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Epilogue Two
Rae
Ten years after meeting…
Danny and I debated, at length, on whether to have children. While I desperately wanted them, always had, I hated the thought that I wouldn’t be able to recognize their faces.
What kind of a mom would that make me?
In my head, a bad one.
To which Danny had countered, asking if I thought I was a bad wife.
I hadn’t wanted to sound prideful, but I’d responded that I didn’t.
His response, “Do you think I love you any less because you don’t know who I am by sight alone?”
“No,” I’d admitted.
“Do you think I love you any less?”
“Never.”
“A lot of times, you know it’s me without my sign name, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I feel you, in here,” I’d shared, touching my heart. “I know your voice. Your smell. Your walk. It’s as if I know I’m safe the second you’re near.” My husband had seemed just as emotional hearing that as I had been upon realizing it. “Danny,” I’d said, all the fears at not being enough fading.
“Sunshine, it’ll be the same with our children.”
“You promise?”
“They will adore you as much as I do.”
“That’s a lot.” Danny tells me and shows me all the time how he feels about me, saying that it grows with each memory we make together.
And now, we’re the proud parents of two little girls. Dawn is seven and the spitting image of me when I was her age. Five-year-old Danielle is a female version of her daddy in looks.
We’re currently at an award ceremony honoring Danny for his dedication and promotion to captain. Shivers had gotten one as well last week, this putting him on par with those who deal in politics while dabbling in policing. He informed us that was going to change with his new role. That he was going to “make shit happen and take care of his people.”
Nelson took an early medical retirement due to an injury while chasing a suspect a couple years prior. We’d been worried how he’d react to having to give up his badge, but we shouldn’t have. He accepted it and vowed to see it as a blessing. “There are worse things to be,” he’d reminded us. Considering the person that shot him had admitted he’d been aiming for Nelson’s chest, truer words had never been spoken. Since it also led to Nelson meeting his wife, I know he wouldn’t change a thing about what happened to him.
Finn no longer takes the dangerous assignments, instead focusing on those with less risk, while still being hard hitting. Becoming an uncle and possibly missing out on seeing his nieces growing up had scared him. As had the possibility of losing precious time with his new wife.
Tomorrow, we’re having a cookout with our families and friends, those nearest and dearest to us. All with their own sign names.
Our daughters think it’s cool that they have them and treat it as a special language. A secret that only our family has. It tickles them so much that we decided to teach it to them. Which means Danny and I are learning it, too.
Dawn took to it and can already hold an entire conversation using it.
Danielle isn’t far behind, only stumbling here and there.
When Danny’s name is called, our cheering drowns out the clapping provided by his peers. As he joins us after the ceremony, Dawn and Danielle rush to greet him, shoving their present at him.
Granted, it’s actually from me, but I wanted them to be a part of this.
