Note: A Happy Mother's Day to all moms living and in heaven today. Thank you to max 2013, Paulina Ann, and EvergreenDreamweaver for taking the time to leave feedback on the previous chapter. It is much appreciated.
Consequences
Chapter 7
The next morning, Callie sat down on her bed, closed her eyes, and smiled. Somehow, someway, Frank seemed to be back, and she couldn't have been any happier. Last night's rather impromptu birthday dinner had been a great success. It seemed as though whatever was plaguing Frank over these past few months had been set aside. Although she knew that today would be the talk, and she was a little nervous about it, a greater part of her thought, really believed, that everything would at last be okay.
Callie opened her eyes and watched the sun steam through the open window. She knew that she had quite a few errands and things to take care of today before Frank got home from his class, but she was reluctant to start her day. Last night…it had been so wonderful…
Callie felt herself blush as she thought of it, and then laughed out loud for her silliness. After Joe and Vanessa had left for the evening, she had finally been alone with Frank. And, for one night, things returned to how they had always been. He was sweet, loving, romantic, tender… every bit the man she had fallen in love with, and every bit the one she knew she would be with for the rest of her life. This morning had been just a continuation of the long evening, as Frank held her in his arms tightly, almost refusing to let her go. On more than one occasion, Callie remembered looking into his eyes and being struck by the emotion in them. He had looked at her with such intensity it almost bordered on making her feel uncomfortable, but she had shrugged it off, content to lie in his arms and feel his love surround her.
As Callie sat up, she tried to figure out Frank's reaction as he left for his class in the morning. That was the one thing that she found a little odd, although she refused to make more of it than it probably was. As he was about to leave, he had come back to the bed and reached out his arms to her.
"Callie," he said, meeting her eyes. "Come here."
She noticed that his voice was strained with emotion, and she was concerned.
"Are you okay, baby?" she asked.
But he hadn't answered, not right away at least. Instead, he pulled her to him, and said in a voice thick with emotion, "Just let me hold you."
She hadn't known what to do. As she felt his arms surround her, she had just wanted to be content and in the moment. But something about the quivering in his voice, about the way in which he was holding her so tightly it almost hurt, began to get her nervous…and she had no idea why.
And he HAD held her…for a long time, in silence. She knew he would be late for class. He didn't seem to care, and she knew that for some reason…she should just let him be. When he finally released her, he had tilted her face to his and kissed her with an intense passion that came so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that Callie was almost overcome with emotion. Rather than pursuing, it, though, he had just pulled away, and she knew…she just knew…
That there had been tears in his eyes.
And then he turned and left, without another word. And she had looked after him, stunned, still feeling his touch and his warmth and yet, inexplicably, shivering…
Callie shook off the thought. Maybe he was emotional because of the night we had, she said to herself. It HAD been magnificent.
Maybe…maybe it was because he's sorry about the way he was acting, and he felt badly that he had let it go on for so long. Yes. Yes, that could be it. Maybe he's just happy about our future, our child, and the fact that life is starting to fall into place. She clung to that last thought the longest as she placed a hand on her stomach and thought of the child she was carrying. She pushed back any notion that Frank's behavior could be attributed to anything remotely negative. It would be all right-because he was Frank, and Frank always made everything okay. And she loved him for it.
Smiling, Callie at last allowed herself a few minutes to think and to prepare for Frank's arrival back in a few hours. Checking that she was alone again, Callie bit her lip and reached under the bed, where she had bought and hidden a few copies of Bridal and Baby magazines. Until last night, she had been too upset to even think about her wedding or child, but last night Frank had renewed her hope.
Slowly, she picked up Bridal first and started flipping through the pictures. Looking at all the gorgeous gowns, she smiled sadly. Well, it'll be a while before I can fit into any of those, she thought silently, although she had gained a total of only three pounds so far. Still, she wasn't that upset. She had wanted to marry Frank because she loved him dearly, not because of a wedding day. At the thought, Callie chuckled softly to herself. Vanessa, on the other hand, will be devastated.
Shaking her head affectionately, Callie thought of her best friend after she had gotten engaged. Vanessa must have worn Callie's ring more than she had, and had started planning for a dream wedding almost instantly. She had picked all sorts of gowns that had "called" to her, selected bridal party colors, insisted that she knew the perfect flowers…she had been wonderful. Although Callie knew that in reality, her wedding would probably be small and elegant, she had found herself reluctantly getting all caught up in Vanessa's enthusiasm. I hope she marries Joe one day, Callie couldn't help but to think. I'd love to have her in my family, since she's like a sister already. Grinning, Callie thought of what a gala event THAT wedding would be, between Vanessa's grandiose ideas and Joe's antics.
