*First I want to thank everyone that has reviewed, followed, alerted and favorited Life as We Know It. It has been fun writing this story for you but unfortunately it has come to an end and this is the final chapter of Life As We Know It.*

MONTHS LATER:

It's been nearly 6 months since the worst night of my life, since the worst time of my life the night I lost my husband. Shortly after Joe was admitted to the hospital and in the ICU he seized and had a stroke due to a brain bleed. I'll never forget the doctor coming to me telling me there was nothing more they could do for him, he suffered too much damage to his brain and it was irreversible. The only thing keeping him alive were the machines he was hooked up to. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do, I fell to my knees, crying out in agony at the thought of living a life without Joe, knowing that the decision was up to me to keep him alive or to pull the plug on him. I have heard miracle stories where a machine kept someone alive for years and one day they miraculously recovered. I knew in my heart that Joe was never going to recover, he was never going to be the same again. He survived leukemia twice but I didn't understand how this, how Scott could take him away from me the way he did. Scott was a coward and took the easy way out there would never be any justice for Joe and it wasn't fair. Joe was a good man, he was a great husband, a great father and my best friend. Life without him has not been easy. I made the hardest decision of my life that night to pull the plug ending his life.

"Monica," I say to Joe's mom, "I don't know if I can make this decision. What if he recovers?"

"Audrey," she says taking my hands, tears in her eyes, "he isn't going to recover the only thing keeping his heart beating, keeping his lungs breathing are the machines he's hooked up to. There is no brain activity, Audrey. I know this is a hard decision to make but you need to do what's best for Joe think about what's best for him."

"I can't face a life without him, I don't want to live this life without him," I say tears blurring my eyes. "We have a life planned out, we have a son that is only 4 months old, I am 6 weeks pregnant. I need him, the kids need their dad," I say keeping myself from sobbing. "I love him, Monica and I don't want to face this life without him. How is Matthew going to remember his dad and how is this baby even going to know who their dad is? This isn't fair."

"Life never is," she says embracing me in a hug, I hug her back as we cry together, "but I do respect whatever decision you make. You are his wife. We'll have to keep his memory alive for Matthew and the baby, we will never let them forget him."

"I just wish it was different," I say, "it's not fair Scott did this to him, Scott did this and he won't even get justice. It's not fair. I hope Scott is burning in Hell right now for this. He deserves nothing less."

"I know you're angry, Audrey, I'm angry too but being angry at Scott isn't saving Joe. Joe is suffering," she says, "it's time for you to make a decision."

"I know," I say. "I don't know if I am ready to make this decision."

"I know," she says, "but think about Joe and what he's going through."

"I know," I say with a nod, tears streaming from my eyes knowing what I need to do.

I went to Joe's doctor and told him I was ready to make my decision because I knew in my heart that Joe would never recover because if I had the slightest bit of hope or there was the slightest chance he would recover I never would have made the decision to pull the plug. I filled out paperwork and then I am in the room looking at my lifeless husband. I hold Matthew in my arms as I kiss his chubby cheek. "Say bye to Daddy," I say to Matthew with tears in my eyes. I lean him down and he gives Joe a slobbery kiss. It breaks my heart knowing that Matthew will never play football with his father, he will never go to see his dad wrestle at a WWE show, he will never have that bond with his father that Joe wanted so bad. Our new baby will never know its father but by the pictures that will hang in the house and pictures on the internet. I'm not ready to say goodbye, not yet, not like this. "Joe, I'm sorry," I say taking his hand into mine. "I wish things were different, I wish things had been better for us. I will always go through life wishing that I told you I loved you sooner because I wasted so many years, so much time on the wrong people that I didn't see the man that God made for me was standing in front of me. If I had told you years ago that I loved you we might have had longer than a few months. I wanted years with you and I am not ready to face a life without you. You have always been there for me, when I needed someone to donate sperm so that I could have a child you so readily volunteered to be the father of my child and I knew that you loved me. I have not lied I know I have loved you my whole life and I wish I had told you sooner. Life was supposed to be you and me, our kids, happiness but without you I see no happiness my heart is always going to belong to you and I am always going to want to know what would have been if Scott wasn't an asshole. I love you, Joe, I love you so much, you gave me a happiness I never had before. I don't know what life is going to be like without you but I do know I am never going to forget you and I am going to make sure that our kids never forget you, that they know you. You get to be with Jordan now, when you get to him give him a kiss for me, tell him that we love him and I hope to one day meet both of you. I can't wait to see you again, Baby. I love you so much, I will always love you." I lean down and kiss his lips softly as the tears fall from my eyes thinking of the life we deserved to have together, the time we deserved to share, the life we wished for. The nurse looks at me and I nod giving her permission to turn off the machines. I watch her shut them off one by one, the tears blurring my eyes. The final machine turns off as I am holding Joe's hand, squeezing it tight, he squeezes back once and lets out his last breath, I find myself breaking down in sobs knowing he's gone.

