An Encounter of Courageous Hearts – Extended Epilogue

Lana looked down at the beautiful white dress she was wearing. She had never imagined that Ginger would be such a good seamstress. 

The dress reached the floor and it was made out of a soft white material. There were delicate stitches that made up all the hems and it fit her body perfectly.

“You are absolutely breathtaking,” Ginger said from behind her. 

Lana turned to find her friend looking at her with glowing cheeks. Ginger had grown in the middle over the past six months. Her stomach was round and large, like an over-ripe watermelon. 

She reached out and touched Ginger’s belly. “He or she is really growing, aren’t they?”

Ginger nodded, “I feel it all the time now. Sometimes I wonder if it’s twins.” 

Lana leaned in and gave her friend a hug, though it was difficult to do around the baby. “Ginger, you are so special to me. I want you to know that even though I ended up marrying Nick, I am here for you, always.” 

When Lana pulled away, there were tears in both hers and Ginger’s eyes. 

“You’re walking distance Lana, I am sure that we will still see each other every single day.” 

Ever since Lana and Nick had been engaged, Lana had continued living with Ginger. It had been a very interesting and lovely six months. She’d had a lot of fun teaching Lydia and Freddy how to read and write. 

She and Ginger had planted a garden outside the kitchen and had a wonderful harvest. Christmas had been one of the best ones Lana had had in years. 

“You know, it’s sad…” Ginger’s face fell for a moment. 

“What is?” 

“If Daniel hadn’t died, you never would have come here to be with me. And yet I miss him every day, Lana. The love you have for Nick; that’s the love I had for Daniel. Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever be the same.” 

Lana shook her head, “You won’t, Ginger. You will never feel the same or think the same. You won’t ever forget the moments you shared with Daniel. But slowly, your life will continue to get better, and you will continue to make more memories with those around you.” 

Ginger’s lips curved into a smile and she dabbed the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I don’t know how I ever did without you.” 

Lana wiped her own tears away. “We should probably go out there or Nick is going to think that I changed my mind.”

“You’re right.” 

Ginger took her arm and led her through the door that led into the back yard of the cabin. 

Nick was waiting there for her. Standing beside him was the minister. It had been a while since Lana had seen him. They had chosen to wait until he was in the area and until they had saved a bit of money to have their own family. 

The reverend raised his hands to quieten the people who had gathered. Lana looked around and met gazes with all of the friends and family she had made in this little town. There was Gerald and his grandson, Todd. 

Everyone was worried about Gerald and yet he was still going strong. The sheriff stood there with a proud look on his face. Lana still remembered the day when he had come personally to inform her that Jake had arrived at the last cell he would ever see in his entire life. 

Christy and her brother were there as were many more people from the church.

Besides the sheriff, there were two deputies who had turned out to be good ones, and the list went on. 

So many faces who all meant so many things to her. She couldn’t forget these people, and she couldn’t have asked for anything more than for them to be there and share in her special day. 

“Lana Smith, do you take this man to be your husband?” 

Lana’s heart filled with pride and joy as she said the words, “I do.” 

“And you, Nick Cooper, do you take this woman to be your wife?” 

Nick’s grin stretched across his face, “With all my heart and forever.” 

“I pronounce you man and wife.Nick Cooper. You may now kiss your bride.” 

Nick leaned over and swept her off of her feet and into his arms taking her by surprise. She gasped as he kissed her. 

She couldn’t describe her happiness. She was sure that if anyone asked, she would never be able to put these feelings into words.

As they walked through the crowd, hand in hand, Nick leaned over and whispered into her ear, “I love you, Mrs. Cooper.” 

Lana looked up at him and mouthed the words back. The people around them clapped and talked amongst themselves. 

Nick led Lana to the large tables that had been set up. It had been a good year and the tables were heaped with different foods that people had brought. 

There were so many smells and so many feelings swirling around Lana that she thought she might faint. She had never known it was possible to be this happy. 

She watched as the crowd ebbed and flowed, people pairing off to talk, children gathering for a game, elderly people taking a seat to watch the rest. 

She was part of a family that was so much bigger than Ginger, Nick, and the children. She was part of a town, and she was sure that no one could ask for anything more. 

