His grey eyes watched her. Joe Anoa'i watched as Lucy Ferguson was reading a book while she rocked their son Kai Leati Anoa'i. Joe was in the other rocking chair in the nursery with his daughter Kauila Eileen Anoa'i, his little turtle.
People understood Lucy's standing about not going back to the WWE, her priorities had changed and that she wanted to do her own thing. After reading those Twitter comments when she was four months along, Lucy had abandoned all social media stuff. She refused anything Facebook or Twitter. He'd seen her engrossed in those online forums, but then again she began writing at a rapid speed.
"I like that we moved to Pensacola." Lucy suddenly said. She always said the strangest things when she was content.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, your parents are cool. Aunt Brianna and Uncle Brian would like for us to come over to Ireland when the twins are old enough to travel."
Traveling, that was a sore topic at the moment.
Some fans were still supportive of Lucy and Joe, excited to see pictures of the twins, Kai and Kauila. But others were still very negetive about it. At the request of Colby, she had started an Instagram account to monitor her pregnancy and then the birth...
Oh their birth was horrendous on Lucy. Kai was big and Kauila was weak because her brother was taking all the nutrients that Lucy was ingesting. Supporting a life inside was difficult enough, but two was down right impossible for Lucy. She was weak, she was exhausted and he small body was not able to keep up with the demands of the twins. At around the thirty-two week mark the doctor she was seeing in Pensacola suggested a C-Section.
"I'm scared, Joe." Lucy whispered as she was laying on the operating table, him holding her hand.
She was scared and he didn't know how to comfort her at the time.
"Focus on me." His voice sounded strange behind that mask of his.
"You look like a big blue marshmellow." She told him, causing him and a few of the nurses around them to laugh.
Out in the surgical waiting room just about everyone in the Anoa'i family, the rest of The Shield, Sophia, Nessa and others in the WWE were waiting for news of the surgery. John Cena was there, the three European friends...there was a herd of people in the waiting room near the delivery room waiting for answers.
Lucy was scared nonetheless. Joe filmed using his camera, knowing that everyone would want to see the moment that they were born. The doctors were scared because Kauila was in a state of distress, her brother was so big she wasn't getting the proper health that she needed to survive. They got Kai out first, a healthy and pink crying boy. Lucy was able to see him over the curtain, he already had dark hair like his father. She couldn't help but cry to see the little boy, Kai.
But Kauila was a little different. She wasn't crying when she was taken out. Kai was screaming in one part of the room but her little girl wasn't. They whisked her off to emergency care, and now it was a fight for survival.
A few hours later, after Lucy was set up in her hospital room, Kai in a little hospital basinnette next to her bed. It was like she was mad and sad at the same time, being able to almost taste it. She couldn't blame Kai for this, she know she couldn't. But just thinking that Kauila was sick, no one had heard about her and the damned nurses weren't saying anything when they came in to see how she was doing. Joe wasn't there, he was telling everyone what was going on and went to go see if he could find anything out on Kauila.
Set up in the room was the St. Bridget statue that her grandmother had given her before she had passed. Lucy had never really been one for religion, a God figure or anything, but asking for help from a being that wasn't tangible seemed a far fetch for her.
"Please let her be okay." She said, looking at Bridget's face. "She's the little girl that I wanted. She's going to have her father's hair, my eyes...but I need her. I can't loose her. I can't loose either of them." Lucy said.
Joe stood at the doorway, a little bundle in his arms. She was so small, a premie size thing but she had been suddenly able to breathe on her own, after getting some fluids and oxygen she was strong. He had Lucy ask St. Bridget for help, and it broke his heart knowing that she didn't know anything. In her chart it read autistic, and for some damned reason the doctor thought she wasn't competent enough to know what was going on with her daughter.
"She's fine, Lucina." She looked up at her boyfriend's face. "They just needed to give her some extra care. But look, she's pink and sleeping."
Handing the small little girl off to her mother, Joe stepped back and watched as Lucy checked every inch of Kauila for herself. Every finger, every toe, the little girl didn't mind not being unwrapped by her mother. Lucy expertly wrapped her right back up tightly and held her close. Silence the entire time, but Joe could see the tears falling down her face. Kai was sleeping in the bassinette and Kauila was with her mother finally.
Lucy spoke up, bringing Joe out of his memory. "Thinking about when they were born?" She asked putting the book down and getting up.
He did the same thing. "Yeah. It's going to suck when I'm not here to help you."
"That's why we moved to Pensacola, so that we could be closer to your family. They will help me. Ms. Simone is going to be coming by after school to check on me."
"I'm going to miss you and them." Joe placed Kai down in the crib with his sister.
Lucy didn't say anything as she walked out of the nursery, heading down to their room. Something was on her mind, he knew that. Whenever she got really quiet and wouldn't talk she was thinking of something.
"What is it, Lucy?"
"I sent in the manuscript of my mom's story."
"I thought that it wasn't finished."
"It wasn't, but I did finish it. I read it and it was like I understood what she was writing about and decided to see if I could finish it. And I did."
Joe was confused. "Yeah, okay."
"Well I sent in with the manuscript the history behind the story and one of the publishing companies I sent it to was impressed, not just by the manuscript but by the story behind it. They want to publish it. They want to publish my Mom's book."
"That's great, isn't it?"
"It is, I'm just not sure it would get the reception that other first time novels would."
"Lucy, just think of it this way. They are going to publish your book and your mom's book. They want to take the time, they think it will do great. This is your dream." He turned her towards him. "This is all great stuff, Babygirl."
She sighed and then she smiled. "I guess it is."
"You've accomplished your dream, Lucy. This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
"I think my dream changed when I met you." She looked into his grey eyes. "You found beauty in me, when I didn't see it. You saw me as something beautiful and not just a socially awkward girl. I only ever really thought I was pretty, that I wouldn't be wanted by anyone else."
He smiled. "You're my pretty beautiful, Lucy. You have my heart, you and I created two beautiful little kids. For once in my life I'm happy. I have you three to come home to after traveling. Our friends are moving to Florida just to be closer to you guys. My family has been in love with you when I brought you to see them. You are the light of my life, Lucina Edith Ferguson."
Something in his tone was off. Lucy knew that he was planning something. And what happened was something she didn't know was possible for her. Joe pulled a small box from his pocket, got down on one knee in their bedroom and opened it.
"Can I be the light of your life, Lucy? Will you marry me?" He asked.
It was one simple answer that did brighten his life. "Yes." She said, tears falling down her face.
Whatever would come for them, this story was done for them. But the story of their children was just beginning, and as the pages started to turn they would reveal hardships for the new parents, but this story is where it will end.
It ends with the grey eyes man looking at the woman that was beautiful.
"My Pretty Beautiful." He said, kissing her as he slid the ring onto her finger.
Yay, it's finished. Now I can focus on my other story Bring Love to Me. If you want you can check it out. But I am so happy. This is a milestone for me, I've never finished a writing project before. Just knowing that people are reading my stories it helps me to focus, to keep writing because so many people like my work. Thank you for putting up with me.
