~Chapter Sixty Six~
Then Comes Sammy With A Baby Carriage
Thunder rumbling,
Castles crumbling,
I am trying to hold on.
God knows that I tried
Seeing the bright side.
I'm not blind anymore.
I wish I knew then
What I know now…
Wouldn't dive in;
Wouldn't bow down.
Gravity hurts.
I'm wide awake,
Not losing any sleep.
I picked up every piece
And landed on my feet.
I'm wide awake.
Yeah, I am born again,
Out of the lion's den.
I don't have to pretend
The story's over now.
The end.
~Wide Awake, by Katy Perry
Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.
Sammy!
Meine Liebling!
Hey, Big Sister! Over here!
Eyes wide, I glanced to the side and stared into the trees in the distance, frantically searching for the owners of those three familiar voices. Green leaves glittered like emeralds beneath the shine of the fairy lights, and in that sparkling light, I suddenly noticed them. Hearing my sharp inhale, Takashi glanced in the same direction, also breathing in sharply at the sight of these three guests. A man wearing military fatigues, a woman wearing her favorite yellow sundress, and their little daughter, dressed in a white shirt and little pink shorts, were standing – hand in hand – beneath the trees. Waving at us. Smiling…
My husband put his hand in mine and gently squeezed the fingers beneath his own. I glanced from the three of them, to him, and back. My lips slowly curled into a warm and happy smile, shining brighter than the fiery burst of the setting sun.
Daddy, Mutti, and Sarah had made it to my wedding, too.
Sammy's P.O.V.
Takashi.
How do I describe him?
He was a wonderful, strong, and complex man with the endless capacity to love. A fierce loyalty burned in his blood, and it pumped steadily through his veins with each beat of his big, beautiful heart. My Takashi was a man with the kindness of a best friend, the overprotectiveness of an older sibling, the patience of a saint, and the passion of a lover. Takashi was my true love.
Even after seeing my pain and the flaws beneath the mischievous smile, Takashi still cared about me and promised to stay. We lived, laughed, and loved together, standing side by side through the best and worst times. He would always be there for me, in sickness and in health, through thick and thin. And I would be there for him. Nothing, Takashi vowed, would separate us.
Our wedding was a wondrous event. Memories of that day brought to mind the warmth of family, honeysuckle, and gentle kisses. Our wedding night was even sweeter, the honeymoon dreamlike in its beauty. Tiny shivers crawled pleasantly down my skin at the memories of those big hands whispering across my naked skin while Takashi hovered protectively above me. His touch burned, but I welcomed the bruising imprint of his slender fingertips in my curved hips when Takashi slowly and tenderly slipped inside me. It was not the first time Takashi and I made love to one other – and it would certainly not be the last, either – but that time would always mean more to me.
Many Germans believed that the bits of rice tossed at the bride and her groom were a symbol of good luck and fertility. It had also been said that the number of grains that stayed in her hair, clinging to them like tiny seeds in the grass, were the number of children that the two would have together. "A blessing," Mutti had always teasingly laughed with Daddy, who playfully complained about being outnumbered by the women in his life. My parents had found two grains of rice in her hair during their honeymoon.
Three little grains of rice stayed in mine.
It was impossible, but…
When Takashi and I made love that night, God – and Kami – decided to forgive me my mistakes. He recognized that I had only been a child that cold and icy night twelve years ago. I had been a child when I distracted Daddy from the road. And I had only been a child when I accidentally killed the family that I treasured above all else.
Yes. It was an accident, but the fault for that mistake, however unintentional, belonged to me. It would always belong to me. I would always carry a piece of it around, just like I would always carry a piece of them – Daddy, Mutti, and Sarah – inside of me. My soul had burned with guilt for years, and yet…their unconditional love had always soothed the ache.
After making love that night, Takashi and I had talked about the past. We left the bed and, side by side, stepped out to the terrace to view the stars. While patiently and quietly listening to my story, Takashi braced his forearms against the railing, and calmly lifted his head to the velvety night sky, and asked, "Do you still question the existence of God, Sammy-chan?"
