Eight months later
I gave Cole one condition if he wanted to run the London Marathon; I had to run it with him, to which he joyfully accepted.
Once accepted, Cole and I became this overly cheesy couple who went running together. At first, we didn’t get a lot of running done. I proved that I could only run for ten minutes before giving up and Cole proved that the bounce of my boobs as I ran was much more fun to watch rather than running. Shamefully, Cole was a lot fitter than me to begin with, despite my obvious distractions. We took it very slow and steady to begin with and soon we were running 1, 5, 10 miles at a time. I used to panic when I saw Cole heaving and panting after finishing, but he reassured me he felt okay. In fact, the first time, I was nearly in tears seeing him lying back on the floor trying to breathe, but I’ve settled since.
I nuzzle my face against Cole’s neck to rouse him from his slumber, before feeling him through his pants to see him smirking. I gently skim my fingers over the fabric to wake him. Cole opens one eye and shakes his head.
Cole’s going to the doctors today to see if he’s going to be well enough to run the London Marathon next week. His last check up showed his heart was being put under some strain from the running in recent weeks, which is far from ideal. I know Cole is desperate to run it, but if the doctor says no, then I will put my foot down and insist he doesn’t run.
After finally waking up with all that teasing, Cole is driving us to the hospital. It’s safe to say, Cole and I spend our lives in and out of hospital, both for my career, and to check his health. Though at the beginning of the year, we were in hospital for an entirely different reason altogether; for a happier, more exciting reason, the birth of Alex and Ben’s baby.
Time seems to have flown by ever since I met the organ recipients for the first time. I remember Ben had called at 7am in the morning that Alex had gone into labour and that she had given birth to their baby. They had a beautiful little girl, weighing six pounds, five ounces and wanted us to come and see her. Of course, we jumped at the chance. We eagerly made our way through to see the new little addition, their baby girl who they hadn’t named yet. Once in the hospital room, we saw Alex cradling their new daughter and I knew there was no better job than to be a midwife and see the elated faces of new parents afterwards. Alex beamed when she saw me and Cole and I were allowed to have a cuddle with the new little one. I remember it just like yesterday seeing them share a look before asking me if they could use Hope as their little girl’s middle name. They wanted to call her Naomi Hope Healey. I had confusedly asked why, when they explained that my dad had given them the chance to be a family and that I was integral in making that happen. I just sat and cried when they explained that, I was an emotional mess they wanted to thank me in a way and in the sweetest way possible.
Now Naomi is born, I am receiving many more letters through, updating Cole and I on her progress and sending the sweetest pictures through. Similarly, I am in contact with Tommy a couple of Skype sessions a month and I regularly call Florence and have met with her several times this year.
All of these people are still in my life and it doesn’t look like our connection is going to fade anytime soon, which is inexplicably wonderful.
Cole nervously bounces his foot the whole way to the hospital and I know he’s as worried as he looks. This means a lot to him, and I don’t know which way it’ll go. Cole has done really well and has managed to get up to half a marathon but no more, compared to me who has pushed it to about 19 miles. I’m worried that the strain will be too much on his heart seeing as he hasn’t been able to run as far as he needs to run
I squeeze his hand and kiss the heart now adorned on his wrist that he had tattooed several months ago for his birthday present, as we leave the car and head into the hospital.
Soon enough, we’re sat in a hospital room and Cole’s doctor comes in. She sits down, picking up Cole’s notes and waits for Cole to speak.
‘You know I’ve been training to run the London marathon, well, do you think I still can do it?’ Cole asks instantly, not beating around the bush, he just wants to know if he can run.
The doctor face softens and says seriously, ‘Honestly Cole? I would advise you not to run this year. I think putting 26 miles of strain on your heart won’t do you any good. You’ve done fantastically to run as much as you do, but 26 miles on one day? I don’t think your heart would appreciate that.’
‘Can I walk it?’ He tries.
‘Run, walk, skip, jump, you shouldn’t be putting yourself through that intense physical exertion which wouldn’t be ideal. How far have you ran to date?’
Cole sheepishly looks at her and mutters, ’13 miles.’
She nods slowly and Cole knows what she is saying. ‘I think you just need to not over exert yourself too soon. You’ve done well to run 13 miles, but doubling it would not be the best thing for your health. Your body is in control here Cole and no matter how mentally prepared you are for this, your health is more important and I think giving this year a miss would be better off.’
