So most people wanted to see family reactions to Callie coming home so I figured that would be good for this chapter before I move the story along into wedding planning details. In a few chapters I want to do Jude's senior showcase because…well I just want to. I am going to be super busy in the coming weeks, but I am trying to make sure I update this story as my self-care so just hang in there with me.
Luca grabbed Callie's bag of gear from the back of the car and made his way over to where Callie and Will were standing, having a quick conversation before Will took off. Luca held out his hand to the other man and shook the hand he was offered.
"Glad you both made it out of there. Thanks for helping her out."
"I just helped her get in the boat man, she did all the heavy lifting. I should let you guys relax and calm down after today so I'm going to head home, you call me if you need anything, otherwise we're out of the circulation for a least a few days so enjoy the rest." Will waved at Stef and Lena who were standing on the front porch and after they waved back he got back into his car and drove out of sight. Callie was expecting the next huge she got to be from her parents, but she was proved very wrong as Jude pushed past both their mothers, jumped off the porch and ran to Callie, scooping her up in the process of hugging her.
"Easy Jude, she got a little banged up." Luca warned the boy and Jude gently put his sister down and observed the laceration she had on her forehead.
"Are you ok?" Callie smiled and nodded. "Doctor in the ER said my scans were fine, I just took some debris to the face. I would've been worse if I hadn't jumped when I did, but yeah buddy I'm ok." Jude seemed unsettled that his sister could have been hurt much worse, but deep down the things that bothered him was that she had been hurt much worse than this in the past and he was just tired of seeing her hurt.
"That hard head of yours fine came in handy I guess." Jude tried to use humor to cut the tension between he and his sister and it caused Callie to smile and push his arm playfully. Jude gave his sister a quick kiss to her cheek and grabbed her other bag of gear and carried it back into the garage, praying the whole time that it would be a while before Callie would need to use it again. When they finally did reach the porch Luca stepped aside and let Stef and Lena wrap Callie up in a tight hug. Stef pulled back first and got a good look at her daughter's forehead.
"That looks like it hurts sweets." Callie stopped her mother from touching the cut and gently pushed her hand away. "It only hurts when I touch it, other than that, it's just a small head ache. Doctor said the headache will go away in a few days and eventually this will fade into a light scar or maybe no scar, depends on how well it heals." Stef nodded and kissed the side of her daughter's head.
"That was very brave, but next time…maybe jump a little sooner. And try not to have it televised."
Callie didn't realize until then that her family saw everything she did. The news teams didn't even register in her mind when she was at the scene because she was working and now she felt a pang of guilt for having her family watch her deal with exploding boats and jumping into water with no safety gear on.
"I promise, next time no cameras." Callie turned to Lena and waited for an 'I told you so' or some other remark about how Lena had worried about this very thing happening. She didn't get any of that, just another hug and kiss from her mother, both of which lasted a little longer than usual.
"You did a good job, but if you ever make my heart beat like that again you are so grounded." Callie smiled and nodded.
"I love you too momma." Lena smiled and let Callie finally enter the house where once again she had very little time to relax and calm down before she heard rapid steps coming down the stairs. Mariana almost knocked her down in the process of hugging her and when Brandon and Jesus joined in on the group hug, Luca once again had to intervene and remind them to be gentle. Mariana looked at the cut on her sister's forehead and forced a smile even though it scared her.
"That'll be faded by the time you get married and I fix whatever scar you have left with make up so don't you worry about that." Callie smiled and let her sister hug her again, knowing that everyone needed to feel a little bit closer to her after the day they had all endured. Jesus and Brandon followed suit, both of them making comment on how the scar Callie would have would be badass. Callie knew it was hard for both boys to see their family hurt in any way, but they weren't sure what to do with this situation and Callie understood that because frankly…neither did she. She didn't know how to relax and unwind after all that adrenaline had pumped through her body for such a long time. Callie was snapped back into reality by Luca's voice calling her name.
"Callie." She finally turned to look at him and he offered a worried smile.
"I was asking if you wanted to go home." Callie thought about it. About going back to their apartment and a part of her wanted to do just that. The other part of her wanted to go upstairs and shower, climb into dry clothes and go to bed and suddenly going home felt like it would take the only energy she had left. Luca seemed to read Callie's mind, mostly because she was silent for a long time after his question so he jumped in to help her.
"How about we stay here tonight? You can go shower and we can camp out here for the night. You have got to be tired and probably a little sore. We can go home tomorrow." Callie nodded and kissed Luca's cheek before pointing upstairs.
"I'm gonna go take a nice long shower. I would love whoever would be willing to heat up some leftovers for me because I just realized how hungry I am." Lena nodded and went into the kitchen to throw a plate together for Callie while she showered. Luca and Stef followed her and Stef handed Luca a beer from the fridge and kept one for herself.
"So, you two are staying her tonight?"
"She didn't want to go home. I could see it on her face. She's tired and sore and probably a little freaked out because it was their first call and it ended the way it did. She wants to be where she feels safe. Out apartment isn't…it just doesn't feel like home yet so I knew she would rather stay here, even if it meant sleeping in her old bed or on the couch." Luca drank from the bottle in his hand and looked back at Stef.
"Eventually your place will feel like home, it just takes some time." Luca nodded.
"I know, but deep down I also know that whenever anything big happens, good or bad, she is going to want to come running here. This was the first house she felt safe in and now it's a part of her…it's her safe place."
"No honey, this…it is just a house. You, me, Lena, the kids, all of us are her safe place." Luca smiled and nodded at Stef's observation and the two of them stayed silent for a while, trying to let themselves relax after a long day of getting used to be a Navy family.
So the ending was a little rocky, but I wanted to get this up tonight. Hope to had more soon. Let me know if you want to see anything special aside from what I have planned.