Welcome to the Family

Three years later, Matt and his beautiful blond wife unload the last cardboard box out of the van and into their new house in Huntington. “Careful, baby,” Matt says, “Don’t lift too heavy. Just go inside, will you? I’ll walk twice.”

His wife smiles and waddles inside. She is seven months pregnant with baby number two, a girl this time. She has bad back pains and swollen feet, but besides that, she is fine.
Matt carries inside the last cardboard box. In the living room, there are twenty-seven large cardboard boxes with all their belongings. They haven’t unpacked a thing but the microwave. The blond belle heats up dinner and they sit on the floor as they hungrily devour it.


“Daddy,” their son screams out and carefully walks closer in small steps. “What’s up, big guy?” Matt grins and takes off his Lakers cap. He carefully places it on his son’s head. It’s too big, of course. The little guy screams in delight and starts doing a happy dance. They grow up so fast, I think as I let escape a small sigh" River is excited, seeing as he is starting kindergarten tomorrow. They look happier than ever, I have to admit. A real small family, a thing I never got to have.

River quickly disappears into his room with the brand new bed and the car-designed wallpaper. The couple opens up the box with the bed’s mattress and puts it down on the floor before cuddling close and falling asleep, too. They are right, though. It can wait until the next day, right?


But I didn’t live to see all this. I didn’t have a choice. The car hit me at a hundred miles per hour. I didn’t feel any pain, and when I came to this place, I met Jimmy, and I knew I was dead. “Val, it’s good to see you again. Welcome to the family,” he said and he floated closer to hug me.

Suddenly, I was with my dead father, and I saw exactly what they did to my corpse. I was told every dying soul gets to see what happens to its body.
The reason why I get to watch over Matt and Vicky is that they have River, my heart. Of course he was a part of my body. With a cesarean, they were able to save my baby, and as Matt and I were still married, of course he was given to him.

It was just me who didn’t sign the divorce papers. I really thought we still had a chance, especially since I was pregnant. I never intended to try to get him back at this point, at the wedding. I knew a life alone was what I deserved for what I’d done. It just happened, the thing with Matt and I, and when I found out I was expecting a child, I started to think differently. I thought I still had a chance to live my life in luxury, and for my son to have a good future.

He is facing the greatest future right now. I see Matt and Vicky are treating him really good, maybe better than I ever would have.

It was incredible, though. The recovery Vicky made was extraordinary. She was a fighter, and I admired her for it. For months, I watched her struggling with adjusting to her new donor heart, with physical therapy later, and with ever so slowly rebuilding her relationship with Matt before finally marrying him.
Of course I still loved him, and he was my heart, but I knew she deserved him and I didn’t. Not in this life I led.

I admired her. I didn’t feel any negative feelings about her anymore. No jealousy, no hate, just gratefulness. In a heartbeat, she decided to be a mother to my son, and promised herself to love him just like an own child. To this day, she kept her promise. I watched her through all the difficulties she’d faced, and I will be watching her until her time comes to join us. And for that day, I can only hope for her forgiveness.

How I can see Vicky, too, if I can only see all parts of my body, you may ask. Well, who do you think that donor heart came from? Let’s just say I gave my heart to that woman three times. And it was the best choice I never really got to make.

The end.

Notes

Didn't see that one coming did you? Hands up everyone who thought Vicky was dead.

This is the end of my story. I hope you liked it. I really enjoyed writing it and as most of you might know, I'm already working at something new called "Single Honeymoon". Since I'm just starting law school, the updates won't be as quick.

now's the time for compliments and critiques.

Thanks everyone for reading, voting, commenting. You guys rock. A7X are lucky to call such awesome people their fans.

love, seventhtrumpet