Ch. 4

Over the next several weeks, Mack, and sometimes Brady, visited Lela. Mack tried to go two or three times a week, after work. She still marveled over how Lela didn't seem to realize that she'd aged so much, while Mack and Brady looked only slightly older. It was as if Lela was frozen in time, forever a playful, boy-crazy teenager.

One day, Mack visited Lela with big news. She was bursting with the need to tell someone, and Lela was the best listener she could ask for. "I just found out I'm pregnant!" Mack told her friend. "I haven't even told Brady yet. You're the first to know!"

Lela, delighted with the news, hugged Mack. "Oh, if only you had been there when my children were born! They could have grown up together. Wouldn't that have been cute?"

"Yeah," said Mack. "It really would of."

"I'm so happy for you!" Squealed Lela. "I can't wait until you start showing. You'll look so adorable!"

Mack laughed at her enthusiasm. "Thanks," she said.

Lela prattled on in her girlish way; "Oh, I hope it's a girl. A boy would be fine too, but girls... oh, they can wear the cutest little outfits. When my Betsy was born, I got her..."

Days later, Mack and Brady were at the obstetrician. Mack was getting a sonogram. Brady was thrilled when she told him about the baby. "One down, four to go," he'd said, referring to Lela and Tanner's brood.

"Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" The nurse asked. Mack and Brady had already agreed they would, so they said yes.

"Okay," said the nurse. "It looks like you're expecting a baby girl! Congratulations!"

"Oh, Brady," Mack said. "We've gotta name her Lela."

"I was just thinking the same thing," replied Brady.

The nurse smiled. "What a pretty name! very unique!"

"Thanks," said Mack. "She'll be named for a very special friend of ours."

On the way home, Mack asked Brady to stop at the nursing home. She was excited to tell Lela that not only was the baby a girl, like she'd hoped, but that she would be her namesake. When they got to Lela's room, it was empty of Lela and her belongings. Mack wasn't sure she had the right room at first, but the number by the door confirmed it was. A nurse was in the room, making the bed.

"Where is Lela?" Mack asked.

The nurse's face shadowed with concern. "I'm so sorry," she said. "Lela passed away last night."

Mack gasped. "You mean she..."

"If it will bring you any comfort, please know she didn't suffer," the nurse told them. "She went peacefully in her sleep."

Mack began to cry hot tears.

"I'll let you two be alone," said the nurse, leaving the room.

Brady sat in a chair, and took Mack in his lap. She wept on his shoulder, shaking with grief. Brady felt his own tears roll down his cheeks, as he rocked his girlfriend, trying to comfort her, wishing he could heal her broken heart.

"I can't believe she's gone. She was so full of life," Mack whispered, hiccuping.

"I know," said Brady. "She was an amazing person. And part of that is because of you. You never know how much you can impact another person's life." He kissed Mack's tear-stained cheek.

Mack sighed. "I'm going to miss her so much."

"So will I," Brady soothed. "We both loved her. But, and I know this sounds cliche, but... she will always live in your heart," he said, tapping on her chest for emphasis. "And that's the truth. Whenever you say or hear our daughter's name, you'll think of Lela."

Mack could feel her friendship necklace, cool against her neck. She wrapped her arms tighter around Brady. "I love you," she told him.

"I love you too, sweetheart," Brady said.

That week, Mack and Brady attended Lela's funeral. There, they got to meet her family, and see the legacy she left behind. Framed photos of Lela and Tanner on their wedding day, holding their children, then holding their grandchildren, were displayed throughout the funeral home. The young couple took their time looking over them, during the wake. When Mack introduced herself to Lela's children, and they looked surprised at her name, she explained that she was Lela's friend Mack's "granddaughter." Then, she and Brady said their final goodbyes as Lela was laid to rest next to Tanner, the love of her life.

As time passed, Mack realized that Brady had been right- Lela's memory did live on in her heart, and not because she could see her anytime she wanted on Brady's DVD of Wet Side Story, but because months later, Mack gave birth to their baby girl, Lela Elizabeth. And when baby Lela opened her eyes, Mack and Brady were thrilled to see that they were the perfect shade of ocean-blue.

The End

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