You Can't Sing Without Air- Harry Styles Fanfic

32. Family is Built, Not Born

"You look perfect." I say. 

Sean is standing in front of a full length mirror, frowning over his reflection. He's wearing a navy blue suit with a floral button down underneath. He has a small handkerchief tucked in his pocket.  It was probably the hundredth suit he tried on.  

He looks incredible, his light brown hair coiffed perfectly on his head and just the slightest hint of eyeliner on his eyelids. I roll my wheelchair to his side and reach for his hand. 

"Perfect." I say again. 

He looks down at me uncertainly. I feel his hand shaking in mine.

"Don't be so nervous!" I chide, giving his hand a squeeze. "José's jaw is going to drop when he sees you." 

He gives me a weak smile.  

"Now scootch, my turn." I roll in front of the mirror. 

I'm wearing a similarly hued navy strapless dress. A few months ago I would have freaked out over this many people seeing my port, but now it barely bothers me. Not to mention the fact that rolling down the isle with a oxygen tank in tow is much more obvious than a little needle in my chest.  

I catch my reflection in the mirror. Despite the forty-five minutes I spent in a makeup chair this morning, it did little to cover the dark circles under my eyes. My skin is pale and sullen, a stark  contrast to my bright red hair. I reach up to brush it away from my face.

"Well I think that's as good as its going to get." I smooth my dress out over my knees, adjusting it over my wheels. 

 Sean frowns. 

"You look beautiful." he says. 

 "Shut up. It's your day, not mine." I smile, backing away from the mirror. 

A knock sounds on the door. 

"Sean, pet?" Sean's mum peeks through the door. 

"Hey mum, come in!" Sean calls. 

She enters the room and immediately begins to tear up when she sees Sean. 

"Ah, love!" She says, coming in for a hug. 

"Mum! No smudging your makeup!" he says, but he hugs her back anyway. 

"You look so handsome." She says, pulling away to look at him. 

"Muuuuum!" He whines. She grins and gives him a playful kiss on the cheek. 

"And you," she says, coming to grab both my hands. "You look a vision, pet." Oh how I've missed you!" 

"I missed you too Mrs. Byrne." I say. 

"Ach, don't call me that, you know I'm just Mum to you." 

"Of course, mum." I say. 

She's right. Deirdre Byrne has always been like a second mother to me. Unlike my own mother, who's matter-of-fact and businesslike, Sean's mum is warm and emotional, prone to fussing about over the littlest things. Although I love my mother deeply, I always enjoyed going over to Sean's house when Deirdre was there. It was always so cheery and bright. 

 The last time I saw her was at David's funeral. It's good to see the light back in her eyes. 

"That's better." She says. "Oh! You need to get out there, pet! Show's about to start!" 

Sean laughs and I see some of the tension lift from his shoulders. 

He looks back at me and takes a deep breath. 

"Ready?" He asks. 

"Ready." 

..................................................................

"I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine,
from this day it shall only your name I cry out in the night
and into your eyes that I smile each morning;
I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine,
never shall a grievous word be spoken about us,
for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance.
Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life
and into the next." 

Sean's voice echoes through the chapel, the words of a traditional Irish ceremony bouncing off the walls. His hands are locked firmly in José's, who staring at him like he's the only man in the world. 

"Te amo, mi amor. Por simpre." José says.

"Por simpre." Sean says, his Irish accent peeking through his Spanish.

"You may now kiss the groom." The minister says. 

"Don't mind if I do." Sean pulls José into a kiss. The room erupts in cheers and laughter, Jose's family hooting and whistling as Sean's family laughs.  

It's a beautiful sight to behold. Both sides of the family, though from very different worlds, are united through Sean and José. An unlikely couple that never should have made it, but that did, despite all odds. In the midst of the joyous celebration, I feel a sharp pang of sadness. 

I was never the type to plan my wedding on Pinterest, or to obsess over what  dress I'd wear and what my Prince Charming would look like. Harry was the only one who ever made me consider that maybe one day I'd be up on an alter. Now, I doubt I will ever get the chance. Even with the hope of transplant, I don't see myself falling for anyone else any time soon. And let's face it, I don't exactly have time on my side.  

I shake myself from my thoughts as Sean and José head for the chapel door. Sean's mum comes to push me towards the exit, the crowd of friends and family following behind. 

The reception is just as joyous as the wedding, if not more so. Sean was right, it's a wild party. 

 I spend most of the night sitting at the table watching the people around me get more and more drunk. I had a glass of champagne, but I don't feel like getting smashed tonight. Nothing worse than a drunk girl in a wheelchair. 

I've spent a fair share of my life watching from the outside. As a kid, I missed countless birthday parties and vacations for trips to the hospital. It used to drive me crazy. I don't know if it's just maturity or that getting so close to death that has made me more thankful for the little things, but I rarely feel that way any more. Even now, watching a wedding from the sidelines, I don't feel alone or left out. I just soak in the joy from everyone around me. 

"Come on Ayd, dance with me!" Sean appears, breathless, with José in tow. They're both looking quite tipsy. 

"No no no." I laugh, waving my hands in front of me. 

"Come onnnn, it's my wedding!" 

"Yeah hermana, its his wedding!" José echos.  

They're so adorable I cant resist. Sean comes around behind my chair and pushes me out onto the dance floor. He comes around to grab me by my hands, shimmying his hips. I laugh. He swings me around in a little spin, my chair circling him. He throws his head back and laughs. I join him. 

We 'dance' until I dissolve into a fit of coughing. Sean leans over to kiss my cheek gently. 

"Thanks for being my best man." He says. 

"Always." 

Despite the liquor I know is coursing through his veins he sobers for a second.

"I'm going to miss you." he says.

"I'm going to miss you too." 

"Now lets get waaasteeeeeeeed!" José cries. The room erupts into cheers. 

I make my exit not long after. It's only nine pm but I'm completely zapped of energy. Rosalina, my nurse, comes to help me get into the car and back to the house. I grab her a slice of cake before we leave. 

They decided on vanilla.