Wedding Bells

Chapter 29

"Are you getting ready to go?" Carter asks, pulling the diaper bag off of the couch. I nod my head in response as I wrap the last piece of the swaddle around Aurora. I was getting better with this whole being a mother thing. The tricks were starting to come to me, and the simple wraps were not as difficult as they were the first day I brought her home. It was getting harder to pick outfits though, each one cuter than the last.

But somehow we still managed every day.

She was gaining weight faster than I would have liked her too. But just as quickly as she needed to be a healthy newborn baby. She was just growing up too fast and I found it more and more depressing by the minute.

"Do you know how long you are going to be gone?" Carter questions, holding my hand as I enter the kitchen. I shake my head. My mother's appointments usually didn't take as long as ours, but if he was really worried about it he could just come with us.

"No, I don't but you could always come with us, Aurora sure loves having her dad around," I hated it. Well, I didn't hate it, but at times I wish she wanted me more than she wanted him, but she was a daddy's girl for sure. There were times she would fall asleep in his arms but scream in mine for hours. She'd found the sweet spot of love for the both of us in her mind, and it sucked for me. She loved her daddy to pieces.

I shook my head trying to get the complaints out of my mind. She was perfect in every way and I wasn't upset about her loving her daddy more. Just confused cause I spent every minute with her.

"I can't gotta run some errands. Do you need anything from the store?" Carter asks, taking Aurora out of my hands while I gather a few things around the kitchen. I shook my head. We had just gone grocery shopping so there wasn't much I needed.

"What are you going to the store for?" I question, a little confused because our house was overflowing with food. Anything you could think of. In fact, we were the grocery store.

"Just need a new razor and some socks, was hoping you had something in mind so I didn't have to make a trip for just those," I shook my head, disappointed that I couldn't help him out better.

"No sorry, I mean you can always grab another pack of diapers or more clothes, there is never enough of those it feels like," I smiled trying my best to come up with something for him. Anything that would make his trip feel like less of a waste.

"I'll see what I can find,"

"Thank you," I muttered before planting a quick kiss on his lips. He grabbed Aurora's car seat helping me out the front door as I grabbed my purse and other items. He placed her in the back of my car for me, strapping her in and making sure she would be safe.

"I love you, drive safe, and bring me back a lollipop and an infant from the hospital," Carter winks leaning in the drivers' side window as I buckle my belt.

"Wait, you want another infant, like trade her in and try again or come home with two?" I teased leaning out to kiss him once again.

"Well bringing home another one wouldn't be bad, but how about you just make sure she makes it home with you. Don't let your mother steal her... or eat her up. I've heard her say some pretty damn weird things to Aurora," Carter laughs, pulling away from the car before heading back towards the garage to get his own.

I backed the car out of the driveway, pulling onto the street before putting the car in gear. Heading towards the hospital I glanced at the time. We would be a little bit early to my mother's house.

I told her I would pick her up, and she agreed. It made it easier than taking two vehicles or leaving one at her house and having to move the car seat from one to the other. I never realized how big of a pain that actually was until I had a baby of my own.

They always tell you things change when you do. Your brain always thinks it's the worst things like I won't have fun anymore or anything like that when in all reality it's the other way. Things that you don't even think of change, small daily routines that you've done for over ten years, change. That's what really gets mothers.

Before I had Aurora I would be up in my mother's loft right now, looking over the city, having a glass of wine before heading into town. Clara, my mother and I all used to go out for drinks. Finding ourselves back here in the early morning, more times than not just spending the night here. My mother had plenty of spare rooms and we used them plenty of times.

I pulled the car up the ramp into the parking garage of my mother building. Sitting on the bottom floor in one of the parking spots next to the elevator. I had no desire to pull Aurora out of the car seat and head upstairs so I just texted my mother. This was one of the things that changed.

She responded fairly quickly informing me that she was on her way down.

I glanced at the sleeping baby in the mirror on the back of her seat. Watching as she sounds fully sleeps through anything and everything. Whatever noise was going on it didn't matter if she was asleep, then she was done for. She curled her tiny fingers around the edge of her blanket and it melted my heart. A light layer of green nail polish on her fingers.

