Author's Note: I am really sorry you guys! To be completely honest, I sorta forgot about this story :P Now that school has started… I don't know how often I will get a chance to update. But hopefully every weekend :) But then again… with the whole IB thing… and ALL that homework… I might not have time even then… :P
I would like to thank everyone who reviewed :) I'm not going to personally thank each person individually, but I do want to say all there names and answer any questions. :)
LegaspiWeaver
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CloisDestiny: I don't know if I ever will. That site didn't do as well as I hoped it would.
Ewriter
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Thank you all so much!
I have nothing cool to say here… I'll just give you some story… :P
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Chapter Twenty: Just Give Me One Last Chance to Say What's On My Mind
"Callie…" He started. He didn't use my whole name, that's a good sign. "This is very… This is a shock."
"I know that daddy."
"This is not something I expected from my only daughter."
"I didn't mean to let you down daddy." I said quietly.
"But I just want you to be happy." He finished. "And if Erica is what makes you happy, then I will… I will learn to accept that."
I smiled so big my cheeks hurt. "Oh thank you daddy!" I wanted to hug him.
"It's going to take time." He told me, but he sounded a little happier. "But I'll do the best I can. I was raised in a different time then you Callie. I was raised in a time where homosexuality was considered a mental disorder."
"I know daddy. I'll be patient. I would really like you and mom to get to know Erica though. Do you think we could try dinner again?"
"I think that sounds like a good idea."
"Maybe you and mom could come here."
"To your house?"
"Yes. Erica and I could cook you dinner." I smiled, it was perfect. We didn't have to do this in public.
"Ok. Why don't you give me a call later today?" He told me. "I'm sorry for waking you up so early."
"It's ok." I told him sincerely. "I'll talk to you later then. I love you daddy."
"I love you, too, Callie."
I hung up the phone and crawled back into bed beside Erica. She rolled over so she was facing me and wrapped her arms around me.
"Who was on the phone?" She mumbled.
"My dad," I told her. "He… He's going to try to accept this."
"Really?" I could tell she was happy, even though she was still half asleep. "That's great."
"I want to have them over here for supper."
"Mmmk." She mumbled.
"Go back to sleep babe." I told her with a smile.
--
We got up the next morning around eight and headed into work.
I did my rounds quickly and found that the little girl from last night had found her father. Her leg was healing pretty quickly, so after her father came and found her, we discharged her right away. They sat up in the mother's room with the new baby. Such a happy looking family, I thought to myself and smiled.
Mercy West was under construction, but the part that was still ok was filling up again with people.
We were beginning to get everything under control. People weren't near as crowded, and the clinic was being reopened now that there wasn't an overflow of people filling it.
Everyone was in a good mood today, proud at how fast we had gotten things under control.
At lunch, I called my parents.
"Hello," My mother answered the phone.
"Hey mom."
"Callie!" She sounded like she was smiling. "Your father told me he called you this morning…"
"Yeah, he did." I smiled. "I think we are going to be ok."
"That is great."
"I would like to invite the two of you to dinner tonight." I told her. "At our house."
"Yours and Erica's?" She asked
"Yes. We want to make the two of you dinner."
"That sounds lovely." She told me. "What time should we be there?"
"How about six? That gives us time to make dinner and be presentable."
"Do you want us to bring anything?" She asked me.
"No, no mom. Just you and dad."
"Ok, we'll see you tonight then." She smiled.
--
I went to find Erica, but it turned out she was in a surgery. There was nothing for me to do, so I left a message on her voice mail and went home.
I went through every cookbook Erica had, trying to decide what to make my parents. Nothing seemed… right. I wanted to make something they would like, obviously, but I also didn't want to make something too simple.
Sighing and throwing the last cookbook across the room, an idea finally hit me. My mom never liked to cook. The nanny always cooked for me, and supper was usually cooked by a hired chef. But the chef had one Sunday a month off, and that Sunday my mom would cook for us. She would usually make meatballs in sweet and sour sauce, which I loved. It was a special meal for us, because we only got it once a month. It was pretty easy to make, but it took a long time to cook just right.
I glanced at my watch. It was only about 1:30, I still had time.
I ran to the grocery store and picked up a pound of hamburger, a box of 5 minute rice, and a few things I needed for the sauce.
When I got home I fried up the hamburger in little balls and made the sauce in a small roaster. I put the cooked meatballs in the sauce and put the roaster into the oven. I was proud of myself for the idea, and for remembering mom's perfect recipe. I just hoped they would turn out half as good as hers.
--
Erica got home around 4:30. She told me she had gotten my message but hadn't had the chance to respond to it.
"What are you cooking?" She asked me. "It smells wonderful!"
"Thank you," I smiled and gave her a kiss. "I'm making meatballs in sweet and sour sauce."
"Mmm. Well it smells delicious."
She went to shower and get ready for my parents arrival. We were both a bit nervous, but we wanted to show them how happy we really were.
They were early; they rang the doorbell at about 5:45.
"Hey mom, hey dad." I answered the door with a smile.
They both smiled back. "Hello Callie." My father greeted.
"What is that remarkable smell?" My mother asked, stepping inside the house.
