The day after I woke up was the day I got to hold my baby for the first time. The last time I had held a baby this small was when I had Sam. It brought tears to my eyes in both kinds of ways. I was so sad I missed out on everything with Sam, but I was grateful and so happy I got a second chance with baby Curtis.

I made a big fuss about wanting to meet my daughter. Everfield thought I should wait a day or so before trying to hold an infant, but Sodapop was there to help. Sodapop agreed with me. I should be able to hold my baby.

When the nurses brought in the bassinet, I started crying right then and there. The tiny little girl all swaddled up in blankets was lifted out and placed gently in my arms. Despite carrying her in me for eight months, I almost couldn't believe she was mine.

Her eyes were wide and she stared up at me curiously, like I was some kind of alien. I guess I looked like it with all the wires connected to me. The back brace made it a little hard for me to hold her close, so Sodapop helped and we held her together. My brother and sister and my adoptive daughter stood beside us, just watching.

I took in her appearance: even at just a few weeks old, she had thick, dark blonde ringlets forming on her head. Her eyes were a rich brown, just like Soda's. In almost every way, she looked just like her dad. The only physical trait she'd gotten from me, that I could see, was her curly hair. She was so beautiful, I couldn't look away from her.

I watched as tears rolled down Sodapop's face.

"Aw, baby, please don't cry," I said. He looked up at me and smiled.

"I can't help it. I'm just so happy we're all together. This is probably the happiest moment of my life, seeing you hold our baby." This made me want to start crying, too.

"Oh, god, you guys," Claire groaned, swiping her fingers under her eyes. "You're gonna make me cry."

"So, what are you gonna name her?" Greg asked curiously. I looked down at my daughter, who was still looking between Sodapop and me.

"Hi, angel," I whispered to her. "What should we call you, hm?"

Just then, Soda gasped. "That's it," he said.

"What?"

"Angel."

"Angel? Really?"

"I mean, think about it. It's kind of a miracle she survived. And here she is, healthy and smiling and content. She's like our little angel."

"That's so precious," Claire said.

Robin squeezed her way in next to Soda so she could get up close to the baby. "I like Angel," she said, giving us both a wide smile. "Can I pick her middle name?"

"Of course you can," I told her.

"How about Snowflake? My mom told me she gave me the middle name 'Rainbow' because there was a rainbow when I was born. And it was snowing with the baby was born. "

Sodapop turned to me and grinned. "Angel Snowflake Curtis?"

I couldn't help but smile. "We're true Curtises," I chuckled.

"So, is that what we're putting on the birth certificate?"

"Definitely."

A little while later, Sodapop left with Robin to get some food and Angel was laid back down in her bassinet. Claire and Greg and I were left alone. I was starting to hurt really bad, but I was doing my best to not show it. I guess my brother noticed. He usually notices stuff like that.

"I'll go and get the doc. Maybe he'll give you some pain medicine."

"I'm fine," I said. Greg gave me a look and I knew there was no point in arguing with him. He left the room and all was silent. Claire grabbed my hand and sent me a reassuring look. "What?"

Her gaze diverted to the floor for a minute before she looked back up at me. "There's something you should know... about Sodapop."

"What about him? I thought he was fine, except for the concussion--"

"Well, yeah, he's okay... for the most part. You know how when he got home from 'Nam... he was different?"

"Yeah," I said. "But he got better."

"Well... after the accident, his nightmares came back. I'm not sure how bad it really is because he hasn't slept very much in the three weeks you were out. But just when he was napping, he'd just... convulse. It was scary to watch. He'd like scream until one of us woke him up. And he never remembered it happening."

I frowned. I hated imagining Sodapop going through his post-trauma again. And the fact that I wasn't there to help him. I knew it wasn't my fault, but I also knew, it one way or another, I was one of the reasons that Sodapop was able to cope with everything when he came home.

He'd told me once. It was one of those late night kind of things where you talking about everything and nothing and you're really tired so most of it doesn't make sense. It was before I'd gotten Greg and Claire. He told me how I was the reason he didn't have nightmares.

Because of him, I didn't have nightmares, either.

This whole thing without each other was a nightmare. I still couldn't believe we were all okay. Sodapop's parents had died in a car accident. I couldn't imagine how hard he'd been taking this whole thing.

Sodapop was strong, but everyone has their breaking point.

I'd learned that the hard way with Dallas.

'''

Angel and I weren't released from the hospital for another month. It sucked being holed up for so long, but I was glad to finally be going home. By the time I was let out, I was gaining some feeling back in my legs, but not much.