It had taken me awhile to respond to the question, but I eventually replied that I believed in God. I believed in Him. It was that belief that caused such pain, I explained, because if I believed in God, then it meant God had been there to see my mistakes – all of them. Takashi, though not Christian, noted that God witnessed all, and that God forgave all. God would forgive me my mistakes, too.
Still, I had trouble believing Takashi, and I had trouble accepting His forgiveness…
It was not until I became pregnant for the first time that I really believed it.
"Um, Morinozuka-sama…"
My husband, who had been sparring with another of his trainees, had paused to listen to the words of the uncharacteristically hesitant maid. He breathed in softly, his toned chest moving only slightly faster than normal from the exertion of keeping himself in check. With his strength, Takashi could easily – accidentally – hurt another person. Takashi was much too kind to hurt anybody in anything but self-defense. He was a protector…
"What is it, Ellen-san?" Takashi asked her and, hearing the hesitation in her brusque voice, lowered his wooden sword and stepped closer to her. An expression of concern was now working itself into existence. What had happened this time?
Ellen shifted uncomfortably beneath the weight of his cold and steely gaze. She really could not understand how her friend could stand being the focus of his undivided attention because Ellen was at least five feet and eight inches to his six feet and two inches and still had the feeling of being too small to talk to him face-to-face. Sammy was only five feet tall, with change. But Sammy claimed that her husband, Takashi, made her feel safe, so…
Feeling bad for possibly upsetting his busy schedule, Ellen sighed. She rubbed her left arm with her right hand and shrugged her shoulders to signify her confusion with the situation. "Your wife has locked herself in the bathroom and is kind of, well, pukin' her guts up…"
The Silent Giant stilled within seconds, his entire body turning to neatly chiseled stone. His neck slowly creaked to the side, and Takashi then stonily asked, "Why, then, are you not with her?"
Bristling at the accusation in his voice, Ellen returned to her normal abrasive self and stomped her booted foot in anger. "It's not like I haven't tried to help her! She won't let me in. I even tried to pick the lock!" She snapped while furiously lifting her hands in the air.
Takashi and Ellen glared at each other, and Takashi opened his mouth to retort, when –
"SON OF A WITCH OR WIZARD!"
Takashi and Ellen blinked.
"…"
"…"
"You're her maid," Takashi observed, though only halfheartedly.
"Nice try! Don't look at me," Ellen replied with a smirk. "She's your wife!"
Nervously, Takashi cleared his throat and stepped around the amused Californian. He tossed out one parting command – "You are in charge, Itachi-san" – and then left the Morinozuka Main Dojo. Bustling through the hallways, Takashi made his way up the stairs and into the Master Suite. Even though both the (solid oak) bedroom and bathroom doors were closed, Takashi could hear his wife retching and sniffling every couple of seconds. She sounded completely miserable…
"…Sammy-chan?"
"…Takashi-kun?"
"Ah."
"Oh, I thought that you and Itachi had to train the latest recruits for that meeting with the Secret Service, in the States," Sammy mumbled through another hiccup. His sensitive hearing picked out the sound of her small hands ripping up a piece of toilet tissue to blow her runny nose.
"Yes, but you are more important," Takashi firmly responded without pause. He leaned against the door, his head resting near the frame to hear her better and the tips of his spiky dark hair falling into his eyes. "Why are you crying? Have I upset you?"
"No! No, I'm actually…really happy," Sammy whispered, the sound of her voice soft and awed and moved beyond words. "I…" She paused, and then the bathroom door opened to reveal her – his small wife. "We…"
With pink cheeks, Sammy smiled shyly at him and whispered, "We're going to have a child!"
Husband and wife stared silently at each other.
"…You're pregnant?" Takashi breathed.