Half a year passed since I said goodbye to my best friend, half a year since we had the funeral where he was buried in a local cemetery that I haven't visited once since the day we laid him to rest. It's too hard to go back, too hard to live in the pain of knowing everything we could have been. He's in my heart, I know that, I don't need to visit a cemetery or a grave to keep him in my heart and keep him alive to me. It was the hardest day of my life making that decision but I had no choice. It broke out into the WWE universe the next day that he had passed away, a lot believe it was from the leukemia but when I was ready to speak I told the truth how he was in remission, how he was going to come back to the ring in January but life happened tragically. The fans knew the truth of how Joe passed away and shortly after we buried him I left Pensacola to go to Hawaii to do some soul searching, to live a peaceful life with Matthew and remain stress free during my pregnancy because this baby is the last piece of Joe, the life we created together. Matthew hasn't even turned one yet but he is his father's twin, he is Joe through and through. I find myself staring at a mini-Joe every time I look at him, I see some of Joe's personality shine through Matthew how laid back he is, how caring he is and how loving he is. Joe was a good man, he was always laid back, always caring, always loving. He was everything to me and not a day goes by that I don't wish he was here with me, living with me, helping me with Matthew and especially today, the day he would have turned 36, May 25th and the day our baby girl is going to come into the world.

"All right, Audrey," says my doctor, "you can do this, give me one big push."

"Come on, Audrey," encourages Monica as she holds my hand in the delivery room. She flew to Hawaii to be with me today and to spend some time with me before she goes back to Pensacola. I look over at Joe's picture and smile before I push. The doctor and Monica continue to encourage me to push, to push harder.

I give one big push and soon the cries of mine and Joe's baby girl fill the room, tears stream from my eyes as the doctor holds her up to me, "It's a little girl," he says making me smile through my tears. I cry harder as they lay her on my chest, she's perfect, everything about her is perfect.

The nurse takes her from me to weigh her and measure her before cleaning her up. She returns her back to me wrapped in a pink blanket and a pink cap, "8lbs. 10 oz. and 20 inches long," she says as she hands her to me.

Tears fall from my eyes as I look into the perfect face of my baby girl, she's beautiful, her lips and mouth from her dad, the nose from her father and the dark hair poking out through her cap she is Joe. She's beautiful, she's perfect, the perfect creation, the remaining piece of Joe in my life. "Hey, baby girl," I say with a smile. "Welcome to the world." She lets out a little grunt and looks at me with her dark eyes that are thickly lashed. "I'm so glad to finally meet you. I am going to love you so much and your brother is going to love you so much. I love you already you're everything I wanted and your daddy he would have loved you, he does love you. He can't be here right now but I am sure you saw him before you came to me. He would love you, he loves you, he wanted you more than anything. Your daddy is in Heaven but he's also in your heart and I will never let you go through life without knowing who your daddy is, what he did and the person he was. He was the greatest man I ever met, he was the greatest father I knew. He loves you," I say with a smile before I kiss her forehead. I look over at Joe's picture and say, "we did it baby, we have a beautiful baby girl and I couldn't have done it without you. I am so blessed to have this perfection in my life between Matthew and our baby girl. I know you're here in our hearts, Baby. I couldn't have done today without you, happy birthday, Joe. And happy birthday Baby Girl," I say with a smile. I look up at Monica to see her crying. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Please," she says with a smile and tears in her eyes. I hand her to her. "She's so beautiful. She's perfect," she says. "Hey, Beautiful, she looks just like Matthew and they both look like Joe."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," I smile. "I want Joe to live through them, I want them to carry his legacy."

