Unforgiven
Chapter 12: Bittersweet
Recap: Cris moved away and John turned himself in for illegal DNA tampering. He admitted to sleeping with and impregnating Nat's friend Amber, a fellow police officer when Natalie had left him. She and Amber cleared the air, with Amber admitting she didn't want the baby, while Kassie (John's lawyer who is playing matchmaker for the pair) told John how lucky he was. John was released from prison, he and Nat made love and she revealed she's pregnant. They made love again and John asked her to marry him. She accepted and then, five months later, she and Amber are at a pregnancy spa when Amber begins having pains. They head to the OB-GYN who has a vendetta against Natalie. It is then revealed she was suffering from placental abruption and her labor had to be induced, and Nat called John who immediately left to come. Amber and Nat bonded over the predicament and then she had to leave as Amber was prepped. As Natalie was walking away from the room a syringe was plunged into her neck. She awoke to find out she'd had twins, and one of them was stillborn.
Natalie and John were trying to come up with a name for their tiny daughter when Amber was wheeled in. "Hey, Natalie." They smiled at each other, both remembering their last conversation. "Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?" She shrugged. "So-so, I guess. How are you doing?" Natalie shook her head. "I'm doing good right now. I don't think everything has fully sunk in yet." Amber nodded. "I get that." She turned to John. "Hey, McBain. We have a little girl needs a name you know."
"We're naming our daughter right now too," Natalie said, giggling slightly. "Oh, okay. Then just come by my room later okay?" She turned to go, but John stopped her. "Why don't we name them together? I mean, they were born on the same day." Amber and Natalie smiled at John, then at each other. "I think that sounds wonderful," Natalie replied. Amber nodded. "I would really like that." "So, what names have you thought of so far?"
"Well, he wants Mary or Susan." Her wrinkled up nose showed her true feelings about those names. "I want Emily or Elizabeth." John shook his head, grinning. "Why are you so set on those names?" "Really want to know?" He nodded. "When I was about fourteen, my teacher offered me a job baby-sitting her kids every day after school for about two hours. They were twin toddlers named—" "Emily and Elizabeth," Amber filled in. Natalie nodded.
"We grew really close—it got so their mom was having me come stay weekends with her because they'd always ask for me. Well, one day Roxy discovered that I was spending all my time with 'brats' as she called them, and she told me she'd be damned if a daughter of hers was going to be a baby-sitter. I had to quit that afternoon, and couldn't even tell their mom the reason why. She had trusted me so much, and I had to betray that. Of course, that betrayal also meant I never got to see Emily or Elizabeth again."
John squeezed her hand gently as she sighed. "They were the most beautiful angelic children you could hope to find, and I guess I just miss them a lot more then I knew." Amber smiled. "Which name do you like best?" John cut in. "I think Elizabeth McBain sounds perfect, don't you?" Natalie's eyes filled with tears as she threw herself into John's arms. He chuckled as she pulled back, wiping her eyes. "Thank you so much. You can't know how much this means to me."
"Well, you can't know how much you mean to me, so I guess we're even." She grinned at him. "Elizabeth McBain. It's perfect." Amber watched the two of them, wondering how well her suggestion would go over and not wanting to interrupt the moment. Just then the happy couple turned to her. "So what names have you had in mind?" "Well—" Amber hesitated, studying Natalie's overjoyed face. She had nothing to lose, and if anything it might help make her friend even happier. "I was kind of thinking of Emily."
She smiled as she watched Natalie's eyes light up. "You really don't have to do that, Amber," she whispered softly, and Amber reached over John to grasp her friend's hand. "I know that. I want to." Natalie squeezed her hand gently. "Thank you. Can you believe this?" she said to no one in particular. "We have two little girls who have so much in common—they both have one wonderful father, the same birthday, similar names—" She shook her head. "This is almost like a television show."
Matthew Brown walked wearily into his home, smiling as his six year old grandson ran into his arms. He hugged him close. "How was your day today?" he asked, smiling. The little boy returned the smile and held his hand, dragging him into the living room to see the train set he'd set up. Matthew blinked back tears. There was so much of his daughter inside of her son, and if it wasn't for Natalie Balsom Buchanan then she would have been there to see it…
TO BE CONTINUED
