Epilogue

Teddy's POV

"Here it comes again." Sometimes I still can't believe all that has happened in my life over the last five years. Lauren squeezed my hand tighter and closed her eyes. She was doing her best to stay come. I on the other hand was a ball of nerves. It's not easy to see the love of your life in pain. The strength she has is incredible. She's always been so strong. When I wanted to give up, she wouldn't let me. I wish I could trade places with her, to take away her pain. She assures me that it is worth it and that it will soon be forgotten.

"Baby, I don't think Mommy needs you to remind her."

"Thank you" Lauren whispered as she tried to relax.

"But I'm helping. It's my job."

The door opened. "I think it's time for your little helper to head out Mrs. Grey." Pam said with a smile and she checked the monitor.

"I want to stay with Mommy." She wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and buried her face. I needed reinforcements, so I sent a text. With them waiting nearby, I knew it wouldn't take long.

I heard the light tap on the door. "Come on in."

"Is this where my girls are?" My father asked when he entered. I still can't help but smile every single time he refers to Lauren and our daughter, Christina as 'his girls'. I have never really understood what happened between my father and Lauren in the five days I was out after the accident, I was just thankful that it had. Actually the accident changed everything. When I opened my eyes, my father had his arms around my Angel and they were both crying. The sight made me smile even though I felt like I had been run over by a Mack truck, or should I say a bus.

"Papa!" Tina yelled with delight as she scurried off the bed and into his waiting arms. "The baby is coming!"

"I know Tiny and you are going to be the best big sister ever." He told her as he cuddled her. "I was thinking we should go get the baby a present."

"I won't be the littlest anymore." She told him proudly.

"I know but you will always be our Tiny just like your mommy is your daddy's Angel." She giggled and he gave her a kiss on the end of her nose. Born at thirty six weeks and weighing in at just five pounds three ounces and 18 inches long she was the tiniest thing I had ever seen. The name just kind of stuck. She might be small, but she is mighty.

Lauren clamped down on my hand and tried to stifle a moan. She didn't want Christina to see her in pain. We didn't want her to blame her new brother or sister for hurting mommy.

"I think it's time to go. When you come back you can see the baby." I told my father. "We love you baby girl. Thanks Dad." Dad took the hint and they quickly said their goodbyes.

As soon as they left a flurry of activity began to take place around the room. Mom and Sandra joined us. They were thrilled when we asked them both be in the delivery room. Sandra is going to hold Lauren's other hand while mom captures it all on film. They had both missed out on Christina's delivery since it had happened so fast, hell she even missed her own baby shower. One minute we were home in bed and the next minute it seemed like she was being rushed to the OR for an emergency C-section. It scared the crap out of me. It was April first, but it was no joke.

"Give us a nice big push on your next contraction Mrs. Grey."

"I'm not sure if I can do this. Maybe a v-back wasn't such a great idea."

"Angel do you remember what you always told me when I thought I couldn't do it?"

Lauren's POV

As soon as Ted was released from the hospital we went home, and I don't mean to our house in Syracuse. The accident made us realize a lot of things. Most importantly was that we needed to near our family. The road to recovery was going to be long and bumpy. We couldn't do it alone and thankfully we didn't have to. Christian kept his promise to me and didn't say anything about my pregnancy. It wasn't that I didn't want Teddy to know, it was just that I wanted to tell him when the time was right.

While Ted was recovering, Elliot, Dustin, and the construction crew worked very hard remodeling the Grey clubhouse. The large one story building would offer us our privacy but also let Ted have a place to for his music and room for me to paint while allowing for us to have help nearby. Ted spent hours each day with the physical therapist. The doctors were cautious but optimistic that Ted would walk again. They didn't know my husband. I knew without a doubt that he would.

"I can't do this!" Ted yelled breaking me from the work I was doing on Ana's latest book. She had written it while we waited for Ted to wake-up in the hospital. In my opinion it is her best work ever and I am determined to make the illustrations just as good.

Travis, Teddy's physical therapist looked up at me and shook his head. "I'll be back tomorrow Ted." He grumbled as he gathered his bag.

"Don't fucking bother." Ted snapped as he rolled his wheelchair towards the windows that faced out towards the meadow. The door slammed and I was alone with a bear, not my sweet Teddy bear, this one was an unhappy grizzly.

I walked towards him. "Do you know what this meadow reminds me of?" Silence. "It reminds me of you and our future." I continued. "You see right now it doesn't look very pretty. Everything is brown and withered. Most people would think it is damaged beyond repair. Some might even say that it is dead. But I know better. Everything in this meadow is alive. This is just a time for roots to take hold. For seeds to be nestled in the safety of the earth. Protected, loved, and wanted." I put my hand on my still flat belly. "Just because you can't see them yet, doesn't mean that in the spring beautiful flowers won't emerge from the ground. Flowers from seeds that you didn't even know were planted." A tear rolled down my cheek. "A flower created by a power that we don't understand, for reasons that we might not know now. This flower was meant to be and when I look at this meadow I know that you will cherish this flower. That you will water it and help it grow. That you will stand tall and walk amongst the beauty of the meadow with the flower."

