"Were you sad that Henry wasn't a match for John?" Ricky asked as they had recieved the information just that afternoon before they had been discharged.
"A little. But Dr. Klein said in the next several months when I am healed from the c-section and my body has some time to recover from the pregnancy we can start doing the egg retrievel and do the IVF." Amy said with some sadness in her voice.
"Hey your still okay with that right? It's the best chance for John's longterm survival to beat this disease." Ricky said aloud.
"I know. It's just so hard to think we have to wait so many months for my body to heal. Then do egg retrievel, fertilization, prescreening and then finally put one or two of them inside to hope it all works out. And then if it does to have to wait nine months for the baby to help John. I just feel bad that we have to bring a baby into this world to save another one. I don't want that child to question why we had him or her." Amy said with a few tears streaming down her face.
"I know honey. But I always wanted another baby. Maybe not right away but why not. We will love that child so much and she or he will be their own person and we will tell them how much we wanted them and them saving John will just be an added bonus. It will work it's self out. Let's not think about that right now. Let's just enjoy our healthy baby boy here and the moments with our family now." Ricky said as he gave her a kiss.
"Yeah your right. We just won't be having a lot of fun making the next one will we." Amy said.
"Well we had plenty of fun creating this little one didn't we." Ricky said as he chuckled
"Yeah at least you did." Amy said with a smile.
"Oh come on you did too." Ricky said as he kissed her again.
"Well maybe just a little." Amy said as she looked down at Henry who had fallen asleep.
"It is worth it in the end. All of it is. You know that better than anyone Amy." Ricky said in all seriousness.
"Yes it is." Amy said as she snuggled closer to her husband.
Later that night after the girls were in bed and Ricky finished his classes for the night. Amy and Ricky laid in bed facing each other. They were both looking in each other's eyes for a while. Amy felt happy and sad all at the same time. Ricky felt the same as she did. Ricky reached over and gently caressed her face with the palm of his hand. Amy closed her eyes as she felt the warmth and comfort from his touch. Life had taken so many different directions for them and their family. They only hoped that everything would end well. And so they finally fell asleep to catch a bit before the baby woke up again.
Another week passed by and Bryan had been cleared for duty and was leaving that day to return to his unit. He had packed everything up and he was in uniform again. He looked over his bedroom and their house. He loved being here but he had to get back over there with his men and continue their fight with them. And then he could come home with all of them he hoped to his family. He loved them but he had a duty to do. He picked up his bag and he went downstairs where everyone was waiting quietly for him. He had decided to drive with only Adrian this time to see him off. He was saying goodbye to the kids and his family at home this time.
Kate, Holly, and Hope all ran into their dad's arms when he bent down on one knee and held them out for them. They hugged him tightly not wanting to let him go but knowing that they had too. "I love you girls so much. You help out around the house while I am gone and be good. I will be home just as soon as I can. I will write, I will email, I will call. I promise you girls I am coming home to you and to our family." Bryan said as he kissed each of the girls.
"I love you daddy stay safe." Holly said. She was no longer a little girl but a young woman before his very eyes.
"I will Holly and you take care of your siblings." Bryan said and Holly shook her head that she understood.
"I will miss you daddy." Kate said and gave him a hug.
"I will miss you too Kate. I love you." Bryan said as he smiled at her.
"Lov u daddy." Hope said to Bryan and he picked up the little girl in his arms and kissed her cheeks which caused her to laugh.
"I will miss you all. Bye kids." Bryan said. Then he went over and kissed each of the twins and said a few words to them. Then he stood up and he went over to Ricky and Amy who were standing next to the door near Adrian. Amy held Henry in her arms. Ricky was holding Lucy in his arms also. She was clinging alot to her father since Henry had come home.
"Amy, Ricky. Take care of yourselves. I will be praying for John. Please love each other and hold onto your family and mine too if you don't mind. Bye guys you have been the best friends we could have asked for." Bryan said and he gave Amy a gentle hug and then Ricky a manly hug.
"You too Bryan. And get back here or I'll have to come find you again." Ricky said with a bit of humor but also seriousness in his voice.
"Bye Bryan. We will miss you and will look forward to when you come home. And thanks for your prayers for John. That means alot to both of us. Safe journey." Amy said as she shifted Henry to her other arm.
