Chapter 15
ECHO
“Left,” Stacy directed, and Echo turned right. They were making their way to a new doctors office location, and she had been his navigator.
This appointment was with the same doctor but at a smaller facility for a check up. They didn't need all the big equipment and their care team said meeting in other locations would be good for the patients to heal from the mental instability they had experienced. Whatever got his kids over and through this chapter of their lives quicker, Echo was all for it.
When Stacy said ‘left’ again. And then twice more, Echo realized they had gone in a circle. Fuck. He hadn't been paying attention, lost in his own mind.
He glanced over at her. She was staring at him, a calculating look in her gaze. As if she were trying to figure him out.
At the stoplight where he made the first left– or right– Stacy instructed him to turn right.
Further down the road and no more circles, they parked. Before Echo faced her he needed courage he wasn't certain he had.
“Care to explain?” She asked softly while the twins chatted in the backseat.
Hanging his head, Echo sighed. “Not really, but I guess I forgot a couple things about my accident.”
“Is it reversible?”
“How do you know what it is?” He heard his defensive tone and cleared his throat. “Sorry.”
“I just directed you here, by giving you backwards directions. It's not difficult to figure out,” she stated matter of factly.
“Can we talk about it later? It is a sore subject.”
Stacy snorted and rolled her eyes at him. “And what I've been through isn't? This isn't a competition of who's life sucks more,” she snapped with more firmness than he expected. “I thought that's what we've been doing with all of our relationship books and therapy sessions?”
“Touché, baby. I guess I hadn't thought about it. As I don't think about it. It just is.”
Stacy nodded her head in understanding. “Okay. I'll give you that. I just wish you would have said something when we discussed your accident a few months ago.”
Echo nodded. “I'm sorry. I should have but it didn't seem important at the time. We had other, bigger priorities.”
“Let’s get this over with.” Yet before Stacy could turn in her seat to exit the vehicle, Echo clutched the front of her shirt and pulled her forcefully across the space and into his waiting lips for a kiss.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered against her lips. Her profile was blurry with their closeness.
“I know. I am too. Now. I'm getting hungry and we just got here. Let's hurry up please.” Stacy pecked his lips once more and helped the kids out of the backseat while Echo exited and corralled them inside.
The visit went as expected, all good and everything was where it needed to be with Henry. Another appointment was set up for four months and Echo felt a weight lift from his shoulders. The longer between appointments the better, was how they had been advised after the initial treatment.
Echo hated that his little boy had to go through this struggle at such a young age, his daughter right along with her brother, but Echo was so glad he had finally gained his memory to be there for them.
He wanted to wrap them up and take away their pain, all three of them.
They decided on a new-to-them restaurant, filling their bellies before making the trip back home. By the time they arrived at the house, both Harry and Helen were sleeping, heads together.
Which reminded Echo that he had Hammer coming over later to help install the adjoining window between the kids’ rooms.
It had taken time to order the specific window he wanted, one that had a screen in the middle and two separate operational panes on the outside.
He thought they were all settling into a new routine at the new house just fine. Stacy had turned one room downstairs into a secondary living space just for crafts, projects, and lessons for the kids. Whatever he needed to do to make his family happy and healthy, he'd do it.
They were too important to him to lose now.
STACY
Stacy's stomach churned as she felt like a hypocrite for chiding Travis about keeping secrets. Not that she was necessarily keeping a secret, she just hadn't told him of her suspicion. Yet.
Stacy kept trying to catalog her body's symptoms, but they ranged all over the place. From sore boobs to nausea. But those could be from PMS. At least that's what she tried to tell herself.
Denial.
She was in denial and kept telling herself that the stress from the past couple months would be the perfect reason for a skipped period. Stacy couldn't wrap her mind about the implications once she finally let herself accept what a tiny part of her already knew.
She couldn't go there. Wouldn't. Not now.
Yet as they pulled into their drive, Stacy felt another wave of nausea roll in the pit of her stomach. She could pass it off as food poisoning, right? She also didn’t want to ruin the joyful day either.
With everyone inside, Stacy and Harry settled on the couch, while Helen and Travis set out ingredients for supper. Not that Stacy could even think about food right then. She was all for swapping chores and duties.
“Mommy,” Harry's tiny voice called from his position snuggled in front of her.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I like having a Daddy.”
Stacy closed her eyes to keep the tears at bay as best she could. “I'm glad. I like having Daddy around too.” It was the honest truth.
“We get our window today, right?” Harry asked excitedly, his entire body wiggling.
“Yes. I think that's what Daddy said. He had to special order it and now you guys get to make a mess to fit it in the wall.”
“Awesome,” he giggled and Stacy joined in.
A comfortable silence ensued, and Stacy felt herself drifting off to sleep listening to her husband and daughter tinker in the kitchen.
Safe, happy, and content. Everything Stacy had always wanted.
Stacy cracked her eyes open when she heard Helen enter the room and waved her over with the crook of a finger.
Helen climbed on top of Stacy, sliding behind her and snuggled in. Stacy had balked at the huge, expensive couch, and now saw merit in it. Being surrounded by her children soothed her soul.
Her eyes had drifted close and she jolted when Travis kissed her forehead.
“Shh, baby, it's just me,” he said soothingly. “Take a nap. We don't have anything planned that can't wait.” A bonus of homeschool she was coming to learn and love. And the kids were just starting.
“I love you,” she whispered. She heard his returned words as sleep pulled her under.