Jennifer and Brian had been engaged for nearly a year and a half, and their big day was getting close. They'd booked their venue, sent invitations, and all of the bridesmaids' dresses were fitted. The clock was ticking, and Jennifer assumed everything would go according to plan thanks to all her careful scheduling...
Months of Planning
Jennifer loved Brian's family, and she was especially close to his parents. She couldn't wait to marry into the family. However, she wasn't particularly close to his sister, Ashley. The two had argued over wedding plans in recent weeks and Jennifer sometimes felt like she wasn't good enough for Brian. Something was definitely up with Ashley. She'd been combative and looked a little off, but nobody knew why. Brian hoped they'd sit down and talk about their issues, but that never seemed to happen...
Constantly At Odds
The tension between Brian's sister and fiance caused a rift within both of his relationships. He was tired of the fighting during what should have been such a happy time. This wasn't like his sister. She wasn't acting like herself lately. He needed them to work this out before the big day or else it would be stressful for everyone...
Coffee Date
At Brian's request, Jennifer asked Ashley to go out for coffee a week before the wedding so they could talk. Ashley was skeptical, but she could see that it meant a lot to her brother, so she agreed. She wasn't excited but decided to hear Jennifer out. She met Jennifer for coffee despite not feeling well that day...
Laying It All Out
Jennifer explained that she was confused as to why there was so much tension between the two of them. She wanted to clear the air before the wedding so they could move on as sisters. She wasn't going anywhere, and she was excited to be a part of Ashley's family, but only if everyone could finally get along...
Overprotective Sister
Ashely explained that she's always been overprotective of her brother, and she just didn't want to see him get hurt. However, Jennifer argued that she had nothing to worry about. She couldn't be more excited to marry him. Though Ashley clearly still had her doubts, they decided to try and move on and be friends...
Making an Effort
As the wedding approached, Jennifer decided to include Ashley in more of the planning so she felt like she was playing a bigger part in the day. She even asked Ashley if she'd help her get ready on the day of. Ashley could see that Jennifer truly was making an effort, and she tried to warm up to her a little more...
Checking In
Brian asked Jennifer how things were going with Ashley, and she felt confident that they'd put their differences behind them. She was no longer worried about any tension on the big day and was actually looking forward to having Ashley as a part of it. Brian was so relieved. At the time, thought that nothing would go wrong...
Final Details
A few days before the rehearsal dinner, Brian and Jennifer went to check out their venue one last time. They couldn't believe this was finally happening. They'd been together for seven years, but now it felt like they'd met only yesterday. Everything was falling into place, and Jennifer couldn't be more excited...
Rehearsal Dinner
Jennifer and Brian hosted their rehearsal dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants downtown. Everyone in their wedding party, friends, and family were invited to celebrate the night before the big day. Jennifer hoped it would go over seamlessly. Her family was getting along well with Brian's, as they always did, and their friends seemed to be having a great time. But someone was missing...
Where Had She Gone?
Jennifer got up from the table when she noticed Ashley was nowhere to be seen. She asked Brian if he knew where she was, and he said no. Jennifer started to get worried. Had she left? Were they back to where they started and Ashley didn't approve of the wedding? Jennifer looked all around the restaurant...
The Door Was Locked
Jennifer discovered that the restaurant's bathroom door was locked, so she quietly knocked and asked if Ashley was in there. She was, and she didn't sound like herself. Jennifer asked if she could come in and talk to her...
Something Was Wrong
When Jennifer opened the door, Ashley was very pale and her face was covered in sweat. Jennifer started to panic—what was going on? Of all nights for something to go wrong, this was terrible timing, but she knew it wasn't Ashley's fault. She quickly came in and closed the door...
Strange Cramps
Ashley said she had terrible stomach cramps, but she hadn't even eaten anything yet. Jennifer didn't know what to do, but she was worried that maybe Ashley needed to go to the hospital. Was it possible she was experiencing appendicitis?
She Insisted She Was Fine
Jennifer asked again if Ashley wanted to go to the hospital. Ashley insisted she was fine, but Jennifer was getting nervous. Ashley said she was just going to go home and she didn't want to ruin the night. Jennifer felt uneasy but agreed to let her go...
