Chapter Text
Chapter 8: Epilogue
May 2003
Stef stepped into the living room of her and Lena’s condo on Staten Island, having closed early to be with Lena as she wound down the final few weeks before their lives would change forever.
“Lena? I’m home, babe,” She called softly, noticing the living room was empty. She suspected Lena was probably in the bathroom, as she often was lately. She nodded before wandering into the kitchen to fix something for dinner.
She looked over at the refrigerator, smiling at her partner’s homey touches: photographs, mostly, of their families, biological and otherwise. Old black-and-white ones of when they were kids, easily from the 1960s. An old picture of Lena and her squad, several of whom had perished in 9/11. Brandon and his now-wife Eliza; Jude and Connor together at Penn State; Callie and Ximena with their son, Robert Juan “Robbie” Quinn Sinfuego; one of the Quinn and Foster families together when the kids were younger. There was a photo of Stef opening the second store of Foster’s Books and Beans in Staten Island; Callie and Ximena had taken over ownership of the first location in Shanksville. And then Stef’s eyes landed on one of her favorite pictures: an ultrasound of Lena’s first and her youngest child, due to be born in just two weeks.
They hadn’t planned on having a child of their own, but after they had been together a little less than a year, Lena had expressed a desire that she always held deep inside of her: to carry a child of her own. At first, Stef was ambivalent about the idea of starting over, but Lena’s pleas stopped her in her tracks. She was 41; in a few short years, it would be too late. And the FDNY had procedures now for pregnant and parenting firefighters.
Stef finally agreed to artificial insemination with sperm from Lena’s old fireman friend Timothy. After a few kerfuffles, he agreed to no contact with the baby, and they jumped headlong into welcoming another baby into their family.
“Stef?”
Stef turned to find Lena in the doorway, wearing pajamas and one of Stef’s old Newark PD jackets. Lena had once asked her if she had ever considered going back to police work now that the kids were adults, but Stef had smiled sadly and told her that her time had passed. She was well into her forties now. She would never qualify. But, Stef quickly reassured her that she loved what she was doing now and had no regrets. Absolutely no regrets.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Stef smiled. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” Lena answered honestly.
“Well, that’s good. Not that you’re tired, but at least you’re tired for a good reason.”
“Very true,” Lena smiled.
“And how is Miss Frankie doing?” Stef smiled, rubbing her lover’s belly. They had decided on the name after Lena offered to name the baby after Stef’s late father, Port Authority police officer Frank Cooper. They were planning on naming her Francesca, but calling her Frankie.
“She’s doing okay. Lots of kicking. Do you want to feel it?”
“Yeah!” Stef stretched out her hand and was greeted with a kick. “She’s a strong one. Reminds me of Jude.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I found those baby books you were looking for last night.”
“You did?!”
“Yeah, they’re on the coffee table.”
Lena and Stef walked into their living room, where Stef’s painstakingly created books for each of her sons from newborn to 5 waited. Both books had their full names and birthdates written in Stef’s neat cursive on each one.
Brandon Michael Foster
November 9, 1976
Jude Jacob Foster
November 17, 1983
“I didn’t realize their birthdays were eight days apart,” Lena commented.
“Yeah. I wished as hard as I could for Jude to wait until after B’s birthday. He did-5 days after my actual due date.”
Lena smiled as she cracked open Brandon’s to find a picture of a pregnant Stef with Mike in front of their Newark house, with a Polaroid underneath of Stef cradling a newborn Brandon in the delivery room. “So…how long were you in labor with B?”
Stef blew a strand of hair out of her face. “Do you really want to know?”
“Maybe not.”
She sighed. “25 hours.”
Lena choked on her tea. “25
hours?”
“I told you you didn’t want to know.”
“Oh, God. Now I’m scared.”
Stef kissed her. “Don’t be. It could be more like Jude.”
“How long were you in labor with him?”
“4 hours. And I had to be rushed to the hospital via ambulance before I delivered him in my living room.”
“Whoa.”
“Every baby’s different. Don't get too worked up.”
“I’ll try.”
Stef tapped the top one. “I was about 7 months pregnant here. That became kind of a tradition: same picture in front of the house, same time each year. We continued even after we moved to Jersey City.”
“That’s so sweet,” Lena smiled. “I want that kind of life for Frankie. Lots of traditions, surrounded by family and friends.”
Stef smiled at her. “I want that too, love. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
“Good.” Lena sighed. “I’m pretty tired. Can we go to bed?”
“Absolutely, baby. Let’s get you two to bed.”
Stef helped Lena off the couch, not realizing it would be their last quiet night at home for a while.
