The television was left on in a dark room. Images of happy people danced across its screen, playing for no one in particular. The laughter and squeals of a kindergartener echoed down the hall. The rhythmic ticking of a clock got drowned out by the voices of the people on the old VHS.
"Will! Will! Get me doing the limbo!" The camera panned to the left to reveal a tuxedo-clad Jack shimmying under a horizontal wooden pole. From behind the camera, Will's laughter rang out as Jack fell to the floor just as he was trying to right himself. The raucous crowd of people behind him pointed and laughed as Karen entered the frame, helping him to stand up.
Her dark curls were pinned up beautifully, her off-white, silk wrap dress showing the first hint of a baby bump. After releasing Jack from her grasp and allowing him to brush himself off, she looked at the camera and gave a million-watt smile.
"Time for cake!" she trilled, walking towards the camera as it was handed off to another bystander. Now Will was in the frame, too, as he and Karen stood in front of a three-tiered wedding cake, whispering to each other. Will cut a piece for each of them and they shared a smile. Karen's bawdy laugh drowned out all other noise as she pushed her piece into Will's face, the white icing coating his eyelashes. Will wiped his eyes before Karen, doubled over with laughter, received her own cake-in-the-face. The friends and family that had gathered around them all laughed with them, and Karen dipped a napkin in glass of water to clean up Will's face.
The image cut abruptly to a waving Grace, balancing a red-haired infant on her hip. As she realized the camera was on her, Grace smiled and held up the little girl's hand to wave it towards the camera.
"Wave to daddy!" she instructed. The little girl refused, simply staring blankly at her father, Leo, behind the camera. Grace must've caught his eye and she pointed off to her left. He swung the camera that way, to where a few feet in front of him, Karen and Will were having their first slow dance as husband and wife. The sound of conversation and children's laughter was thick in the air, but Karen and Will appeared to be in their own world. The groom had one arm wrapped tightly around his bride's waist, the other holding her petite hand as they slowly swayed to the music. His cheek was pressed to hers, and she smiled shyly as he whispered in her ear. As the camera zoomed in to their faces, Karen moved her left hand to Will's face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb as she looked into his eyes. Her simple gold wedding band gleamed in the spotlight. The camera tilted down the length of their bodies, lingering momentarily on Karen's slightly bulging stomach pressed against the front of Will's trousers. The image faded to black.
When it faded back up, the cast from the previous scenes were now in a hospital room. Someone's back was blocking three fourths of the camera. After a few seconds, they stepped out of the way to reveal Karen in profile, stretched out on a hospital bed, her brow dripping with sweat as she labored through childbirth. Will was at her opposite side, facing the camera but completely focused on the action between Karen's legs, out of the frame to the right. As Karen pushed, Will squeezing her left hand, the image swung to the right, revealing a smiling Jack, clad in hospital scrubs. He waved enthusiastically to the camera before it swung back towards Karen and Will.
Karen elicited a heavy moan.
"You can do it, Kare," Will encouraged, wiping her forehead with his free hand.
"One more push, Mrs. Truman," said an off-screen voice.
And then, suddenly, the cries of a newborn rang out as Karen let out a sob, throwing her head back onto her pillow. The camera hovered right above them as the baby was placed on Karen's chest for a brief instant before being whisked away to be cleaned off. Karen's smile mixed with her tears as Will leaned down to kiss her. Jack appeared at her other side, blocking the camera briefly before bending down to hug her.
A quick cut to a slightly cleaned-up Karen, holding her tiny new child in her arms as she leaned against the back of the hospital bed. She looked up at the camera and beamed upon hearing her name. A mass of red, curly hair cropped up beside her as Grace wrapped an arm around Karen's shoulders and looked down at the baby. Will's voice was audible from the background.
"Yes, she's fine, mom…we're all fine…7 pounds, 6 ounces…21 inches."
Karen sat in awed silence as her baby grasped her index finger with its tiny hand. Smiley Grace looked up at and spoke to the camera.
"Jack, don't you want to come meet your new godson?"
The room spun 180 degrees as the camera switched hands. Karen handed off the little blue bundle to Jack's waiting arms.
"Wow," he muttered. Will, now off the phone, came to his side and smiled at his best friend and his son. "This is amazing."
"I know," Will replied, taking the baby from Jack's arms. The camera panned back to Karen, who was watching them intently, a peaceful smile playing on her lips.
"How are you feeling, Mommy?" Grace's voice asked from behind the camera. Karen looked at her and raised her eyebrows.
"Tired," she yawned. "Were you this exhausted when you had Laila?"
The camera shook slightly as Grace chuckled.
"Yeah," she answered. "I think you're supposed to be."
Karen shrugged as Will kneeled down next to the bed and placed the baby back in her arms. She kissed Will's mouth as she took their child from him. "Love you," she whispered.
"Love you too."
A light flipped on in the room, joining the soft illumination of the TV screen. Karen scanned the floor and quickly spotted what it was she was looking for. As she bent down to pick up the little toy truck, however, what was showing on the television caught her attention. She balanced herself on the arm of the couch, her eyes glazing over as she relived the moments of her son's birth.
After seven years together with Will, nothing was out of reach anymore. Everything she had ever wanted she now had, with him. Over time, their risky romance had blossomed into a lifelong love affair, and she knew that she had made the best decision of her life by following her heart that week in Paris.
"Karen did you find Ben's truck?"
Will's words pulled her from her thoughts. She nodded, looked at him, smiled. He looked towards the television, and smiled also when he saw what she was watching. As he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her hair, she sighed, content.
"Honey, I was thinking…" Karen began, stroking the top of his hands with her finger tips, "…we should take a vacation next month. You know I still have that villa in the Virgin Islands-it might be a fun place to take Ben."
"I love that idea," Will replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
Just then, Ben rushed into the room, and upon seeing his truck in Karen's hand, immediately seized it and squealed with joy. As he pushed the little plastic toy around on the carpet in front of his parents, Will chuckled.
"God, he's been looking for that thing all day. Now he's finally happy."
Karen craned her neck to look at her husband, and once again took his hand in hers.
"I am too, honey. I am too."