—*—

Nick handed Lana a cup of water. As she took it and said thank you, his heart swelled with pride once more. This was his wife. He was a married man. 

“Congratulations, Nick.” Derek’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to find his friend standing there, a lovely young woman at his side. 

“Thank you, Derek. And who is this?” Nick had never seen Derek show much interest in anyone. In fact, he had been wondering when Derek would find a woman who was to his liking. 

“This is Annette. I’ve been seeing her for a few weeks. I thought that it was time she met all of you.” 

“Well, it is about time. I never thought you’d be one to hide a relationship.” Nick gave his friend a friendly slap on the back. 

Annette looked uncomfortable. “It’s nice to meet you. Derek has had a lot to say about you, Lana, and Ginger.” 

Nick glanced between Derek and Annette. “All good things I hope?”

Derek didn’t let Annette answer but instead jumped in. “All good things.” 

Nick was about to say something else when he spotted Ginger out of the corner of his eye. 

She was standing near the food table with a strange look on her face. “Excuse me, Derek, I think I need to go and talk with Ginger.” 

“No problem. Hey! I’ll take you to the saloon to celebrate later,” Derek called after him. 

When Nick got to Ginger’s side, he put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“I- I don’t know.” Nick knew the look on Ginger’s face as fear. 

“What’s wrong? Is the baby all right?”

“I- I started having pains before the wedding. I didn’t want to ruin your and Lana’s special day. I think the baby is coming.” 

Nick’s hands went cold and a sweat broke out on his brow. “Okay, okay. Here, just sit down here. I’ll tell Lana. We’ll get the doctor and the midwife.” 

“No, no, no. I can’t ruin your day, I can’t,” Ginger wailed. 

A few people near them seemed to hear the conversation and glanced their way. 

“You won’t be ruining our day; this would be the best wedding anyone could ask for. I am going to get Lana, she wouldn’t want to miss this and we aren’t about to put you in danger just to prolong this activity a little longer.” 

Ginger nodded and her face scrunched up in pain. 

It didn’t take Nick long to find Lana, as she was standing with a few women from town talking and laughing as they ate some fruits from the table. 

“I know I can’t believe-“

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Nick could tell that the young woman who had been talking looked a bit upset about the fact. “Lana, can I talk to you for just a moment?”

“Sure.” Lana stepped away from the women. “What is it? Is everything all right?”

“Um, yes, yes and no.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Ginger’s baby is on the way.” 

“What? It is? Now? Where is she? I have to help her.” Lana put her drink into Nick’s hand and then hurried off into the crowd calling Ginger’s name. It took a moment for Nick to catch up. 

“She’s this way.” Nick took Lana’s hand and led her through the people until they found Ginger who was sitting by the table where he had left her, looking very uncomfortable. 

“Come, come. We have to get her inside.” Lana took charge right away. She helped Ginger on one side and Nick helped her on the other side. 

It didn’t take long for the doctor to get there thankfully. The people from the wedding had slowly gone home since they realized that something much more important was taking place. 

Nick was in the parlor, pacing back and forth when the doctor poked his head out of the bedroom door. “Goodness, Nick. Go outside for a little or you’ll drive yourself crazy along with all of us.” 

“I’ll go. You’re right. How is she?”

“She’s coming along nicely, but it will be a while.” 

Nick nodded and headed outside. He didn’t want it to be a while, but from what he knew, that’s how births were. He was surprised to find Derek outside, leaning up against the barn. 

Instead of his normal little flask, he had a canteen in his hand. 

“Has Annette gotten you to stop drinking?”

“My goodness, yes!” Derek made a look of disgust. She’s great.She really is, but I don’t know if I can make the sacrifice.” 

“You know, love looks good on you,” Nick gave him a playful shove. It was good to have Derek here. It took his mind off of his sister’s agonizing cries in the cabin. 

“Love? Well, I suppose I might love her soon enough.” 

“It doesn’t always happen right away, you know. You remember me and Lana don’t you? Could hardly stand each other at first.” 

Derek chuckled. “Of course I remember. You two were the polar opposites. I can’t believe you’re married to her now. That is the end of any fun we used to have.” 

Nick noted his friend’s slightly bitter tone. “Now, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know, once Lana is living with you, I can’t exactly just sleep in the cabin when I like as before, can I?”