As we leave the room, I can see Cole’s eyes have filled with tears. He looks gutted. I stop him and stand on my tip toes to kiss his lips, looking into his eyes as I say, ‘Cole you know that it’s best.’ I gently caress his face, feeling the roughness of his morning hair graze against my fingers. I can see the frustration in his eyes. He really wanted to do this.
‘But what about all that money that we wanted to raise?’ He asks helplessly. ‘Two and a half thousand pounds! I feel like I’m letting everyone down if I can’t run.’
My heart sinks for him. I know how much he wanted to do this; it’s all we’ve talked about in the recent months. ‘You’re not letting anyone down, Flash. Not at all. And I’m still running it so we’ll still raise the money. I’ll run it for both of us,’ I tell him positively, the thought petrifying me however.
‘Yeah? On your own?’
I nod and squeeze his hand. This means so much to him. ‘Yeah. You’re lucky I love you though. I hate running.’
He smirks. ‘I know. Thank you, Strawbs.’
♥♥♥
It’s the morning of the marathon and I’m pretty sure Cole and I shouldn’t have spent the best part of the evening frolicking between the sheets. It’s alright for Cole, he’s not running today, but I’ve practically burned off all of that pasta and carbs I devoured last night in preparation for the marathon.
Cole nudges me awake and I wrinkle my nose at him, opening one eye.
‘You ready little runner?’
‘Nope,’ I say, popping the p. ‘But I’m going to do my best.’
As I dress in my shorts, my red runner’s charity top and apply my running number, Cole gets ready beside me and unplugs his camera from the charger. Cole, Willa, Edward and Jennifer are going to track me around the course as I run and take photos of me. Obviously Cole wouldn’t let this opportunity pass, so he’s trying to capture every moment, even before we leave.
‘Lemme have a picture of you,’ Cole insists, pulling me up from the chair and drawing me to him. I grin and press my lips to his and place my hand over his heart. ‘This is for you two,’ I whisper and feel Cole’s heartbeat race up.
I know I am going to be an emotional mess at the end of the race, remembering why I am running and who I am running for, but I bat my falling tears away and chuckle. ‘Don’t let me start crying yet.’
Adhering to this, Cole squeezes my cheeks between his fingers and puckers up, ‘Nope. No tears yet.’
After making our way up to the start line at Greenwich Park, Cole and his family quickly take some pictures of me before heading off to their first photo point. Cole and I have planned several points along the way where we will see each other to lift my spirits. I think it’s also important for Cole to be as much a part of this as he can be as he can’t run it himself, which I don’t mind one bit.
‘Good luck, baby,’ he coos and gives me one last kiss firmly against my lips. He some of my flyaway pink hairs back and tucks them behind my ear.
‘I’ll see you shortly,’ I say nervously.
As Cole walks off, I feel my heart drop, holding back all my fears from Cole. He has no idea how petrified I am and how worried I am that I might not make it around the course. Twenty six freaking miles. Cole’s mental determination is far stronger than my own. I quit so easily and I’m not sure how I’ll do. I make my way to my starting section, which is a lot further back than I had originally thought. Moving along with the people predicted to run the marathon in five hours, we form a mass of people and slowly make it towards the start line.
I spot a person running for the same charity as me and as if by magic, the woman turns to look at me and smiles. ‘What’s your motive for running?’ She asks, bearing a big smile.
‘I lost my dad and he was an organ donor,’ I say proudly. I am so proud that he chose to be an organ donor. ‘I’m running for my boyfriend too.’
She rests a hand on my shoulder and shares, ‘You’re running for a great cause.’
That I am.
As we step over the start line, I begin with a light jog, looking out for Cole as I go. While I’ve got one head phone in my ear with my running soundtrack, I’ve left one ear phone out so I can hear the crowd cheering, the only thing on my mind is to just keep running and watch out for Cole.
After twenty minutes of running and feeling relatively fresh, I see my boyfriend looking at the runners to try and spot me and beam. He looks so adorable. The rush I get from seeing him is immense. I weasel my way amongst the runners to get to the side of the road and wave broadly at him. Immediately, Cole begins to snap away and looks overjoyed at seeing me.
