Thank you for all the lovely comments on the last chapter. By popular demand, and in gratitude for all the support I've received throughout the story, I present you with the epilogue.
Warning: Those with severe allergic reactions to fluff should proceed no further unless they have their EpiPens handy.
Delphine opens her eyes, coming face to face with a still sound asleep Cosima. She glances at the clock, then back at Cosima, her face breaking out into a smile at the peaceful sight of her beloved. She leans forward and kisses Cosima, doing all the work until sleepy lips respond to her advances.
"Mmm Dr. Cormier," Cosima hums between kisses.
"Time to wake up, my love, you have a big day ahead of you."
"I'm up, I'm so up," Cosima insists as she pulls Delphine's body closer and deepens their kiss. "Ow my ow."
"You're 'ow'ing?" Delphine laughs, pulling back. "I'm the one she's kicking."
"Her kicks are getting a lot fiercer, I felt that one through your belly into my gut," Cosima moves her hand down and rests it on Delphine's round stomach. "She's a tough chick, just like her maman."
"Like both of us," Delphine declares. "Can you believe we're about to have two little ones running around?"
"Yes, I can. I saw it ten years ago, remember?"
"How could I forget?" Delphine reaches over and cups Cosima's cheek, "That was the day I thought I might lose you and resolved to never let you go."
Cosima kisses Delphine's palm, "How'd we get so lucky?"
"We beat the odds. Isn't that your specialty?"
"It was."
"Do you miss it?"
"Not really. It was fun, an adrenaline rush, but all of this, you, my gorgeous, incredible wife, our family, teaching, that's the life I want. Every day I have something new and wonderful waiting for me. And in a couple weeks, we're going to have even more to be thankful for, and so many new memories to make." Cosima kisses Delphine's belly. "We can't wait to meet you," she coos.
"She can't wait to get out," Delphine laughs as the baby kicks some more.
"Maybe we should call her Xena."
"No."
"Come on, why won't you let me pick her name?"
"You got to name our son, it's my turn."
"But I did a good job, didn't I?"
"You did."
"Sooo?"
"Sooo, no. You earned the right to name our first born when you and Leda won the Breeder's Cup. We agreed I would name our second child."
"Alright, fine. Can't you tell me what name you chose already?"
"No, you'll just have to wait until she's born." Delphine gives Cosima a kiss, "Now get up, we need to get ready."
"Ugh," Cosima grumbles as she watches Delphine get out of bed.
Delphine stops walking, puts her hands on her back, and groans.
"You okay?" Cosima jumps up and rushes over to Delphine.
"Yes, just a little lower back pain."
"You should've let me carry this one."
"And miss out on the joy of having you dote on me? No way."
"You are also unbelievably hot when you're pregnant," Cosima says as she admires her wife's naked body. "I'm gonna go run you a warm bubble bath."
After helping Delphine settle into the tub, Cosima moves to leave the bathroom. "Where do you think you're going?" Cosima turns back to face Delphine. "This is a huge tub and I can't reach most of my own body at this point," she holds out the loofah.
Cosima grins, immediately grabbing the sponge and carefully settling in behind Delphine beneath the bubbles. "You don't think the baby minds this, do you?" Cosima ask as she gently runs the loofah over Delphine's belly.
"I actually think it helps settle her down. It's as if she can sense the built up tension flowing out of me."
"Oh, well in that case, let me see what I can do about relieving some of your tension." Cosima kisses the side of Delphine's neck as she works the sponge between Delphine's legs, her free hand going to fondle Delphine's ample bosom.
It doesn't take long before a very sensitive Delphine is crying out her release.
Cosima smiles into Delphine's ear, "I think I like bathtub sex even more than shower sex. Plus, there's zero risk of slippage when we're already on our backs."
Delphine laughs, "When you're nine months pregnant, being on your back is about all you can manage."
"I love you," Cosima kisses Delphine's cheek. "And I love you," she cups the bulging belly, "my sweet little girl."