I'd come home from spending a few hours at the shop opening one of those packages my mother was talking about, the ones I was super excited for. Carter had Aurora sprawled out on the floor and as she wiggled around he was painting her nails, making sure not to miss a single millimeter. I watched for a moment as she talked to her, holding her back when she tried to wiggle away from him. She was moving a lot more than normal now. As if she was ready to start figuring stuff out. Yet she was still way too young.

He was so proud of himself when he showed me her nails. Holding the bottle next to them as if it were an Instagram photo. Next thing I knew he had posted it on his Instagram, making me fall even more in love with the man I had married.

It had lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. The joy and overwhelming emotions with every little thing she did. Carter still watches her and freaks out when she blinks, thinking it's the cutest thing she could ever do in this entire world.

A tap on the glass startles me out of my thoughts. I quickly turn to see my mother trying to peer in through the windows.

I unlock the door for her, allowing her to hop in. Only slightly annoyed when she hopped in the back seat first. I shook my head turning to look at her.

"Nope, I'm not a taxi, get your butt back up here," I pointed towards the seat next to me, hoping she wouldn't put up a fight. She let out a long-winded breath of air before hopping out and doing as she was told.

Once she was finally in the driver's seat she settled in buckling up her seat belt. It was time for us to head to the hospital. She turned to watch Aurora in the mirror for a few moments, taking in every single detail of her face.

"She looks so much like Carter doesn't she?" My mother asks, holding her breath as she waits for a response. I nod my head pulling out onto the road.

"It's almost scary how many of his traits she got compared to mine. She has almost nothing of mine," Most people asked if it bothered me that our daughter looked exactly like her father. They warned me that if we ever got divorced I'd hate her, for always reminding me of who he was. I'd see him in her so much that it'd drive me mad.

I didn't talk to those people anymore.

Aurora would always remind me of Carter no matter what happens. She was his daughter just as much as she was mine. Maybe she didn't look like me but she was mine. That was all that mattered.

"I think she has your nose, also think she will look more like you as she gets older, you looked a lot like that as a baby, so maybe it's just cause her features are small that she looks like her father," My mother chimed in, and it did make me feel a little bit better as we pull up on a small traffic jam. Just a road that was poorly planned.

Pretty much like every other road here in the state of New York.

We were almost to the hospital anyway, so it didn't really matter too much if we were stuck in this traffic or not. My mother sat, tapping her hands on her legs as she looked out the front window.

"We will see, I'm really excited to see what her personality is like. Maybe she has Carter's looks but she will have my brains," I teased. If Carter was here he would give me one of those looks like he knew what I was doing. He'd tease me for not giving her anything then. His comments ringing through my ears.

"It will be adorable no matter how horrible it is," My mother snickered, turning to look back at the baby in the back seat.

"What do you mean it will be horrible?" I ask turning to look at her for a moment before pulling into the hospital parking lot.

"She is a kid, they are all horrible, they just have their moments when they were not,"

Who even was this woman sitting in my car? This was the one who was so eager to have a grandkid. So excited for all the fun memories. Now she sounded like she hated the idea. Truly confused as of why anyone would want to have a child of their own. Yet she was still so obsessed with mine.

"Are you feeling okay?" I question, half tempted to put my hand on her forehead to check her temperature. If I wasn't trying to find a parking space I would have. Once I was all pulled in to a spot, I hopped out of the car, grabbing the carrier before pulling it out as well. Aurora must have woken up sometime in the last few moments, as her bright green eyes stared up at me. A small smile forming on her face.

Whether one accident or on purpose it was one of the cutest smiles I had ever seen. My mother rushed over grabbing the carrier from me. Holding it gently on her arm. Apparently, she wanted to carry the little one inside.

The more I had her, the more I hated the carrier. The more I wanted other people to carry her around in it. I smiled, watching her walk carefully with the baby on her hip. I was ready for the day that I wouldn't have to haul that bulky thing around anymore.

Oh, one could only dream.

The hospital was buzzing, people were zooming through the hallways rushing to get to whatever rooms they needed to be in. My mother's appointment was first so we hopped on the elevator towards the correct floor. The glass windows giving us a view of the entire parking lot as it pulled us closer to the top of the building.

