Perfect Match: The Pinocchio Project

Baby

Several seconds of deafening silence filled the air. Then...

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Kai's surroundings slowly started to resolve themselves around him once again. He was back in the maternity ward with Hayden... and...

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Hayden was laughing ecstatically. She had done it; her human reproductive system had worked like a charm. Lying, crying, in her lap, was her and Kai's newborn baby girl.

"Oh Kai..." Hayden laughed. "She's absolutely the best..."

Slowly, the baby calmed down. The midwife cleaned her off, and then offered a pair of medical scissors to Kai.

"Would you like to cut the cord, Mr. Park?"

Still somewhat stunned, Kai accepted the scissors and severed the connection between Hayden and the new girl.

"So... Kai... What do you want to name her?"

Hayden's question brought Kai back to earth. Up till now, he hadn't really considered what to name a girl. But, as he flashed back to their fight against Eros, a name popped into his brain, ready-made as it was.

"Her name," Kai answered, "is Harley." Harley was the name of Hayden's "evil twin," and ever since he destroyed that Match, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret every now and then for doing so. Harley had so much potential, if he had only decided to save her instead...

"I think that's a perfect name," Hayden answered. Now it would feel like Harley the Match would be with them in spirit, always and forever.

"Welcome to the world," Kai said. "Harley Hayden Young-Park."

* * *

"Oh... my... GOD!" Sloane squealed as Kai and Hayden brought a sleeping Harley out to the rest of the group.

"She looks absolutely incredible!" Damien enthused.

Most of the others cooed and fawned over baby Harley and congratulated Kai and Hayden. The only one who didn't say anything was Keegan, who only nodded his approval at Kai, who nodded right back at him.

Post-Chapter Author's Note
I want to apologize for this chapter being very short compared to all the others in this story, but I have recently come to realize that I've just about run out of things to write in this story.

As such, the next chapter I write in this story will in all likelihood be the last.

But don't worry, I'm not out of stuff to write completely; in fact, as I write this, I'm already brainstorming ideas for at least a mini-sequel to "Ride or Die" which Pixelberry scrapped after basically leaving that book's main character without a love interest in the end. To me, that ending was a cliffhanger, written with a sequel in mind. But, hey... what are you gonna do?