Chapter 281 - Dr. Keeley Hale

Keeley's worries hadn't completely faded by the time Saturday rolled around but she was determined that nothing could ruin her graduation day. She had worked herself to death these past three years in order to earn her degree. It was something worth celebrating!

She put on a pair of pink rose earrings that matched her white and pink floral maternity dress and double checked her hair and makeup in the mirror. She looked undeniably good.

Other than her shoes, anyway. The comfortable slip-ons that accommodated her swollen feet didn't exactly match the rest of her outfit. Pregnancy and high fashion didn't exactly go hand in hand.

No one would be looking at her feet so she should be fine. At least that was what she told herself to feel better. They really were hideous shoes. Oh well.

"You look beautiful," Aaron said with a warm smile as she came downstairs.

He was dressed fairly simply but still nice in a pair of slacks and the lilac dress shirt she had once borrowed. Graduations were somewhat formal occasions and he had always been the type to dress the part.

"Thanks. You look good yourself," she admitted.

His smile grew wider. He took her hand and they walked to the elevator together, taking it all the way down to the bas.e.m.e.nt parking garage.

Keeley had to be there early in order to sign in and meet up with other students from the genetics department. She was one of three students graduating with a PhD this time around but there were also a fair number of people getting their bachelor's degrees.

Aaron dropped her off where she was supposed to go and she finally bothered to put on her cap, gown, and hood. The gown was purple with thick black velvet stripes on the sleeves and matching panels running down the front. This was starting to feel very real.

He told her that he and Robert would meet up with her afterwards and to keep her phone on her. Thankfully her dress was one of the rare ones that actually had pockets. He gave her a quick kiss before walking away to go find a good seat.

"Who was that?" Greg Benitez, one of Keeley's fellow PhD graduates, asked. They had shared a few classes over the years but she hadn't seen him for a few semesters. 

"My husband," she said simply.

"I didn't know you were married." He finally noticed her protruding belly sticking out even underneath the potato-sack-like gown. "Or pregnant. Congratulations!"

With how long it had been since they had seen each other, he probably thought she went about things the normal way. Love then marriage then baby. She couldn't really complain about how things turned out though. Worrying about Lacy Knighton aside, her life right now was quite satisfying.

She smiled. "Thanks, Greg. What have you been up to these days?"

"Not nearly as much as you, I bet," he said with a laugh. "Just finishing up school and job hunting. There's a decent chance I'm going to end up moving to Chicago for work."

They continued catching up until it was time for all of the graduates to silently line up in alphabetical order so they could match the program. It was time for them to file into the giant auditorium and take their seats so the ceremony could begin.

Keeley walked slowly and purposefully in tune with the music that was playing in between a couple of undergraduate students she didn't know. When she sat down in her seat she unfortunately couldn't see any of the guests because the graduates were in the front rather than facing the audience like when she graduated from high school.

The speeches from the dean, department head, and a student graduating with honors seemed to go on forever. Her mind wandered as they spoke.

She couldn't believe she actually made it this far. The moment they handed her that diploma, she would officially become Dr. Keeley Hale. She had dreamed of this moment for so many years and now that it was finally staring her in the face it seemed surreal.

Tears formed in her eyes when she thought about how hard she had worked to get here. It was a dream deferred in her first life that she was finally getting to achieve. All of those all-nighters studying or writing papers and the countless hours spent in the lab were worth it!

Her second chance at life hadn't been wasted. Here she was, on the verge of having everything she ever wanted. Of course she would be feeling emotional.

She felt a bit overwhelmed when she thought about how supportive Aaron had been ever since he discovered what her dream was. She really wouldn't have made it through the last six months or so of her degree without him.

He had been her rock, making sure she managed to balance work, school, and taking care of herself. Even going so far as offering to fund her research so she would be able to accomplish her goals sooner. Having your dreams supported was a wonderful thing.

Come to think of it, he was pretty wonderful in general if she ignored all of the past bad blood between them. She had been more and more lately, trying to enjoy the present and focus on the future.

She was actually grateful to have him in her life, extra stress and all. How strange.

The time came where the genetics students were up and she found herself following the line as they looped around the front of the auditorium and kept moving. It was all very orderly considering there hadn't been a single graduation practice.

"…David Everett…Jacob Fields…Marissa Garcia…Ariana Gonzales…Keeley Hale…"

She vaguely heard her family cheering for her in the distance at the moment her name was called. The department head handed Keeley her diploma with a smile and a handshake. The dean shook her hand too and sent her off on her way.

Once she got back to her seat she held the diploma to her heart. She did it. She actually did it!