All Good Things: The Final Fanfiction Saga

Chapter Fifteen: Ribbon in the Sky

One week later

Her mother had once told her that no matter how carefully a bride plans her wedding, there will always be at least five details unaccounted for, five mistakes during the ceremony and 10 miscellaneous crises that are out of her control.

By the morning of her wedding, Emma Ko had almost used up her quota. Because she had changed locations and dates so many times, her usually organized memory bank was now a frantic mishmash of forgotten calls, double bookings and switched names. J.C. helped as much as he could, but Emma was determined to run the show, come what may.

What she didn't count on was being at the hospital at 6 a.m. on her wedding day rather than enjoying a luxurious breakfast with her family. It was her second trip in three days; the first time was to see her new nephew Toby, who was finally born via C-section. Rachel was apologizing to Emma, anxious that the premature birth would steal Emma's spotlight, but the bride-to-be had laughed off such a preposterous idea.

Caitlin, for her part, was fascinated by this red-faced new sibling and constantly pinched his tiny feet to see if he would scream. Curiously, he did nothing but keep his eyelids scrunched shut and fall asleep on his mother's stomach. Emma's joy at Toby's birth was mixed with sadness, for, like the time Caitlin was born, she would only have a few days to acquaint herself with the baby before he was taken back to Chicago. But when Ryan announced that he and Rachel were transferring to San Francisco, Emma was elated. She had felt torn between setting up her own home near her parents or in Los Angeles, where she had offers from Variety and Spin Magazine. But Ryan's decision left Emma free to settle in Southern California after she was married.

"Are you sure, Ryan?" she had asked him in the ward, holding Toby in her lap and noticing that he had the same ears as his father. "Is Rachel cool with it? You're not just doing your Asian-bound duty as the elder child?"

He shook his head and ruffled his little sister's hair. "It's fine, Em," he answered. "We talked about it for a long time. We don't know how long the kids will have with Dad, and their being around may help him more. Mom can't do it on her own, and getting a live-in nurse would be too expensive and too invasive for them. Rachel's gonna take a six-month maternity leave. We're gonna buy a new house not far from the old one and have Mom and Dad move in, put in a couple ramps so he can get around."

He gave her a crooked smile. "Besides," he said. "You shouldn't live here. You need that first year of marriage to focus on you and J.C., not running off to care for Dad all the time. And you have better jobs. Believe me, Mom and Dad understand."

As little Toby yawned, Emma looked up at her brother, eyes beaming at the thought of her family together again. "Thanks, bro," she grinned. "And I'm not too far away, so you better bring Caitlin and Toby down for a long visit with their favorite auntie."

"Sure," Ryan joked. "Whenever Rachel and I wanna get away to Palm Springs, you're our baby-sitter."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The second time Emma went to the hospital, her hair was roughly pulled into a ponytail that stuck out on all sides; her cardigan hung awkwardly over the T-shirt she'd slept in and her pajama-covered legs ended in a pair of Birkenstocks.

The day after Toby came home, Ryan had awoken in the middle of the night to feed him. After setting him back in his crib, he'd turned to feel his way back to the guest room where Rachel was sleeping soundly. Not wanting to disturb the family, Ryan kept the lights off, but miscalculated the distance in the darkness and stumbled over the small oak cabinet in the hall, creating a loud crash that woke Rachel but failed to stir the baby.

And in a scene reminiscent of the Griswolds, the bleary-eyed Ko family hustled into two cars and sped to the emergency room, where the doctor pronounced Ryan the owner of two broken toes.