Then, she put down the first magazine and picked up Baby. She felt her heart start pounding a little more. When Callie had first found out she was pregnant, she had been terrified. She was only 22- she wanted a life, a career, a few years with the love of her life before starting a family. When Frank was 20, he had started casually bringing up the idea that they'd one day get married. It had been HER who always "hushed" him, telling him that she didn't plan on getting married to anyone before she was 30. She'd said it so often, and had meant it, that she had no idea he'd propose so soon.
Of course, she had known…all her life, really… that Frank had been THE ONE. They'd been dating for almost 8 years when he had proposed, but my- he'd managed to shock her. She looked again at her ring, and was filled with happiness. Whenever Frank had joked about kids, he always had told her he wanted 2 little boys to be just like he had been with his brother, and at least one little girl, whom he'd spoil rotten. She had always known that he would be a great daddy one day. His kindness, patience, and good heart ensured that, as did the way in which he always treated those he loved. But telling him she was pregnant…and so soon… THAT had been hard, especially after the hell they had all gone through last summer.
Time, though, had mellowed her to the idea, and she was excited, despite her precarious situation with Frank and her morning sickness. As she flipped through the magazine, she felt a little teary eyed as she looked at pictures of the babies. What will our child look like? she wondered to herself, and smiled. Brown eyes, definitely! She tried to imagine what a new life would look like, a combination of her and Frank. I hope she…he…inherits Frank's smile, his twinkling eyes…
And Joe! He'd be the crazy uncle, the one whom every kid adored—she was sure of it. He'd be the type of uncle to spoil his niece or nephew rotten and leave the parents to deal with the after effects! She giggled softly at the thought. Joe and Frank would both be so wonderful, taking her baby to parks, ball games (whether it was a boy or a girl!), school functions, Santa visits…
Callie wiped back a tear. She didn't know if she was ready for it, but she did know she'd try her best, and with Frank as a father, the child would have to have his kind heart and be a good person. I hope the baby gets the best of both of us, she prayed, as all expectant mothers do.
If there was one thing she could change about the whole situation, though, other than the timing, it was the fact that Frank didn't want her to tell anyone, and she couldn't quite figure out why. She was totally in the dark about what to do, and she longed to speak to her mom, or to Laura, Frank's mom, or any one of her friends. A part of her felt completely alone. When she had confided in Vanessa, finally, it had been such an incredible sense of relief.
"Oh, Frank," she sighed to herself. "I love you, though." And, with a big smile, she patted her stomach and whispered, "and I love you, little one." She felt almost giddy as she said it.
Then, she knew one thing that she had to do as she came back to reality. She looked at her "to do" list, and saw that #1 read "call Joe." Smiling, she realized she had scribbled little hearts all over the list by Joe's name since she had been thinking about Frank when she had written the list. Walking into the living room, she picked up the phone and dialed, waiting for the familiar voice to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Joe?" Callie said into the receiver. "Hey-it's your future sister in law."
"Hey, Callie! What's going on?" Joe sounded happy, relaxed… the way he always did, until last summer, Callie couldn't help but to think, regretfully. Still, she had called for a reason.
"Nothing," Callie began, but then changed her mind. "Actually, something. I…well, first of all, I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to become a blubbering mess and I…I.." I what? I told the truth- it WAS my fault? I shouldn't have yelled—I know you're still in pain? I…
Joe's voice brought her to the present. "Listen, Cal…no problem, really. I'm just glad that Frank was so happy last night, you know? Besides, I shouldn't have brought it up. It's in the past. You won't… you won't tell anyone what I told you, right?"
Callie could hear the hesitation in his voice. She was still amazed by how brave Joe was being not telling anyone that he still couldn't remember. She disagreed with his decision, but she respected him. Besides, she wanted to put last summer to rest as well. "Of course not, Joe," she replied.
"Thanks," he said, sounding relieved.
"Joe?" Callie continued. "Thanks for…for everything. I think Frank needed to see you to feel better- to act normally again. It," she paused, not sure of how to go on. Finally, she said the truth. "It's nice to know that we were- are- on the same side. Last summer… I know you don't remember…"
"Callie," Joe cut in.