"We love you, too," Delphine smiles, turning to meet Cosima's lips. "Now we really better get ready. I'm sure our son has driven Felix mad by now."
—
"Mommies!" the tiny, brown curly-haired 3 year old yells as he races through the hotel lobby as soon as he spots Cosima and Delphine step off the elevator.
Cosima scoops him up in her arms and kisses his chubby cheeks, "Hey, buddy."
"Bonjour, mon amour," Delphine pushes the hair out of his eyes and kisses him on the nose. "Did you have a good time with Uncle Felix?"
"Oui, Maman."
Felix trudges over, looking exhausted.
"Thank you for babysitting. Was he much trouble?" Delphine asks.
"Not at all. I'm sure housekeeping will be overjoyed to find the fort he built out of sheets and pillows. Besides, I know you two need a little alone time before the baby comes."
"Sleep, and other stuff, will definitely be in short supply soon. Any word yet on when the others will be arriving?"
"Tony and your parents should be landing in Albany in about an hour and then it's a 40 minute drive from there. Pierre, Marie, and Krystal should arrive around noon."
"Cool! I can't wait to see them all."
"Are you excited about today?"
"Yeah, I mean it's a bit overwhelming, but I'm looking forward to it."
"You should be. It's well deserved."
"Thanks."
"Yes, we're very proud of you," Delphine adds. "Aren't we proud of Mommy?"
Their son nods effusively. "Yay, Mommy!" he exclaims as he grabs Cosima's cheeks with his little hands and kisses her puckered lips.
"Thank you, McFly."
"Cosima," Delphine chides. "I thought we agreed no McFly?"
"It's just a nickname. And he likes it, don't you McFly?"
"Yeah!"
"See?"
"This is what you get for letting her name your child after a movie character," Felix scoffs.
"Hey, it's not just any character, it's the main character in the movie we saw on our first date. And, after the movie, she couldn't keep her lips off of mine."
"Oui, c'est vrai. I still can't," Delphine agrees as she leans in and gives Cosima a kiss. "And I do love his name, Marty, for that reason, but McFly, not so much."
"Come on, it's cute," Cosima implores as both she and Marty look up at Delphine with matching smiles on their faces.
"Okay," Delphine acquiesces, "but if he ever decides he doesn't like it, you'll stop using it."
"Absolutely," Cosima promises.
"Great, now that that's settled, shall we have breakfast?" Felix asks, not even waiting for them to answer before he starts walking in the direction of the dining room.
—
Just after noon, Felix, Delphine, Cosima, and Marty pull up to the National Horse Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. They're greeted by the president of the hall of fame, Charity Simms, who takes them on a tour of the facility.
"And this is where the induction ceremony will take place," she says as leads them into a room set up with several rows of seats and a podium in front of a large window overlooking a lush garden. On either side of the dais are large television screens looping footage of Cosima's races.
"I want to ride fast like Mommy," Marty announces as he runs up to a screen.
"You want to be a jockey, Marty?" Felix asks.
"Yeah," he nods effusively.
Cosima bends down to her son's level, "Well, when you're older, if Maman says it's okay, maybe Uncle Felix and I will teach you to ride." They both look up at Delphine questioningly.
"We'll see," Delphine smiles.
"Hey, there, hall-of-famer," Tony shouts as he enters the room along with Cosima's parents, Don and Nancy.
Cosima rushes over and gives him a hug, "It's great to see you, Tony. Felix, look who's here. Don't you to want to greet him with a kiss?"
"Oh shut up!" Felix rolls his eyes. "Hello, Tony."
"Hey, Fee-Fee," Tony winks.
"Congratulations, Kiddo!"
"Thanks, Dad."
"We are so proud of you, sweetheart," Nancy says as she gives Cosima a kiss.
"I'm happy you both were able to fly out here today."
"We told you we wouldn't miss anything else in your career after your triple crown summer."
"Oh my, look at you," Nancy exclaims as Delphine walks over to greet them. She puts her hands on Delphine's belly, "You look beautiful, Delphine. How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good, actually."
