Marianne had to remain hospitalized, as her doctor wanted to monitor her condition. Coma patients can relapse back into one and she was no exception to that rule. Naturally, the first question Rachel asked Dr. Murphy was if her sister could see her newborn son, but she received a negative answer. Although she insisted, he remained adamant: under no circumstance could Marianne experience an extreme emotional situation. Rachel was disappointed, but she didn’t mind. Marianne had made a miraculous recovery. At long last, she was back in this world. She could wait a few days to see little Dominic.

Of course, Dr. Murphy’s words also meant that Rachel could not discuss her failed romance with Dominic, either. Although she was dying to confide in her, she could not bring it up. Luckily for her, Marianne could not speak much. Being on strong medication, she could communicate, but, more often than not, she was too drowsy to have a proper conversation. Rachel might have been eager to talk about Dominic, but she couldn’t deny that part of her was relieved. She had gotten into a relationship with a man her sister had had a crush on. Confessing her feelings for him could lead to a disaster. Rachel had been waiting for Marianne’s recovery for too long; the last thing she wanted was to get into a heated argument with her that would jeopardize her health.

Eventually however, the day of Marianne’s release from the hospital came and the two sisters could not be happier. They were all smiles on their way to Rachel’s apartment and, even though she was anxious about her reaction to her story, she was happy that her sister was finally going to meet her son. Rachel also had to handle Marianne’s continuous questions throughout the drive, but not even that was enough to wipe the smile off of her face.

The two sisters stepped out of the elevator, before Rachel pulled her keys out of her purse. Her heart was pounding in her chest; for the first time in a while, they would share a happy moment.

“Okay, are you ready?” She asked, with a silly grin on her face.

“I can’t wait,” Marianne replied in a shaking voice, as Rachel turned the key in the lock. Kate was standing next to baby Dominic’s bassinette, a few feet to the left, as she opened her front door.

“He just woke up,” She announced. “I don’t know, maybe he sensed you were coming or something.”

“Oh, my God!” Marianne cheered, sprinting across the living room. “Oh, you’re so gorgeous, my baby! Ooh, I could bite those chubby little cheeks!” Sliding her left hand under his neck and his head and her right under his bottom and his hips, she picked him up. Marianne spread her fingers, as she lifted him to her chest. Then, she gently slid her left hand along his back, looking deep into his brown, playful eyes. Baby Dominic’s head slid along her forearm, as they made their way into the crook of her arm and elbow. Marianne brought him closer to her body, her smile widening by the second.

“He looks fantastic,” she remarked, a blissful tone in her voice, as she rolled her gaze up at her sister. “You’ve done a wonderful job. He looks healthy. He’s clean.”

“Thank you,” Rachel smiled. “I would have snapped if it hadn’t been for Kate, though. She helped a lot.”

“Thanks, Kate,” Marianne gave the brunette an appreciative nod. “So, how has it been so far?”

“Well, terrifying,” Rachel gave a small laugh. “Sleepless nights; long walks in Central Park; hundreds of dirty diapers…”

“Don’t say that,” Kate playfully slapped her hand. “Little Dominic’s been a great little boy.”

“Oh, God…” Rachel whispered, closing her eyes, as she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.

“Oh, crap!” Panic was lingering in Kate’s voice. “I think you guys should talk. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

“Dominic?” Marianne squinted at her. “That’s a beautiful name. Isn’t that what that king is called?”

“Yeah,” Rachel said with a sigh. “Could you please sit down? There’s something you need to know.”

“Rach, you’re scaring me,” Marianne intensified her stare. “What’s wrong?”

“Please, have a seat,” Rachel politely requested. “This is going to take a while.”

Marianne listened intently, as her sister narrated the whole story, from the moment she set foot in Dominic’s castle, until the day of Colette’s arrest. Tense and concerned about Marianne’s reaction, Rachel faltered a few times and needed quite a while to finish telling her everything. And, by the time she finished narrating, she could not hold back her tears. Guilt-ridden and heartbroken, she turned her back to her sister, expecting an angry outburst. Marianne kept her mouth shut and preferred to take baby Dominic to the kitchen. She gave him to Kate and then went back to her living room.

“Rach, look at me,” She urged, her voice calm and steady.

“I can’t,” Rachel sniffled. “I screwed up, Marianne. I shouldn’t have done that to you.”

“What did you do, exactly?” Marianne asked, spinning her sister around to face her. “Follow your heart? That’s not a sin in my book.”

“Excuse me?” Rachel said, curiosity written all over her face.

“Okay, I had a crush on him,” Marianne confessed. “But it was physical. I loved the guy’s looks. Seriously, who wouldn’t? I was never in love with him. And you…” She leaned forward, lowering her tone, as she gazed deep into her sister’s watery eyes. “You put your life on hold for my boy. You were prepared to sacrifice yourself to give him a mother. That’s the noblest, most selfless thing anyone can do. Do you really think I’d be mad at you?”

Unable to utter a single word, Rachel collapsed in Marianne’s embrace, bursting into tears, as she wrapped her arms around her back. She put her head on her shoulder, her body shaking, as her sister enfolded her own arms around her neck.

“Thank you…” Rachel sniffled, her grip becoming tighter by the second. “Thank you so much.”

“No, sweetheart,” Marianne whispered, leaning back. “Thank you. You were willing to raise my baby all by yourself. I’ll never forget that.”

“I wouldn’t abandon my blood,” Rachel stated.

“Now…” Marianne drew in a sharp breath. “We really have to do something about your situation with him.”

“Later,” Rachel spoke her mind. “First, you need to learn a few things about little Dominic. I have to talk to you about his habits, his sleeping schedule, diapers… The works. You’ll be swamped if you have to learn all this all by yourself. I know I was.”

“I’ll be fine,” Marianne smiled. “Go to him.”

“This is not negotiable,” Rachel said, her voice sweet, as she smiled back at her. “You just got out of the hospital. You need all the help you can get.”

“Fine,” Marianne reluctantly agreed. “You can start by showing me how not to put the diapers on backwards. I’m terrified of that.”

Rachel lightly squeezed her sister’s back and went off into such fits of laughter that she buried her face in Marianne’s shoulder. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The revelation she had been dreading the most had not upset her at all. On the contrary, Marianne was more supportive than she could have ever hoped for. Finally, Rachel was free to pursue her dream of getting back together with the love of her life; she could not be happier.

You have no idea how much this means to me, honey. I can be with Dominic again. My God, I still can’t believe it. It may take me a while to show you the basics, but I don’t mind. All that matters is that I’m free to follow my heart…