"Are you going to come back to Pensacola?" she asks as she rocks the baby.

I shake my head, "I can't, I don't want to go back to Pensacola. Joe and I loved it here in Hawaii, we were going to go to Hawaii again together but we never made it here. I found a peaceful life here and I love it. It's away from the chaos of the world. I love it here and I want to raise Matthew and the baby here," I say. "I know everyone wants me to come back to Pensacola but I can't, I can't live there, in the house my husband was murdered in to be reminded every day of the pain that I faced in that house. I am happy here. I feel connected to Joe here somehow."

"But he's buried in Pensacola," she says, "you never want to visit his grave?"

"I have no need, he's right here," I say touching my heart. "I don't need to go visit him in a cemetery when he's with me every day of my life. I'm sorry, Monica."

"I understand and what about the restaurant?" she asks.

"I gave it up that was something Joe and I wanted together but I opened Joe's Island Grille here to serve Hawaiian food to keep his memory alive, to keep him alive."

"I see," she says letting out a breath. "Joe would have been so happy with a baby girl."

"He is happy," I say with a smile. "I know I am happy."

"Yes," she says, "so what's her name?"

"I want to wait till Matthew meets her and until my parents meet her then I will announce her name."

"Okay," she says with a nod.

She hands the baby back to me and I smile before I feed her while she goes to get Sika, my parents and Matthew. Just as she finishes they walk into the room with balloons and gifts, telling me congratulations. I look at Matthew and smile as my mom holds him. "Come here big boy, come meet your baby sister," I say with a smile. My mom brings him over and puts him down on my bed. "Matthew, meet your baby sister." He reaches over and touches her head. "That's your sister," I say with tears in my eyes.

"She's beautiful," says my mom. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good," I say with a smile.

"That's good," she says.

"Matthew, give the baby a kiss," I say with a smile. Matthew leans over and gives the baby a kiss making my heart melt. Matthew looks over at the picture of Joe and points, "that's daddy."

"Dadda," he says making me smile, "Dadda." He says again, his first word being Dadda. "Dadda."

"Yes, Dadda, he's right here," I say touching his heart. He looks at my hand and puts his chubby hand over mine. I do my best to keep from crying but it's too hard. Too hard knowing that my kids' father will always be in their hearts but never around for them to know personally but through stories and pictures, I kiss his cheek softly.

"So what's her name?" asks Monica.

I smile and say, "Josephine Leilani Anoa'i."

"That's so beautiful," she says with tears in her eyes.

"Josephine; the female version of Joseph meaning God increases and Leilani; the child of Heaven," I explain, "I spent months, weeks, days trying to find the perfect name for our daughter. I wanted her name to have some meaning, some reminisce of Joe so I chose Josephine and God gave her to me when he could have taken her away months ago, he increased our family and she is very much a child of Heaven as that's where her father is. It is special to me and I know that it would be just as special to Joe. Josephine Leilani, welcome to the world baby girl, I have so much to tell you about your name and your father but we have time for that. I love you so much," I say before kissing her cheek. Monica suggests that we do a family picture but I don't allow them to take it until Joe's picture is in it, Matthew holds Joe's picture in his hands as I hold Josephine in my arms. I smile for the picture realizing this is my life now, I will never love anyone like I love Joe, my heart is Joe's for an eternity, this is the life Josephine, Matthew and I will know, a life where their father lives in their hearts and mine, knowing him through stories and pictures but this life as tragic as it may be and as painful as it is to lose Joe, to go on in life without him I know that every day for the rest of my life he is going to be there through our children, alive throughout the island every time I hear the waves crash down, hear the breeze, I'll know it's him, know that he's there, that he will always be there in this life that we know.

THE END!

*A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. I just hope you don't hate me after that ending.