My mother rocked the carrier back and forth, gently to try and lull Aurora back to sleep. I watched the little girl wiggle a few times, completely content in her own world.

She had pulled the blanket closer to her face, snuggling in her warm little onesie.

She made my heart melt.

The elevator door dinged before it opened up. I glanced at the screen realizing I hadn't been paying attention. We were somehow already on our floor. My mother and I stepped off making the way to her appointment.

"Are you nervous for this at all?" I ask. The six-month checkup was a big deal. She'd been going once a month since getting her clean bill of health and if this appointment was good she would only have to go every other month. I knew she was excited about that. Growing tired of always having to make this trip to the hospital. Aurora was getting old enough, that her appointments would soon start slowing down as well. I was thankful for that too.

"Not really," She paused for a moment picking the carrier up further on her arm. "I feel better than I did when I was rushed to the hospital..."

"I sure hope so," I cut her off, not realizing how rude I was actually being.

All I meant was if she didn't feel better than she did when she passed out and had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, then there was a serious problem.

"I'm serious, I have so much more energy, I don't have a cough I once had, everything just seems like it's working so much better than it used to." My mother smiled, knocking on the door to the doctor's office. We were a few minutes early but enough that it shouldn't matter.

"That's so good to hear mother, I hope things continue to go well for you, we are lucky to still have you here in such a good bill of health."

The door opened up and a man ushered for the two of us to come in. This man was the doctor that had been helping my mother through the whole situation. I was grateful for him and the care he had given my mother.

"How are you feeling now?" The doctor asks sitting down at the chair across from us. My mother took her regular seat, and I hovered closer to the edge of the room. Bending over to pull Aurora out of her car seat, holding her close to my chest.

"I feel really good, things have been going well. I've been taking care of myself and treating myself how I should have been all along." My mother beamed with joy, she was proud of the fact that she had been taken better care of herself. I was happy that she was as well.

"Have you seen a drastic change in her mood?" The doctor turned to me this time, waiting for a response. He glanced at his clipboard taking mental notes of all of the comments.

"I have actually, she has been so excited for life lately, enjoying every single second of it like she used to when we were younger. It's been so good to see her like this," I smiled. Rocking my baby back and forth. The doctor nods his head.

We sat there for half an hour. The doctor checked a few things for her vitals, running a few tests. He took a step out of the room testing a few things and checking her records.

"I think everything sounds good. We should be on our way to your appointment very soon," My mother whispers while squeezing Aurora's face. I chuckled to myself, realizing my mother wasn't talking to me at all.

"Well then, thought we were going to have a conversation but I get it, there are more important people to talk to," My mother nodded her head as if to prove my point even more.

The doctor came back into the room, holding his clipboard once more. He took his seat again, holding the papers close to his chest. Searching for my mother's face as she turned to look at him. The room grew awkward, as we awaited the results from all of his tests.

"Well Evelyn, we have some news for you, good or bad is up to you, but I'll let you decide." The doctor placed the paper down on the desk pushing it towards my mother. She looked at the numbers searching for her blood count. Trying to find any sign of her being fuller cured and sustainable.

"Well, are you going to tell us or what?" She piped up, her eyes still searching the paper viciously.

"You are still cancer free, and it looks like you will be for a very very long time," A wide smile appears on his face, as he points to the numbers she is looking for.

"Wait so you mean it's all cleared up and I won't have to come here as often?" A smile was growing on my mother's face, the more she realized she was almost done with this.

"Yes Evelyn, you are cured and sustainable. I don't think you need to come in every other month. We will see you in six months for another follow-up. If that one is clear as well, we will see you once a year from then on." I could see the tears forming in my mother's eyes and honestly they were forming in mine as well.

This was the greatest thing we could have ever heard.

"I'll give y0u guys some time to think on it and deal with it. I'll have my nurse give you a call to schedule your next appointment. Congrats!" The doctor stood from his chair, leaving the room.

"This is amazing!" My mother whimpers, her smile only growing as a few tears fall down her face.

"I'm so proud of you,"