So here it is, the very last part of Snowdrops - please read the previous update, Chapter 7, before starting on this Epilogue or else it will not make very much sense!

Before letting you read the Epilogue I would just like to thank each and every person who has reviewed, favourited, subscribed to or just read this piece of work. This week has been an emotional rollercoaster of writing and I've been so grateful to every one of you who has been part of that journey, especially Anny and Meggi for their endless support.

Snowdrops

Epilogue

Sam sat on the bench in the park watching Dylan throwing sticks for Dervla to chase and enjoying the crispy January air. They had left the boat almost as soon as it had become light and walked along, enjoying the silence of an early morning stroll rather than feeling the need to talk. Despite the cold Sam felt relatively warm, given Dylan's insistence that she wear one of his jumpers over her own well-worn clothes. A jumper that she noted contained the scent of both her husband's aftershave and dog odour, the mixture of which she found strangely comforting.

Dylan had picked her the first snowdrop they found, but there had been clusters of them for their entire walk. It was after all, she thought to herself, the perfect time of year to look for snowdrops. She turned the little flower over in her fingers repeatedly, each time remembering another precious moment of her pregnancy and the short time they had shared with Olivia all that time ago.

Tomorrow she knew that she would need to sit down with her husband and talk about their future, whatever that very future may consist of. Before this weekend all she had wanted to do was to keep Dylan's heart with her, but she had exorcised many bad memories from her mind in the past few days and she now realised that all she truly wanted was for them to know where they both stood so they could move forward. After the connection they had regained that morning even she was unsure where that actually left them, but she knew that they would gain strength from each other, even if they decided that they would be better off apart. Inwardly, following the events of that morning, she did have renewed optimism that her marriage was not completely beyond repair, but she would accept any decision they made as long as they continued to be part of each other's lives in some form.

However thoughts like that were definitely for tomorrow and today was Olivia's special day. As Dylan returned to sit next to Sam on the bench, she ran her fingers through her bedraggled hair and met him with a smile. She moved over to lean on him and felt him instinctively move to accommodate her, bringing his arm round behind her and placing his hand on her side. As she looked down she could see their two pairs of feet, his in muddy shoes and hers in her now reclaimed favourite boots, along with Dervla's paws now placed on the ground next to Dylan where the dog had crashed out beside them.

Sam scrunched her eyes tightly and with that image still fresh in her mind, she saw that their feet were joined by those of a small little girl, standing in front of them with near identical boots to Sam's own.

"I love you Olivia," Sam whispered as quietly as she could manage, but she knew Dylan would have heard her regardless. She sat very still like that for a moment, not wanting to let go of the thought of their little girl being there with them today before murmurs in the wind carried the sound of a small child laughing to her ears and the tiny feet eventually ran away.

She forced herself to open her eyes, silently saying goodbye to her daughter and on looking up she saw that Dylan was removing a scrunched up piece of paper from his wallet. The paper itself was folded up tightly and as she watched him carefully smooth it out she recognised it for what it was and all it conveyed about their feelings for their own little snowdrop. She clutched tightly at the flower in her hand, before passing it over to him to hold and wiping away the tears that had started to fall from her eyes.

She knew that they would sit there for hours now, her, Dylan and Dervla; Olivia's family wanting to wish her happy birthday and to remember her very existence. Real life and all the decisions that needed to be made could wait till Monday, today was Olivia's day.

And as the piece of paper Dylan held fluttered in the cold January wind as they all remembered her now, just as they had then, Sam taking comfort from her husband's hand placed over hers and the white ribbon still tied around her wrist.

Olivia Samantha Keogh – In memorial

Born sleeping on 29th January 2008

A reading by her daddy

Little Snowdrop – Author Unknown

The world may never notice if a snowdrop doesn't bloom,

Or even pause to wonder if the petals fall too soon.

But every life that ever forms, or ever comes to be,

Touches the world in some small way for all eternity.

The little one we long for was swiftly here and gone,

But the love that was then planted is a light that still shines on.

And though our arms are empty, our hearts know what to do.

Every beating of our hearts says that we love you.

Olivia Samantha Keogh, our little snowdrop

Rest in peace angel

Mummy and Daddy love you very much

That last piece of poetry was the inspiration behind this story and I hope it touches your heart the way it always has mine.

Thank you again to all my readers for their support and as ever, your reviews will be much appreciated.

I am hoping to have another multi-part fic up online for tomorrow morning, with the same intention to update daily (yes, I must be mad), so I look forward to speaking to you all again soon.

Thank you. Callie xxxx