“No, I guess not.” Nick hadn’t looked at it like that. “This won’t change our friendship, Derek. What I’ve learned in the past few months is it is important to keep your friends and family close. Maybe you’ll get married to and then you won’t want to stay at my house anyway. And you know we can still visit.” 

“I hope so, this place wouldn’t be the same without you.” Derek was somber and it was a strange thing for him. 

“Oh, stop. You are going to be married off soon enough, then we’ll see who is forgetting who.” 

A faint cry from the cabin sent Nick to pacing again. 

“You would think it was your baby we’re waiting on,” Derek said taking another swig of water. 

Nick laughed, “Look at yourself. I’d think it was your baby too.” 

Derek was pacing back and forth just as furiously as Nick. 

Derek made a face as he took another swig. “You know water just doesn’t do anything the way whiskey does. I don’t know if I can make the switch,” Derek complained.

“Yes. You can do it. Just think how clearly you can think now. Come on, let’s go and do some chores in the barn. Maybe it will help us pass the time.” 

Derek agreed. Neither one of them could stand to wait around doing nothing any longer. 

—*—

“Come on, Ginger, you’re doing wonderfully.” Lana pressed another cool cloth on her friend’s forehead. She had been going at this for hours now. 

Lana had heard that childbirth was a long process, but she’d never thought it would be this intense.

She would have to say that it had made her re-evaluate how soon she wanted to have children. 

Ginger let out another shriek and Lana held a bit of water to her lips. “Here, try to take a sip.” 

Ginger did, then nodded her thanks before another contraction overtook her. Lana watched with increasing concern. 

She stepped away from the bed and lowered her voice as she spoke to the doctor. “Is it supposed to take this long? Is something wrong?” 

The doctor shook his head as he glanced at Ginger. “Sometimes, it just takes a while. Ginger is doing wonderfully though. Before the night is out, we will have a healthy baby boy or girl.” 

Ginger let out another shriek and both Lana and the doctor rushed to her side. 

“It’s coming. It’s coming. Prepare the linens. I see the head. Good girl. Just listen to your body. It will tell you what to do,” the doctor reassured Ginger.

Lana hurried and brought over the linens she had prepared earlier. The midwife had been somewhere else attending another woman’s birth, so Lana had been her stand-in. 

She didn’t feel like she was at all prepared for this. She had never imagined that she would be in this position. 

Ginger held her breath and suddenly the baby came out with a rush.

Lana reached her hands out and the doctor laid a perfect little baby into them. But the baby was quiet, and its eyes weren’t open. 

“Rub her tummy, rub her tummy.” The doctor said quietly. 

Lana did as she was instructed and a moment later, the baby burst into crying. The doctor cleared the baby’s throat and nose and Lana continued to rub the little girl all over. 

“Ginger, it’s a girl. You have another daughter,” Lana said as tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt overwhelmed with love and excitement.

Ginger reached out and Lana laid the little bundle on her mother’s chest. 

She stood and looked on in wonder at the tiny girl. “What are you going to name her?”

Ginger looked down at the babe and then up at Lana. “Daniela Rose. She’s beautiful. She is so beautiful.” 

Lana nodded and watched as Ginger kissed her new daughter and snuggled her against her chest. 

“I’m going to go and tell Nick and Derek the good news.They’re waiting outside. I went out there to check on them earlier. They’ve cleaned every inch of the barn I believe.” 

Ginger nodded but didn’t take her eyes off of her baby. 

Lana took in large breaths of fresh cool air as she stepped outside of the cabin. It had been stuffier in the cabin than she had thought. 

She felt shaky and strange knowing that she had just helped to bring a new life into the world. She had been a witness to a true miracle. 

She wondered if she would be able to witness anything like that ever again. 

As she approached the barn, Nick leaped to his feet. She was surprised that he had been sitting at all. 

“Is Ginger all right? Is the baby all right?” Nick and Derek were staring at her as if their lives depended on the answer. 

“Yes, yes. They are both all right. You have another beautiful niece.” 

“Yes!” Nick hollered. He turned to Derek and the two shared a sort of half-hug before they straightened up and became tough men once again.

