I'M BAAAAACK!

Sorry for letting you guys hanging with this story! Hopefully this can make things up a bit?

Let me know what you think!

Be sure to check this story on Wattpad and AO3!

Thanks so much for reading!

1 YEAR LATER:

The day had finally arrived. Sarah looked at her reflection in the mirror, scanning for any sign of imperfection. The light color of her dress fabric brought her a sense of peace. She had been feeling uneasy for the past few nights, but today, the day that required every bit of her attention, she felt fine. In fact, she felt great. She added the last few touches to her hair, which she had managed to straighten and arrange into a fancy updo with Claire's help that same morning, and sighed at her own view.

She had changed, but so had many things around her. Still, she was glad about it. She was stronger. More aware.

"Sweetheart, we're going to be late", Connor said to her from the bottom of the stairwell. She hurried up fixing herself and quickly set her way towards the grand staircase.

There he was, in all his glory, looking up and awaiting her. He looked gorgeous: a black suit matching his perfectly combed hair, and a navy blue tie accentuating the color of his eyes. He had let his beard grow out a bit, but Sarah didn't mind at all. He was handsome as could be. He looked like a model, a celebrity of some sort.... Perhaps even a prince.

But he was more than that. God, so much more. She still had to pinch herself sometimes to make sure she was not living a dream.

He looked at her as if he had seen a goddess. His eyes and smile widened considerably once he took in her appearance. He extended his hand out to her as she descended the stairs carefully as to not trip with her gown. Once she reached his hand, he pulled her in for a hug and spun her around lightly.

Sarah let out a joyful laugh once he set her down. Connor placed a light kiss on her temple and intertwined her arm in his.

"You look ravishing today, Mrs. Rhodes".

Sarah rolled her eyes, a chill running down her back at the huskiness of his voice. It's not that she didn't enjoy hearing her new name. In fact, she loved it... but it made her feel old and Connor knew it, and since had non-stop teased her about it.

She whacked him on the ribs lightly with her handbag as he laughed at her feigned, shocked expression. Once he quieted down, he placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him fully. She loved this, being able to kiss him wherever and whenever. No more hiding, no more pretending, and without anyone trying to stop them.

Connor sighed once she broke up the kiss. Sarah could see the adoration in his eyes, which she mirrored back. They were in love. So much so, Sarah feared one day her heart would burst.

"Shall we, my queen?" Connor bowed to her.

"We shall, my king", Sarah mocked back with a curtsy. They both laughed and they entered Connor's black Dodge Challenger, enjoying each other's company.

This past few months had been wonderful: they had gotten married on Maui eight months ago. Sarah had graduated school and was now officially a doctor, and was now beginning her residency under Doctor Charles's guidance to become a psychiatrist. Connor had sold his old apartment and they had bought a house, which was much closer to the hospital, and happened to be near Claire's estate. Connor had also been promoted to head cardiologist on GCMC, which happened to bring an excellent reputation to his name.

Sarah felt blessed about it all. She was living the life of her dreams with the man of her dreams.

Yet not everything had been bliss.

Connor's father had never shown up at the wedding. Connor hadn't minded, but Sarah had felt a bit disappointed by the fact that his father wanted nothing to do with his son. Claire still kept in contact with him, but it had started to fade since she and Connor had gotten closer as siblings.

Sarah still had continuous nightmares about what had happened at Navy Pier, which sometimes interfered with her work quality. Connor had always been supportive and protective of her and sometimes found himself tending to her throughout the night. Nighttime could be a complete drain for her, and it didn't help at all that she felt guilty that Connor wasted hours of sleep to watch over her.

Nonetheless, Sarah chose not to focus on the bad. She had a lot of things to be grateful for, and she was not going to let anything or anyone keep her from enjoying her blessings. She had been working again with Alice Clark, her psychologist, to deal with what had happened with Joey. She had gotten surgery to remove the ugly scar on her abdomen, and she had come to terms with the man's death. After a year of it all, she was finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Once Sarah and Connor had pulled up at the venue, they instantly spotted Maggie and April, who were all over the place making sure that everything was perfect. Sarah felt awestruck by the look of the place: yesterday it had looked so normal, and now she felt as if she were on a majestic and beautiful kept castle. Flowers adorned every corner, and ribbons soared from one pillar to the other in a gallant way. Rose petals revolved at their feet with the gush of the wind, making everything even more magical.

