So I was re-reading Dream Man
Dane rolled out of bed, looked at Marlie, turned green, and dashed for the bathroom. She propped herself up on her elbow, considering the situation with mild disbelief. “I’m the one who’s pregnant,” she called. “Why are you having morning sickness?”
He came out of the bathroom several minutes later, still rather pale. “One of us has to,” he said. He groaned and collapsed on the bed. “I don’t think I can make it to work today.”
She nudged him with her foot. “Sure you can. Just eat some dry toast and you’ll feel better. You know Trammell will tease you if you don’t show up.”
“He already does.’ Dane’s voice was muffled in the pillow. “The only thing that keeps him from telling everyone else is that I know something just as bad about him. We have each other in a Mexican standoff.”
She threw back the covers and got out of bed. She felt wonderful. She had been queasy a little at first, but never quite to the point of throwing up, and that soon had passed. For her, that is. Dane was still throwing up regularly, every morning, though it was just past New Year’s and she was now six months along. He was paying the price for getting her pregnant immediately after their wedding.
“I wonder how you’re going to handle labor and delivery,” she mused aloud, giving him a wicked look.
He groaned. “I don’t want to think about it.”
He didn’t handle it at all well. As a labor coach, he was a complete washout. From the time her pains started, he was in agony. The nurses loved him. They installed him on a cot next to her, so he could hold her hand; it seemed to give him comfort. He was pale and sweating, and every time she had a contraction, he had one too.
“This is wondering,” one of the older nurses said, watching him with joy. “If only all the fathers could do this. There may be justice in this world, after all.”
Marlie patted his hand. She was ready for this to be over, even if the price was these steadily increasing pains that were now threatening to become very serious indeed. She felt heavy and exhausted, and the pressure in her pelvis threatened to tear her apart, but a part of her was still able to marvel at her husband. And she was supposed to be empathic! Dane had suffered through every month, every pain, with her; she wondered just how labor pains felt in a man.
“Oh, God, here comes another one,” he groaned, gripping her hand, and sure enough, her belly began to tighten. She fell back, gasping, trying to find the crest of the pain and ride it.
“This is going to be an only child,” he panted. “There won’t be another one, I swear. God, when is he going to get here?”
“Soon,” she answered. She could feel the deep, heavy tightening within. Their son would arrive soon.
He did, within half an hour. Dane wasn’t able to be there during delivery; the doctor had been forced to give him a sedative to ease his pain. But when Marlie woke up from an exhausted doze, he was sitting in the chair beside her bed, looking pale and exhausted himself, and he was holding the baby.
His rough face broke into a grin. “It was rough,” he said, “but we did it. He’s great. He’s perfect. But he’s still going to be an only child.”
So share with us…do you like having an Epilogue in your books? If yes, what is one of your favorite Epilogues?
I love epilogues, too – esp when the book has been really, really intense. It’s nice to see the characters more relaxed and (of course) deeply in love.
I’m with you. I love an epilogue. This one was really fun.
This is why Linda Howard is a literary genius! Great excerpt!
It depends on the epilogue. The one for Dream Man is a favorite, as is, for example, the one for Flowers from the Storm, and the one from Cry no More. But there are many others (thinking about a couple of Susan Elizabeth Phillips now) where I just would rather not have an epilogue.
I think it depends on how the book ends. Sometimes, after the HEA happens, I don’t think an epilogue is needed. Other times, it’s always nice to see what happens to the characters.
The only epilogue that I can think of is the one for Harry Potter in the final book. It was awesome that it took place several years after the final battle and we got to see what happened to everyone.
In romance novels, I like epilogues because I like peeking into the lives of the characters one more time, just to make sure everything is wrapped up neatly and running smoothly. Its like extra insurance for that happily ever after. 😉
Sometimes epilogues aren’t always happy or adding extra closure. One heart wrenching epilogue that comes to mind is the one in Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. It was certainly memorable, but it broke my heart. 🙁
the epilogue makes me simultaneously want to laugh and smack the guy – who steals the thunder of his laboring wife? and gets a nice cushy sedative while she does the real work? but i must admit – funny and definitely memorable.
I don’t mind so much – epilogues are nice but in no way necessary.
I DID love the epilogue in Linda Howard’s Cry No More. I gasped out loud and started to cry again. Oh boo.
And, gasp, is that Nalini Singh???!! No way jose!!
I can’t be specific and think of any, but yes, I always like an epilogue.
This was a great epilogue – I loved that book. For me an epilogue has to add something to the story. I know the H/H are getting a HEA. I want the epilogue to add something more to it.
Is that expecting too much? Am I too demanding? That’s why this epilogue was so awesome – it was totally unexpected and a twist on the story. She is a genius.
I need an epilogue to make sure my couple have their HEA and still going at it like bunnies.
Another great and emotional eepilogue by Howard is Cry No More. I read than and had to cry.
Nalini Singh? Who is she? I heard she is some writer of sorts. 😀
I like epilogues as well, seeing how my favorite characters are doing after the HEA is great. 🙂
I am an unrepentant epilogue junkie. If all romance novels had epilogues, I would be thrilled. My two favorites of recent memory are both from paranormals and both involve that great and wonderful byproduct of true love: babies. The epi of Lover Awakened by JR Ward, when Z and Bella’s baby girl wanted her daddy, was wonderful because the scene was so similar to their very first meeting and showcased how far they had come as a couple. Also, the epi of The Black Dragon by Allyson James was lovely because it was several years later and had a really sweet daddy-daughter moment. I love seeing how a couple is not just still happy and in love, but is living life day-to-day by each other’s side.
I don’t understand why most epi always show the woman giving birth. Really you don’t have to have a baby to live that HEA. I enjoy them when it is focused on the H/H and not their “Family” but other than that I like them. The only time the baby in an epi works for me is if I really wanted the couple to have their wish… Which is rare. VERY RARE.
Sarai,
You bring up an excellent point. While I really enjoyed this epi (you have to know Dane to understand the significance), I’m often bothered by them when they feature a pregnant heroine or a big happy family.
I think my favorite epi ever is from Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. It was so wonderfully done.
I agree that not all epilogues must feature kids. The ones that do that seem to work best are the ones for books where the heroine is pregnant before the book actually ends. Both books I mentioned above were like that.
I have read many epis that didn’t have kids that were utterly perfect for that couple. I like the epi to be a fair amount of time after the last chapter, though. Epilogues that happen a few days after the book ends don’t really feel like true epilogues.
YES! Epilogues rock! I love getting that little bit of info that lets us know a tiny sliver more of their HEA.
I love epilogues!!!! Especially if they show events taking place several months after the end of the book. I especially like it if an epilogue tells us about a pregnancy or a birth. *g*
I love epilogues, though I can’t remember my favorite. However, the His Dark Materials Trilogy does something interesting: it expands slightly on some of the side stories, using only a paragraph to do so, but it’s extremely gratifying. 😀