up, she saw the most beautiful thing in the world to her, her family. Victor saw his queen move and looked up immediately. She smiled at him and his heart began to pound. “You were right, my love,” Nichole said with a smile.
“I hated being right,” he cried. “Seeing you that way was horrible,” he sobbed.
“I’m okay now,” she insisted. “They got rid of my stretch marks while they were at it.” She laughed. Where’s the baby? Is he okay?” she asked. Nicolette brought the baby over and handed him to Nichole. Nichole gasped. “He’s such a handsome baby.” She smiled. “I have my whole family right here. I have my oldest boy, my beautiful girl, and my baby boy. Then I have my handsome husband by my side. What more could a woman ask for?” Nicolette and Miguel smiled at each other then they looked at the baby.
“What are we going to name him?” Victor asked.
“What should we name him?” Nichole asked.
The kids began throwing out ideas. “Tomas!” “David!” “Max!” “Shaun!” Nichole sat for a minute and said, “I like Tomas. What about you, babe?”
Victor smiled and said, “Tomas Barbosa. I like it.” The doctor came into the room and asked Victor to come out and sign the paperwork. When he came back he helped Nichole get dressed and the kids helped carry the baby to the car while Nichole was pushed to the car in a wheelchair. Melissa stopped by when she heard the news.
“Oh my gosh! Look at him! He’s so handsome! I wish I could have come when you were in labor!” Melissa exclaimed.
“I ended up getting a C-section this time,” Nichole replied.
“Oh no! Are you okay?” Melissa screamed.
“I’m fine.” Nichole chuckled. “I’m just glad he’s here now.
“I remember when my babies were that small. Can I hold him?” Melissa asked. Nichole handed him over and Melissa wouldn’t give him back.
“Okay, give me my offspring now.” Nichole laughed. Melissa was attached to the baby like glue.
Nichole decided to throw a party dedicated to life. She invited everyone and everyone showed up. She was tired of worrying about the next breath she would take and she dedicated the rest of her life to her family and the time she spent with them. Victor used every minute of the day to prove to his family that he loved them. Nicolette dedicated her school career to only school. Miguel dedicated his time to animals and as he got older, he spent more and more of his time in animal shelters.
Nicolette and Miguel helped take care of Tomas and Victor worked from home. When Nichole got all better, she ended up getting the family to travel a lot more on their private jet. Nichole was happy she and her baby lived that day. It was a pretty close call. She and the family traveled all around the world. Whether it was to the next state over or all across the country, they made sure every vacation the kids had off from school, they did something for it.
They always took Melissa and Matthew and their kids with them. Whenever Larry and Janet were available they went too. Nicolette and Miguel loved their lives and Tomas did too. Their lives went on in the happiest way possible. Nichole wrote books about her life and her loved one’s lives, with their consent, and they sold out just about every time. Victor ended up making so many buildings, he couldn’t put any more of them anywhere.
Nicolette grew up to be an architect as Victor predicted and Miguel became an animal trainer like he said. Tomas decided to be a video game designer. When Tashka and Zap passed away over the years, Nichole and Victor bought another dog and another red panda. They looked like the originals but they never added up to the originals.
Melissa became CEO for all of Nichole’s hospitals. Nichole still stopped by to check on the status of the hospital and made sure it was up to date. Matthew retired because he realized, even if he stopped working, he was still making paychecks.
Bryan became an athlete and Todd became an artist. Janet continued to be a judge and eventually, Larry became one too. They had two kids, Melanie and Paul. At the end of every week, they would get together and have a little party dedicated to life.
Nichole made sure Victor knew she loved him after all they been through. Victor treasured her in gifts and love every chance he got. Melissa showed her love to Matthew by always reminding him of the great times they had over the years and Matthew returned the favor by reminding her how those moments made him feel.
On their fortieth anniversary, Nichole told Victor, “I never knew such an accident could be so worthwhile. I was always so worried about my job. Then I fly out to meet you and I find the sexiest man I had ever seen in my life. You seduce me, yes that’s what I’m going to call it, and then you give me the greatest time of my life.
“I left you, which turned out to be the second biggest mistake in my life but you came back. We went through a lot. People tried to kill us. I almost died. You almost died. We thought our kids were in danger at one point in time. Yet, here we are, still alive and breathing. We have three gorgeous kids and two beautiful pets, plus a lot of fish and some amazing friends. You have been here through thick and thin Victor. I will never stop loving you and your accent. You better not stop loving me either. We’re too old to lose feelings now.”
Victor looked Nichole in the eyes and replied, “We may be old now but you make me feel so young. I never knew being old could look so good until I saw you on your last birthday. You’re still young in my eyes though.” He laughed. “You’ve given me, and are still giving me, the greatest years of my life. I want to thank you for being the queen you knew you could be. You knew you were gorgeous but it didn’t make you any less humble. You knew how hard some of our life would be but you still conquered it.
“You believed in me when I didn’t know there was anything to believe in. I could never let you ago, even if I tried. You are too much of a great woman for that. You are my one true love. I knew when I saw you that we were meant to be. You’re a wonderful doctor, chef, mother, seducer, wife, and more. The list goes on. When we first met, you caused my heart to burst out of my chest. I will never forget the time you swam in my pool.
“The water made your skin glisten and it looked like gold was poured all over your thighs, your sides, and your arms. I was speechless. I was afraid you caught me looking. That’s not all that caught my attention. Your interest in location was amazing. The way you thought was beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful to me and it always will be. I love you, my queen.”
The crowd cheered at their ceremony so they could renew their vows. Everyone knew their love was always real. It had never ceased to exist. No matter how far apart they were from each other, their bond was still stronger than gorilla glue. Nothing could tear them apart. Nothing could make them hate each other. People tried to break them up over the years for their own selfish benefit, but they always failed.
Nichole and Victor rarely argued and they always had something nice to say to one another. Although, they always shared with each other compliments and nice things, only one thing could make them feel like their world was never ending. The main thing that could make their hearts flutter like they were still high school teenagers in love was the phrase, “I will always love you.
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