Once Sarah caught Maggie's eye, the older woman began marching right at her, followed by an exhausted April.

"Where. On. Earth. Have. You. Been." Maggie said through a fake smile as she tried to not break into a hysterical fit. April looked at Sarah, stressed. She probably had endured Maggie's demands and orders throughout the whole morning, and Sarah couldn't help but find the situation hilarious.

"Relax, Maggie, we had to stop on the way to pick up more flowers, but I see you've done a great work. Besides, we're early, aren't we?" Sarah asked Connor, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Right", he said instantly, agreeing with his wife, but fearing any outburst from Maggie.

"Never mind that! Connor, you better get going", said Maggie grabbing his arm and practically throwing him into the direction he was supposed to go. "Ethan got here hours ago, and Will seems like he's having a nervous breakdown".

"He's not the only one", April whispered to Sarah looking straight at Maggie's direction. "If she ever gets married, I'll be needing a LONG vacation from that Bridezilla".

"Alright you two!" said Maggie turning around before Sarah could let out a laugh. "Nat needs us, we must get to her quickly."

Once they reached Nat, Sarah stood at the entrance: She looked beautiful. She always did, but now more than ever. Her white dress fell graciously and hugged her form just lightly, but what seemed to bring everyone's attention to her was her glowing smile. She was radiantly happy, Sarah could tell.

Owen came in sight and hugged her mother's leg through her dress, demanding to be picked up. She picked him up and played with him a few seconds, before taking in Maggie's appearance.

"Don't worry, Nat, everything is under control. Everything is going to go out perfectly", Maggie said fanning herself. She seriously looked like she was going to pass out.

Natalie's gaze met Sarah and both rolled their eyes humorously. "Mags, why don't you sit down for a second? You're going to pass out", Nat laughed.

"Yeah", she said out of breath. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. A drink too, maybe..." she said to herself as she exited the room debating if it was okay with herself to drink at this hour of the morning.

April rolled her eyes with a smile and approached Nat, holding the doctor's hands on her own once she had let Owen down. The little boy trotted straight to Sarah, and she picked him up and spun him around, making him giggle. Sarah adored him, and she could tell Owen liked her too.

"How are you feeling?" April asked Nat.

Natalie sighed, a nervous smile on her face. "I'm okay... it's just... I can't believe today is the day", she said laughing, and April joined her.

"What?" Owen asked Sarah curiously. She laughed at his short question. He was still two years old after all.

"Well, mommy and daddy are getting married, aren't you so excited?" Sarah asked him excitedly, which made him excited.

"Yeah!" he said, throwing a little fist pump in the air. Everyone laughed, but more so at the fact that Owen couldn't even begin to understand what this day meant for his parents. Will was finally becoming his official legal guardian... and his father. And Nat couldn't feel happier about it, and about sharing the rest of her life with Will. Of course, Will would never replace Owen's dad, but Nat was more than okay with his son having a father, more so if it was Will.

A knock on the door was heard and Ethan's head popped behind it.

"Ladies, it's time". He then turned to Owen. "Hey, buddy, why don't you come with me so you can see daddy?"

Owen began fluttering excitedly in Sarah's arms so she let him down, watching as he quickly followed Ethan out of the room.

Nat started to breathe heavily, beginning to get nervous. A mix of emotions washed over her, and she looked at Sarah for reassurance.

"Relax", Sarah instructed as she came towards her. "Everything is going to go perfectly. You look beautiful, and everyone is here for you and Will."

Nat nodded at her with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

"Since when did you become so wise?" she managed to tease as everyone got ready to head out the door.

"Since I became Mrs. Rhodes", she laughed and grabbed the tail of the other girl's dress, ready to play her part, and ready to witness the exchange of love about to unfold.

---------

The wedding had been a blatant success. Everyone was now dancing and enjoying the music and the good company of the people. Sarah had just been with Dr. Charles, discussing a few things from work before heading back to Connor.

That's when she felt it again. The weird feeling that she had felt earlier that morning. She had said nothing about it, but now she felt it stronger than before. She stopped walking to pay attention to her body. She couldn't quite figure out what she was feeling, but she still felt... strange.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" Claire's voice said from behind her. She looked genuinely concerned for her, so Sarah drew a smile to calm her down.