"And what about you, young man," Don turns his attention to Marty. "How are you doing?"
"Great, Poppy."
"Are your parents here yet?" Nancy asks Delphine.
"Yes, we are," Pierre announces as he enters with Marie and Krystal. They all exchange hugs and kisses.
"Where's my boyfriend?" Krystal inquires, looking around the room, before finally settling on the short object of her desire. "There he is! Hiya handsome."
"Krys!" Marty shouts as Krystal crouches down and he runs over and gives her a hug, his head bouncing off her boobs in the process.
"That's my boy," Cosima laughs, earning a little swat on the ass from Delphine.
"Cosima," a voice calls from the entrance.
"Scotty! It's great to see you, dude," Cosima gives him a bear hug.
"You too. Congrats! On several fronts," he points to Delphine's stomach.
"Thank you!"
Hector, Shay, and Bobby walk in behind him.
"Hey, guys, thanks for coming!"
"Of course, Cos, we wouldn't have missed this," Shay insist as she hugs Cosima.
"You earned it," Hector says as he kisses Cosima's cheeks.
"Thanks, man. And I hear congratulations are in order for you two," Cosima points her index and middle fingers at Shay and Bobby.
"Yes," Shay nods as they hold up their left hands, "we made it official last month in Vegas."
"That's so great! I'm very happy for you both."
"Is this my competition?" Hector asks as he eyes Marty.
"Yes," Krystal grins. "Though I don't think any man can compete with this little guy."
"It's great to see you, Krystal, you look wonderful."
"You're not so bad yourself," Krystal grins, easily falling back into their old flirtation.
"Excuse me, can everyone please take their seats," Charity asks from the podium.
Cosima sits down in the front row with Delphine, Marty and Felix.
"Today we are here to honor Cosima Niehaus, a jockey who not only won the highly sought after triple crown and Breeder's Cup with last year's thoroughbred inductee, Leda, but who also went on to subsequent victories in three Kentucky Derbies, two Preakness Stakes, and four Belmont Stakes. Not only did Cosima help bring increased awareness to our sport with her effervescent charm and outspokenness, but she also founded Clubhaus Kids, a very successful, non-profit camp that she runs on both coasts with her wife, Dr. Delphine Cormier-Niehaus, and fellow jockey, Tony Sawicki. In it's six years of operation, Clubhaus Kids has introduced 2,500 low-income and troubled youths to horseback riding and racing and is helping to foster a whole new crop of jockeys. For all of her professional and personal contributions to horse racing, we are thrilled to induct Cosima Niehaus into the National Horse Racing Hall of Fame."
Everybody stands and applauds as Cosima receives hugs and kisses from Delphine and Marty before taking the dais.
"Thank you, Charity and the entire hall of fame board for this unbelievable honor," Cosima starts. "When I began racing horses at 18 years old, I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd end up in the hall of fame. What I have been able to achieve in my career has far exceeded my expectations. But I could not have done this alone. I need to start by acknowledging my parents, Don and Nancy Niehaus, who are here with us today. They encouraged my love of this sport from a very young age and have been my greatest cheerleaders. When Leda and I made our run for the triple crown, they were on a dig in Israel, and every email and conversation we had ended with them saying how proud they were of me and that they should come home and be there in the stands, but I wouldn't let them, because while I was living my dream on the racetrack, they were living theirs. And that's what all of us should do with our lives, live our dreams. And that's what I've tried to do by starting Clubhaus Kids, give underprivileged kids the chance to experience something that has brought me immense joy. I also need to thank Felix Dawkins. Felix, without your tireless training, Leda and I could not have accomplished all that we did that year, nor could I have achieved the success that I did with every horse in the years that followed. You are the absolute best trainer in the business and deserve to be up here just as much as I do. Pierre and Marie Cormier, I owe you so much for hiring me to race for you and welcoming me wholeheartedly into your family. Pierre, you took a huge gamble on me and I can never thank you enough for changing my life. Not only did you give me a shot at the major races, you gave me the greatest reward of my life, your daughter, Delphine." Cosima smiles at Delphine, who's wiping tears from her eyes. "Delphine, I would absolutely not be here today without you. You are my strength, you have given me the motivation and drive to go out there and give it my all every single time. Over the years, people have often asked me what the secret to my success that summer was. Here I was, an unknown jockey, who went out there with a long shot of a horse and won the triple crown. And I tell them, quite simply, that it was love. Your love. Someone who will remain nameless, cough Felix cough, once remarked that this wasn't a race for love, but I disagree, I think our whole lives are a race for love, and I just happened to win really big in that department. Delphine, I love you more than words can ever say. Thank you for making my life a victory, for giving me your heart, and for giving me our children."