I was glad that we had finished the additional room and the nursery, so now everyone had their own rooms. We planned on keeping the baby in our room for her first few months before moving her to the nursery.

I was excited to hear that Hannah had delivered her baby and that he was healthy. They'd decided on naming him Tucker Mitchell Mathews, his first name being an ode to Dallas. While I was still in the hospital, Hannah and Two brought Tucker in so I could meet him. Hannah looked tired, but she kept that radiant glow that she'd had while she was pregnant. That was one thing I loved about Hannah: she was always radiating. After everything that had happened to her, she was always like a ray of sunshine-- as corny as that sounds.

When Hannah left the room to go and feed the baby, Two-Bit turned to me and told me how nervous he was to be a dad-- to be a real dad. After his dad had walked out on him and his younger sister when they were kids, Two-Bit's greatest fear was that he'd be just as shitty a father as his old man. I had to remind him how amazing he was with Mikey and how supportive he'd been through Hannah's pregnancy.

"Mikey and Hannah are probably the best things to ever happen to me. And now I got Tucker..." Two trailed off. "I don't know how I could live with myself if I ever lost them."

"You won't lose them, buddy. You've fought so hard for them. You got sober to keep Mikey. You were supportive when you found out Hannah was pregnant. You stuck by her through the whole pregnancy. You deserve just as much love and support as they do. You're a good man, Keith. You really are. You are nothing like your father and you never will be."

This made him cry, which made me cry. When Sodapop walked in with a cup of ice, all he could do was stare at us for a couple of seconds before silently leaving the room and leaving us be.

The thing no one ever really realized, I think, about Two-Bit was that he was insecure. He thrived to be a great person and, even when people pointed out how amazing of a friend he was, he still failed to see it. When his dad walked out on him and Ann and Sarah, it really took a toll on him. For the most part, Keith Mathews was a strong person. When it came to stepping up, he really underestimated himself.

As time went on, Two-Bit became much more comfortable about being a dad. Of course, he'd done well with Mikey. But having your own child is a lot different than raising someone else's. I knew all about that.

Before I knew it, our baby girl was six months old. She was getting big and it was so surreal to see my child growing right before my eyes. Parenthood was slightly difficult, especially since I was mostly wheelchair-bound. My legs had gotten strong enough to be able to use a walker, but not for very long.

Even after all the physical therapy, my legs would never be able to support me the way they used to, meaning I wouldn't ever get to go back and work in the shop. It sucked because I'd really enjoyed working on cars.

In April, Tasha had her baby. She had a little boy who she insisted on naming Darrell, taking on the eldest Curtis tradition. Darry was so proud of his son. Darry wasn't usually one to cry, but seeing him hold his son and crying while he did so just further proved that he was nothing but a big softie.

Despite our protests, Darry and Tasha decided to just get hitched. I never expected Darry to be the one to just get it over and done with, but he told us it was because they couldn't be bothered with planning a whole wedding around just having a newborn. They got married in May, just a few weeks after Darrell III, was born.

August rolled in and mine and Sodapop's wedding was now only a month away. We'd decided on having the wedding at the beginning of the month, as it would be perfect weather: nice and warm during the day and cooler at night. We'd decided on September 15, just fifteen days before my twenty-seventh birthday.

Wedding dress shopping proved to be difficult, but all the girls were so helpful and supportive and I was so grateful to have such great friends. The guys were busy babysitting while Claire, Cathy, Tasha, Hannah, Evie, and I all went to pick out the perfect dress. It took some time and a lot of patience, but I ended up leaving with the perfect one.

I was silent the whole car ride home. Ever since the accident, I was weird about cars. Mostly, I was just anxious about my wedding. I didn't really care about the dress or the decorations the way the other girls did. In the end, I'd be marrying my best friend. The man who protected me and stood up for me and fought beside me, the way I'd done for him. We'd grown up together. As kids, we were practically attached at the hip. Now, we were getting married. We had two kids and we were taking care of my brother and sister and we had a nice house and we were happy.

Ten years ago, I couldn't see myself in this spot. I'd given up on the idea of me with Sodapop. I didn't know where I was gonna end up, but I'd just hoped it was somewhere good.

Now, looking back, I can smile. I was so naive. I was so convinced I wasn't going to get that white-picket-fence life like in the movies. I have that now and I'm lucky.

Sometimes I still wake up and think it's all a dream until I roll over and feel around in the bed for Soda and I smile because he's there. Just like he's always been.