"…But I won't ever forget. Thank you."
The other end of the line was silent for a few moments. Finally, Joe spoke.
"Callie, look. Last summer was horrible. I wish I could remember—maybe I will. But I know that I'd always protect you, and Frank would do the same for Vanessa. You're… well, I mean, you're family now, and you know I love you. Let's just forget about it, okay?" Then he chuckled. "I guess it's easier for some of us," he joked.
Callie felt her eyes fill with tears, which she quickly wiped away. Joe was always so quick to joke. More importantly, he was always so open and honest with his thoughts and feelings. He was a fierce enemy, but an even more fiercely loyal friend.
"Cal?" She heard Joe's voice.
"I love you, too, Joe."
Joe laughed. "What's not to love?" he quipped, and Callie laughed in spite of herself.
"Listen, Cal," Joe went on, "I have to go. Thanks for last night. Have Frank give me a call when he can, okay? I'm really glad things seem to be working out. Take care of my brother, will you?"
"Of course," she said, softly. Joe Hardy always had a way of making her-anyone, really- feel better. "Bye, Joe. And thanks."
"Later, sis," he replied, and hung up.
As Callie was about to go to #2, which read, simply, "The affair," she heard a knock on the door. Oh, well, she thought. Her mom's affair –the monthly Girls' Night out dinner- would have to be scheduled for her mother later. She was doing it as a favor for her mother, who was out of town for a few days. Her mom had always labeled the monthly fun day as an "affair"- she always said it sounded more glamorous than "house-mom's to Friendly's." She smiled, again wishing she could tell her mom what was going on.
Again, there was a knock, and then it ceased. "Hmm... that's strange," Callie mused, as she went to the door. As she opened it, she noticed that there was a small white box by the door. She picked it up, and read the note attached to it. "Frank's cake. From Joey."
"Joey?!" Callie said out loud. "Since when does Joe call himself that?"
Still, she went to the kitchen and opened the box, noting white cake with the words "happy birthday" written on top. "That's nice," Callie said softly, recalling that Joe and Vanessa had forgotten the cake last night. Still, she noticed right away that it was carrot cake, and looked at it strangely.
"Frank HATES carrot cake," she said out loud. "That's weird." Still, she had to smile. Carrot cake happened to be her favorite cake in the world, which was perfect. When she and Frank got dessert, he's always chow down on dark chocolate cake or ice cream, and she'd have the carrot cake, which always allowed them more than enough room to eat!
"Oh, well. I guess he made a mistake," Callie mused.
There was another knock on the door, and this time, when Callie got to it, she noticed another white box. It had the same note. "Frank's cake. From Joey."
When Callie brought it back to the kitchen, she opened the cake and saw that it was death by chocolate. Smiling, she said, "Well, Frank will be happy."
Dialing Joe's number she looked at the carrot cake longingly. He was very generous, and must have sent the carrot cake so she could enjoy dessert as well. Somehow, the bakery must have inadvertently written "Happy Birthday" on both, unsure of which one was the REAL cake.
"Hello?"
"Vanessa?"
"Hey, Cal! How ya doin' girl?" Vanessa asked cheerfully.
"I'm fine, thanks. Is Joe there?"
"No, he just ran out to pick up something to eat. We're going to hole up here and get some studying done."
"Yeah, right. I've heard about your study sessions!" Callie teased.
"I AM going to study! I have a big test coming up and I want to ace it," Vanessa replied, defensively.
"Sure you are." Called laughed. She could almost hear Vanessa blushing.
"Just tell Joe I called. About the cake."
"Ok, I'll tell him. And Cal….we really ARE going to study tonight." Vanessa said forcefully.
"Whatever you say, Van," Callie laughed, hanging up the phone, feeling thankful once again that Joe had made such amazing progress in his recovery. Initially the doctors weren't even sure he'd be able to return to school this semester, let alone live in the dorms on his own.
Returning her attention to the cakes, Callie slid the chocolate one in the refrigerator, but decided to have some of the carrot cake while she straightened up and waited for Frank.
"Mmm… delicious- good taste, Joe," she said out loud.
Normally not a big junk food eater, Callie finished a second piece of cake, blaming it on her pregnancy with a guilty smile, and then she heard the doorknob turn.
Frank was home…
And he looked ready to talk.