Everybody stands and claps as Cosima rushes over to kiss a teary Delphine. She then returns to the dais where Charity hands her a hall of fame plaque and Cosima poses for photos with members of the board.
Charity returns to the microphone, "Thank you all for coming this afternoon. I welcome you all to join us in the garden for lunch."
"Cosima!" Delphine suddenly shouts.
Cosima glances over worriedly from her place on the podium, "What's wrong?"
Delphine looks down at the floor and then up at Cosima, "My water just broke."
Cosima races over, "It's a little early for that isn't it?"
"Apparently she doesn't take after you when it comes to making her arrival."
"Okay, we better get you to the hospital."
"Our car is out front," Pierre says as he helps Cosima walk Delphine out, the rest of their family following quickly behind.
Cosima turns back to the room as they're about to exit, all eyes watching the unfolding action, "Um, so, yeah, thanks again for the wonderful honor, enjoy the luncheon."
They hurry to the car and Cosima gets in the back seat with Delphine as Pierre gets behind the wheel and Marie in the passenger seat.
"Dreads, your parents and I will follow you to the hospital."
"Krystal and I have got Marty," Felix assures.
"Thanks, guys."
Pierre follows the GPS to Saratoga Hospital. He pulls in front of the ER and rushes in to find help, returning seconds later with a nurse pushing a wheelchair.
"No, Cosima," Delphine stops her from exiting the car, "this isn't our hospital or our doctor."
"Delphine, I don't think we have time to drive back to Virginia and you can't fly like this. I'm sure they're plenty equipped to handle a birth here. And you've done this once before, second time should be a snap." Delphine gives her an incredulous look. "Okay, maybe not a snap, but you can do this." Cosima kisses her, "I'm gonna be right here with you every step of the way. Okay?"
Delphine nods and allows Cosima to help her out of the car and into the wheelchair.
They get Delphine up to a room where a labor and delivery nurse examines her. "You're 4 centimeters dilated."
"But my due date is in two weeks."
"I'd say you're new due date is today."
"Our son, Marty, was 10 days late. Is it unusual for this one to be so early?"
"Not at all. It's perfectly normal. Sometimes physical exertion can even help speed up the process. Have you been especially physical lately?"
Delphine glances at Cosima, whose cheeks are reddening. "Somewhat," she admits.
"Uh huh," the nurse grins, "well there you go. I'm going to have the doctor come in and check on you shortly. Sit tight, I'll be right back."
"Cosima," Delphine chastises when they're alone, "you did this."
"I didn't hear you complaining about it this morning. Or last night. I was trying to make you come, not the baby."
"Yeah, well, you did both," Delphine responds with a smack to Cosima's arm.
"Are you seriously mad? I seem to recall you instructing me to get in the tub."
"No, I'm not mad," Delphine softens, "but this was your big day. Getting inducted into the hall of fame, that's a once in a lifetime event."
"Hey, come on, the ceremony was over, and that's a great honor and all, but this, you about to give birth to our daughter, that's so much more important to me. I feel kind of greedy, actually, with all the great things happening to me today. This is like icing on the cake."
Delphine jerks suddenly.
"What's happening?"
"Contractions are starting."
—
Tony jumps up as Cosima enters the waiting room, "Hey, Dreads, what's going on? How's Delphine?"