‘GO HOPE! WELL DONE HOPE!’ He cheers and pulls me for a quick kiss before letting me run on. ‘See you soon, baby!’
I grin and keep running, an instant adrenaline rush surging through my body as I wave goodbye.
Now, if Cole was running along with me, running would be a whole lot more enjoyable, but the crowd is what is keeping me going for now. I thoroughly enjoyed training with Cole; it was just another way for us to spend more time together doing coupley things. It would make my heart melt when I had pulled a muscles and Cole would sit at the side of the road with me and massage my aching legs like nothing else mattered.
Swiping my hand across my sweaty head and hair, I grab a bottle of water and drink it before continuing to run. In the close distance, I can see Cole again, standing out in his bright blue top and beige chinos. He looks gorgeous today. Jen had also made me a banner, so she’s flying that up high and Edward and Willa are cheering when they spot me.
Cole quickly begins to take pictures again and smiles so wide that I just want to stay here and hug him.
‘How’s it going, Strawbs?’ He asks, running alongside me for a bit.
I nod, carefully watching my footing amongst the many runners, ‘Tough, but I'm so much better for seeing you here.’
He quickly kisses my hand before tapping my bum and winking at me. ‘Keep going, Hope. You’re doing so well.’
Now, after thirteen miles, I feel hot and tired. I know Cole is going to be up ahead, and I really need his help in boosting my urge to run. As I cross over Tower Bridge, I smile when I see Cole waiting for me. I slow down and Cole spots me and frantically takes more pictures. I pull him to me for a hug to stop, but he keeps running with me. ‘Alright?’
I wrinkle my nose and shake my head, my limbs aching and my body feeling weak. ‘It’s so hot today. Twenty three degrees is unbearable to run in. I don’t think I’m doing very well.’
Cole pouts and holds my hand, continuing to jog with me. ‘You are doing amazingly. Come on, babe, have a little hope. You’re doing so fantastically and look sexy as hell right now.’ That makes me crack a smile and Cole smiles. ‘Keep going. I am so proud of you, Strawbs. Keep running, for me and for your dad.’
And just when I thought my belief in finishing the marathon was wavering; those few short words of encouragement have me dying to race on. My boyfriend knows all the right things to say, just when I need them.
‘Well done, Hope,’ Jen cheers and gives me a quick hug before I run on.
‘How am I doing time wise?’ I check with Cole as I start to jog on.
‘You’re ahead, so keep going.’
Around mile 20, I’m pulled over by a famous male reporter who wants to talk to me, or any willing runner, I’m assuming. This is the much needed break I need.
‘Well done for getting to mile 20! You’re on the BBC. What’s your name and who are you running for?’
‘I’m Hope and I’m running in memory of my dad and for my boyfriend. He had a heart transplant last year so I’m running to raise money for research and awareness.’
‘How are you finding the day?’ He asks me quickly, noting I want to keep running.
‘It’s been tough, but the crowds are amazing and my boyfriend has been supporting me all the way.’
‘What’s his name?’
‘Cole,’ I smile. ‘Hi Cole.’ I wave at the camera and say, ‘I love you. I’m going to make him watch this later now,’ I chuckle and then the reporter leaves me to keep running. At mile 22, I spot Cole and I excitedly tell him about my appearance on TV. This encounter is brief because knowing I am a mere four miles away makes me want to keep on running and finish this ordeal.
I think I can do it now.
‘See you at the finish line,’ he calls out and I am close to guaranteeing that I will finish this. Wiping the sweat from my face, I grab another bottle of water and take a few sips before continuing to run.
I can do this. I will do this.
The past few miles pass in a blur and before I know it, I’m running past Buckingham Palace with the finish line in sight and running down The Mall. All that is going through my mind is my dad and Cole. I am doing it for these two men. They are my hero’s. My saviours. The two men I will love forever, despite one not being present.
Picking up my pace, I run as fast as I can and cross over the finish line in 4 hours 56 minutes. Panting and out of breath, I slowly walk through and have my medal slipped over my head, thanking and shaking hands with the people who finished at the same time as me. I look down at the medal and feel all overwhelmed.
This feels incredible.
I did it.
