What Waits Along the Shore

Not Another Happy Ending

God I'm evil, making you wait two years before finally coming up with an end to this story. Here it is! Sorry for the wait! Hopefully you guys can forgive me :3

~G

Not Another Happy Ending

*Abby's POV*

I smiled down at the baby boy nestled in my arms, his hazel eyes staring widely up at me. His brown hair was patchy, but it made me think of his father, and suddenly the heartache returned. How could I have done that to Cam? I was shocked with myself at how selfish I had been; I told him he could go! He listened to me! And then there was Chris. I didn’t love Chris; he didn’t make me feel the way Cam made me feel. The room faded away as I travelled back in time to the boardwalk and the ferris wheel and the kiss. The smell of popcorn invaded my nose and the sound of laughter and arcade games filled the room as I felt goose bumps prickle my skin. I knew who I wanted to be with, who I wanted to help me raise my bundle of joy; it was Cam, it was always Cam.

The sound of gurgling brought me back and I looked down again to see my little boy smiling up at me. His eyes sparkled and again I knew it had to be Cam. I glanced at the phone next to my bed and dialed Zach’s number, eager to speak to him.
“Hey Abby!! How’s the little tike?” he picked up after the first ring.
“Good! Zach I need you to grab Cam and bring him to the baby viewing area as fast as possible” I spoke as I began to push the button that called the nearest nurse to my room.
“Ok, when?” Zach asked and I mentally face-palmed.
“Now!” I chuckled before hanging up.

“What can I do for you dearie?” the nurse came into my room smiling at me and the baby.
“Can you take him to the viewing area while I get changed? I have to give someone a surprise” I gently handed her the baby and slowly got up and grabbed a change of clothes. I quickly locked myself into the washroom in the corner of my room and fixed myself up as much as possible, pulling on my comfy sweats and a cute hoodie before applying some mascara and pulling my hair into a bun. I emerged from the bathroom just as my phone lit up with a text, alerting me that the boys were at the viewing area already. I threw my dirty clothes into my bag before shuffling as fast as my aching body would allow me to in the direction of the viewing area. Zach smiled when he caught my eye, but Cam scowled, causing a pain to jolt through my body. I shook my head and told myself to suck it up; I did this, I was the one who broke his heart. I slowly walked over and scanned the many rows of baby beds for the bed with my last name on the label.
“Hey” I said quietly, not able to meet his eyes.
“Hi” he curtly replied.
“So I have something to tell you” I told him before shooing Zach away with my hands. I grabbed Cam’s hands and pretended not to notice when he resisted my touch.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s not going to change what I did to you and I know that it doesn’t change how you feel about me right now but I need you to know. It’s you Cam. It’s always been you. You’ve never done any wrong to me. You’ve loved me and looked to me for guidance and when I told you what to do you did it. I can’t be mad at you for following your dream…”
“I’m not interested Abby” Cam cut me off.
“No, I’m not done,” I replied, wiping a tear that had escaped my eye, “You came back and you loved me. You’ve always been there and I betrayed you and hurt you in a way I never thought I would and for that I am truly sorry. But I can’t forget that kiss on the ferris wheel. How fast we fell in love with each other. I’ve never needed someone in my life so badly and I can’t think of living without you” another tear trailed down my cheek but I left it.
“I know what is going to be his name” I told him before turning back to the little baby in the blue hat wrapped tightly in the white blanket.
“Abby, I don’t…I can’t… it’s just…no. You completely destroyed me. You crushed my heart into a million pieces. I loved you so much and asked what I should do. I would have stayed if you told me to. But it doesn’t matter anymore because I can’t go back in time. The kiss was just a kiss. Everything we ever had was a lie and I don’t want to pretend anymore. It’s over and it has been for a long time, regardless of the fact that we have a baby. I am going to be his father and only that because I am beyond done” he was shaking as he finished his rant and I felt as though someone had sucked all of the air out of the room. Why couldn’t we go back? It was more than just a kiss. It’s not a lie anymore. I heard myself screaming inside my head; telling him he couldn’t do this to me, that he had a son to think about and that he should at least try for him. But he was right. With the sound of my heart breaking in my ears I nodded my head before pressing a hand up to the cool glass.
“What’s his name?” his voice was barely a whisper as he realized the effect he had had. The words were like thunder as I turned to look at him. Tears made his face blurry, but I soon realized that he too was crying.
“James” I whispered, feeling a small smile tug at the corner of my mouth.
“James?” he asked his eyes filling with more tears.
“He’s just like his dad” I replied before I was overwhelmed. A huge sob rocked my body and suddenly I found myself sitting on the floor, my knees to my chest and my head in my hands.

It’s not a happy ending. This is the real world. You meet people, you fall in love, you fall apart, your heart is broken, and you move on; it’s a never ending routine. Just like the never ending routine of dropping James off at Cameron’s every Friday for the weekend and driving home in an empty car with a heavy heart.

I turned off the highway and was greeting by the glint of the sunlight off the waves, the blue waters calling my name. I pulled the car over and pulled myself out of the driver’s seat feeling the wind whip my hair across my face. The salt air comforted me as I walked towards the beach, relaxing completely with the sand between my toes. James was with Cameron. I couldn’t have them both. It was time for me to accept my mistakes and as I glanced up along the beach, watching the waves break I couldn’t help but wonder, what waits along the shore?