Chapter 25-Today Was A Fairytale
A/N
Fluffiness warning! This is a lot more cutsey than I expected haha! Also there's an A/N
at the bottom, please read :-)
Reviews welcome as this has definitely been my favourite chapter to write! (I now I've said that before but this one definitely tops all of them!
Laura xx
"I would have loved to have a limo or something for us to go to the ceremony in..." Zoe mused.
"There's no point though, as it's just across the road." The doctor turned around to see Charlie.
The Clinical Lead simply smiled and gave him a hug.
"You look amazing, Zoe." Said the nurse.
"You don't look too bad, either." Zoe laughed.
"Right" Tess said, clapping her hands. "Let's get you out there and married!"
"Okay" Said Zoe, taking Charlie's arm.
As instructed, Sophia and Madison stood in front of their mother with their flower baskets. Poppy and Amy also did. Ethan stood next to his younger sister.
Robyn, Tess, and Lily arranged themselves behind Zoe, and then Rebecca after them.
Two of the hotel staff opened the doors of the hotel for the party.
Zoe took a deep breath and made her way down the steps with Charlie. She could see the wedding arch, decorated with roses, and either side lots of the hospital staff and her family all sat down on white chairs.
Leading to the wedding arch was a blue carpet, Max and Zoe's joint choice. The main reason that Zoe had insisted on a carpet was to wear a very glittery pair of white heels-they'd sink in the sand otherwise!
They went across the road and then, when Zoe checked that everything was in order, began their walk down the aisle. Sophia, Poppy and Amy went first, scattering flower petals.
Zoe and Charlie went next, with the bridesmaids.
Zoe could see her future husband, standing with Lofty. To her surprise, Max was wearing a blue waistcoat.
The doctor held her breath, waiting for Max to turn and look at her. The sea was calm, and there was a slight breeze. It was warm, but not too warm for the temperature to be uncomfortable.
Zoe kept an eye on her flower girls, who were doing an excellent job of scattering the petals.
"Wow!" The Clinical Lead heard a gasp, and looked up to see Max, an expression of wonder on his face.
"You look amazing" Max informed Zoe when she got to the end of the aisle.
"Thank you. You do too." Zoe replied, a smile tugging at her lips, Max looked extremely handsome.
The female celebrant started the ceremony, and the engaged couple stood in front f the congregation.
After a while, the time came for Zoe and Max to say their vows. Instead of the celebrant reading vows out and then the couple repeating them, they had devised their own.
Sophia handed her Mother Max's wedding ring and Zoe began.
"Max: The person who has taught me a lot of lessons, who has been my light in the darkness and a wonderful Daddy to my children. I would not have got through the last year without you, and I love you unconditionally, for better or worse."
"On this day, I give you my heart, my promise, that I will walk with you, hand in hand, wherever our journey leads us, living, learning, loving, together." She said, tears in her eyes. She then slipped Max's wedding ring onto his finger.
Max beamed back at her, and Sophia handed him Zoe's ring. Max then began t speak.
"Zoe. The woman I've loved ever since you borrowed me that lighter, since you asked me if I was new. The woman who is my best friend, and a lovely Mum to Sophia, Ethan and Madison. The woman who snores, but I don't have the heart to tell you to shut up because you look so cute." At this, Zoe blushed.
"On this day, I give you my heart, my promise, that I will walk with you, hand in hand, wherever our journey leads us, living, learning, loving, together." he finished, and then slipped Zoe's ring onto her finger.
"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." The celebrant said.
Zoe threw her arms around her hi=husband and gave him a smacking great kiss.
When they broke apart, Max grinned. "I love you Mrs Walker-Hanna."
"I love you too Mr Walker-Hanna." Zoe beamed.
The newly married couple then walked back up the aisle together, confetti all around them.
Then it was time for photographs. But, before the picture taking could begin, Sophia started a game of tag with Maddie.
"Girls, come back!" Zoe groaned, the pair were dangerously close to the sea.
Her daughters didn't hear, they instead started a tickle fight.
"I'm coming to get you!" Said Zoe on impulse, slipping off her glittering shoes, keeping her dress well off the sand, and taking off after her daughters.
Maddie squealed in mock terror when she realized she was being chased. "No Mummy!"
"Yes, we have to have some photos taken now!" Said Zoe, breathless.
"Fine!" Sophia said grumpily.
Zoe swept her daughters up into her arms, and carried them both back to the wedding party.
Max shook his head at his daughters. "You cheeky pair!"
"They sure are!" Zoe agreed.
"You can be cheeky as well" Max reasoned.
"Ha ha." Zoe replied, and gave him a kiss to shut him up. "I guess I can be quite cheeky. Now come on, photo time!"
A few hours later...
The wedding party was now back at the hotel, and they were in a large, airy room. They all sat down at various tables ready for the dinner.