Stef was stirred from a deep sleep at 2:30 in the morning to Lena moaning in pain.
Stef shot up in bed. “Lena? Are you alright, love? What’s wrong?”
Lena looked over fearfully. “Stef, I think it’s time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. These contractions are really close.”
Stef got up and then helped Lena. “I’ve got you, honey. You just focus on this beautiful baby girl we’re about to have, hmm?”
Lena took a breath. “Okay.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Come on,” Stef smiled, touching Lena’s cheek. “Let’s go have a baby.”
Nine hours later, Dana, Stewart, Sharon, Brandon, Jude, Mike, Callie, Sophia, and Robert waited at Staten Island University Hospital. Ximena was home with baby Robbie.
Finally, Stef emerged from the labor and delivery room, wearing a yellow smock but the world’s most irrepressible grin.
“She’s here!” Stef exclaimed. “She’s here, and she’s beautiful.”
Everyone cheered quietly. Sharon embraced her daughter.
“Congratulations, honey.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The boys were next to embrace their mother.
“How’s Lena feeling?” Dana asked.
“Tired, but happy. She did it completely naturally, no c-section necessary.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Well, everyone,” Stuart declared. “Lunch at Liedy’s, on me!”
Everyone talked and laughed as they headed out of the hospital. Stef returned to Lena’s room, where she cradled a pink bundle.
“Hey, love,” Stef said gently. “Your dad’s taking everyone to lunch.”
Lena chuckled. “Big spender, as usual.”
“It’s his first grandchild. I say we let him have this one.”
Lena looked down at baby Frankie. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she is. And her name fits perfectly.”
“Can’t picture anything else.”
“Me neither.” Stef kissed her temple. “I’m so proud of you. You were amazing.”
“Thanks.”
“Can I hold her?”
“Yes, of course.” Lena carefully transferred Frankie over to Stef.
“Hi, Frankie,” Stef addressed her daughter. “Welcome to the world.”
…
September 2011
“...As we approach the tenth anniversary of the darkest day in our nation’s history, we honor those we lost, but we also honor one of our own.”
Lena sat on the dais in full dress uniform, looking out at the audience of her colleagues and her family.
“Lena Adams has given 26 years of service to the FDNY. She joined in 1985, starting at Engine 59 in Harlem, and staying there until she moved to the house she’s been at for 15 years: Engine 33. She was on duty on that unforgettable September day, and their engines were among the first to respond to the call of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. Of the 14 firefighters from that company sent to the Twin Towers, 10 died. But not Lena. When the South Tower collapsed, she climbed the North, barely escaping its collapse. She stayed at Ground Zero for 48 straight hours, trying to dig out her fallen colleagues, stopping only when she was physically incapable of continuing. After a month of recuperation, she returned to the FDNY, where 2 years later, she was promoted to the FDNY’s first African-American female captain. She is honored today for her quarter of a century of service to the department, her bravery, her heroism, and above all, her dedication. We recognize Captain Lena Adams on the occasion of her retirement with the highest honor the FDNY has to bestow: the James Gordon Bennett Medal of Valor.”
Lena received an instant standing ovation as she stood, overwhelmed, to receive her award. She looked into the audience to see Stef, the love of her life, standing and applauding with tears streaming down her face. Her parents were there, too, and Stef’s mother, and Frankie, Brandon, Jude, Connor, Callie, and Ximena. Her beautiful family that she wouldn’t change a bit.
She stood as the medal was pinned to her breast pocket, saluting the chief who handed it to her. She was young for retirement, but just like Stef, knew it was time to make her family her priority. She walked gracefully back to her seat, knowing that she was leaving the FDNY with a bang.
But little did anyone else know, her life was just beginning.
The next night, Stef hosted a retirement party for Lena at their Staten Island condo. Everyone was there, laughing and talking. No one knew that there was an ulterior motive for gathering everyone in one place.
Lena found her way over to Stef, who was actually having a decent conversation with Mike, his wife Ana, and her twins, Jesus and Mariana. They had come a long way since 9/11.
“Hey, honey, can I talk to you?” Lena asked.
“Sure,” Stef smiled, politely excusing herself from the conversation.
Lena pulled Stef into a corner. “I think if we’re going to do this, we should probably announce it now before people start to leave.”
Stef grinned. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Do you have your outfit picked out?”
“Yeah. Do you?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Let’s go tell everyone.”
Stef stood at the front of the living room and clinked her glass. “Could I get everyone’s attention, please?”
Everyone turned to look at Stef as talking ceased.
“I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate my beautiful Lena and her well-deserved retirement from the FDNY.”
Everyone cheered.
