Tom was reluctant to leave Harper and Marie's sides at all, but had to after a while to return home, which was inevitable, and while Marie was able to leave after two more days, healthy as could be, Harper was still considerably weak and needed more time to regain her lost strength.
He didn't want to separate Harper from the one comfort in her life at the moment, so he would come visit them after work, looking after the fussy baby while Harper slept, and crawling into bed next to Harper to snuggle them both.
After two weeks passed, Harper was deemed strong enough to leave, but was ordered to refrain from participating in any strenuous physical activity. She may have gotten stronger, but she was not fully healed, and wouldn't be for a while. Although, Harper was ecstatic to finally leave. She swore she was getting so sick of the hospital.
When she finally returned home, her whole friend group was there waiting for her, and she received a very eager welcome from everyone, especially Elliot, who practically jumped into her arms.
"Finally! I missed you, goober."
"Oof! Hey, I missed you too, Scoot," Harper laughed.
"We all missed you," Danni said as she and all her friends huddled around Harper. "How are you feeling?"
"Ugh, I feel so much better already," Harper said with a sigh of relief. "Especially now that I can breathe again and don't have to pee every five minutes."
"And I get to see my baby again!" Imogen exclaimed as she took Marie from Tom's arms, holding the baby on her shoulder, who cooed and grasped at her shirt with her tiny fists. "Oh, I missed you so much."
Tom scoffed. "Um, your baby?" he teased.
"Damn right, I'm her godmother now. Right, Harper?"
Harper laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, sure, I guess."
"So when are you guys leaving for Hartfeld?" Parker asked. "We need to plan a going away party or something."
"Seriously," Elliot said, crossing his arms and flopping down on the sofa. "It's gonna suck not having you guys around for who knows how long."
"We'll still come and visit, Scooter," Harper said, and she turned and grinned at Imogen. "But there's actually one more thing I want to do before we leave Pine Springs, though."
Imogen's eyes lit up upon realizing what Harper was implying, and she squealed. "I'll go get my wedding planner!"
At this, Marie began to stir and fuss in her arms, and before Harper or Tom could react, Elliot jumped up from his seat and walked over to her. "Lemme see her."
Elliot took his niece in his arms, shushing and bouncing her slightly, letting her rest her head on his shoulder, and Marie eventually calmed down, stuffing one of her tiny fists in her mouth, big, curious eyes roaming around the room. Harper looked at her brother with wide eyes, taken aback by this, then grinned. "Aw, Scoot, I bet you and Robbie will be great parents one day."
Elliot's face flushed a bright red. "Sh-shut up."
With a sudden tensing of muscles, Harper gasped as she was jolted awake from another nightmare, breaking out in a cold sweat. She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. 3:26am, it read. She sighed as she flopped her head back on her pillow, running her hands over her face as her tired eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Everything that had happened in Pine Springs two years before, her parents, hell, even the more recent events still affected her more than she let on, the horrifying images of the many undead monsters she faced, the Society's symbol, and even flickers of Richard Sutcliffe's menacing grin still burned into the back of her mind.
She still had nightmares where she bled to death, ones where she or her daughter lost their lives...
She shuddered, shaking the awful thoughts from her mind, and she turned over to see her daughter still sleeping soundly between her and her soon-to-be husband, blissfully unaware.
Harper wrapped her arms around the quietly snoring baby and pulled her close, kissing her temple and nestling her face in her hair, letting out a contented sigh as all the tension in her body was eased. She hoped that Marie would never have to experience anything like the things she did.
Aside from the nightmares, Harper's lack of sleep as of late came from looking after their daughter throughout the night, and she stubbornly refused any help with her, as it provided her with a sort of distraction.
All of this worried Tom, but Harper insisted that everything was fine and that she just wanted to spend more time with their daughter.
In her first weeks home, Marie proved quiet and easy to calm and control, but she quickly showed her true colors - if she wasn't getting paid attention to, she made a commotion until she got what she wanted. Harper had to admit that it was too much for her at times, and she worried whether she was doing a good job as a mother, and if she could handle it.
"Harper?"
She glanced up to see that Tom was now awake and had rolled over to face her.
"Can't sleep?" he whispered.
She shook her head.
"C'mere."
He moved in closer to Harper and wrapped an arm around her, and planted a little kiss to the top of Marie's head.
"Something bothering you?"
Harper bit her lip, swallowing nervously. "I'm fine. Really."
Even though she couldn't see it in the dark, she could feel Tom's intense gaze, making her wince. "Really? Because you've just been kind of...I dunno, distant lately. I'm worried about you."
She sighed, hugging her daughter a little tighter. "I just...I've had a lot on my mind."
"Nightmares?"
No response.
He touched his forehead to hers. "I get them, too."
A few moments of silence passed between them before Tom spoke up again.
"But I'm here if you want to talk about it. You know that. And if you need help with the baby, just tell me."
A small smile formed on Harper's face and she blinked back tears. "I-"
But she was interrupted when the baby below her began to stir and whimper, which turned into a soft cry.
"I got her," Tom said, sitting up and taking Marie from Harper's arms. "You get some sleep. Seriously."
Harper decided right then that she didn't need to be afraid, as long as Tom was by her side.
