Chapter Seven
Disclaimer: I own nothing- how sad :(
I know the events in this chapter and slightly over exaggerated and unlikely but this is fanfiction and it makes what I think at least a sweet chapter (hope you agree). So please no reviews about it being unrealistic. Thanks for all the amazing reviews you have given me. I never thought this story would be so well reviewed. This is the last chapter :(
Tac xxx
"How was the honeymoon?" Mitchie asked as Caitlyn entered the bakery after her honeymoon. She came round the counter from where she had been making the coffee.
Caitlyn grinned at her and gave her a hug. "Brilliant. Spain was amazing." She laughed. "How were things here?"
"Good apart from the lack of cupcakes. They had to make do with sandwiches and coffee but we didn't lose any of the regular customers but I'm sure everyone will be glad to see you back."
"Me or the cupcakes." Caitlyn teased sipping her coffee. "Are you and Shane coming round tonight?" Shane and Mitchie now lived in a house on the outskirts of New York while Nate and Caitlyn were temporarily living in Mitchie and Caitlyn's flat while they looked for another house.
"Sure." Mitchie agreed. "I missed you and in answer to your previous question they missed you and the cupcakes."
Caitlyn grinned at her and headed into the kitchen to start on the first batch of the day. "How's married life treating you then?" she called as Mitchie pulled out the sandwich fillings and bread.
"Only getting better and better." Mitchie smiled. "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my god!" Caitlyn shrieked dropping a bowl and running into give her friend a hug. "How far along are you? How did Shane take it? Can I be godmother?"
Mitchie rolled her eyes. "Two months, Shane's probably as excited as you at this precise moment but all day long and of course you'll be godmother."
"Thank you!" Caitlyn has started bouncing up and down which was only something she did when she was very hyper or excited.
"Go on. We've been without cupcakes for long enough." Mitchie gently shoved her friend towards the kitchen. "Oh and mum wants all four of us to go for Sunday lunch on Sunday."
"Funny that." Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "But yeah we can come unless Nate books us in for something else today."
"I doubt that." Mitchie gave her friend an exasperated look. "Shane's asking him today as well. You see they work together along with Jason. They're in a band."
Caitlyn stuck her tongue out at her. "There's no need to be sarcastic. And is Shane really likely to remember to tell Nate that."
"True." Mitchie agreed. "Go on anyone would think you didn't like cooking."
Caitlyn grinned at her best friend and disappeared into the kitchen to clear up the glass fragments from when she had dropped the bowl in her excitement.
"Ow!" she shrieked as she put her hand on a jagged piece of glass which buried into her skin staining her skin as crimson red. She stared at her hand as the amount of blood increased feeling slightly dizzy and unable to recall her first aid training.
"Cait!" Mitchie came running in skidding to halt at the sight of her chalk white best friend who was cradling her hand. She grabbed the nearest tea towel and wrapped it round her friend's hand. "God Cait this is deep we need to go to hospital."
Caitlyn opened her mouth to protest but Mitchie cut her off again. "Cait we're going. Let me just write a note explaining why we're closed. And yes I'm coming with you."
She scribbled a note out quickly, stuck it to the door and then pulled her friend up off her kitchen floor and wrapped her arm around her friend and supported her out to her car.
"Do you want me to call Nate?" Mitchie asked as they drew up at A&E. Caitlyn shook her head trying to keep the tears at bay. "Cait are you going to faint?" she glanced sideways at her friend who was incredibly pale from loss of blood.
"No." Caitlyn muttered opening the car door and promptly fainting as she fell out the car.
"Cait!" Mitchie shrieked.
"Mitchie!" Nate tore down the hospital towards his sister-in-law followed by Shane and Jason. "What happened? Where is she? How is she?"
"She dropped a bowl and then when she tried to clear it up she got glass in her hand so we went to the hospital so they could get it out as it was in really deep but she was loosing lots of blood and then fainted as she got out the car and hit her head and I think she also broke her arm but she went straight into wherever they take people and I haven't seen her for two hours." Mitchie's voice broke and the tears spilled over.
"She'll be ok Mitch." Shane reassured her as she buried her face in his chest. "Everything will be fine." He looked over at his brothers. Nate was staring at the door through which Mitchie had indicated Caitlyn had been taken through.
Jason was watching him carefully knowing that soon he would crack. He was right. Seconds later Nate turned away from the door and threw his arms around his eldest brother. "She is going to be ok isn't she?"