“Lena, my love, you are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me. And I am so proud of you and our beautiful family. And now, if Lena will join me up here, we actually have a bit of an announcement to make.”
Lena joined her. “As you know, three months ago, New York legalized gay marriage. And Stef and I both agreed that there was no better time than the present to affirm our commitment to each other and take the next step into the future together.”
Stef smiled with a twinkle in her eye. “As you no doubt suspect by now, tonight is not just Lena’s retirement dinner. It is also our wedding night.”
Everyone gasped and cheered. The noise reverberated off the walls of the condo.
“In about 30 minutes, we will get married,” Lena shared. “So, everyone, grab some food, grab a seat, and thank you for coming!”
Lena and Stef ran into the bedroom to change. Stef changed into a white pantsuit, and Lena into the simple off-white wedding dress she had picked out. Just then, Dana knocked on the door.
“May I come in, darling?”
“Sure, Mom,” Lena smiled.
Dana came in with a garment bag. “I must confess first, this wedding was not a complete surprise to me. Stef called me yesterday and asked me to bring any sort of heirloom that I thought you might like.”
Lena looked over at Stef, who smiled at her. “I know how important tradition is to you,” She said simply.
“So…I thought perhaps this would do.” She unzipped it to reveal the wedding dress she had worn nearly 51 years earlier to marry Stewart.
Lena gasped. “Mom, I can’t take this. This is too much.”
“Think of it as…a token of my blessing for this marriage. I’ve seen how happy and loved Stef makes you, and if that doesn’t define marriage, what does?”
Lena hugged her mother, crying. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too.”
Lena laughed a little. “I guess I better change again.”
Lena went into the bathroom as Callie, Sophia, Brandon, and Jude walked in.
“The four musketeers,” Stef smiled, using their old nickname. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Jude and Brandon looked at each other. Jude spoke first.
“We want to tell you we love you,” Jude said.
“And that Lena is the best bonus mother we could ever ask for,” Brandon said.
“She makes you happy,” Jude continued, “so we’re happy.”
“That goes for us, too,” Callie said, squeezing Sophia’s hand. “We’re so happy the time has finally caught up with you guys.”
Stef smiled at them, knowing that gay marriage had not yet been legalized in Pennsylvania. It would be quite a while before Callie and Ximena, and Jude and Connor, could make things official. “Your time will come, Cal. It will.”
“Good.”
“You girls want to stand up there with us?”
“Yes!” They both exclaimed.
“What about Frankie?” Sophia asked.
“We asked her this morning if she would be our flower girl,” Stef explained. “We figured she was old enough now to leak it to her the morning of. Besides, we needed her help to set things up.”
The girls laughed.
“You want one of us to walk you down the aisle?” Brandon asked.
“We’re walking down together, but I would love it if you could play some music, B?”
“Always.”
“And Jude, maybe you could stand with the girls? It doesn't have to be even, just wherever you land.”
“You got it, Mom,” Jude replied.
“I love you guys so much,” Stef said to the boys, embracing them.
“We love you too,” Brandon replied.
15 minutes later, Stef and Lena walked down the makeshift aisle as Brandon played the piano. They had roped Robert in on the plot and gotten him to get ordained online so he could officiate.
“Friends, welcome to this wonderful evening as we join Lena Elizabeth Adams and Stefanie Marie Foster in marriage. I’ve known Stef for a long time, since our kids were small, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen her happier than she is with Lena. They share a lifetime of memories, as well as a beautiful daughter, Francesca. But most of all, they share a drive, a vision for their future, and a willingness to love each other for themselves. Now, I believe that they have some vows to share.”
Lena smiled. “Stefanie Marie Foster. The love of my life, the apple of my eye, the yin to my yang. You are a piece of work. But you're my piece of work. I accept you. Every single thing that makes you who you are, from now until the end of time... I love you.”
Stef took her hand. “Lena, I have loved you for a decade. We have built a home together and raised a beautiful daughter. You have given me so much joy, so much warmth, so much love, things I never thought I would find again until I met you. You're the person I've been waiting for my whole life... And I am so proud to be standing up here in front of our friends and family to make sure they know just how lucky I feel to have found you... and just how much I love you.”
They quickly exchanged rings, skipping the traditional exchange, which they were too emotional for.
“It is now my honor and pleasure to pronounce you two married, with all its rights, privileges, and thrills, from now until the end of time. You may now seal your vows with a kiss.”
Stef and Lena leaned in to kiss one another as the crowd exploded into cheers and applause.
Stef looked around at her family and knew how lucky she was. She and Lena had come a long way, but it was well worth every moment.