To Be A Family: A Holby City Fan Fiction (Complete) (Kian & OC #2)

Chapter 6

A few days later, Haley was home in the living room. Her and Kian had just bought a really nice shelving unit that they were going to use for photos. Haley knew they were going to be going through photos for the wedding, so she decided that it was a good time to dig them out.
She grabbed the box of photos that her and Kian had stashed in an extra room, bringing them into the living room and laying them out.
She found some favorite pictures of her with her parents, a fun candid shot of Kian and Marty when they were kids, and a few selfies of her and Kian together.
Haley saw a small box at the bottom, and she opened it, thinking there were more pictures in it. Inside was a copy of a book that Kian had mentioned was his favorite, a folded letter, and an envelope of photos.
Haley opened the book out of curiosity. If it was his favorite book, why was it packed away and not on his bookshelf? Then she saw the note written a few pages in;

To my amazing husband Kian. Can't wait for more adventures.
Love, Vanessa.

Haley put the book down gently. She had found something from Kian's deceased wife. It was her handwriting; she had read the note out loud. And it felt like she was intruding on an intimate moment.
Then she opened the envelope of photos; they were of Kian. But all of them had Vanessa in them. It looked as though she was there on each day these pictures were taken.
Haley stuffed everything away in the box.How would Kian react if he found out she had found such a painful reminder?
Kian came home later that night, and noticed that the box of photos of Vanessa was out.
"Please don't get angry!" Haley said softly. "I was only looking for photos to put up."
Kian looked at her for a tense, silent moment, and then sat down on the couch, holding the box like he hadn't seen it in a long time. Haley sat down next to him, and saw him smiling a bittersweet smile as he took some old photos out the envelope.
Vanessa had a huge, vibrant smile and sandy hair. The photo Kian wouldn't stop looking at was a sweet picture of the two of them hugging in the rosy light of a sunset.
"You know, I think she would have wanted me to be happy." He said, handing Haley the picture so she could see it better.

"She was so pretty. She shouldn't be shut away like that." Haley concluded, digging out an empty frame that was in the bottom of the box.

"What are you doing?" Kian asked. He sounded more surprised than upset.
"A cousin of mine was a widower who got remarried. He and his second wife left pictures of his deceased wife up to include her as part of the family." Haley explained.
"So.....?"
"Let's put her next to the one of my parents." Haley said, putting the frame on the shelf gingerly, taking time to straighten it.
Kian looked at the display for a while.
"That looks good. It's almost like all the people we loved and lost are in a special place." He said, hugging Haley.

"They are. And now so is she." Haley said, smiling.
"Yeah. All of the people who would have been so happy for us."