Haunting Past

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

“Calm down Jake you’ll be fine.” Luke was trying to help his friend relax, but it didn’t seem to be working.  “Come on, deep breaths.  She needs you, only you can keep her calm enough to get through this.  Remember when you got married?”  Jacob nodded his head and thought back to their wedding day.

“I can’t do this, I can’t I’m not good enough for you please, you can do better than me, I’m broken...”  Grace was in the backroom of the chapel waiting for Luke to come and walk her down the aisle.  Hannah and Casey were her bridesmaids, and 10 minutes before the ceremony was due to start Grace started having a panic attack, something that she hadn’t had in over 2 years.  Hannah and Casey had covered her dress in a long cape and had needed to get Jacob.  As soon as he entered the room he could see the doubt starting to creep in and that had led to her saying what she’d said to him.  “Look, look what you’ve had to do, it’s bad luck, you shouldn’t be seeing me now.  We’re not meant to ....” Grace was cut off from finishing her sentence by Jacob’s lips crushing against hers, he left her speechless as he pulled back and took a step away from her holding her hands in his.

“I promised my grandmother that I would give this ring to you, the one and that is what I’ve done.  Baby I love you, I don’t want anybody else.  You are mine just as I am yours; please don’t doubt what we have.”  Jacob could see the tears forming in her eyes and he gently used his thumbs to catch them before they fell.  “I don’t care what you look like, but I’m pretty sure if you end up with panda eyes on our photos, you’ll never forgive me.”  That made Grace giggle and he knew he’d brought her back.  “Now I’m going back out there and I’ll see you very soon, and when we leave this chapel, you will be Mrs Allan, my wife.  Okay?”  He gave her one last small peck on the lips as she nodded.

“I’m sorry Jake, I just panicked.”  Jacob gave her a small hug of reassurance before he left and returned to his place at the altar.  The next time he saw her she had the biggest smile and he couldn’t find the words to describe how beautiful she looked, she took his breath away.  The dress was Ivory and strapless.  It had a fitted bodice with diamantes sewn in swirls across the waist and then it was plain and flowed to the floor.  It was simple and elegant, Grace wore a shoulder length veil and had her hair pulled into a tight bun.  He couldn’t believe that she was going to be his, and he was still in denial until the priest announced that they were now man and wife.  Jacob kissed her in front of all of their friends and they spent their honeymoon indoors.

Jacob smiled to himself at that memory as that had led them to where they are now, as a result of their honeymoon.  Jacob was at work when he got the phone call from Casey.  They had been shopping for Hannah’s wedding dress when Grace’s waters had broken, she was 2 weeks early.  Casey was calm when she phoned, however Jacob had panicked, so much that she had got straight off the phone from him and phoned Luke.  They were sat in the reception of the maternity ward waiting for Grace to arrive with Hannah and Casey.  Jacob knew that as soon as he saw her, he would be fine.  The doors to the ward opened and he heard her before he saw her, she was being wheeled in with Casey and she was screaming in pain, he felt his heart break at the sound.

“Jake, Jake” at hearing her call his name he snapped out of his daze and ran to her side.  As soon as she saw him, she gave him a small smile before another contraction gripped her.  The hospital staff wheeled her into the labour ward, her contractions were close together and the staff told him that they didn’t foresee and long labour.  Jacob helped her onto the bed and tried to get her comfortable, which he had to admit was a pointless task.  Luke, Hannah and Casey stayed in the waiting area leaving him and Grace alone.  The midwife had completed her examination and reassured them that everything was going well and that it wouldn’t be long.

“You okay baby?”  Jacob knew it was a strange question to ask his wife, but he needed to know that although she was in pain, that she was fine.  Grace knew what he was asking and reassured him that she was better than ever.  “We get to meet our baby soon, we’re gonna be parents.”  Grace looked at him with adoration in her eyes, he leant forward and kissed her forehead that was covered in a sheen of sweat, the contractions started again just as the midwife re entered the room.

“Well then, lets meet your baby then shall we,” after just an hour Grace and Jacob welcomed their daughter into the family.  Grace held her while Jacob sat on the bed beside them with his arm around her and his fingers tracing their daughter’s face.

“Look what we did Jake, she’s perfect.”  Jacob nodded in agreement and kissed his daughter’s forehead.  “Jake, they’re not going to stay in the corridor for much longer.”  Jacob stood and took hold of his daughter.

“Well I think we need to name our daughter before she has any visitors.”  Grace agreed, and then looked at her husband holding her daughter, he was gazing at her and she could see him thinking.  Grace glanced down at the ring that he had given her when he had proposed.  “Jake, what was your grandmother’s name?”  Jacob’s eyes met Grace’s and he smiled.  He gave his daughter back to Grace and opened the door welcoming their friends into the room.

“Guys, I’d like you to welcome our daughter Eva Rose Allan.”