I walk to the waiting area and try to locate Cole and his family so we can collect my things. I spot Jennifer’s banner and walk slowly over to them, my legs feeling worse for wear. I tap Cole on the shoulder and he jumps before turning around and smiling so wide.
‘YOU DID IT!’ He cheers and lifts me up and onto his waist, spinning me around in excitement. Beaming I wipe away the tears as the emotions finally get to me. I lean down and kiss his lips, murmuring, ‘I ran for you both.’
He pulls away and runs his hand through my hair and rests his head against mine and whispers, ‘I am so proud of you, Hope. You have no idea. You give me so much hope.’
My heart thumps vibrantly against my chest as he says this. ‘You give me hope too.’ I feel sweat trickle down my face and I laugh. ‘Gosh, I bet I look a right state.’
He shakes his head, wrinkling his nose at me. ‘You look beautiful. You’re glowing, Hope.’
He slowly puts me down as I hug Willa, Edward and Jennifer, revelling in their congratulations, before I turn back to see Cole. But he’s not standing up anymore, but is now down on one knee, kneeling on the ground before me. I raise an eyebrow and reach for his hand to lift him up, when he takes both of my hands in his. I notice his eyes are glazing over and my heart beat starts speeding up when it dawns on me what is happening.
‘Hope, we met in unexpected circumstances and if I could do anything, I would love to bring your dad back for you. Though while not possible, your dad has given me the best gift in the world, not his heart, but his daughter. While fate might be overrated, I am so lucky and thankful that we have met because you have changed my life for the better and filled each day with laughter and love. I wondered whether I would ever find someone in my life that I cared for so much that I would give my life for, and I would within a heartbeat for you; you are my life. You make my days brighter and my life worth living, babe, and I want to spend the rest of it with you. I know I come with health problems, and nothing is guaranteed, but every day with you is a day well spent and I will do my very best to make every moment worthwhile, so we can have the best life together. You are all I want, Hope and it would be the best thing in the world if you would want to marry me and be my wife. So Strawbs, will you marry me?’
All I can do is look at Cole in complete shock and awe as he brings out a small black box and opens it to reveal this beautiful diamond engagement ring, but the ring doesn’t seal my answer, it’s the beautiful boy with the kind heart asking me to be his wife that causes me to nod my head a thousand times over as I exclaim, ‘YES! Of course I'll marry you!’
Laughing, Cole stands to his feet and pulls me back onto his hips as I hear loud cheering and clapping from all around us. None of that matters though, all that matters now is me and Cole and our future life together. He leans forward and seals his lips with mine and I can feel the love rushing around our bodies.
‘You have made me so proud running today and doing it for the both of us, I thought it’d be a good time to pop the question,’ he says sheepishly as he slips the ring onto my finger before pressing a kiss to the ring now adorned on my finger. Only then do I notice the diamond has been cut into the shape of a heart, basically our symbol. He is so thoughtful.
‘I love you so much, Cole,’ I tell him and kiss his lips slowly, tears streaming down my face. ‘I never expected this today of all days. This is the best surprise.’
Cole takes his thumbs and rubs my tears away, elation written all over his face, ‘I’ve been thinking about proposing for a while, you know.’ I send him a questioning look and he nods. ‘I got your ring months ago. I just needed the right time.’
As Cole places me down, then only does it dawn on me that everyone is watching us and before me is my family and close friends. My jaw drops and I look over at Cole. ‘You organised them to be here?’
‘Of course, they had to be here,’ he chuckles, placing his hand on my lower back and proudly walking over to my grandparents, Belle, Peter, my Mum and Joseph. They all send me their congratulations and I feel so overwhelmed despite my legs feeling like jelly and my body needing a good soak in a bath.
Belle pulls my hand up to inspect my ring and gawps at me. ‘Oh my God, you’re engaged now, Hope!’
I look down at my ring and grin.
‘I knew he’d propose to you before Peter did.’
‘Did you?’
She nods. ‘Yeah. You and Cole are ready to take on life. Peter’s still living like a child. If I brought up marriage, he’d panic.’ She looks over at Peter, who is shaking hands with Cole and grins. ‘Yeah, he’s not ready yet, but you two are.’
I smile, pulling her forwards for a hug and kiss her cheek. ‘Thanks for giving me the encouragement with Cole. I definitely needed your pushing.’
