I got released from the hospital an hour ago, which was great because no matter how many times I have been to a hospital in my short life, I hate them.
We are back in our hotel now. I'm showering and getting dressed before we go and see Peter Van Houten. It doesn't take me long to get ready so it isn't long before we're leaving again, walking to Van Houten's house whilst talking about random things.
We get there not long after we left the hotel, there is a for sale sign in front of his house, as Lidewij said there was. I knock on the door, expecting him not to answer, or if he did he'd be drunk off his head.
But that's not what happened.
He opens the door a couple seconds after I knocked and he wasn't drunk, at all. "Hello, Hazel." He says.
"Hello, Peter. These are my friends, Isaac and Kaitlyn." I say. "Guys, this is Peter Van Houten."
Peter shakes their hands and invites us into his home. Unlike when Gus and I came his home is now clean and tidy. Boxes of things in piles against the walls of the rooms, from where he has been packing.
We all sit down in the living room.
"So, what are you guys doing here?" He asks.
"Oh, we're on holiday and we bumped into Lidewij, she told us you were moving and we thought we'd come and check on you, because of your drinking and stuff." I say.
"Oh, I gave up drinking after I read that letter from Augustus and told Lidewij to send it to you." He says.
"That's great. Where are you moving to?" I ask.
"Indianapolis." He says.
"Why?" I ask.
"Well, because I want to help you. And because I figured my daughter wouldn't want me to be a drunken idiot for the rest of my life. I figured I'd write another book and maybe start fresh." He says.
"You're going to write another book?" I question, shocked.
"Yeah. I was looking through my mail the other day and I found another letter from Mr Waters, it was sent the day after he sent the eulogy thing for you. It was about your love story and the things you did together, but in his perspective, from the moment he met you at support group. He then suggested that I could turn your love story into a novel. And I thought that I should. For him. For you. And for your babies. And for everyone to know your amazing but tragic love story." Van Houten says.
"You want to write a novel about Gus and I?" I ask.
"Yeah. Obviously I'll change your names if you want." He says.
"No, you don't have to do that." I say.
"Okay." He says.
"What are you going to name it? The novel I mean?" I ask.
"I don't know yet. I was thinking about naming it, 'Okay?', but I don't know. You can help me pick a name if you want." He says.
"'Okay?' is perfect." I say.
"Okay." He says and we all laugh. "How are the babies?"
"They're fine." I say. "Though, can you not mention the babies, or the fact my cancer miraculously went in the novel. I just want them to know about their father and our love story. I'll tell them the rest. I just want the book to be about Gus and I." I say.
"I won't mention them in the book, don't worry." Peter says.
"Thank you." I say.
We sit their talking and laughing for hours. All four of us. It's amazing how someone like Peter Van Houten can change in such a short length of time. He is now the amazing person I thought he was. He is now the author I thought he was.
At four Isaac, Kaitlyn and I head back to the hotel. We order room service to mine and Kaitlyn's room and we sit and talk about how amazing this holiday is, even though I did faint in the middle of a restaurant.
"We should come back here when the babies are born." Isaac suggests.
"Yeah, bring them with us." Kaitlyn agrees.
"Yeah, that would be nice. But maybe when they're like two or something." I say.
"Yeah." They say at the same time.
"It's strange seeing Peter Van Houten without alcohol in his body. I thought he'd still be a drunken idiot." I say.
"Well, at least he's nice now. And he wants to help with the babies. We know the babies are going to have a lot of help and support. That's the main thing, right?" Kaitlyn says.
"Yeah, and it's great that everyone wants to help me, and it's great that my children will have a lot of people that they can go to for help or whatever. But it still doesn't change the fact that they don't have their dad and they won't have my mum." I say.
"Yeah, but they'll have you, and everyone else, to love them and look after them. And they will know that Gus and your mum love them because we'll be telling them that constantly." Isaac says.
"Have you thought about who you want to have with you when you give birth?" Kaitlyn asks.
"I did want my mum, but she's not going to be there. I was thinking maybe my dad, Gus' mum and you two. They said I'm allowed up to four people. That's if you two want to be in there." I say.
"I'd love to be in there with you." Kaitlyn says.
"I would too." Isaac says.
"Thanks guys. For being there through everything." I say.
"No problem." Kaitlyn says.
"Group hug." Isaac says and I laugh before embracing my two best friends in a hug.
We stay in that hug until our food comes. We eat the food, talking and laughing about random things.
At ten Isaac decides to go back to his room and get some sleep, we say goodnight and he leaves. Kaitlyn and I get ready and climb into our beds.
"Goodnight Hazel." She says.
"Goodnight Kaitlyn." I say.
I close my eyes and drift off into a peaceful slumber, thinking about how my life is going to be when my babies are