Jason exchanged looks with Shane and tightened his grip on his brother. For all Nate seemed to be the organised, strong member he still needed his brother's reassurance. "She's strong Nate. I doubt she'll let this beat her."
They waited in silence which was only broken by the sounds of Mitchie's sobs. They had retreated to the chairs lining the walls. Mitchie and Shane sharing one with the other two sitting next to them Jason's arm still wrapped protectively around Nate's shoulders.
"Mr Gray?" A doctor came out of the door opposite them. Nate sprung to his feet and opened his mouth to question the doctor before faltering.
"She's going to be ok." He started recognising the look on the faces of the four people in front of them. They all visibly relaxed as he continued. "We've got the glass out of her hand although we had trouble stopping the bleeding. She's also broken her arm and has mild concussion from where she hit her head. We'll need to keep her in for a couple of nights but she's going to be fine. You can all go in and see her now."
He didn't have to tell them twice. Mitchie and Nate were through the door before Shane and Jason had a chance to comprehend what the doctor had just said. Caitlyn was asleep a bandage round her head, hand and opposite arm.
"Caity." Nate whispered rushing to her side. "What have you done to yourself?" He pulled up a chair by her bed and took her good hand in his. Mitchie smiled softly at the display of affection and sat on the end of her best friend's bed leaving the other chair for Shane. Jason stood behind Nate his hand resting supportively on his shoulder.
"She'll wake up soon." The doctor promised and then shut the door leaving them to it
"Do you think we should call Matt?" Shane asked.
"I'll do it." Jason volunteered.
"He's on holiday with Alice in Greece at the moment but call his mobile. And tell him there's no need to rush home. Caitlyn would kill us for telling him and ruining their holiday which they're desperately in need of." Mitchie called after him.
"Nate." Caitlyn eye's flittered open.
"Cait!" Nate breathed a smile crossing his face for the first time that afternoon. "Don't you ever do that to me again. Are you feeling ok?"
"Like shit." She muttered. "My hand and arm ache and I feel dizzy and I think I'm going to be sick." Shane quickly grabbed the bowl under the bed and held it out. He was just in time as seconds later Caitlyn threw up.
She smiled weakly at Shane in thanks and then a look of panic crossed her face. "Where's Mitchie!" she demanded her grip on Nate's hand tightening.
"I'm right here." Mitchie slipped off the end of the bed and came round to sit beside her friend. "And I'm ok." She foresaw Caitlyn's next question.
"Jason, Matt..?"
"Jason's just gone to phone Matt." Nate told her stroking her hair. "He's telling him not to cut their holiday short. Cait stop worrying it's not going to help you get better. Everything's fine."
"What about the shop? I can't take any more time off."
"You haven't got a lot of choice." Mitchie told her. "You can't cook with only one arm."
"And no offence but you can't cook." Caitlyn groaned and then leant over and was sick again in the bowl.
"I think it's the drugs they've given you." Shane commented looking worriedly at his sister-in-law. "Look Cait relax. I'm sure our mom will come and cook for you while you can't and you can help Mitchie out the front doing the things that you can."
"I never thought I'd say this but that was a good idea." Nate grinned thankfully at his brother as Mitchie nodded in agreement. "What do you think Cait?"
They all could all see the internal argument she was having with herself. She didn't have anything against her mother-in-law; they got along well but Caitlyn hated being ill or thought of as weak and was desperate to be ok enough to work. "Fine." She muttered.
"Good." Shane agreed. "Now I'm going to find a doctor to see if it those drugs making you sick and if we can change them." He bent over and kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep Cait."
"Thanks Shane." She smiled weakly at him and then sunk back against the pillows and took Shane's advice.
"Caitlyn sit down and take a break." Mitchie instructed around three o'clock on her first day back at work.
"I'm fine." Caitlyn protested although she was feeling slightly dizzy.
"Caitlyn sit down." Her mother-in-law called from the kitchen, her cupcakes were going down incredibly well. "Nate will freak if we don't make you take a break."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes but dragged a chair up behind and the counter and watched Mitchie serve the customers. She was enjoying being at the front of the shop having more to do with the customers. However, she was not enjoying being under constant surveillance from Mitchie and Denise and all she was able to do was clear tables and serve cakes. She couldn't even make coffee.
