When Rich Meets Poor

41|Family Over Everything

October 2, 2018
New York City, New York

My eyes flutter open only to see Connor holding Olivia while sitting in a chair.

"Ahhhh, she's awake!" Olivia shouts.

Connor quickly stands up from the chair.

"Am I going to die?" I ask Connor.

"No, you're not going to die. But, we do have some very important news that we found out ," a person, I'm assuming the doctor, says while entering the room.

"Well, what is?" I sit up in the hospital bed.

"You're pregnant!" The doctor exclaims.

"What?!" Olivia shouts.

Connor and I look at each other.

"I'm just kidding!" The doctor laughs but none of us do as well.

   "Oh come on, I do this to everyone," she crosses her arms.

   "What if you do it to someone who actually was excited when you told them that?" I ask.

   Not that I was excited because I'm still in college, but, if I actually were pregnant I would do anything I could to give that child the best life I could.

   "Can I sign her out?" Connor questions the doctor.

   "Of course, you'll have to do it at the front desk," she tells him before leaving the room, followed by Connor.

   "I'm so glad you're okay Harper," Olivia runs over to me as I slide out of the uncomfortable bed.

   I'm unstable on my feet and nearly fall to the ground.

   I hold onto a table beside the bed for support.

   Once Connor returns the nurse asks if we need a wheelchair.

   "No thank you mam, I've got this covered," he rejects the lady.

   He puts Olivia on his shoulders before picking me up bridal style.

   "Oh Connor, the house! It's all ruined," I cry.

   "It's okay, I was planning on buying a new one sometime soon eventually," he says as if it were nothing.

   "But, everything to remind you of your wife was in that house," I bite my lip. That slipped, I didn't mean to say that.

   "Not everything. I keep the most important things of hers in a safe at work," he explains.

   "Was William Addington arrested?" I ask, hoping he'll say yes.

   "Uhhh, well. William committed suicide. An anonymous person turned him in immediately. The cops began to look for him, it wasn't reported until late yesterday night by pedestrians that he was seen jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge,"  Connor sighs while putting me in the passenger seat of his car.

   "I think you've experienced your fair share of getting hurt in New York," Connor laughs before buckling Olivia in her car seat and getting into the driver's seat.

   "You think?" I jokingly ask.

   "No more hospital trips for at least the next three years," he says sternly.

   "That goes for you too, Olivia," Connor adds.

   "You know Connor, I don't think Olivia and I would still be alive today if it weren't for Courtney," I admit.

   "What do you mean if it weren't for Courtney, what does she have to do with any of this?" He tightens his grip on the steering wheel, clearly angry that I brought her up.

   "When I dropped Olivia off the deck, she caught her. I guess she saw the flames of the house and wanted to help. I know you hate her guts Connor, but she saved our lives," I put my hand on his arm.

   "I had no idea, I guess I have to thank her for that," he loosens his grip on the steering wheel.

   "But, in the mean time, I think this calls for a celebratory ice cream trip," I clap my hands together.

   "Your guy's survival means we celebrate with ice cream?" He asks.

   "Come on Daddy, we don't really even need a reason to get ice cream, just let us get it!" Olivia whines from the back seat.

   "You guys always eat ice cream, doesn't it ever get tiring?" He laughs.

   "You're right. Let's get deep fried Oreos!" I insist.

   "Deep fried Oreos?" Olivia asks.

   "Don't tell me you've never had deep friend Oreos," I gasp.

   "She hasn't, because before you came along she used to eat healthy all the time," Connor jokingly responds.

   "Hey now, hey now, I do eat healthy, but I treat myself to snacks every now and again because I'm special," I punch him in the arm.

   Moments like these are what make me the happiest in life. Just the three of us, being ourselves. Of course we lost a lot in that fire, but it doesn't stop us from being the happy family we know we are.

   The cars is filled with laughter from the three of us.

   "Deep fried Oreos it is," Connor shrugs while still laughing.

   But, that's when it hits me hard, how is he still so happy?

      "How can you still laugh? Connor you lost everything you love in that house," I turn to look at him.

   "What do mean? Everything I love is sitting in this car right now," he responds.