Forever Mine

CAL

“Have you been here all night?” A voice rings in my head, snapping my eyes open. I blink to see Sue and Sam in front of me.

I run a hand over my face and yawn, looking out the window at the bright light. “Yeah. I wanted to be here when she wakes up.” I glance at my watch to see it’s almost 8am; visiting hours.

“Well, you’ll have to wait. We’re sitting with her for the next two hours. Come on, Sam.” She pulls her daughter down the corridor. Sam gives me a half-hearted smile and a shrug as she leaves.

Knowing there’s not a lot I can do here, I head back to her place with the belongings from her car. I’m not sure what she needs, and I wish I’d checked with the nurse before I left, but I pack her hairbrush and toothbrush, then open her drawer for clean underwear.

The stockings are here along with her sexy lace knickers, but I opt for the comfy cotton ones she likes to wear so much. I pack a few sets of short pyjamas and her slippers, wanting her to be comfortable when she wakes up.If she wakes up.

Her peach coloured bedroom closes in on me, and I drop to the bed like a stone dropping to the ocean floor. Everything is murky, preventing me from seeing my hand in front of my eyes. She has to wake up. She has to. My fist crumples the garments in my hand as I take in deep, slow breaths. My heartbeat slows, and her room comes back into focus.

With a light head, I walk into the kitchen to get a drink of water. The pump she carries in her bag reminds me of the freezer draw full of expressed milk. I pack it up along with Caleb’s pushchair and drop it off at Mum’s, getting five minutes with my boy and the girls. I’ll have to organise a way to get the girls back to Priya. There’s no way I can go back to Australia now.

“Do you need the car, Mum?”

“No love, you take it. If I need anything, I’ll ask the neighbour, and I can walk to the shop.”

I kiss Caleb and the girls goodbye and head back to the hospital. Sue passes me in the sterile corridor with a scowl on her face. Sam follows.

“Dad’s with her now, Cal,” Sam confirms, before getting a pained look from Sue for even acknowledging me.

My stomach groans. I’ve eaten nothing since Mum’s stew. I’m not sure I can stomach anything at the moment, but the emptiness in my belly is eating away at my insides, just like the emptiness in my heart has chewed away at my arteries.

Walking into the hospital shop, I grab a pre-packed sandwich and can of pop. A half-naked dude on a book cover catches my eye. He’s the sort of tattooed prick Steph likes.Like you, you mean?

I’ve heard it’s good for people to read to coma patients. Maybe this dude can bring her round, even if I can’t. The guy behind the till raises an eyebrow and grins as he scans the barcode on the book cover. I smile inwardly and flash my credit card before grabbing my stuff.

The nurse from yesterday is outside the waiting room. “Hey, is there any change with Stephanie Bailey?”

“We’ve taken her off the ventilator, and she’s breathing on her own, which is a really good sign.” She smiles and squeezes my arm as I let out a sigh of relief.

My shoulders relax a little and my eyes flick to the heavens to thank God for answering my prayers. “Thanks. I have some things of hers here.” I hand Steph’s things over to her before returning to the waiting room.

Justin sits on the plastic seating with Cairen. I slump into the uncomfortable chair opposite and shuffle in my seat.

“Hey. Cassie’s in there with Steph’s dad. The kids wanted to come and see her.” He points to the door to the ICU.

“Haven’t you been to school today?” Biting into the sandwich is like sandpaper on my tongue, but I swallow and force another bite.

Cairen glares at me as if my presence here is offensive enough. He hasn’t been the same since overhearing Steph calling me Caleb’s dad, and apparently he didn’t take it well.

“It’s the holidays now,” Justin says.

Of course it is. With everything going on, I forgot about the summer holidays. There’s an awkward silence, and it’s clear the kid doesn’t want to talk to me.

Each passing minute is like an hour, sitting here in awkward silence with Justin and Cairen, glaring at me like some kid from a Stephen King book. If looks could kill, I’d be dead. I actually like the lad, even if he is Justin’s double.

Steph’s dad appears with Cassie. “You can take over, Justin. I’ll take Cassie back with us.”

Justin stands. “Thanks John. Come on, Cairen.” He places an arm around the kid.

I look up at him. “Will you give me a shout when I can go in?”

“Sure.”

Two hours go by, and Justin pokes his head into the waiting area. “We’re off. All yours.”