Last Chapter! Don't forget to read my new story, Sniper. And I'll write another sequel when the new book comes out.

41.

*Katelyn*

"Excuse me?"

I turned away from the window, cradling Josephine in my arms. It had been a week, but the novelty of holding her still hadn't worn off.

The person that had spoken was a girl that didn't seem to be much younger than me. She had straight brown hair and pale green eyes and she wore a timid smile with her Gallagher Academy uniform.

Cammie Morgan.

"Hi," I said, giving her a smile.

She smiled at the bundle in my arms the way that I think everyone looks at newborn babies. "She's adorable," Cammie said. "What's her name?"

"Josephine," I replied.

"She's so beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she said softly, her expression turning solemn again.

"Sorry for what?" I asked, readjusting my grip on Josie ever so slightly.

She looked ashamed and she looked down at her shoes. "For ever thinking that Mr. Solomon was guilty. If I hadn't-"

"Don't blame yourself, Cammie," I said quickly. "There's no sense in that. It's not your fault."

She gave me a small smile. "Thank you. My mom said that you were really nice."

I smiled. "Tell her thank you for the praise."

She smiled in reply. "I will. And I remember you, you know. You went to Gallagher, too. You're good."

"Thanks. I hear you're pretty good too."

She smiled before turning and walking away.

*Break*

"That name's perfect!" Alicia declared.

"Absolutely!" Laura agreed. "I mean, Josephine Catherine Solomon. So cute!"

Leah looked down at Josie cradled in her arms. "She looks a lot like you, Kay."

"She has his eyes," I said softly.

"I still can't believe that you married Joe freaking Solomon!" Alicia declared. I'd spent about an hour and a half giving them the short version of the story of my life since I'd been taken from Gallagher. Alicia and Laura had gasped in shock when they heard it all.

"So lucky!" Laura agreed and then seemed to realize what she'd said. "I mean… I didn't mean to say… I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," I said softly, looking down at the blue covers on the bed. "It's going to be okay."

"You're right," Leah said suddenly. "She does have Mr. Solomon's eyes."

I glanced over to see that Josie was awake, waving her little arms around in the air. I smiled. "Yeah, she does."

"Is it hard?" Alicia asked.

"Does she cry all of the time?" Laura chimed in.

I laughed. "It's only been a week, guys. I can't really say that it's been hard yet."

Josie began to cry and Leah offered her up to me immediately. I took her in my arms and almost instantly, her cries stopped.

"You're an amazing mother." Alicia noted.

"Most definitely," Laura agreed.

"There was no doubt that you would be," Leah grinned at me.

I smiled at her. "Thanks."

Josie moved in my arms and the nurse came in with an already prepared bottle. I took it and expertly began to feed her while my ex-roommates and still-best friends watched with smiles on their faces.

*Break*

"She's beautiful," Zach commented.

"Thank you," I replied.

"She has his eyes."

"Yes," I said softly. "She does."

He sighed. "Any word on Joe?"

"Still in a coma," I replied.

He nodded slowly. "Do you know what you're going to do? About places to live right now, I mean."

"I'll probably take Josie back to the safe house," I responded. "I don't really know where else I would go. We'll come down to see Joe a couple of times a week and when he wakes up…"

"I'll get my old room ready for her," he said. "I'll get the crib set up and everything."

"Thank you," I replied. "And you're always welcome there, you know."

He smiled at me. "Thanks, Kay."

"Anytime, little brother," I said. "Anytime."

*Break*

I walked into the infirmary, carrying Josie right along with me. The warmth of her small little body somehow gave me the strength that I needed to cross the room and go to Joe's bed.

The swelling on his eye had gone down quite a bit and all of the ash was now gone from his skin. Someone had cut his hair a little bit, but it was still quite messy. An IV was hooked up to his arm and parts of him were still bandaged. He was definitely going to have scars.

I sat down on his bedside and laid Josie beside him. "This is your daughter, Joe. Our daughter. Josephine Catherine Solomon."

A tear escaped form my eye and I could feel it run down my cheek and then down over my jaw and onto my neck. I reached up to wipe it away. "She's so beautiful, Joe. She looks like me, I guess, but she has your eyes. They're beautiful. I really wish…" I took a shaky breath. "I really wish that you could see her."

And I did wish that, more than anything. "I wish you had been there to see her right after she was born. I wish that we could have talked about names together. Although I don't think you should have a problem with her being named after you. Josephine is the feminine form of Joe, after all. And her middle name is Catherine because it's kind of similar to Katelyn…"

I had to quit talking, then. I could barely breathe past the tightness in my throat. Steady tears streamed down my face, leaving their trails behind them.

Instead, I reached out and held Joe's hand, touching Josephine with the other. When I could finally speak, I said, "It's going to be okay, Joe; I know it is. We're going to make it through this. And I won't give up on you. Ever. I'll wait as long as it takes to have you back again. I love you so much."

And if I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that his hand moved ever so slightly in mine.