Chapter Twenty Seven:
Bo woke up first the next morning. He smiled when he looked at her lying there on the bed with him, her hand resting on that special place on his chest. He couldn’t believe that they were actually going to have another baby. He was getting a second chance to do things right, to be there for it all. He kissed her forehead and drifted back to sleep.
A few hours later….
Nora is now the only one awake and she is sitting in the chair next to the bed watching him sleep. She called to tell Asa and Renee the good news and to speak with Matthew. She told him that his daddy was going to be just fine, and when he his dad was allowed to have visitors she would come and get him. Nora had brought Bo’s stuff into the room. She couldn’t wait for him to slip the ring on her finger and make their engagement official. She smiled when she thought back to last night when he had finally opened his eyes. She was brought out of her thoughts when Larry walked in the door.
“So how’s the patient?”
“He’s perfect in every way.”
Larry smiled at his good friend, happy they had finally found a way to put the past in the past. “I’m just going to run some tests as soon as he wakes up. Make sure everything up to par. If it is, I may be able to spring him by the end of the week.”
“I can’t wait to get him home. We have a lot of celebrating to do.”
“He’s going to need to make sure he gets as much rest as possible when he gets home.”
“Oh don’t worry. He’ll be well taken care of.”
Larry left after warning her about getting some rest for herself soon. She promised she would get some sleep and something to eat. She kissed Bo’s forehead and started to walk out the door.
“Hey, where are you running of to?”
She turns around and walks back over to the bed.
“I promised Larry I would go get some rest, you know for the baby.”
“Is there something wrong with the baby?”
“No she’s fine. It’s just you know, I’m already at a high risk because of the whole (she grimaces) age thing, and with what happened when I was pregnant with Matthew. (she looks down at the ground and then back up at Bo, the pain evident in both of their faces) I’m sorry I didn’t…”
“It’s okay, honey. We don’t have to worry about that happening again. We’re together now. Everything turned out just the way it was supposed to. We’re a family, you, me, Matthew, and this baby. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what happens I’m not walking away.”
“You promise.”
“Cross my heart…”
“Don’t you dare say…and hope to die.”
They laughed as he took her hand in his and kissed it. He reached out and laid his hand lovingly on her cheek.
“I love you so much, Nora Buchanan. I’m most definitely the luckiest man in the world. I have an amazing son, a baby on the way, and the most beautiful fiancée in the world.”
“Hey, I’m not officially your fiancée yet.”
“What do you mean?”
Holding up her left hand, “No ring.”
“Oh well we’ll have to remedy that as soon as we get home.”
“I’ll go you one better.”
She walks over to the table on the other side of the room. She takes out the ring box and walks back over to the bed. She hands him the box and sits down next to him. He opens the box and smiles. He takes her hand in his and looks deep in her eyes.
“We’ve been given a second chance to get back what we threw away. We have another chance at love and we almost lost it again. I don’t want to spend another day without you by my side. Nora Buchanan will you marry me, again?”
“Why, Commissioner Buchanan, I thought you’d never ask.”
As he slipped the ring on her finger she felt the past crumble away and the only thing they had to look forward to was the future.
Later that day….
Bo was asleep when Nora and Matthew arrived. Nora bent down and whispered in Matthew’s ear.
“Daddy needs to keep sleeping so why don’t you go over and sit down in the chair next to him. We’ll talk to him when he wakes up.”
“Okay, mommy”, he whispers.
“Hey what are the two of you whispering about?”
“Daddy, you’re awake!”
“You bet I am, champ. I wouldn’t miss a visit with you for anything.”
“Mommy said someone shot you.”
“Mom’s right, buddy someone did shoot me.”
“Did they shoot you because you’re the boss of the policemen?”
“You know buddy, right now I don’t know why, but my men will find out soon enough. So I don’t want you worrying about that, okay. I’m fine and I’ll be coming home to you and mommy real soon.”
“Okay, daddy.”
“Why don’t you hop up here on the bed with me? Your mom and I have something to talk to you about.”
“Am I in trouble again?”
Looks over at Nora, “Again?”
Nora just shakes her head letting him know they’d talk about it later.
“No, sweetie you’re not in trouble. Your dad and I just have to talk to you about some things, okay?”
“Kay.”
“What do you think about your mom and me, getting married? Are you okay with that?”
“You mean like we’ll be a family forever and ever?”
“Exactly like that. We’ll be a family forever and ever.”
“Yeahooooo! (pauses for a moment) But…”
“But what, sweetie?”
“Does this mean you’re going to be all “kissy” all the time around my friends?”
Bo and Nora look at each other and try to suppress their laughter.
Bo leans in and kisses her, “You mean like that?”
Rolls his eyes, “Yeah just like that.”
Nora picks Matthew up and sits down on the bed next to Bo with Matthew on her lap.
“There’s something else your dad and I want to talk to you about.”
“There’s more.”
“Yeah, there’s more. How do you feel about being a big brother?”
“Being a big brother would be way cool.”
“Way cool, huh?”
“Yeah, way cool.”
“Well good because that’s exactly what you’re going to be in about 7 months.”
Matt looked up at his mom.
“You’re having a baby?”
“I sure am.”
Matthew looks at his mom and his dad and throws his arms around their necks. “I’m gonna be the best big brother in the whole wide world.”
The Buchanan family sat together on the bed discussing their future, as someone looked in through the window, watching the life they had wanted playing out in front of their eyes.