Hello everyone, happy Casualty Day! Here's today's update, please let me know your thoughts as always, thanks, Kayxxx :)
Chapter Twenty eight – Oh Sophia
"Ethan!" She yelled as she burst through the ED doors.
"Sophia!" Ethan called as he ran straight to her and pulled her in for a hug. She sunk into his embrace; this was the once place she truly felt safe.
"Oh Sophia" he sighed happily as he pressed his lips against hers.
"Where have you been?" He asked.
"That doesn't matter anymore" she replied as she kissed him once more.
"I love you so much" she whispered as she held his cheeks.
"If you ever pull a stunt like that I swear to God" Cal shook his head as he made his way towards her. He too pulled her in for a hug, he kissed her blonde hair as he held her "felt weird not having my little sister around" he joked as he rested his chin against her head.
"Mummy!" A small voice called. Thomas ran straight towards her, leaping instantly into her arms, "I've missed you!" He spoke, muffled by his mother's tight grasp, she held him on her hip.
"I've missed you too Tommy, I love you so much" she replied as she pressed her lips against his forehead causing the young boy to smile.
"Hey, you two can start living your perfect life now" Cal announced.
"I've already got it" Sophia smiled as she, Ethan and their son shared a hug together.
"Soph" a voice called, "Sophia wake up" it continued.
"Ethan" she smiled, "come on Sophia wake up" the voice called again followed by her body being shaken.
"Wait, this can't be Ethan, Ethan always wakes me with a kiss not shouting and shoving..."
"Wake up!"
"Alright, alright I'm up!" She groaned as she sat up in bed, she opened her eyes to find Callum stood before her.
"Callum!" She screamed in fright, "where am I?" She asked as she examined the room.
"The hotel room you and Ethan were meant to spend the night in" he replied.
"Did we?!" She asked in dread.
"God no, Soph, what I said last night was true" he replied reassuringly.
"How did you get us in here?" She asked.
"Well when you walk through the door with a passed out bride in your arms they sort of jump to conclusions themselves, though I have spent the entire time being called "Mr Hardy"" he shook his head with a smile.
She looked at him warily, "I want to see Ethan" she said.
"What did I do last night?" He asked.
"I don't know, went all psychopath kidnapper and nearly killed me!" She spat out.
He laughed at her words "no after that, what did I say?"
"You crossed your heart and hoped to die that you'd get me to Ethan when I woke up" she replied.
"Exactly!" He smiled, "right I've had no sleep because I've sat up all night monitoring you checking you don't go all asthma attack crazy on me again. I went home earlier to get my car and all my bags ready, my train to London leaves in two hours, I also got you some clothes to change into so you don't have to walk around in that huge dress all day, the ED is on my way to the station so I'll drop you off to Ethan on my way, get ready we've got a long drive ahead" he smiled as he threw her a pair of jeans and a top.
Once dressed she wondered out of the bathroom to find Callum asleep in a chair.
"Callum" she called giving him a nudge, "are you sure you're okay to drive? You look shattered" she laughed as he woke; she picked up her wedding dress.
"Yeah I'm fine, are you ready?" He asked with a yawn as he stood up.
"Yep" she smiled.
"Right lets go, I bet you I'll be called "Mr Hardy" at least five times before we reach the door" he joked as he held the room door open for her.
They laughed together as they left the hotel at the fact they had been called "Mr and Mrs Hardy" a total of seven times.
Sophia took a seat in the passenger's seat and over her shoulder looked to the back of the car to find it was filled completely with bags for Callum's move.
"You're really moving then" she spoke as she examined them.
"Yep, I want to start a clean slate" he replied as he focused on the road.
"You know, you're not half bad when you're thinking this way, you've already got the looks, keep up the good temperament and you'll meet someone in no time down there" she smiled.
"I want to get settled first, I don't want to start anything up too soon" he replied responsibly.
"What happened between you and your wife?" She asked a question she had been wondering since she first took him in but had been too scared to ask.
"Honestly? I have no idea. As far as I knew we were happy, my kids were happy we barely ever fought" he shrugged, "and even if we did it would just be an argument over who does the dishes or something silly, I'd never hurt her" he added frantically in reassurance.
"How old are your kids?" she asked.
"Now? God, well there's Alex, she'll be ten now she was always a little bossy boots she would always be the one to put you in your place. Then there's little Logan, he's the same age as your Thomas, he'll be seven in a few weeks. He was the complete opposite to Alex, he's such a lovely little kid- not like Alex wasn't but- there's just something about having a son, there's nothing more amazing than father-son bond, as I'm sure you know with Ethan and Thomas." He smiled wondrously as he spoke.