"Hey, Dan," Harper smiled as she stepped into the office, shutting the door behind her.
Dan glanced up from his paperwork and grinned. "Harper!" He rose from his seat to pull Harper into a hug. "Long time, no see. How's your daughter?"
"She's my little goober," she said as she pulled away and took a seat opposite to Dan. "And she needs to stop growing so fast."
Dan chuckled, then a more serious expression passed over his face. "So. Last time we met, we talked about your parents. Of course, we haven't had time to sit down and talk since then. Until now."
Harper nodded, staring down at her feet.
"You said you've been having nightmares," Dan said, poring over his notes, then looking back up at Harper. "And occasional flashbacks...so you're definitely dealing with some post-traumatic stress."
She nodded again, still not meeting his eyes.
"Is there anything in particular you think might trigger these for you?"
"I don't know," Harper replied, wringing her hands. "One second I'm fine, and the next, it just...comes up out of nowhere. And it's like my whole world just stops for a second."
Dan nodded. "I get that."
"And I haven't really talked to Tom or anyone else about it, because..."
"Because you wanted to deal with everything on your own?"
Harper released a shaky sigh, composing herself before continuing. "And when I had Marie, I almost bled to death. Twice. It turns out I have this condition called uterine atony, or something like it, at least. It's what...it's what caused the hemorrhaging."
"Wow," Dan exclaimed, eyebrows raised. "I can see how that could have an impact on you, on top of everything else. I'm glad you're okay, though."
"I just..." Harper trailed off, choking back a sob as her eyes filled with tears. "It's all just too much for me sometimes, you know?"
She clasped a hand over her mouth, turning away as the tears began to spill over her cheeks.
"Hey, it's alright," Dan said gently, sliding a box of tissue paper her way. "Take all the time you need."
Harper delicately plucked a piece of tissue paper from the box and wiped her face.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
She looked back up at him with a small smile, her warm tears melting the block of ice stuck in her throat.
"Let me tell you about it."
"Ready?"
"Ready," Tom replied, pressing the 'record' button on his phone camera and kneeling down in front of Harper, who was standing their one-year-old daughter up on her feet, hands grasping her waist.
Tom held his phone in one hand and beckoned Marie over to him with the other. "C'mere, you."
The little girl looked up at him and smiled, tiny hands reaching out for his phone as she cooed and took a few wobbly steps toward him. He scooped her up in his arm before she could fall over.
"Send that to the group text," Harper grinned. "Everyone's gonna freak!"
Their wedding had been everything Harper could ever hope for. Imogen really outdid herself with planning and coordinating outfits. Everyone had been there. Her grandpa walked her down the aisle, and of course, Andy was Tom's best man. She couldn't think of a better way to spend her last days in Pine Springs, before leaving with Tom for Hartfeld. After getting tearful goodbyes from all her friends, she assured them that they would be back one day.
As the months passed, Marie grew quickly. She was still small and precious, but her hair became darker and longer, her eyes larger and brighter, more curious of her surroundings, which Tom encouraged. He was probably the only one of his classmates who had a wife and baby at home, and that made it a little hard to make new friends, but he didn't care. The feeling he got when he heard his daughter's excited squeals and saw her toddling up to him every time he came home was way better than any dumb college party.
Tom and Harper could not be any more content. For once in their lives, everything seemed...normal.
At least for now.
Three years later...
The hot summer sun warmed her skin and the breeze mussed her hair as little Marie Sato took in the scenery before her. Her big, curious eyes stared in wonder at the seemingly endless lake that glittered in the sunlight. "Wow..." she breathed. This place was so much different from Hartfeld.
Her father had just graduated from Hartfeld University, and her parents decided to return to Oregon for the summer, reuniting with all their friends and family. Marie was just excited to have a new place to explore. She couldn't wait to play along the lake and hide among the trees in the forest. Her imagination knew no bounds.
Grinning, she hopped off the stoop of her great-grandpa's cabin and ran out to the dock, the wood creaking ever so slightly under her feet. At the edge of the dock, she got to her knees and peered at her reflection in the water below her, giggling as she made funny faces at it. The curious little girl leaned forward a bit to dip a hand in the water.
But then she lost her balance. "Ah!"
She flailed her arms wildly, trying to catch herself, but to no avail, fear taking over. She didn't know how to swim!
But before she could scream, she felt something grab her by the back of the shirt, and she gave a little yelp of surprise as she was quickly yanked back up onto the dock, landing on her backside. Stunned, yet relieved, her heart pounding madly in her chest, she looked around for whoever just saved her.
But there was no one.
She then heard a shout from behind her.
"Marie!"
She whipped around to see her great-grandpa hobbling towards her. The man swore he was too old to be chasing a rambunctious four-year-old around.
"The hell do you think you're doing?" Arthur scolded her. "What have I told you about sneakin' off like that?"
Marie ducked her head in shame. "Sorry," she said meekly.
Arthur shook his head, a weary sigh escaping his lips. "C'mon, now." He took the girl's hand and started back towards the cabin. He knew he was going to get an earful from Harper for not keeping a closer eye on her.
As she was led back to the house, Marie couldn't help but stare over her shoulder back at the lake.