Back to the Party
For as nervous as she was about Ashley, Jennifer went back to the party. This was still her night, and she was going to do her best to enjoy it. When Brian asked if she'd found his sister, Jennifer said yes, and that she wasn't feeling well so she'd left. Hopefully tomorrow she'd be back to normal...
The Morning Of
The next day, Jennifer anxiously got ready for the wedding ceremony. Everything seemed to be in place. Her mother and sisters were there to help her get dressed and fix her hair and makeup, but the only person who still hadn't shown was Ashley...
Building Nerves
As she got ready, she couldn't help but wonder where Ashley was. Maybe she'd just decided not to help Jennifer get ready. She hadn't heard from her since she left the rehearsal dinner, which was concerning...
It Was Almost Time
Ashley never showed, which hurt Jennifer's feelings. Maybe they weren't getting close after all. But would she skip her own brother's wedding? It seemed unlikely, but she had to push it out of her mind. She couldn't worry about Ashley when she had more important things to do...
She Was Going Into Labor
Ashley hadn't even known she was pregnant. She'd shown no symptoms and felt fine up until the previous day. She assumed her cramps were normal and never would have guessed it was because she was going into labor. She panicked, scared of what was about to happen and guilty that she was ruining her brother's wedding day...
An Interruption
Just as Jennifer was about to make her exit to the venue, there was a panicked knock on the door. Brian walked in, upset, and explained Ashley was sick. She was here, waiting for an ambulance. Nobody could believe what was happening, and everyone seemed to know except Jennifer...
Complete Shock
Jennifer and Brian rushed out of the room to find Ashley in the venue's lobby. She was holding her stomach, complaining about the same cramps she'd had last night. Jennifer couldn't believe what she was seeing. The sight before her couldn't actually be happening...
Jennifer Couldn't Help But Get Angry
Despite the serious situation, Jennifer was angry. She'd asked Ashley if she needed to go to the hospital last night and she'd said no. And now they couldn't have their wedding because she was going into labor. She couldn't say anything to Brian, but she felt extremely annoyed at what was going on...
What Were They Supposed To Do Now?
Ashley was going to the emergency room to deliver a baby, and Brian wanted to postpone the wedding until she could be there. Even though she knew that was the right thing to do, it didn't it well with Jennifer. They'd spent a year and a half planning this day. People were waiting for things to get started, and he just wanted to put it off. It didn't seem acceptable...
They Had to Make a Decision
At this point, Brian was practically begging Jennifer to consider postponing the wedding. He said if she couldn't be understanding during this family emergency, maybe he couldn't marry her. She was shocked and hurt and even a little betrayed. How could he say that to her? He knew how hard she'd worked on this day...
An Unexpected Arrival
At the hospital, Ashley and her parents were immediately taken to labor and delivery. The baby was coming fast, and Ashley was still in a state of shock. Nobody could figure out how she hadn't known she was pregnant, but doctors assured her that this sort of thing could happen. It was rare, but not unheard of...
The Longest Day
Hours passed, and nobody knew what was happening back at the wedding venue. Ashley's parents hadn't given it a second thought - they had to be with their daughter. Brian hadn't called, but they assumed he wouldn't go on with the ceremony without them...
A Turn of Events
The baby was delivered successfully and had reached full term, much to Ashley's shock. She had shown no physical symptoms, and when she had, she'd assumed it was just stomach cramps. What had been a stressful two days turned out to be one of the happiest, but for a different reason than she'd initially thought. She was supposed to be toasting at her brother's wedding now but was instead holding her new baby in the hospital...
Unexpected Visitors
After things had calmed down, there was a knock on Ashley's door. To her surprise, it was Jennifer and Brian. She couldn't believe they were there. It was apparent they'd postponed the wedding, and she suddenly felt guilty. She said they didn't have to do that for her...
The Right Thing To Do
Jennifer told her that it was the only way they'd go on with the wedding because now they both had to be there. Brian had been relieved that Jennifer's anger had subsided. It was a long and stressful day, and he understood how disheartening the derailment of their plans had been, but their family had just gained a new member...
The Best Surprise
Even though he'd been a complete shock, the baby had changed the entire family's lives for the better. Jennifer and Brian's wedding day would certainly be that much more memorable, and Jennifer and Ashley were finally as close as sisters since bonding over this experience.