45. Chapter Forty-Five
Rushing around the car, I pull open the passenger door just as Callie reaches for the handle to let herself out.
“Here, let me help.” I slide an arm beneath her legs and my other one behind her back, lifting her from the cushioned seat and into my arms.
She giggles as her arms loop around my neck and places a kiss against my cheek.
“Would you look at this guy, acting like he’s Prince Charming,” Ryker scoffs from behind me, slamming the car door shut.
“Yeah, I know, he’s trying to win her over and steal her for himself,” Brad adds.
“Will you two stop acting jealous and get the bags from the car, please?”
Both of them huff at Callie’s remark and then proceed to grab the few bags from the back of the car as I carry her towards the house.
“I appreciate you helping, Nate, but I can walk by myself, you know?”
“Yeah I know you can, but I also know that it’s painful for you after a while so it’s easier if I just carry you,” I tell her, reaching the door and momentarily frowning as I wonder how I’m going to reach for my keys and open the door whilst holding her.
Callie laughs when she notices the dilemma I’m in.
“Just put me down.”
My cheeks heat, and I carefully lower her legs until her feet are touching the floor, waiting until she’s balanced before I remove my arm from around her.
I know that she doesn’t need the help. She’s stubborn and determined, so she’s adamant that she can do everything herself now that the doctors have released her from the hospital after a week.
I’ll admit, she’s doing really well.
She’s seen a therapist a couple of times, and she’ll continue to do so for at least the next year. She also saw a physiotherapist and she’s had tests and scans that confirm she’s okay. I just can’t help but worry about her.
We haven’t spoken much about the situation, but she seems perfectly okay when we do. She doesn’t squirm or cringe, and she doesn’t get upset and cry. She just talks about it as if it was a normal event that occurred.
That’s what worries me. I feel like she’s putting on a brave face and pretending to be fine when in reality, she’s not.
She still hasn’t spoken to Clarissa either.
The twins have brought Crystal to the hospital a couple of times so that Callie could meet her and they get along really well. Crystal loves having an older sister who can do her hair in pretty styles and Callie loves the fact that after years apart, she can finally enjoy time with her little sister.
The first time Callie set eyes on Crystal, she cried. At first, I thought it was because of the fact that she hadn’t seen her since she was a baby, or maybe it was because Crystal looked so much like Clarissa.
After the twins had taken Crystal home, Callie explained to us that she was crying because, in her mind, when she saw Crystal, it made her think about the baby that she and Ryker had lost. She wondered if their baby would’ve looked like Crystal does or if their baby would’ve enjoyed playing with Crystal if she didn’t have a miscarriage.
Brad and I were shocked into silence at her admission of having a miscarriage, and when we saw the longing and the heartbreak in her eyes, we didn’t pry for any answers.
Once Callie had fallen asleep, Ryker filled us in on the situation and seeing him look so devastated pulled at my heartstrings and made me realise how tough it must’ve been on them both to lose their unborn baby.
The other time that Crystal visited with Callum and Connor, there were no tears in sight. Callie was overjoyed instead and she pushed herself to get out of bed and walk around the hospital gardens with Crystal. Even though she was in pain with her legs and ended up limping back to her room with Connor’s help, she had the biggest, brightest smile on her face and wouldn’t stop talking for hours about how cute her little sister was.
None of us has asked her about her mother yet, as we know that it dampens her mood, but I did overhear her speaking to Callum yesterday and she said that she’d call Clarissa sometime this week so that they could try and mend their relationship.
I hope that they manage to, even if it takes some time because I feel like Callie could benefit from having a healthy relationship with her mother, I think it’ll help her heal and having her mother to talk to and confide in will probably help a tremendous amount.
“Callie, darling, you look like you’re living the dream right now,” Mum teases, sitting on the loveseat beside Kat as her eyes sweep over the position the four of us are in.
“Yeah, I really am,” Callie replies.
Her head is resting on my lap as my fingers massage her scalp. Ryker’s sitting next to me with Callie’s midriff laid across his lap. He’s mindlessly tracing patterns against the small amount of bare skin that’s showing as he watches The Chase on TV. Brad is at the other end of the sofa, rubbing her feet.
“Well, I’ve set up an air mattress in Brad”s room for you to sleep on Ryker. Callie, I assume you’ll be staying in either Nate’s or Kat’s room?”
Callie turns her head to look up at me.
“Would it be okay with you if I stayed in your room?”
“Yeah, of course, I’ll stay with Brad and Ryker if you want.” She shakes her head, glancing over at my mother, who’s now watching the TV and paying us no attention.
“I don’t want to be alone, it’s my first night out of the hospital and I’d appreciate having you close by,” she tells me, looking up at me with big glossy eyes. I nod and stroke my fingers through her hair.
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
She smiles and then awkwardly clambers off of our laps, announcing that she’s going to take a shower before getting ready for bed.
I watch her leave the room, observing her movements to see if she’s in any pain or discomfort, wondering if she needs help with anything. Apart from the fact that she’s favouring her right leg, she seems to be physically fine as she retreats from the room.
“You think she’ll be okay?” Brad asks.
“Eventually, yeah. The therapy sessions seem to really help her and she’s agreed with Callum that she’ll call Clarissa at some point. She’s just gonna need time,” Ryker replies, clapping his hand on Brad’s shoulder in a supportive gesture. “As long as we’re there for her whenever she needs us, she’ll be okay.”
Kat stands from the loveseat, kissing my mother on the cheek before padding over towards the doorway.
“I’ll go and check on her, make sure she’s got everything she needs and then head to bed. Goodnight boys.”