Page 141 of Falling

I feel a lump form in my throat, but I swallow it down, nodding slowly. “I get it. She’s done the same thing to me for years. But it hurts, you know? It hurt feeling like I was alone when you were right there.”

“I know,” Austin says, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. I really hope she doesn’t cry because then there’ll be no stopping my own tears. “And I hate that I made you feel that way. I want to make it right.” She takes in another deep breath, her eyes meeting mine. “I’m staying in town for a while. For the baby. Zion’s parents are here, and it makes more sense than going back to Russia. I’ve had some good days with the company, and maybe in a few years I’ll get back into ballet, but for now, I just want to settle down. I want to be here for you, for us, and for the baby. I want to have a better relationship with you, if you’ll let me.”

My heart skips a beat at the revelation. I didn’t know that Austin was planning to stay. I hadn’t even considered that we might have a chance to rebuild our relationship. It’s been years since we’ve both been in the same country, and now, she’s just going to behere.“You’re staying?” I echo, the words feeling strange on my tongue.

Austin nods. “Yeah. I realized I can’t keep running from everything. I need to face it, to be there for my child when he comes, and for you. I want us to be a family, Wren. A real one, not the broken mess we grew up with.”

My eyes well up with tears, a mix of relief and hope flooding my system. “I want that too, Austin. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

We share a tentative smile, the first genuine one in what feels like forever. The server comes with our orders, and we eat mostly in silence. I talk a little about Miles since he’s been the only thing on my mind lately and how excited I am for his game. She tells me about the baby name options she and Zion have been trying out, but they’re not sure yet.

It’s only after we’ve eaten that Austin broaches the subject that has been looming over us.

“So, what are you going to do about Mom?” she asks, her voice gentle but probing.

I sigh, picking at my nearly empty plate. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to cut her off completely, to protect myself from her toxicity. But another part of me can’t shake the hope that maybe, just maybe, she could change.”

Austin reaches across the table, taking my hand in hers. “She might never change, Wren, and you need to know that. She’s been this way for so long. But you don’t have to make a decision right now. Take your time. Do what feels right for you.”

I nod, appreciating the support. “I’ve been thinking about talking to her, setting some boundaries. I need to make it clear that I won’t tolerate her manipulations anymore. If she can’t respect that, then... I’ll have to figure out what to do from there.”

Austin smiles. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ve got your back, okay, Wrenny?”

“Okay.”

Things definitely won’t be perfect for a while, but slowly mending this relationship with my sister is finally a step in the right direction. I want this with her. I want my big sister back, who I used to look up to, the one who would always protect me. And maybe we can find our way back to each other. For now, that hope is enough.

After dinner, everything feels weirdly normal. Like hanging out with Austin is just a casual thing that we do. As kids, I’d kill to have one-and-one time with her. We’d always be at our respective dance classes, or she’d be away for recitals. Now, it feels like that separation between us never existed.

The apartment that she and Zion are renting is a thirty-minute walk from here, but Austin insisted on walking. She’s got her arm slung in mine, the other holding onto her bump as we take slow steps on the sidewalk.

“I think this baby is trying to kill me,” she mumbles.

I laugh. “I’m pretty sure all kids are like that.”

She flashes me a glance. “No, Wren, at my last scan the doctor told me that he’shuge.”

That makes me laugh again. It’s so weird seeing her pregnant. She’s always been thin and a little frail because of how seriously she takes ballet and seeing her with this massive bump is a weird adjustment. I spot a bench a few steps ahead of us and ask, “Do you want to sit down for a minute?”

She shakes her head. “I’ve put my body through hell since I was five. I’m sure I can manage a few more minutes of walking. We’re close by, right?”

“I can still see the restaurant sign, so no,” I say, grimacing.

“Seriously?” she groans, turning back and we’re not even a block away from where we just ate. “Pregnancy brain is the worst.”

We continue walking for another five minutes before she needs to stop again. Honestly, I don’t mind all the stopping and starting. I’m just glad we’re in the same place at the same time. When we get going again, she grips my arm a little tighter than before and stands still.

Her eyes widen, and she looks at me with panic. “I think my water just broke.”

“Your what?” I blurt out, glancing down at her leg.

“My water! You know, the thing keeping this baby inside me. Either that or I just peed myself really bad,” she says, glancing down to the wet stain on her dungarees. “Nope. Definitely baby goo water.”

My heart starts racing and I have no fucking idea what to do. She must register the confusion on my face because she hands me her phone, leaning against the wall. “Call an ambulance and then call Zion. This baby is not waiting for anyone.”

I haveno clue how long this process is supposed to last, but I’ve been pacing the hallway of the hospital for the last two hours. We managed to get here in one piece and Austin got hooked up to all these machines just as Zion walked in. She screamed at me the entire time we were in the ambulance, but just as they wheeled her through the doors she shouted, “I didn’t mean any of that. I love you, sis.” And I think it might have been the sweetest thing she’s ever said to me. The doctors taken her in for an emergency C-section because of the way the baby is positioned, and my mind won’t stop telling me the hundreds of things that could go wrong.

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