Zoe, Max, Ethan, Sophia, Madison, Robyn, Rebecca and the other bridesmaids sat at the head table, along with Alice.
"I'm so comfy I can't bear to move." Said the doctor. Max pulled her close.
"We'll have to move soon, we have to dance together." he said.
"Hmm." Zoe answered. "You do know that I'm likely to get ever so slightly drunk tonight?"
"It did cross my mind."
"Don't let me drink too much, I don't fancy having a hangover on the plane tomorrow!" The doctor answered.
"I won't let you get any further than tipsy, I promise!" Max laughed.
"How do you know when I'm tipsy?"
"You start to kiss me and cuddle me, and once you tried to lick my ear." he answered.
"Oh, okay!" Zoe said, slightly confused.
"No, you won't remember the ear licking," Chuckled Max, reading her mind. "The next morning you woke up with a horrible hangover, I bet you remember that?"
"Wasn't it Robyn's birthday party?" Zoe asked.
"Got it in one." Her husband replied.
Suddenly a crowd of people burst through the door. Zoe got up. "Mo, Adele! I thought you couldn't come?"
"Of course we could, we wanted it to be a surprise!" Mo replied, and gave Zoe a hug.
"And there's someone else." Mary Claire turned Zoe to face Fletch. As soon as she saw him, Zoe gave the nurse a hug so tight that he could barely breathe.
"Careful, Zo!" Fletch said after the Clinical Lead eventually let him go. "I'll be down to the ED if you had squeezed me any tighter!"
"Sorry! How are you, and the kids?" Zoe enquired, and the two fell into conversation.
"Poor Fletch!" Laughed Dixie. "Zoe will give him the Spanish Inquisition!"
"What's that?" Ethan asked.
Dixie panicked-she didn't know herself what it meant!
After Zoe had peppered Fletch with a thousand and one questions, she greeted the rest of the upstairs staff.
She went over to Jac and Jonny.
"I'm surprised old Grumpyguts came" Zoe remarked to Jonny.
"I only came because there's free food." Jac insisted.
"Mummy came because she wanted to see you!" Emma butted in.
"Emma!" Jac scolded her daughter.
"Oh, so you do have a heart, then? It's lovely to see you all the same" Smiled Zoe. Jac gave a half smile back.
"I'll admit, I remember hearing Tweedledum and Tweedledee gossiping about you and Max, and I didn't think it would last. But it did, so congratulations." The consultant said grudgingly.
"Thank you." The other woman answered.
"By the way, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee she means Mo and Adele." Jonny explained.
"I did wonder." Laughed Zoe, and made her way back to Mary Claire.
After Zoe had chatted with some of the other guests, she made her way back to Max.
"Good chinwag?" He asked as his wife sat down.
"Definitely!" Zoe smiled with satisfaction.
A while later.
It was now evening, and almost time for Zoe and Max's first dance.
"All right everyone, may I interrupt you for a few minutes?" Asked Fletch, who was the DJ for the night, Zoe had no idea why or how, she'd foolishly left that to Max.
"It's time for Max and Zoe's first dance, but first I believe that this little lady wants to make a speech?" Fletch turned to Sophia, and handed her the mic.
"Um, hello." Said the three year old. "I just wanted to say that I love my mum and dad very much, and that today is the best day of my life, because everyone I love is here, and also because there are strawberries dipped in chocolate, they're my favourite. Seeing Mummy and Daddy happy together makes me happy, although Madison says it's yucky."
After she'd finished, Sophia handed the mic back to Fletch and ran back to her Mum.
Happy, surprised tears filled Zoe's eyes. She had no idea that Sophia was planning on making that speech, and she felt incredibly proud.
"I'm so proud of you." She said to her daughter, and picked her up.
Sophia gazed into her Mother's eyes. "Thank you. I was scared."
"I could tell, you did very well." Zoe praised.
The song that Zoe and Max had picked for their first dance began to play. Someone tapped Zoe on the shoulder, it was Max.
"Come on, Spiderman." He smiled.
"All right, Mary Jane." Zoe grinned, and set Sophia down.
"Today was a fairytale
You were the prince
I used to be a damsel in distress
You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six
Today was a fairytale
Today was a fairytale
Today was a fairytale
I wore a dress
You wore a dark grey t-shirt
You told me I was pretty
When I looked like a mess
Today was a fairytale
Time slows down
Whenever you're around
Can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale..."
Max waltzed Zoe around, the pair of them swept up in the moment, and in total and utter love.
"I love you, you know Max." Zoe said after the dance had ended.
"I know you do, I love you too." Max answered.
The End! (Well, almost!)
A/N
So this is the official end of the fic, but I'm also writing an epilogue to this as well, which will be up soon as chapter 26.
I also don't own the above lyrics.
Laura xxx