‘You’re welcome. Now go and be with your fiancé and maybe take a bath, sweat monster,’ she teases, and hugs me one last time before sending me off to see Cole. Cole’s got my bag slung over his shoulder and he grins as I approach him.
‘Ready to go?’ He asks, I nod and take his hand as we head back home. He drives us back in his car so it’s just us two. I place my hand on top of his that is resting on his thigh in the car before he drives off and just look at him.
‘Are you happy?’ He asks and sends a look my way. ‘It wasn’t too soon?’
I shake my head. ‘Not for us. I am completely happy. You’re all I want in life, Cole. Both of us know that life’s too short to delay what we both want to happen. I couldn’t be happier and it was so perfect for you to do it then.’ I rest my hand against his cheek and smile as I give him one long kiss and let my tongue mingle with his. ‘Though let’s save up some money and enjoy being engaged for a while before we get hitched and start popping out babies.’
Cole smirks as I say this. ‘Plenty of time to practice before then,’ he jokes.
I roll my eyes and lean across as we come to a red light to kiss his cheek. ‘Love you,’ I murmur and as I say this, I know nothing else in my life is as true as my feelings for Cole. ‘I love you so much.’
‘We can cross get engaged off your list now,’ I tease.
‘You were always going to be the one to cross that one off of my list, Hope,’ he smiles, drawing me to him with one hand on the steering wheel. ‘Always.’
Nothing compares to the way Cole makes me feel and how important he is in my life. I get this feeling whenever I look at him, which can only be described as unconditional love because it’s so strong and nothing like I have ever experienced before, that’s how I know he is the One for me. He has been my rock ever since I lost my dad and it’ll be a year soon from the first time we met and as the milestone approaches, nothing fills my heart and body more with butterflies than knowing I have Cole by my side to get through everything together.
While we don’t know how long we’ll both be on this Earth for together, I know that I’d rather spend a minute with my now fiancé than a lifetime without him; and being able to say that makes me realise how much I love him and will forever more, and all thanks to my dad, giving someone I never even knew a year ago the gift of life and indirectly giving me my chance and success at happiness, hope and love.
And I couldn’t be more grateful to him.
♥♥♥
As Drew Rigby looked down from heaven to Earth, a warm glow illuminated his body as he watched his daughter smile. His beautiful daughter with the bright candyfloss pink hair was properly smiling again and all the time now. For there was no air of sadness to her being and he could see the satisfaction plastered across her face from finishing the London marathon and now that she was newly engaged to her soul mate.
As Hope held her fiancé’s hand, Drew saw the perfect sparkling engagement ring and a dazzling smile to match.
She looked so happy.
His daughter, engaged. Drew used to dream about the day his daughter; his only daughter would become engaged and later get married. He always dreamt about the perfect boy who would be worthy enough to spend his life with his pride and joy and Cole was the definition personified.
While it hurt Drew to know that he would not be the one walking her down the aisle at her wedding, he was overjoyed that the benefactor of his heart was Cole; a genuine, kind and happy young man who inadvertently fell in love with his daughter. He knew Cole’s life mission was to make Hope happy and that made Drew feel a whole lot better about not being around for his daughter, particularly at the hard times.
Drew could not be prouder of both of them. He knew they would both live a happy life together, with their hopes and dreams coming true. He could see his daughter being an excellent wife, mother and midwife too, and he could see Hope's mother, Roxanne tending to their grandchildren whenever Hope and Cole needed a break. Hope would flourish at life; he had no doubt of that. She had overcome such traumatic circumstances and had become stronger for it; he was so proud.
As he watched Hope inside Cole’s car, he placed his hand over his chest and sighed. If he had to lose his heart to save another, then so be it, but he could not think of anything more wonderful than what had happened, giving his daughter the chance to love and to be loved by the love of her life, for there was no greater feeling.
The End.
A/N! Ahhh HALH is complete! I really hope you have enjoyed thie epilogue and the whole story. It has been a joy to write and so much fun to post. I’d love to know what you think of the epilogue and the whole book. You have all been so supportive and I have been astounded at the number of reads, votes and comments I have received, so thank you all very much. I hope you have enjoyed Hope and Cole’s journey as much as I have :) Lots of love, Phoebe xoxo