But now she was absolutely exhausted and all she really wanted to do was to go home. Her arm was aching worse than it had yesterday when she had been at home doing absolutely nothing.
"You ok Cait?" Mitchie asked noticing her friend's tired expression and the pain she was in was written across her face.
"Yeah." She muttered.
"Really?" Mitchie looked at her doubtfully.
Caitlyn sighed and tried to bit back her tears. "No." she whispered. "I want to go home." Mitchie came over and pulled her best friend into a hug.
"I'll call Nate to pick you up." Mitchie smiled at her friend. "We can hold the fort here."
Caitlyn looked slightly doubtful. "She's right you know." Denise came through with a tray of brownies. "Cait just come in till lunch tomorrow."
"But Nate's got work." She protested hating the fact that she had to rely on him so much despite the fact that she really wanted to go home.
"But you need him and you're his wife." Denise told her firmly. "They're way ahead of schedule for the new album so they can all take time off."
"He's on his way." Mitchie told her. "And Shane's coming to help us out here which he will do tomorrow as well."
Nate and Shane entered the bakery to find Mitchie clearing tables and Caitlyn slumped at a table fast asleep.
"Hey." Mitchie greeted them kissing Shane on the cheek. "Nate don't let her come in all day tomorrow."
He nodded and called a greeting through to his mum before going over to his wife. "Cait." He shook her shoulder trying to wake her up. Realising that he wasn't going to have much success as she was a deep sleeper he lifted her into his arms and carried her out to his car.
The sudden transition into the cold air woke her up. "You ok?" Nate asked her.
"Glad you're here." She murmured. Nate smiled softly down at her and stopped walking for a second to kiss her forehead.
"I love you." He told her looking down only to find her asleep again but with a slight smile on her face. He was certain she had heard him.
She was still asleep when they reached their apartment. Rolling his eyes at her ability to sleep anywhere he picked her up bridal style and carried her up the five flight of stairs and somehow managed to open the front door.
He set her down on the sofa and then went over to the kitchen to turn the kettle on. He made the two of them a coffee and then came over to sit beside his wife.
"Nate?" He looked over to her not realising she was awake although he should have known few things could wake her up but the smell of coffee was one of them.
"Yes sweetheart." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him.
She smiled up at him, took a sip of her coffee and leant her head against his chest. "What are we going to do for the rest of the day?"
Nate shrugged. "Watch a film?" She nodded in agreement and the two of them descended into an argument over which film to watch. They could never agree and it usually ended with one of them unhappy with the choice the other had made. But as the film went on they usually enjoyed it anyway.
This time Nate had won mainly because Caitlyn hadn't the energy to argue with him. Caitlyn glared at him but grabbed her copy of Gone with the Wind and snuggled into Nate keeping half an eye on the TV.
"Thank god that's over." Caitlyn muttered as the credits rolled.
"You hardly watched it; you were too engrossed with Gone with the Wind." Nate childishly stuck his tongue back out at her.
"Too engrossed with the classics." She returned the gesture. "What do you want for dinner?"
"I'll cook." Nate offered. "You can't with one arm. Which is why you aren't at work."
"I'd rather not be poisoned." Caitlyn teased standing up as he made to tickle her.
"I've never cooked for you before." Nate protested pulling her back onto his lap and tickling her anyway.
"I know but I've heard reports of it from your brothers and parents. Nate stop it." She shrieked wriggling off his lap and making for the kitchen taking advantage of her head start.
She wasn't quick enough. Nate's arms encircled her waist holding her back. "Not so fast. We'll do pizza. All we have to do is shove it in the oven."
"Fine." Caitlyn grumbled. She hated not cooking meals every night and pizza was the only ready meal she would let anywhere near her kitchen. Nate laughed at her face and set her to washing lettuce for the salad which was practically the only thing she could.
"I love you." Nate came up behind her wrapping his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
"I love you too." She murmured.
He turned her face towards her and kissed her gently. "I don't know what I would have done without you." he told her as they broke apart, resting her forehead against his.
"Live off crap food." She joked. "It was blessing in disguise when you, Shane and Jason came in for lunch. For all of us."
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!!! If you want any more great stories then check out my favourites they're all amazing and as I have soooo many I'm sure you'll find something you'll like.
Thanks for all the wonderful support!! I love you guys!!!
Lots of love
Tacxxx