"I'm making meatballs." I smiled. "Like you used to make."
She smiled and blushed a little.
Erica came out of the kitchen were she had been washing the last few dishes we had used in preparation for supper.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Torres." She smiled. She really wanted to make a good impression.
"Hello Erica." My mother greeted with a smile. My father didn't say anything at first, and then my mother nudged him.
"Hi, Erica." He said quickly, faking a smile. At least he is trying.
"The rice should be ready in about 15 minutes. It takes our stove forever to get water to boil." Erica laughed. "Would you like a tour of the house?"
"That would be lovely." My mother told her, taking off her jacket and hanging it up by the door with the other jackets. My father did the same and they both followed Erica.
I followed behind them.
"So, this is the living room," Erica motioned across the room in which we were standing. "And through here is the kitchen." She led them through the doorway into the kitchen.
"My goodness." My mother said. "This is a gorgeous kitchen! It's big and airy, with lots of counter space…"
It really was a nice kitchen.
"And a dining room as well?" She asked, motioning towards the other doorway. Neither of the kitchen doorways had actually doors in them. They were just archways.
Erica nodded, leading them in through the small dining room on the other side of the kitchen. "Yes, we use this for special occasions, or when we have company." She smiled. "Through here is our main floor bathroom." She said, walking out of the dining room and down the small hallway. "And this is our guest bedroom. Over here are the stairs." She went up the stairs and the rest of us followed. "This is a guest bedroom at the moment, but we are going to turn it into the nursery."
My mother turned around and smiled at me. I smiled back.
"Here is our second floor bathroom," Erica motioned towards the closed bathroom door. "And this is the master bedroom." I noticed she avoided saying our bedroom. My parents do not need to envision us sharing a bed just yet.
"You have a beautiful home." My mother comment.
My father, who had been silent throughout the tour, piped up with, "So you and Callie share this bedroom?"
Erica nodded slowly. Not really sure what she should say. She glanced at me and I just shrugged.
"Oh." Was all he said.
"I'd love to show you the yard." Erica told them. "If Callie doesn't mind. The water is probably done boiling."
"I'll go start the rice. It will still be a few minutes." I told them. "You show them our beautiful yard."
I went down to the kitchen and Erica took my parents outside. I watched them through the kitchen window, which overlooked our beautiful back yard. I could tell my mother loved the rose bushes planted along our property line, and dad loved the double garage that was attached to the house. There was also a beautiful patio in the backyard, with doors in the dining room that opened onto it. There was a gazebo on it, with mesh walls. The barbeque was on the patio and there was a glass table with beautiful chairs around it.
They came back inside just as I placed the rice and the meatballs on the table. I opened up a bottle of whine, and got out some juice for myself.
Dinner went smoothly. My meatballs turned out pretty good. Not as good as mom's, but I'm not sure that is possible. Conversation stayed pretty pleasant throughout the meal. Mom and Erica really seemed to get along great. Dad stayed pretty quiet throughout the meal. It obviously still freaked him out a little, but he was trying and that's what counted. He was no longer yelling or screaming or disowning me. That was a start.
For desert, Erica had made butterscotch and chocolate pudding pies. They were absolutely delicious.
"So Erica," My father started. It was pretty much the first thing he said all evening. "How long have you been seeing my daughter?"
"It has been just over five weeks now." She said with a smile and a squeeze of my hand. I wasn't sure where this was going…
"And what are your intentions with my daughter?" He asked her. He was completely serious, but not angry.
"Um… I plan to support her throughout this pregnancy, and anything else she takes on. I plan to love her and hold her and care for her. I plan to support her and those two beautiful babies she is carrying. I plan to be a wonderful mother for those two children and love and support them the same as I do Callie. And I plan to do my best to protect her and comfort her when she needs it." I could tell she was a little bit nervous, but she said what she had to say with confidence. I couldn't help but smile at what she said.
Dad smiled. For the first time since I had told him about Erica, my dad really smiled. "Erica, you seem like a great girl. I am truly sorry for judging so quickly before. I was shocked by the news and I should have thought it through a little. I am overjoyed that my Callie has found someone to love her as much as you do. And I can tell she loves you too by the way she looks at you. She worships you, but you don't let that get to you. You are wonderful to her. You are probably the best thing that has every happened to my baby girl. You look after her though, ok?"
"Of course I will Mr. Torres. I would never let anything happen to my Callie."
My heart fluttered a bit at her possessiveness. She squeezed my hand again and gave me a smile.
My father had given his blessing.
My mother looked like she was in shock at first, but then a smile spread across her face.
"You were right Callie," My father said to me. "It doesn't matter who you love. I can tell you love Erica. You love your family, and you wouldn't have risked your family if it wasn't someone you truly loved. And Erica," He directed at her. "You seem like a wonderful woman, and you really seem to love Callie."
"I do." She told him.
"So I'm going to trust you. But if anything happens to my baby…"
"I won't let anything happen to my Callie." She whispered, smile on her face. She brushed the hair out of my eyes and my heart skipped a beat at the contact. "I promise you that."
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Ok I like that chapter a lot more then my last one, and I hope you guys do too :)
Please remember to review! Cuz I love them! So much!