Shallow River
She went into labor pretty quick. Alison, Mako and I were visiting them, drinking wine—sans Amelia— and eating tacos when her water broke. Alison and I hitched a ride with David and Amelia, so we could try our best to comfort her while Mako followed behind us. He and Alison stayed outside of the room. Amelia screamed she didn’t want Mako seeing her clam and to get out—her words, not mine—and Mako looked like he was just told he won the lottery and high-tailed it out of the room. Alison blushed and followed after, apparently not wanting to see Amelia’s clam, either.
“You’re crowning. I’m going to have you start pushing in a minute,” the nurse announces. Amelia’s doctor comes rushing in the room a second later, already scrubbed in.
“Are we ready to meet a beautiful baby?” the doctor asks excitedly and smiling wide, her straight, white teeth a stark contrast to her deep brown skin. Dr. Ivy Jackson is the one of the best renowned doctors in the country, and Amelia refuses to let anyone else touch her during the delivery. I’m pretty sure if Dr. Jackson had not been able to deliver Amelia’s baby, she would’ve tried to plug herself up in stubbornness.
“Doc, get this alien out of me,” Amelia whines, sweat gleaming across her forehead. Dr. Jackson laughs and settles down between Amelia’s legs.
“Don’t you worry, baby, this little sweet boy is going to be out soon and you won’t feel anything else but love. I promise you that.”
Before Amelia can come up with a response, she’s screaming again.
“Start pushing,” Dr. Jackson orders. I can only assume Amelia’s listening based off her purple contorted face and the intensified screams coming out of her mouth. David holds her hand, not looking the least bit bothered by the fact that Amelia is currently crushing it. No, he’s too busy staring down between Amelia’s legs in wonder.
A couple minutes later, tiny screams replace Amelia’s. Tears are already streaming down my face by the time Dr. Jackson places the baby in Amelia’s waiting arms.
An indescribable love shines on her and David’s face as they stare down at the new love of their lives.
“Hi baby Beckham,” I say hoarsely, tears clogging in my throat. I sniffle and coo over his cute, little squished face.
Amelia glances at David before smiling up at me.
“Beckham River,” Amelia says. I stop cooing and stare down at Amelia in shock. “River is his middle name. And David and I would be really honored if you’d be his godmother.”
A sob bursts from my throat. I slap a hand over my mouth and nod my head, overwhelmed by my love for my two friends and their baby.
Beckham is pulled from Amelia and in a matter of seconds, exhaustion takes over her face. She settles back down while David goes to have his own time with Beckham.
“I love you, River,” Amelia says tiredly.
I grab my best friend’s hand. “I love you, too Amelia.”
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
“I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE you two together,” Julie gushes, her clasped hands under her chin as she gazes at Mako and mine conjoined hands with excitement.
A little over the top, Julie.
We decided it was time to come over for dinner. It’s just us three now. A vast difference from the last time I was here, over a year ago now. The Ghost Killer didn’t truly kill Ryan, nor did Matt ever suffer any real consequences for his actions—other than losing his wife and adopted son—but, they’re both still ghosts to us. Neither of them are here, but we can feel their presence anyway.
I finish chewing the best apple pie ever and I smile wide at her, appreciative of her acceptance more than she’ll ever know. And I appreciate this delicious apple pie, too.
I made Mako wait to announce our engagement after he slipped that ring on my finger over eight months ago. I felt it was proper considering it hadn’t even been a year since Ryan’s death and I’d already moved on from him. And Julie was still recovering from her recent divorce with Matt to top it off. This woman has been through a lot in the past year. Too much. So, I think had I moved on with anyone else, Julie might not have been so excited. Not that I would’ve ever saw her again anyway.
Mako confessed what he knew about Matt the day his parents visited him in the hospital. Lying in a hospital bed, recovering from a gunshot wound. Mako blames the morphine for letting it slip when he did, but he doesn’t have regrets. Julie, of course, went into denial. But eventually, Matt admitted he did touch Ryan.
It was a whirlwind of drama after that. Julie wanted Matt to go to prison, but there was no proof. Ryan is dead. The only downside of that fact, I guess. So, Matt got away with it. He claims he never touched any other boy—only Ryan. Mako and I will never know if that’s true, but I have a feeling Mako is going to be keeping a close eye on Matt for as long as he lives.
Mako is healing from that blow, too. I at least had the luxury of knowing my mother was a piece of shit from the start. Mako was lied to his entire life, believing Matt to be an amazing father, and respectable guy. He’s still coming to terms with it, but he’s getting better.
He still has Julie. We both do.
About three months after the incident with Billy, Mako was promoted to Sergeant. At his ceremony, I finally faced Mako’s mother. After a heartfelt apology—which I truly meant in my soul, because despite Ryan being an abuser, it’s not easy for anyone to bury their child—she forgave me immediately. She assumed I was too distraught by Ryan’s death to come around, and I obviously had a good excuse for not attending the funeral.
Mako and I didn’t announce that we were together that day—I slid the ring off my finger before facing her—but when Mako’s ceremony ended and he came to stand beside me, I could see in Julie’s dark-rimmed eyes a spark of hope.
We felt today was finally the day to announce our engagement. We told Julie that our connection blossomed when he saved me from the Ghost Killer. It was easy to spin a love story from the knight who saved the princess from the dragon’s lair. Mako’s mother gobbled the story up and had said it was only natural that we would be drawn to each other.
“I just know Ryan would love you two together,” she continues. My smile falters and it takes an immense amount of strength to keep it on my face.