CHAPTER 3:
On the morning of November 7th, Emily and Benji woke up for the day.
"Morning, Benji." Emily said, yawning.
"Morning, Emily." Benji said, also yawning.
After they woke up, Emily checked her phone and noticed a text she received overnight.
"Oh, my god..." Emily said.
"What is it, babe?" Benji asked.
"Garrett and Shannon had their baby girl while we were asleep." Emily said.
The text read "Lucy Anne Barnes was born on November 7th, 2024, at 12:46am."
"We should give them a call." Benji suggested.
"Way ahead of you." Emily said, dialing Garrett's number.
"Hey, Emily." Garrett said, answering.
"Hey, Garrett. How's Shannon doing?" Emily asked.
"She and I are relieved that our baby girl has finally arrived." Garrett said.
"Yeah, I saw that picture of Lucy. She is so adorable." Emily said.
"Thanks. Maybe once Shannon gets discharged, we'll bring her over so you and Benji can meet her." Garrett offered.
"We'd love that. And I'm sure Russell would love to meet Lucy too." Emily said.
"Great. We'll be in touch, alright? Later." Garrett said before hanging up.
"Well, looks like Garrett and Shannon are doing alright. I'm really happy for them now that their baby girl is born." Emily said.
"You really think we'll get to meet Lucy one day?" Benji asked.
"I think so. If we're lucky, maybe Lucy and Russell could be playmates." Emily thought.
"Maybe. But for now, how about I make us breakfast." Benji suggested.
"Good idea." Emily said as Benji headed for the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Benji finished making eggs when Emily sat Russell down at the table.
"Breakfast is ready." Benji said as he served the family the eggs.
"Thank you for cooking this morning, babe. I love your eggs." Emily said.
"So, Russell, your mother and I have something to talk to you about." Benji said, sitting down at the table.
"How would you feel about having a playmate?" Emily asked.
"Yeah!" Russell said, excited.
"I guess he likes the idea." Benji said.
"Some friends of ours just gave birth to a baby girl. And someday, you will get to meet her." Emily added.
"Her name is Lucy. We haven't met her yet, but we think you'll definitely like her." Benji said.
"Is she pretty?" Russell asked.
"See for yourself." Emily said, showing her son the picture of Lucy on her phone.
Seeing that picture made Russell smile to the point where he seemed excited about a possible playmate in the future.
"That sounds like he's interested." Benji said.
"Well, when Garrett and Shannon get home from the hospital, we'll talk to them about it then. But for now, let's enjoy our breakfast before I have to head off to work." Emily said as the family did so.
After Emily finished her eggs, she put her plate in the sink before grabbing her coat and purse, giving her husband and son a goodbye kiss, and heading out the door.
"Hey, Russell want to go to the park today?" Benji asked.
"Yeah!" Russell said, excited.
Four days had passed since Lucy was born. Although Garrett and Shannon came home from the hospital not too long ago, he remembered that it was Emily's birthday today. So, since it was her first birthday since she and Garrett reunited, he thought it would only make sense that he and Shannon pay her a visit. They stopped at the dollar store on the way to buy her a birthday card and then went to her and Benji's apartment. They arrived at about 6pm that evening and knocked on the door.
"Garrett, Shannon, what brings you by?" Emily asked, answering the door.
"Happy Birthday, Emily." Garrett said, handing Emily the birthday card.
"Aw, thank you, Garrett. I can't believe you remembered." Emily said.
"Of course I remembered. Like I said before, we may have grown apart when we went to different colleges, but you'll always have a special place in my heart." Garrett reminded her.
"Thanks, Garrett. Come on in." Emily said as he and Shannon did so.
When Garrett and Shannon joined Emily on the couch, she noticed Shannon holding their new daughter Lucy.
"Is that Lucy?" Emily asked.
"Yeah." Shannon said as Emily approached Lucy's baby carrier.
"Aww, she's so adorable. She looks just like you, Garrett." Emily said, getting a close look at Lucy's face. "Oh, before I forget, I'll open my card right now." She said as she sat back down at the couch, took her birthday card out of the envelope and did so. "'Dear, Emily. It means the world to me that we reunited this year after so long. You've been a great friend to me and I hope to have more great times with you. Happy Birthday. Love, Garrett.' Thank you, that really means a lot." She said before closing the card and putting it back in the envelope.