AUTHORS: This is sort of a third installment of Crallie, but not really. Some parts link back to older Degrassi days because I wrote parts of this story a long time ago and didn't want to redo it, so just imagine it from there. I just felt like finishing this. I swear, my best stuff comes out at 4am.
School had already started at Degrassi C.S., and though the summer days were becoming more and more distant, many things weren't changing.
The nurses at the local health care center advised Craig to be tested for Syphilis, which turned out to be negative.
Every day and night of the summer he spent his time with Callie, and the minute school let out he would drive straight to her.
Only Craig Manning could be ever so patient.
"Craig, go home," a nurse said, leaning in the doorway of Callie's room, propping a clipboard against her flat stomach.
"No, I want to stay," he said, watching Callie lye in her bed, breathing slowly and silently.
"I know, Craig," the nurse said. "But Callie needs to be alone sometimes, in case something happens. The doctors need to come observe her. Sweetie, you've been here almost every night since the summer ended. You're exhausted – go home."
"But if anything happens you'll…"
"I'll be the first to call you," she said, smiling half-heartedly. You could tell she said this sentence on a regular basis.
Craig kissed Callie on the head and walked out, struggling to keep his eyes open. He zipped up his coat and adjusted his scarf, painfully looking back at Callie. Still waiting…
--
"Craig never did anything like that to me, ever," Manny said, staring at the social worker with her large, brown soulful eyes. She studied her hesitantly, than made a check mark around four boxes on the page. The constant movement of her red pen scared Manny, and she immediately spoke up again, her lips trembling as her eyes roamed across the sloppy scribbles.
"Look,"
The social worker peered up from her paper, tilting her glasses into Manny's view.
"As someone who used to love Craig more than life itself, he never looked at me the way he looks at Callie. Sure he had issues with his dad," she paused, "But he would never do that to a girl…I mean you would never believe the hell and high water he went through to protect Callie, I mean-"
"Thank you Ms. Santos," she irritatingly interrupted, shutting her eyes and cutting off her sentence.
--
Craig ran his hands though his hair, crying and breathing heavily on the outside step of the hospital. They all think I did it. He titled his head at the fall foliage and let the wind breeze threw his newly reborn fro. Suddenly the large stone door behind him swung open, and Manny stepped out, holding a cigarette in the corner of her mouth and buttoning her denim jacket.
"Manny?" he said, turning around, starting his eye line at her tennis shoes and working his way up to her face. "Why are you here?"
"They," Manny said, the cigarette falling out of her mouth. She quickly caught the top in between her index finger and thumb, than shoved in her inside pocket. Luckily he didn't see- Craig hated it when Manny smoked, he always would scold her and remind her of the possibilities of lung cancer. It got really annoying. Thank god I got around his speech, Manny thought. "Joey told them we used to date…some lady wanted to talk to me about our relationship,"
"Jesus Chr-"Craig screamed, spreading his hands out in front of his face. He interlaced his hands together and smashed his nose into it, frustrated. Almost out of nowhere he slammed his fist into the ground next to him.
He quickly winced it away in pain, biting his fist in his mouth.
"Oh my god," Manny said, unwrapping her beige satin scarf from around her neck. She sat down next to Craig, swaddling the thick material in between his fingers gently.
"Do you have a cigarette?" he said, turning his flushed red face towards hers.
"You don't smoke, Craig," Manny said, suspiciously, tying the thick fabric in a knot around his wrist.
"I need a damn cigarette- do you have one or not?"
Manny nonchalantly pulled two out of her inside pocket, followed by a small lighter with daises on it.
"They all think I did it," Craig said softly, blowing a smoke ring towards the sky.
He rested his arm between his two legs, the cigarette smoke trailing downwards to the ground.
"Did what?" Manny asked, confused.
"Drowned her,"
"Craig, I…" Manny trailed. She sighed softly and rested her head on the side of his shoulder, unsure of what to say.
For the first time in a really long time, Craig and Manny were getting along.
"I know you didn't do it, I know it."
And so it was. Manny Santos and Craig Manning were at peace.