Katie
The next few months go by in a blur. Between taking care of Adrian and planning a wedding with Hayley, my days have certainly flown by. Hayley and I had caught up with Kevin at the gym because I didn't want to go visit him at the club. Plus, it was time for me to get back into shape, my post-partum appointment cleared me to do so. He was ecstatic about us hosting both the bridal shower and bachelorette party at Cabaret. We get the date decided so he can get it on the calendar to be sure he closes the club for a private event. I meet with him alone at the gym several times over the course of the last few months, so he and I can plan everything so it will be a surprise for Hayley. The guys decide the bachelor party will coincide the same night, the weekend before the wedding on Saturday. Neither Hayley nor Rick wanted to have it the weekend of, they didn't want to be hungover for their nuptials. With the party planning practically done, I focus more on the final wedding preparations. Once Hayley had agreed to the floral arrangements for both the tables and her wedding party, the rest of the décor was easy to put together. It was going to be beautiful. Wayne had met with us to discuss the food she wanted served, deciding on a buffet style set up where her guests could help themselves. Things were coming together nicely, which was wonderful considering the time we had originally had to work with, keeping it small and simple, but elegant.
Adrian has been reaching his healthy milestones. He smiles, laughs and babbles; rolls over both ways and can sit up with assistance. He can grasp objects and pull them closer to him, and peekaboo is his favorite game. Avery decided to continue working with the police department, it is, after all, his dream. Although the pay and benefits working security at the casino would have been nice, Avery didn't feel as passionate about the position as he does his current one. Once the decision was made, things seemed to be easier for him. He is finally working through his guilt, at least he isn't wearing it on his sleeve like he did. My transition from a full-time veterinarian to a stay at home mom has been a smooth one. I still go into the office once a week for payroll and come in occasionally to help with surgeries. I am extremely happy with the full-time vet I hired before Adrian was born, my customers are singing his praises. My staff works well with him, although I am constantly assured that I am missed. I truly love this time I have been allowed to spend time with and raise my son.
Avery and I have grown closer, spending quality family time together with Adrian, as well as having intimate time together, just the two of us. I feel like we have finally worked past what had brought us together and we are moving forward in our relationship. My nightmares have stopped as well, which I know is a huge relief to Avery. I am no longer jealous of Hayley and her bright future because I finally feel like I have one of my own. Which helps considering Hayley is spending a lot of her free time with me. Between finalizing wedding plans, spoiling Adrian, and getting in some girl time, we have been spending quite a bit of time together. It has been wonderful watching Hayley and Rick grow in their relationship. It amazes me, especially since almost a year ago, he was Rick the prick. Another example of how other lives were affected by the assault. What happened to me completely changed the dynamic of their relationship. Avery wants to focus on the assault itself, and his guilt over his part in it, but I can clearly see the good it brought too. I know it seems crazy that I can see a silver lining, but I do. It was a wake-up call in Rick and Hayley's relationship, and it brought Avery and Adrian into my life. That dark moment in my life brought so much light.
Avery
For the first time in months I feel like I can breathe again. I had been walking around, holding my breath, unable to move past what I had done. After realizing that I had been choosing to suffer, I finally let go. Now it seems my relationship with Katie is back on track, and we are growing together as a family. Leo is no longer my partner, taking his position with the Myer Casino as head of security. True to his word, my Captain didn't assign me another partner, which surprisingly has left me feeling a little lonely. It is weird how after working with a partner for such a short amount of time, I miss having one. In an attempt to spend some time together, Leo talked me into taking a bereavement course or grief counseling training with him. He felt we could both apply it in our jobs and puts another type of training under our belt.
Rick and Hayley's wedding seems to be the center of our attention right now. Troy offered to host the wedding at the casino with Wayne catering the event. We are also planning the bachelor party, which will also take place at the casino since the girls are planning the bridal shower and bachelorette party at Cabaret, the club owned by Kevin Crawford. Leo seems to have taken the lead on the party planning, claiming he has more free time than the rest of us. I am a little concerned over some of the activities that Leo has been planning. He claims it is because he hasn't had a lot of friends, and wants to have an epic bachelor party, one Rick will never forget. I have spoken with Katie at length over some of Leo's ideas, not wanting anything else to come between us. She assures me that she trusts me, and that after everything I have been stressing over lately, that I deserve to cut loose and have a little fun. Even with her consent, I can't seem to shake the bad feeling that has been weighing heavily on me.
