Love in All the Right Places

"Everything looks great," he said.

There were sighs of relief and Jean said, "Thank you, Jesus!"

Dr. Feingold added, "So far, at least. The kidney is functioning and purifying Meghan's blood. You all know the potential risks of rejection and infection—for both patients. So while anything is possible at this stage, the procedure couldn't have gone any better. I'll be back in about four hours to check on her again. Does anyone have any questions?"

Before he'd even taken two steps, the three of them held one another. Jean cried while the two men fought not to. It was a losing battle and after all the months and months of waiting, it looked like it was finally over.

That afternoon, they were allowed to briefly visit their 'girls' and both of them were in remarkably good spirits.

The parents went to their daughter and Kirk to his fiancee. "How you feeling, beautiful?" he asked with a smile.

She touched his face and said, "Much better now that you're here." She reached for his hand and said, "I asked Meghan to be my Maid of Honor, by the way."

"You did?" Kirk asked, amazed at this woman's ability to give for others. "You are the most amazing person I've ever known."

"You inspire me," she said sweetly. "So does Meghan. Why don't you go say hello, okay?" Kirk kissed her on the forehead then traded places with his parents.

"Hey, baby sister," he said taking her hand in his. "How are you?"

"Happy," she said. "I can already feel the difference. I know it might be the drugs or my imagination, but I feel...clean...inside." Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her older brother. "Kirk? I love Paige so much." He dabbed her eyes then she said, "I love you, too. I'm so glad you found her."

"So am I, Megs," he said. "Although the truth is, she actually found me in a sense. Yes, I approached her first, but had she not been willing to look for love in new places, this would have never worked."

"However it happened, I'm so, so grateful. Did she tell you she asked me to be her Maid of Honor?"

"She did," he told her with a big smile. "I can't wait to see you standing there healthy and strong again."

"I feel like the luckiest girl on earth," she told him. "And I have you—and Paige—to thank for that."

"Get some rest, okay? We're gonna have a wedding to plan very soon."

Paige was allowed to go home two days later while Meghan remained in the hospital for a full seven days, typical after a transplant. There'd been no signs of rejection and the kidney was working perfectly so that Friday afternoon, Meghan was released and allowed to go home.

Kirk and Meghan agreed to a May wedding for a very special reason. It would be on May 14th, which was also Meghan's 19th birthday.

Paige was an absolutely stunning bride dressed in white and looking more beautiful than Kirk had ever seen. And while he looked very handsome in his black tux, it was Meghan Leonard who stole the show when she appeared in her light-blue bridesmaid dress looking better than she ever had and more importantly, feeling better than she had in years.

There were very few dry eyes as the happy couple exchanged vows in a beautiful chapel on the outskirts of Seattle. Before they left for their honeymoon, Meghan grabbed Paige and hugged her and hugged her until both of them cried.

"Thank you," Meghan said wiping her eyes trying not to mascara on either one of them.

"You are so welcome, Meghan," Paige told her. She wiped away her own tears then said, "Okay, it's your turn now. There's a wonderful guy out there looking for someone just like you."

"I already know who I want to be my Maid of Honor," Meghan told her. "You're a part of me now, Paige, and you always will be. And not just the kidney but in my heart. I truly love you."

"And I love you, sweetheart," she said still fighting back tears.

Kirk was standing beside them and said, "And I love both of you."

They hugged one more time before the newly-married couple made their way outside where waiting friends pelted them with animal-friendly bird seed rather than the traditional rice. They got inside the waiting limousine and when the door closed Kirk said, "I love you more than I can put into words, Mrs. Leonard."

"Don't you dare make me cry again," she said blinking furiously. "But I love you that much too, Mr. Leonard. My wonderful, handsome, young husband."

Kirk grabbed the bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice and popped the cork. He filled two glasses and handed one to his beautiful new wife. "A toast!" he said. "To looking for love in all the right places!"

Paige touched her glass to his and said, "I'll drink to that!"

A year later, the doctors told Meghan she had no more worries about organ rejection and that bit of good news only added to the Leonards' joy when they learned Paige was expecting their first child, a girl they planned to called Meghan Jean Leonard.