"She's okay, hanging in there. The contractions have started and she's dilating rapidly. It looks like baby girl Cormier-Niehaus is eager to get out of there. It will probably be a couple more hours, though, before she does." Cosima approaches Marty, who's sitting on his Grandpa Don's lap, "Hey, Marty, your Maman wants to see you. Want to come with me?"
Marty nods and takes Cosima's hand as she walks him down the hall to Delphine's birthing room.
Delphine smiles when he walks in, "Hi, my love." Cosima lifts him up to sit next to Delphine on the bed and he gives her a kiss. "Your baby sister's going to be here soon. Are you excited?"
"Yeah," he smiles.
"And when she gets here, she's going to need all of us to help her, cause she's just a little bitty thing, like you were when you left my belly, and like your mommy still is."
"Hey!" Cosima protests.
"She'll need us all the time, but just because we're giving her a lot of attention doesn't mean we won't be there whenever you need us."
"Yeah," Cosima agrees, "we'll still read together every night."
"And you and I will make breakfast every morning."
"But if Maman is too tired to get up so early, I'll let you have Lucky Charms."
"Cosima!"
"What? They're magically delicious."
"Lucky Charms!" Marty cheers.
"Fine, you can have Lucky Charms once in a while," Delphine allows.
"Alright! Up high, buddy," Cosima holds up her hand and Marty gives her a high five.
"Is there anything you want to ask us?"
"Can I give my sister Doudou?" he holds up the toy in his left hand.
"You want to give her your stuffed horsey?" Delphine asks.
"Oui," he nods.
"Okay, if you're sure."
Marty moves over to Delphine's stomach and kisses her belly, then places Doudou on the bed beside it.
Delphine's eyes well up with tears as Marty returns back up the bed next to her face. "Je t'aime."
"Je t'aime aussi," Marty responds before giving her another kiss.
"I'll be right back," Cosima says as she wipes at a few tears running down Delphine's face and gives her a soft kiss. She then takes Marty's hand and walks him back to the waiting area.
—
An hour and a half later, Delphine is 10 centimeters dilated and in active labor.
"Merde," Delphine curses through the pain. "I can't push anymore."
"Hey, hey, squeeze my hand. As hard as you want," Cosima offers. "You can do this."
Delphine does as told.
"Ouch," Cosima winces. "Okay, wow, maybe not that hard. Just take deep breaths."
Delphine breathes in. And out. In. And out.
"Good, good."
"It still hurts," Delphine protests.
"Okay, okay, let's try to focus on something else besides the pain."
"Like what?"
"Like our next anniversary. We'll be married 7 years this April and I was thinking maybe we could have a vow renewal ceremony. What do you say?"
"You want to renew our vows?"
"Yeah, in the gazebo at the park. Just you, me, and the kids."
"The gazebo where we shared our first kiss?" Delphine smiles through the pain.
"Yes, where we had our first kiss," Cosima leans down and kisses Delphine. "I know it's not for another eight months, but I was thinking it would be nice, something special we can do with the kids. Our wedding was one of the best days of my life, right up there with the day we met and the birth of our son. And now the birth of our daughter. It was such a beautiful day, surrounded by all our friends and family on the grounds of your parent's home. But now it'll be different. It won't just be us pledging our eternal love to one another, but all four of us. I want our son and daughter to be involved so they'll always know how much we love each other and how much we love them. We can even get them little rings."
Tears start spilling from Delphine's eyes.
"Aww, babe, are you okay?" Cosima runs her hand through increasingly sweaty, blonde locks.
"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Delphine cries as she gives another push. "Let's do it."
"You're almost there," the doctor observes. "She's crowning."
"We're about to meet our baby girl, Delphine. You're doing great," Cosima praises as she kisses the hand locked in hers.
"Paris," Delphine grunts as she pushes again.
"What?" Cosima asks, alternating between looking at Delphine's face and down below.
"Her name," Delphine clarifies, "it's Paris." She gives another big push which is followed by crying.