Rick has been around us all more often than before, despite his being Hayley's fiancée. He was always around when we were all hanging as a group that included the girls, but he has become a more permanent fixture even without the girls around. It is sad that I realize I never took the time to really get to know the guy. Katie has told me stories of his and Hayley's past, which resulted in her unflattering nickname for him, but she said it all changed the night of the assault. That it was his wake-up call, and that his relationship with Hayley evolved after that. During one of our nights hanging out at Leo's apartment when the girls were doing some wedding planning, we learned about Rick the person. He told us how he didn't know who his biological father was and that his biological mother was a drug addict. As a teenager he started getting into trouble with the law, mainly as a cry for attention, not because he was a bad kid. He was sent away to a residential care facility that dealt with troubled youth, which is where he met a wonderful couple, who ended up adopting him. He explained that he hasn't heard from his biological mother, although he wonders if she is alright. He has thought about trying to find her, especially now that he is getting married, but he is afraid of what he may find. His adoptive parents provided a loving home, strong connections, giving him an actual chance in this world. His past inspired his career choice as a youth therapist. He is a big brother through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program because he says he wants to positively impact a young person's life. I am in awe of him. In my field of work, I see how youth with his type of background aren't always as lucky.
I vividly remember the night he shared with us how he met Hayley. They had met in high school, and she was exactly as high spirited then as she is now. He was new at the school, his adoptive parents enrolling him in the private Christian school for his senior year. Said she was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on and that sadly she knew it too. Chuckling, he told us how she couldn't stand him when they first met, but how he wore her down with his charm. They were a couple by homecoming, and although they didn't win homecoming king or queen, he vowed she would always be the queen to his king. His eyes took on a darker tone when he told us how they went to the same college, but he got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Told us how his drinking and partying had been the cause of their past break-ups. That although he knew he wanted to be a youth therapist, that he harbored a lot of self-doubt and questioned his worth. They had a long break when Hayley finished college and was working through her clinicals, but once she had finished and was hired on at the hospital, they started dating on and off again. Said he always loved her, he just never thought he was good enough for her. The night of Katie's assault, he said he realized how much she meant to him, and that if anything like that had ever happened to her, it would kill him. He realized then that he wanted a real future with her, that his future had always been her. The guys and I all gave Rick a hard time about his sappy love story, but I honestly understood how he felt. When I look at Katie, I see a future.
Which brings me to the present, where I am aimlessly wandering through the local jewelers, looking down through the glass display cases, at the engagement rings and wedding sets. I am approached by a smug looking salesman, who gives me a disdainful look as he takes in my ripped jeans and faded t-shirt. I am sure if I was wearing my uniform, he would probably view me with a less arrogant attitude. Truthfully, I didn't plan to come here today. I was sent into town by Katie to pick up more diapers, but when I saw the sign for the local jeweler, I found myself parking and sauntering in.
"May I help you?" The tag on the salesman's lapel tells me his name is William.
"I am looking for the perfect ring to propose to my girl." I give him a crooked smile as my eyes continue to peruse the ring selection.
"Is there a specific style, diamond cut or price range that you are looking for?" He seems to clear his throat slightly as he takes in my appearance again.
"No, I will know it when I see it." I casually walk along the display cases, ignoring him now. I honestly don't know what I am looking for, I know Katie doesn't like flashy, and I want it to have meaning. Something that reminds me of her when I look at it. As I round the third display case, I see it. It is perfect. The description says it is an antique Black Hills gold wedding set. The wedding ring is a rose gold band that is lined all the way around with diamonds. The engagement ring is rose gold, with a heart shaped diamond in the center, with a butterfly design on each side with small diamonds within the wings. There are the same small diamonds that run around the rest of the ring that matches the wedding band. I wave the salesman over, pointing, "I would like to see that one."
William, as his name tag states, lifts an eyebrow at me as he pulls out the set. He hands it over to me to inspect, reluctantly removing his hand as I take it from him. "It is a beautiful set. It is on sale currently for $4867.72." I swear I hear a smug chuckle as he gives me the price. What this arrogant asshole doesn't realize is that I am good for the money. Any other time I would walk out of the store over his superior attitude with me, however this is the ring.
"I'll take it." I set the rings back down on the counter to a surprised looking William as I am pulling my wallet from my back pocket. Now that I have found the ring, I need to plan the moment. This will take some thinking on my part, and I want to wait until after the wedding, not wanting to take anything from Rick and Hayley's special day.