Chapter 44 #2
Ugh. I rolled my eyes. “Just go home.” I said and they didn't protest the out I was giving them.
“See you tomorrow, Baleman!” Dylan tapped me lightly on the shoulder before turning to wink once at my sister.
“Wanna play Xbox next time?” He said, stretching his hand out for a fist bump, and Mallory beamed.
“Deal!” She grinned, bumping her fist against his own.
Gina gave me a short hug during all of that chaos, her arms warm and accommodating despite her usual blunt personality.
“See you tomorrow, Captain,” she whispered, her words carrying way more meaning behind them than just what she was saying.
I could hear it; all the things she was telling me in those simple words: “Shape up, Baleman.”
Then she pulled away and gestured to Dylan with a jerk of her chin. Just like that, they were gone.
And it was just me and my family in the parking lot, the awkward silence stretching between us like a rousing earthworm.
Awkwardness settled over me like a second skin, familiar in its discomfort. I reflexively knelt in front of Mallory's wheelchair, fussing over her to avoid looking at David and Karen, my hands smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her dress, adjusting the blanket over her knees.
"Even…even though you're discharged now, you're still not supposed to be out here like this. You'll catch a cold, you know," I said, my words coming out more clipped than I intended, my own old habits dying hard even as something new and terrifying bloomed in my chest.
But I could feel their gazes on me, patient and steady, waiting for me to stop running.
And I knew I had to face them sooner or later.
After all, I'd made that scene back in the hall.
I'd shown my hand, revealed just how much emotion I was capable of—just not for them.
Not for the people who deserved it most.
When I finally looked up, it was to find them both watching me with nothing but concern and that same unconditional love that had always made me so uncomfortable before. There was no judgment, no disappointment, no anger—just a patience that had weathered six years of my walls and distance.
Now though, seeing that look in their eyes—the fact that they weren't judging me or thinking less of me despite my outburst—made my heart swell until it felt too big for my chest, pressing against my ribs with an ache that was almost sweet.
There really is nowhere left to run, huh?
Wordlessly, I stood and went to hug them, my arms wrapping around their shoulders before I could overthink it, before my walls could reassert themselves.
I felt them stiffen in surprise, heard Mallory's soft gasp, but then they were hugging me back, their embrace enveloping me in a warmth I'd denied myself for too long.
Karen smelled like the perfume she always wore, a scent that had become synonymous with home in my mind even though I'd never admitted it.
David's arms were steady and strong, his hand coming up to cradle the back of my head the way he'd done when I was younger and would allow such gestures.
When I pulled back, there were tears in my eyes that I couldn't hide, couldn't brush away fast enough.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, the words breaking free after years of being trapped behind walls of my own making.
"M—Karen…David…” Yeah, as I'd figured, it was still too weird to call them that: Mom.
Dad. I mean, I couldn't deny that that was what they were to me now, but— “I'm sorry.
I can't. I— I'm sorry." Each apology felt like releasing a weight I'd been carrying for too long.
"Oh, Hailey," they said in unison, their arms tightening around me, their voices thick with an emotion that matched my own.
"It's okay, you don't have to apologize to us," Karen said, her fingers brushing a strand of hair from my face with such tenderness it made my throat tighten. "We're not mad at you. They must have done something terrible for you to have reacted like that."
I huffed out a confused, "What?" The sound more like a hiccup than a word.
David and Karen blinked at me before exchanging glances, a silent communication passing between them. "Aren't you... apologizing for the scene you made back in the hall?"
"No, I... I mean I was..." The words stuck in my throat, but I knew I had to get them out somehow. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing out the truth I'd been running from for six long years. "Thank you so much for not letting me push you away!"
Both Karen and David stared at me in stunned silence before they both hugged me again, their bodies trembling slightly with emotions I could finally name, could finally allow myself to feel.
"Hailey," Karen whispered against my hair, her voice breaking on my name. "We would have waited for you for as long as it took."
The moment stretched, raw and perfect, until Mallory's voice broke through, impatient and full of the youthful exuberance that made her so precious.
"Hello? What about me? I want in on this!"
We all laughed through our tears, the sound watery but genuine, crouching down to enfold Mallory in our circle. Her small arms reached up to pull us closer, her smile bright enough to rival the parking lot lights, her eyes shining with a joy that made my heart ache in the best possible way.