I is for Ian

But so was Amanda. And Su-Ling and Daisy and Red. Carl was nearby them, and even Dr. Sutton was there. What the hell was going on? I turned to face Ian and saw that he wasn’t standing behind me anymore. He was kneeling. And he had a box in his outstretched hands.

“Oh my god,” I said, fighting for air in my lungs.

“Romina Davis,” I said, “you have made me the happiest man on earth these last six months. I thank my lucky stars every day that I got trapped in a hospital with you, because it was there that our lives started to converge, and you and I became one. But here, in front of all of our friends, I wanted to confirm that commitment to you. I was wondering, Mina, will you marry me?”

There was silence in the room for a moment as I tried to get my voice to work again. This was all too much. He still didn’t know!

“Yes,” I said, “yes of course I will!”

A cheer rose up from the group, thundering in my ears as he rose to his feet and picked me up, swirling me around as we kissed. As soon as our feet were on the ground, he slipped the ring onto my finger, and we kissed again before I pulled him away and stared into his eyes for a moment.

“Wait,” I said. “I have an announcement too!”

The room got quiet again, and Amanda let out a squeal I instantly recognized.

“What is it?” Ian asked.

“I’m pregnant.”

Ian’s jaw dropped a few inches, and he nearly crouched down so we were eye to eye.

“Really?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. Words were not a function I was capable of anymore.

“She’s pregnant!” he announced to everyone, causing another, even larger chorus of cheers.

We kissed again and were then bombarded by friends; all offering congratulations and well wishes. I felt light-headed and sat on a stool at the bar while Tony, one of the guys that worked there, brought me an orange juice.

Eventually, we all headed up to the bonfire in one caravan of joyous celebration. As we got on the road, near the middle of the pack, I curled around Ian’s arm, and we talked about our future together. Him, me, and our new baby. In the meantime, while we drove, I let him have the first slice of his cake. And together we shared a slice of bacon.