He no longer seems angry. "My mother has always loved this meadow." I don't think he understands what I'm trying to tell him. "We've had a lot of good times in this meadow."

"Close your eyes and tell me your favorite memory."

In the reflection I can see him close his eyes. "Madison was just a baby. We are all sitting on the same tartan blanket we always use. My parents got in on their honeymoon. I hope Gail washes that thing." He says with grin.

I've come to love my mother and father-in-law but I don't want to think about that. "Pervert."

"Anyway, it started to rain. Dad freaked out of course. Mom grabbed Squirt and we all started running towards the house as fast as we could. When we reached the cover of the house we all started laughing because we were drenched. That's when mom saw that we had left behind the beloved blanket. She was so upset."

"What happened?"

He pulled me into his lap and kissed me softly. "Dad kissed Mom and told her that he would do anything for her. He stepped out from underneath the patio raised his hands up to the sky and went and got the blanket." Tears began to flow down my face. Teddy wiped them away. I wasn't expecting that to be his favorite memory. "My dad would do anything to see my mom happy. To make her laugh like we did when we were soaked in the rain and I feel the same way about you my Angel."

"I know it is frustrating and that it hurts, but please don't give up." It was time to tell my husband. "We planted a seed that is growing inside of me. It wasn't supposed to happen but we are having a baby." I placed our joined hands on my stomach and shook my head.

"Shhhh. Don't say that Angel. Never say that again." Now I wiped a tear from his eye. "It wasn't supposed to rain that day of our picnic in the meadow. I shouldn't have been at the castle the day I met you. I almost didn't take Doll to your gallery opening that night, and I wasn't supposed to jog on Comstock the day of the accident." So many things could be so different.

He spun us both around in his chair. "I'm going to be a dad."

"You're happy?"

"Yeah."

"I love you Ted. Please don't give up. Like I said, when I see this meadow I see you and our baby."

Teddy's POV

"You told me that I could do it. You never let me give up hope and I won't let you either. Just think that soon you will be holding your new son or daughter." With that she pushed with everything that she had.

Michael Roman Grey came into this world at 12:51 in the afternoon weighing 9 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches in length. It seemed that naming him after the Archangel on top of the Castel Sant' Angelo in Rome was appropriate since that is where Lauren and I fell in love.

"Thank you." I said as I kissed the top of her head as we both gazed down at the beautiful life we created together. My father is right, no amount of money in the bank is more valuable than this. "Are you ready to introduce Tiny to this little linebacker?" Overcome by emotions she nodded in reply. I walked down the hall to get my daughter and father. I haven't used a wheelchair since before Christina was born. I worked my ass off to get out of that chair.

Christian's POV

It took me a long time to get over what I had done to Lauren and Teddy. I treated them both very badly. They forgave me instantly, the hard part was forgiving myself. My son, the hero almost died. It would have killed me if he had passed away thinking I was disappointed in him. True, I didn't agree with him getting married so young but I was always proud of him for standing up for himself. As I sit with my beautiful granddaughter in the waiting room for the birth of my second grandchild, my heart swells with pride. Lauren and Teddy moved home and gave up school to dedicate the time they needed to his recovery. With the accident and then the birth of Christina, they both grew up really fast. The good news is they also grew closer together. They remind me a lot of Ana and myself. The book Ana wrote and Lauren illustrated when Teddy was in the hospital won a Newberry and Caldecott Medal. I couldn't be prouder of them. Once Christina was born, they both realized how important art and music are to a child's development and that as a country we are doing a really crappy job, so with Sandra's background in education and my financial backing they started a foundation that brings art and music to the children of Washington. The work they are doing here is getting national attention and will soon be adopted by several more stated.

"Did we miss it?" Pat asked as he rushed into the waiting room with all of my other kids. I shook my head. Pat came out to visit Teddy and Lauren at Thanksgiving. He never left. My Ana took him in like one of her own. I'll never admit this out loud, but I like having him around. Madison had her head in a book, as usual. Alec rushed to his niece's side to entertain her. Phoebe continued to hold James hand as they sat side by side. I tried to hide my snarl because that is a story for a different day.

The End

A/N: The words Thank You are not enough. I'm sad to see this story end and I know a lot of you are too. You will never know how much your support has meant to me. I'm going to finish up Laters, Peach and Laters, Baby too so I can focus fully on my new project but as you can see, I left this open so this might not be the last you see of me. Laters, Doll has a nice ring to it. Yes, James is Dustin and Linda's son. If you don't know who they are you can learn by reading Laters, Baby. Do me a favor and review. They fuel the fire! XOXO - D