Chapter 35

"What do you mean your not Natalie's father?"

"I ran a DNA test. I'm not Natalie's father."

"If you aren't her father, than that means that..."

"That David is?" He finished for her.

"All this time, we thought, I thought you were her father."

"Yeah me too."

"Oh Jake I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you."

"You have no idea."

"I promise you can see her whenever want."

"Thanks but I don't know if I can do that. It might make it worse to keep seeing her."

"Whatever you need Jake. I know that I shouldn't ask this, but do you think you could go get David?"

"I can do that. It's time she meets her daddy." Jake said, trying to part with who was supposed to be his daughter. He walked out into the hall motioned for David, that he was wanted by Amanda.

"Jake said that you wanted to see me Amanda."

"David, there is something you need to know."

"Well I have some great news Mandy. Your test results indicate recovery. Your ejection fraction is almsot 40%."

"David, shut up! I was trying to tell you something."

"I'm sorry, I just thought you'd want to know that things are as good as we could have hoped."

"That's great, now listen to what I'm saying."

"Alright I'm listening."

"Here, you take her." She said, placing who was now 'thier' daughter in his arms.

"You're okay?"

"Yes. David, Jake told me something. Something you need to know."

"He doesn't want me anywhere near her, right? That's why you're letting me hold her, because this is the last time?"

She shook her head. Why was it always so hard to get things through to him? If only he would listen. "David, Natalie is your daughter. She's our daughter."

"I know. I told you before that I don't care about DNA. Natalie is as much a part of me as she is Jake."

"Jake did a DNA test. He isn't her father. You are." She said looking him and then Natalie an back to him. He couldn't form any words at the moment. He was too busy taking in the sight of who he now knew to be his daughter. This wasn't the first time he'd look into an infants' face, only to see himself. What little hair she had was as dark as his. She had Amanda's eyes and her smile he noticed but she had his lips. "David?"

"She's ours?" He half asked, half said.

"Yeah. She's ours." Amanda answered, both of them shedding tears. "I still don't know how this can be. I mean I know how but..."

"We used protection. Not to mention Dr. Greene said that you were only 6 weeks. It does make sense now though. When the nurse told Jake and I Natalie's weight, we both said how big she was for a preemie."

"Jake knew she was yours when he found out he wasn't, but he didn't know what happened between us the day you left."

"Let's not think about the past. She's ours and I think we should focus on that. I remember when you told me that you wished that she was mine, right after you found out you were pregnant. Well it may have taken a while for us to find out, but our wish came true."

"Here, you should hold her some more. She's gone way to long without her mom." He said holding out Natalie and putting her back in Amanda's arms. He then crawled into the bed next to her, his arm around both of them.

"But all this time, she's gone without her dad."

"I've been here all along."

"You did it, didn't you? And she said yes right?" Tim said, now standing in the room, observing the happy little family. He told David she'd say yes. Why would he think she wouldn't? David was confused at first but it hit him. Tim thought that they were so happy because he had proposed and she had said yes. David quickly motioned with his head, as if Tim could read 'Shut up Tim you're going to ruin it' on his face.

"Tim, you already knew?" Amanda asked, confused at how Tim knew that Natalie was David's. At least that was what she thought he was talking about.

"Of course I knew. David told me I was supposed to ask you if you wanted to marry him, if I thought he was good enough for you, but I told him he should do it. I told him you'd say yes.

"Uh Tim, I didn't get to that yet." David painfully admitted.

"Wait a minute. You were going to propose?" Amanda asked David.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry man. I thought that's why you guys were so happy."

"Well it wasn't. And yes Mandy I was going to ask you to be my wife, but someone kind of ruined it."

"Yes."

"Yes? I didn't ask you yet."

"You don't have to. It's a yes. Where's the ring?"

"This isn't what I had in mind."

"None of what we have was what we had in mind, but we love each other and our little girl and that's all that matters. Who cares if your proposal wasn't the most romantic. I love you and I want to be your wife and that's all that matters."

It was so true. He kissed her for as long as he could, moving into the bed with them.

"I told you David." Tim said, referring to their previous conversation. "Can I ask what you guys were talking about before I walked in and ruined everything?"

"We just found out that David is Natalie's father." She answered her brother's question.