"Yeah," Sammy whispered again. This time, however, there was a small twinge of fear in her voice. Using the door as a makeshift shield, Sammy ducked behind it and peeked at him from beneath her bangs. "Are you…mad?"
"'Mad?'" Takashi repeated incredulously, and with that single word, all of his emotions boiled to the surface and slammed through his usual mask of stoicism. A brilliant smile, filled with all of his happiness and love and manly pride, burst forth like sunshine on a rainy day. Without thinking about it, Sammy smiled back.
Laughing, Takashi picked her up and twirled her around and around their bedroom, where their little child had been conceived. "I'm not mad, I'm ecstatic!" Takashi rumbled in her ear, and Sammy giggled, curling her arms and legs around her husband.
"I'm going to be a father!" Takashi exclaimed with excitement. "We're going to be parents!"
"WITH THE WAY YOU TWO GO AT IT LIKE RABBITS, IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME, TOO!"
"SHUT UP, ELLEN!"
Months passed, and I experienced incredible happiness, laughter, and joy – all of the emotions that I once feared beyond belief. Life with Takashi, however, was sweet, romantic and, while not perfect, still completely wonderful in its own right. We stayed close (well, closer) for the duration of the pregnancy. We were always measuring my swelling stomach, taking pictures, and talking about possible names. And Takashi could not keep his hands to himself, always touching the steadily growing bump. We were even more inseparable that usual.
Takashi loved to love me, and I…
"I HATE YOU!" I screeched, blue eyes wide with incredible pain, and I began thrashing wildly against the hands holding me down to the hospital bed. "You, Morinozuka Takashi, are an asshole and will not fucking touch me ever again!" Another wave of indescribable pain slammed into me, and I screamed yet again, louder this time. "…YOU BASTARD!"
Glued to the chair at the side of the bed, Takashi could hear every word loud and clear, and his beautifully tanned face paled with each passing one. His normally calm silver eyes were wide and filled with confusion, horror, and fear – for his life. He stammered, "A-Ah…?"
"GET OUT!" I bellowed into his handsome face, practically clawing my way out of the hospital bed to reach the Silent Giant that I had dated for two years and married only ten months ago. I wanted to hug him and strangle him and rip off his manly bits – all at the same time. But Takashi didn't move and, furious, I screamed, "Dammit, I want…my…brothers!"
With his tail tucked between his long legs, Takashi immediately bolted from the blindingly white hospital room and frantically began searching for the elusive redheads, Hikaru and Kaoru. Later, I would discover that only the Shadow King could track them down because the Devil Twins had eloped to France to get married – to each other. That did not surprise me. What did surprise me was that Hikaru and Kaoru were not here for the birth of their godchild! WTF?!
Not two hours later, however, and Hikaru and Kaoru were situated right beside me, one at each side of the hospital bed. I panted through the worst of the contractions, almost delirious with pain at that point, and clutched at the hands offered to me. My strong nails ripped into the moisturized skin, but Hikaru and Kaoru said nothing to deter me in my misery. Instead, I listened to the gentle words whispered by my two loving little brothers.
Another hour passed, during which time Neko and Caleb arrived at the hospital – the former was not permitted to enter the room since Tamaki still passed out in fright at the mere mention of the Nekozawa Heir, whereas the latter waltzed right in, leaned against the windowsill, and started telling really, really, really bad jokes. So I cursed him, and his parents, and his grandparents, and that stupid hamster of his that used to run around his stupid house in a stupid plastic ball. Who the Hell named their hamster Spike, anyway?!
My comments, and threats, did not deter him.
Nope. Caleb found it funny.
Bastard…
Eventually, I could not take it and succumbed to the suggestions of the Twins, who both leaned forward and whispered that I should call Takashi back into the hospital room. I buzzed for the nurse, almost begging her to find Takashi and bring him back in. Another of those sharp contractions hit just as my cautious husband returned. I cried out in surprise.