“I’ll go get the children so that they can meet her.” Derek volunteered. The children had gone to Christy’s for the afternoon to keep them out from under-foot. 

“Well, why don’t we wait a bit and give her some recovery time first,” Lana advised.

“Can I come and say hello to her?” Nick looked like an eager child, awaiting a surprise at Christmas. His mustache appeared to be dancing in his excitement, making Lana giggle.

“Of course, I’m sure Ginger would love that.” Lana led Nick into the cabin. 

Nick crossed the small room and stood at Lana’s bedside. He stared in awe at the baby and bent down and kissed Ginger’s forehead and then the baby’s forehead gently. “She’s so beautiful,” he said, his voice filled with emotion.

“Yes, she is. She’s the last gift that Daniel gave to me and I will treasure her always,” Ginger said.

“Ok Mama Ginger and little Daniela need some rest,” the doctor said shooing all the visitors out. “You can come back in a couple of hours.”

Lana and Nick walked out on the back porch and stood in silence for a few minutes, each savoring the miracle that had happened on their special day.

“It’s truly wonderful, isn’t it?” Nick finally said.

“It is, it’s so beautiful. When she started, I thought I would never have children of my own. The pain seemed like such a terrible thing.”

Nick’s eyebrows rose, “Why ever not?” 

“It was scary. It was probably one of the scariest things I have ever seen. But then when I saw the baby and held her in my hands as she began to breathe and when I saw how happy Ginger was to hold her and give her a name, well… maybe one day I will hold a baby of ours too.” 

Nick hugged Lana to his side. “I can’t wait until we have a family of our own. Our children will look just like you.” 

Lana laughed and looked down at her white wedding dress. It had a few stains on it and looked more worn than it should have for being new, but it didn’t matter. 

She loved it and the story it had been witness to. The stains would probably come out with a wash, but the memories would be with them all forever. She would tell this story to her children and her grandchildren. 

They both turned as the wagon drove up the drive and Derek helped Lydia and Freddy down and took their hands and walked up to the porch. They both looked a bit anxious and excited.

“Is it true we have a baby sister?” Freddy asked.

“Yes, would you like to go meet her?” Lana said taking their hands and leading them to Ginger’s room. “Doc, we have two more visitors who really want to meet their sister,” she announced quietly.

“Okay. You can come in. Just for a minute though. Your mama needs to rest. It was a lot of hard work bringing the baby into the world.”

Both children nodded solemnly as they timidly approached the bed. Ginger smiled up at them and uncovered the baby’s face and arms so they could see. They both melted into smiles.

“Can I touch her?” Lydia asked.

“Yes, you may,” Ginger answered. 

Lydia caressed the new baby’s cheek gently and the baby turned toward her and opened her eyes.

“Oh,” Lydia said in awe. “She is so little.”

She turned to Lana and smiled up at her.

“Aunt Lana, are you going to have a baby?” Lydia asked, tugging on her dress. 

“You know what? One day, I probably will.” 

“Well, my baby sister is the prettiest baby there is, but I think yours will be the second prettiest and I want to help you when you do.” 

“Thank you, Lydia. That means a lot.” Lana managed to keep a straight face until Lydia was out of hearing distance and then both she and Nick broke into chuckles. 

“You know, don’t tell Lydia, but I think that our baby will be the prettiest baby,” Nick whispered into her ear. 

Ginger patted the bed and laid the baby in Lydia’s arms.

Lana smiled as she watched Lydia cradle her newborn baby sister in her arms. She loved this family and those children as if they were her own. 

She loved everyone in this room; even the doctor and Christy were special to her in their own way. 

She had found everything she’d ever been looking for. She no longer felt anxious and empty the way she had in the city. 

She no longer felt as if she were searching for a purpose or lost in a society of busy people. 

She felt surrounded by caring people. She felt loved by a family that hadn’t created her and wasn’t related to her, but who had treated her as one of their own. 

She looked up at Nick and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. 

“What was that for?”

“Nothing much,” Lana gave him a mysterious grin. “Just to tell you how much I love you.” 

“I love you too Lana. You’ll never know how much.” 

But Lana did know how much. She was certain she did because she loved Nick more than any person in the world could love anything. 

THE END

---

Readers who read this book also liked