"It's nothing. I think I'm coming down with a cold", she whined slightly and Claire laughed, handing her a drink.

"A doctor with a cold. Now that's a strange thing to have in mind," she laughed as she intertwined their arms and walked back to the party.

Nat and Will were still dancing, Owen between them as they enjoyed their first moments as an official family. April and Ethan danced together as well and seemed to be having a good time altogether. Maggie kept laughing hysterically about something with Goodwin and Claire waved Sarah goodbye so she could rejoin her date.

She kept staring from afar at her family with a grin on her face, which morphed into a startled jolt once she felt Connor's hands wrapped around her stomach.

"I didn't scare you, did I?" Connor asked subtly as he kissed her neck. Sarah gulped and shook her head slightly as she felt her sanity leave her mind. Once Connor deepened his kisses, she placed a hand on his forearm.

"Babe, stop".

"Why?" He ignored her and continued to show his devotion to his wife.

"Because!" Sarah laughed. "My boss is right there and I don't think it's appropriate".

Connor sighed, feigning annoyance.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart". He said, kissing her lips quickly. "But you owe me", he winked at her.

"You're incorrigible", Sarah rolled her eyes, amused.

"And you're beautiful, darling", he said as he took her hand, spun her around, and led her to the dance floor.

They danced until it the sky was dark. It had been a while since Sarah had had this much fun, surrounded by the people she loved most. But all good things came to an end, and this was no exception. She felt exhausted, and couldn't wait to head home and relax.

She still swayed to a slow song, wrapped in Connor's arms, only they and the bride and groom still on the dance floor. Nat's mother-in-law had offered to watch over Owen for Nat and Will to enjoy their trip to the Bahamas, and she had left early in the afternoon. Maggie and April had also left, wanting to be well rested for the arduous work that awaited them at the hospital the next day.

Both Sarah and Connor had a lot of work for tomorrow as well, but they simply enjoyed one another, both unable to move from their peaceful positions.

"You're tired", Connor said to her as she yawned. Sarah shook her head in denial and he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Let's go home, baby".

Sarah finally relented. They had said their goodbyes to Will and Nat and now were on their way back home on Connor's car.

When they arrived, Sarah lit some candles and ran herself a bath while she enjoyed a good book and a glass of wine. It was not her usual night routine, but she felt that a day as good as this deserved a good ending.

Her hair was picked up in a messy bun as she relaxed in the rose water, a few droplets tickling the back of her neck as she focused on the book at hand. She was so focused, she didn't hear Connor come in and kneel behind her. She only noticed his presence when he started massing her shoulders, relieving any kind of tension off of them.

Sarah sighed, content, the book now long forgotten.

"I love you," she said, her eyes closed as she relaxed into the attention of her husband.

Connor leaned closer and kissed her right shoulder. "I love you too".

Their faces were close and finally blue met brown. An electric current connected them. It was something that Sarah had experienced before but never like this. Connor was special. Love connected their souls.

Sarah finally arched her neck and kissed him slowly, but intensely, which he reciprocated. They were in love. And no worry or trouble could ever change that.

------

A few hours later, Sarah got up from their bed, hurrying just in time to empty the alcohol that just recently had been on her stomach on the toilet. She dry-heaved for a few more seconds before calming down.

She flushed the toilet and managed to get up from her weak position. Thankfully, she had not woken Connor up.

She cleaned herself up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked exhausted, sweat beginning to set on her forehead. She adjusted her hair in a bun and grabbed a robe to cover her tank top and shorts from the wind current that flowed from the bathroom window.

Why did she feel so weird? Had she caught a virus? But how could she? Connor would too be sick if she had by now.

Unless...

Realization hit her.

No. But that couldn't be the reason. Could it? I mean it could be... but... it was way too early. Surely it was something else. Not that... Right?

Sarah shook her head, her legs trembling as she drew open their medicine cabinet.

"I mean, I might as well try..." she said to herself. There was no point to it, though. So what if her period was a little late. No big deal. There was no need to get all worked up about it. Her periods had always been irregular anyway.

Still, the result from the plastic stick told her otherwise. And so did the result of the second test. And the third. And the fourth.

Sarah stood in shock as she looked at the results at hand: they all marked plus signs. She blinked hard a few times and looked back again. She wasn't dreaming. This was real. She didn't know what to think or what to do.

All she knew was that she was pregnant.

Let me know your thoughts on this one!