Dolphin Tale 7

Epilogue

ONE MONTH LATER

June 28th had always been a relatively quiet day, always passing by with little or no fuss. At least, that had been the case until, one year ago to this day, Sawyer had thrown Hazel a massive 21st birthday party.

And this year, the already special day was about to become even more momentous.

Sawyer had received a page from Dr. Hanson early in the morning, and while Hazel was still asleep, he left the parents room that had been their home for the past few months and made his way to the nurses' office in the NICU. After exchanging a few words and signing a few documents, he thanked the charge nurse and sent a quick text to both his mother and Dr. Clay before heading back to the room. Thankfully, Hazel was still asleep and he was able to slide back into bed with her without waking her up.

He slid his arm around her and drew her in closer. Instinctively, she appeared to snuggle into him, and he smiled in content as he gently stroked her hair and breathed in her familiar scent.

It was around an hour later when she began to stir, burrowing deeper into Sawyer's cosy embrace, a peaceful expression on her face. She opened one eye and quickly shut it when she caught him looking. A few moments later, she opened her other eye but immediately shut it when she realised that he was staring at her. Not only that, but he had moved so subtly that she hadn't felt it—his face now only a few inches away from hers.

He chuckled. "Good morning to you, too, my silly little hazelnut."

Hazel opened her eyes, which were alight with silent laughter, but quickly closed them when Sawyer leaned down towards her and locked his lips onto hers in a tender kiss. It was dainty like a rose petal but the untethered passion they both felt burned them to the core like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

As they pulled apart, Sawyer pressed a gentle kiss against Hazel's forehead before planting yet another one in her tangle of unruly hair. He smiled, absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair, delicately undoing the knots that had formed overnight.

Hazel turned her head slightly to look at the clock on the wall, pausing when she caught sight of something sitting on the bedside table. It was wrapped in glittering golden wrapping paper.

"What's that?"

Sawyer followed her line of sight and grinned, reaching over to pick up the mysterious object and handing it to her.

"It's for you, Hazel," he said softly as she sat up. Slowly, he leaned in closer and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Happy Birthday, my love."

"It's really my birthday? Wow, time really flies."

For a moment, Hazel appeared to be distracted by her thoughts. The past few months seemed to somehow both drag on and whiz by, and somewhere along the way, she had lost track of time.

But now she was reoriented.

Slowly, she began to try and unwrap the gift, seemingly unwilling to tear the wrapping paper. She had to give it to Sawyer—he had wrapped the present with a high level of precision and expertise, and she did not want to destroy his artistry by tearing it to shreds.

Sawyer watched as she painstakingly tried to unwrap the gift, his heart racing as the suspension pulled tight on his nerves. When she finally opened it, he examined her facial expression as she caught sight of what was within, his nerves taut like an elastic band just waiting for release.

There was a moment of silence as Hazel simply stared at what had been so carefully wrapped, a dumbfounded expression clouding her face. Moments later, her gaze moved to Sawyer, and the silence was punctuated by her laughter.