And then he and Adrian left. They got into the minivan and drove to the post where he would be leaving them to return to combat duty. It seemed like a longer drive than it actually was. Adrian didn't want to say goodbye or fall apart. But when they pulled in and parked the van. And when Bryan got out and had his pack on and he stood tall in his uniform it finally hit Adrian that he was really going back.
"I love you so much Bryan. Your my other half. And I need you to come back. Go over there and help them and then come back home to us. I love you. But there getting ready to leave." Adrian said as she saw them getting into a formation.
Bryan held her head in his hands. He pulled her close and he kissed her deeply. Adrian wrapped her arms around his back and deepend the kiss and held onto him for dear life. And then he parted the kiss. And Adrian held onto his hand as he walked away and then dropped her hand. Then she stood alone as her husband joined all of the other service men and women. She smiled and waved as he turned to wave once before.
After a few minutes Adrian wiped away her tears. And after they had already left Adrian got into the van and she drove the long way home while she got herself together before she saw the kids. And then all of a sudden she saw the cemetary and she felt like she needed to stop. So she pulled in and shut off the engine. Then she got out and walked the long distance to where Mercy and Ben's graves were.
She came upon the two headstones and she stopped and she let her tears fall from her eyes. It seemed like the pain and the tears just crept up on her. It was the sad reminder of just what life could have been. It was the life that Adrian had originally envisioned with Ben and their daughter only to have it all taken away from her. She sat down in front of Mercy's grave. And for a moment she laid down upon her daughter's resting place and let all of her tears fall upon her grave. Adrian stayed like that for several minutes when she heard footsteps behind her. She looked up and saw Leo standing there holding two bouqets of flowers in hand.
Adrian stood up and wiped away her tears. Leo pulled out his handkerchief and handed to his daugher-in-law. Then Adrian wiped her tears with it and try to hand it back to Leo. "Keep it. You may find more use for it than I do. What brings you here today?" Leo asked with a sad look in his eyes.
"I was driving by and just felt like I had to be here today. This overwhelming feeling caused me to pull over and stop. I can't explain it I just knew that I had to be here. But sometimes I just come here when I feel I have lost my way. And I come on the anniversaries and Ben's birthday too." Adrian said.
"Me too. It's good to see you Adrian. It seems like I hardly ever to get to see you or your family. We're either coming or going. It was nice that you could come to the wedding. It meant alot to me that you could all come and be a part of it. Your still my family Adrian. All of your family are still my family and they always be." Leo said gently after he came and stood next to her and laid each set of flowers on his sons and then his grandaughters graves.
"Yes I feel the same. It's just been a hard year. With Bryan deploying and then going missing. And I just dropped him off to go back. It just gets hard sometimes. I never know where he is or if he is safe. I fear for him alot sometimes." Adrian said as she wiped away fresh tears.
"Any regrets marrying him?" Leo asked her.
"No. I love Bryan very much. I will just be glad when his contract with the Army is up and he can stay home for good. I will be the happiest person on that day. Bryan is a good man and he gave me our family and our home together. It's nice to have someone to come home too. You know to share raising the kids, and just be with. I have enjoyed having him home. But now I got let him go so that he can hopefully come back down the road to us. He makes me very happy. It's just hard, but I know that I can do this. I can keep our family going and take care of everyone and everything while he is gone with help of course. But I have the strength for the course, I have to have it. If I can survive my daughter and my husband dying, I can survive anything." Adrian said as she looked down at Ben and Mercy's graves.
"I am glad. I just want to know that your happy Adrian. You deserve that after everything you have been through in your short life." Leo said as he also followed her eyes and looked at the graves as well.
"You do too Leo." Adrian said.
"I am. Camielle has made me a very happy man. I will never eve get over losing Ben or Mercy but I have learned to cope and to be happy again. At least most of the time." Leo replied.
"That makes me happy to hear that too. Well I should be getting back to the kids before they make Amy and Ricky running out of the house screaming." Adrian said as she chuckled at the thought.
"Alright don't be a stranger and please tell Amy and Ricky that they are in my prayers." Leo said to her.
"I will. You take care Leo and please stay in touch." Adrian said and then she turned and walked away leaving Leo there to pay his respects to their loved ones.
Adrian climbed into the van and then she drove home to her kids, her friends, and the foundation that was her glue. She needed that. She needed someone to keep her grounded and someone to hold onto too when Bryan was gone and that was her kids, her parents, and her friends. And in the end she was strong enough to make it through everything else when all as said and done in the end.