The Head Nurse, Yume, rushed forward to check my unmentionables. Behind her glasses, Yume lifted her eyebrows, mumbled the measurements to another nurse, and smiled widely. I glared at her through tears of pain, which quickly turned to tears of fear at her announcement off – "It's time!"
Terrified, I worriedly demanded, "TIME FOR WHAT?"
"Time to push!"
"WHAT?!"
Hearing my distress, Takashi, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi rushed forward. Everyone was in here, from Mitsukuni and his wife, Kotoko, to Ranka and his boyfriend, Itachi, but of all of them, I most needed the comfort of these four. So Takashi curled his hand around mine, Hikaru and Kaoru darted forward to stand beside me, and Haruhi hovered behind them. I panted and clutched at the hands offered to me, and…I pushed.
A soft but sharp cry soon echoed through the silence.
Everyone inhaled sharply in anticipation.
"It's a girl!"
Excitement and cheering and the shushing of hyperactive Host Kings. All I could make out beyond that noise, however, was a nurse putting the tiny body atop mine. My heart pounded softly, like clockwork, and I breathed in time to the beat of the tiny heart inside that little person, whose chest pushed and pressed against my own. I stared down at her watery eyes and wrinkly skin – all her perfect imperfection – in complete awe. With little tufts of blonde hair, and two silver eyes, and soft white skin, I was suddenly reminded of a guardian angel.
"She is perfect," Takashi breathed, his heart in his throat and, with a small laugh, leaned forward to kiss my nose. My husband – her father – then pressed his lips to mine and murmured, "Thank you so much. Kami, I love you, Sweetheart." Grinned down at his tiny daughter. "You, too, of course…"
Exhausted but content, I leaned back into his arms, against his broad chest, and smiled warmly at them both. My husband and daughter. "Love you, too, Sweetie," I murmured to him through the wave of exhaustion and warmth and affection of family and friends.
"What are you going to name her?" Tamaki demanded while popping his head out from behind Nurse Yume. She rolled her eyes at him good naturedly and let him ask the question, which silenced the room as all of them waited with baited breath for the naming of their youngest member of their family – the first of the second generation of the Host Club.
My heart skipped, and I stared first at Caleb, who smiled in understanding, then Takashi, with his beautiful heart and kindness, and finally our daughter. She was so small, with her little body and blonde hair and slanted silver eyes. Small, but perfectly imperfect. Like Takashi, Sarah, and me…
Remember, Sammy, Angels will always watch over you.
My lips touched her soft hair, above her eyes.
"Hello, Morinozuka Angel."
***Author's Note***
Hey!
...Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You're all probably like - "She's still alive?!" "What should I throw at her first - a tomato or this wrench?" "Who are you again?"
Why, yes! I am alive! I did start teaching full-time, and given that I started two months later than everybody else, I have had quite the workload! I still have quite a bit to do this Holiday Break, but I thought that I would try to catch up on my stories for FF first. (AKA: I am procrastinating by watching Netflix, reading, writing, and being lazy!) ;)
Anyway, I hope that you can still forgive the unexpected absence and lack of updates. I wanted to finish this in December, and I will because this makes it five years! This is the five year anniversary of Picking Up the Pieces. Woot woot! Still! How weird is it has been half of a decade since I started this story? Yikes! Thank you so much to all those that have been here since the start, and thank you so much to those that joined somewhere along the ride! I love you all for the support, the suggestions, the thoughtful questions, the silly comments, and the simple "I loved it!" All of your reviews have meant the world to me! There has been more than one time that somebody really made my day much better simply by taking the time to read what I have written and comment on it. So again, I thank you all!
One more chapter will be uploaded tomorrow! It will be the last bit - the epilogue, if you will - and then, Picking Up the Pieces will be complete. :)
Please check out my OHSHC one-shots, Beneath the Masks (Kyoya and Kiki) and Sweet and Sour (Mitsukuni and Kotoko).
Close to 1,000! It would be awesome to reach 1,000 reviews by the end of Picking Up the Pieces, so...
PRETTY PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
Happy Holidays!
:D