Page 101 of Bound By Secrets

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 sinceshe 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 hishand 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.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Callie

Knocking at the door pulls me out of my turbulent thoughts and distracts me from the marred skin on my thigh, which is causing tears to prick in my eyes.

“It’s just me,” Kat says through the door, “Have you got everything you need?”

I quietly clear my throat before replying.

“Yeah, I’m all good!”

“Okay, well, I’m heading to bed then. I’ll see you in the morning!” She calls back.

I wait for the sound of her footsteps to fade before my eyes move away from the white wooden panels of the door and back to my thigh. I smooth my thumb across the blistered skin, tracing the shape of the letters that will forever be burned into my leg.

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