"Your daughter has arrived," the doctor announces as he lifts the wailing baby up. "Would you like to do the honors and cut the umbilical cord?"
Cosima nods as she takes the scissors from the nurse and wipes tears from her own eyes as she cuts the cord. The doctor hands Cosima the baby. "Hello, Paris. I'm your Mommy, Cosima. And this rockstar," she presents the baby to Delphine, "is your Maman, Delphine."
Cosima lays the baby in Delphine's arms and snuggles up beside them.
"Bonjour, Paris," Delphine smiles through her own tears. "We're so glad you're here, we've been waiting a long time to meet you. We love you so much."
"Yes, we do, we love you to the moon and back," Cosima says as she gives the baby a little tickle.
"Do you like it? Her name?" Delphine asks.
"Are you kidding? It's perfect," Cosima declares. "Paris is where we fell in love. And now, no matter where we go, we'll always have Paris."
Delphine reaches her free hand up to caress Cosima's face, then pulls her in for a kiss. A gurgling baby interrupts their lip-lock. Delphine kisses the top of her head, "Look at her, Cosima, she's beautiful."
"Of course she is, she takes after you." Cosima smiles as she also gives the baby a kiss.
There's a knock at the door, followed by a head peeking in, "They told us she's here, can we come in?" Tony asks.
"Yeah, man, come in," Cosima responds and in file eight people eager to meet the new baby.
Pierre leans down to his grandson, "Go ahead, Marty, go say hello to your baby sister."
Marty walks over to the side of the bed and Cosima lifts him up onto her lap. He leans towards his sister and kisses her cheek. "Hi, baby, I'm your brother, Marty."
"She's very lucky to have such a wonderful big brother," Delphine smiles at the two kids before gazing lovingly up at Cosima.
"We're lucky to have two amazing children," Cosima states, giving Delphine a kiss over the kids' heads.
"Does she have a name yet?" Marie inquires.
"Yes, she does," Cosima motions for Delphine to do the honors.
"We are very pleased to introduce you all to Paris."
"Paris! What a fantastic name," Pierre enthuses.
Everyones takes turns oohing and ahhing as they greet the new arrival.
"Oh, Paris, I can't wait to give you a French manicure. Look at your adorable little fingers," Krystal coos.
"Come on, Krystal, let's let them rest," Felix says as he wrangles everyone out. "Come along, Marty, let's leave your mummies with the baby."
"No, it's okay," Delphine waves him off, looking down at the way Marty is cuddled up next to his sister, "he can stay a little while longer."
"I'll bring him out to you guys in a bit."
Felix nods and, as he's about to leave the room, Delphine calls out to him, "Hey, Felix?"
"Yes?" he spins around to face her.
"You know, as little brothers go, you weren't so bad."
"Yeah, well, as big sisters go, I suppose I could have done worse," he winks before turning and closing the door behind him.
"Aww, someone's getting sentimental on me," Cosima teases.
"Yeah, yeah, so maybe you were right when you said Felix was like a brother to me," Delphine admits.
"I know I was," Cosima smirks. "Hey, look, Paris is drooling."
"Just like her mommy."
"I only drool over you."
"I think you mean on me," Delphine laughs before stopping to watch the kids sleep.
"They're pretty damn cute."
"What did we do to deserve all of this?" Delphine asks, looking up from the kids to Cosima with tears in her eyes.
"I don't know, but I am just so happy that you kept me alive ten years ago, cause this, right here, this is heaven."
"Come here," Delphine beckons with puckered lips angled up towards her wife and Cosima eagerly responds.
The baby starts to fuss and cry and Cosima and Delphine both look from the baby to each other.
"Should we see if it works on her, too?" Delphine asks.
"It's a worth a try."
"You shook me all night long," they sing in harmony. "Yeah, you, shook me all night long."
In no time, not only has the baby settled down, but Delphine has drifted to sleep. Cosima gazes contentedly at her sleeping wife and son, then to the baby girl looking up at her with a smile on her face.
Cosima smiles right back at her, "Welcome to our family, Paris."