"Then there's little Phoebe, she'll be three now, nearly four, she probably won't even remember me anymore" he added sadly, "my wife was pregnant when she left, I don't even know if I've got another son or another daughter, I never heard from her again" he sighed.
"Sounds like you were with her awhile" Sophia replied.
"I met her in sixth form, we've been together since we were sixteen" he replied.
"Oh wow that's amazing" Sophia announced impressed.
"Yeah you and Ethan aren't the only ones with a childhood love story you know" he joked but his smile dropped again quickly, "I think she was cheating on me, well, I know she was. Do you ever remember Stephen the porter in work?" He asked.
"The black guy?" She asked.
"Yeah him, he was my best friend, we'd always go back to mine and watch the football, have a few beers but I noticed over time he started to get closer to my wife, like one day, I came home and he was sitting on my couch with a beer and invited me to join him, on my own couch. I mean I knew my wife was starting to lose interest in me because I would rather spend time with my kids than go out with her- nothing against her there was just nothing I loved more than spending time with my kids- but I never thought she would turn on me with my own best friend. I knew it was going on and she knew I knew it was going on, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to her about it because I didn't want her to leave...if she leaves, the kids leave." He explained.
"What ever happened to Stephen? Didn't he just disappear one day?" She asked.
Callum looked at her knowingly, "that "one day" was the same "one day" my wife disappeared too" he replied.
"No way, do you think they ran away together?!" She spoke in shock.
He nodded, "She was pregnant and the months didn't add up, it wasn't my kid, I suppose she was worried about what it would look like when it was born, obviously if it's Stephen's it's hardly going to come out with pale skin and blue eyes like the rest of them is it?" He sighed, "but I would've loved the bones of that kid, I would've brought it up as my own if she gave me the chance, if it meant me keeping my kids, I would've done anything" he shook his head, "I got home from work one day to a note saying she'd left me, she'd taken the kids and I'll never hear from her again, she said it's not my fault, sort of a "it's not you it's me" type of thing, she said she was sorry and that was it, I never did hear from her again" he said, "I was left with a three bedroom house that I couldn't keep up with the bills of, and got threw out a month later, turned to drink and then you found me, at first it was fine because Thomas reminded me so much of little Logan...but seeing how happy you two could be without a father figure made me think how happy my kids might be without me and after a few drinks that thought would tip me over the edge and I'm so sorry Soph, I truly am" he whispered as a tear escaped his eyes which he quickly wiped away in hopes she hadn't seen.
"I had no idea about your life Callum" she spoke in amazement.
"Yeah well it's not exactly something you want to scream from the mountain tops" he replied with a yawn.
"I'd love to have a load of kids" Sophia spoke with a wondrous smile.
"Why don't you?" Callum shrugged.
"We're working on it" she winked in reply.
"You've been trying?" Callum asked with a smirk.
"Yep, I want a little girl so I can buy loads of pretty dresses and just sit playing with her hair all day, but Ethan wants another little boy so Thomas has a brother. I don't really get the whole "brotherhood" thing but I suppose it must mean something, it's kept Ethan and Cal together this long" she replied.
"I'm with Ethan on that one. Having a brother is like having an automatic best friend for the rest of your life, it's literally the best thing ever, they're the one person you can fight with for your entire life but the second you need them they'll be right there for you." He explained, "The stuff me and my brothers got up to when we were younger..." He added as he shook his head with a smirk.
"But a little girl can wear pretty dresses" she protested with a chuckle.
"Well at least she'll always have a big brother to look out for her" Callum added.
"That's true" she smiled.
"Are you an only child?" He asked.
"Yeah, but I've grew up with Ethan and Cal. Cal has always been like my big brother, it's sometimes hard to forget he's not actually, he used to be incredibly protective especially when I reached my teens" she laughed.
"Do you know Ethan's number?" He asked.
"Yeah, why?" She replied confused.
"My phone is in my jacket back there, text him and let him know you're fine and that you'll see him soon or something, I know what it's like when your wife just disappears" he stated with yet another yawn.
She took off her seatbelt and reached over to get his phone from his leather jacket that was placed on top of all the bags in the back seats. She sat back in her seat and clicked Callum's phone, his lock screen was a picture of him and three young children sat on a beach next to a few poorly made sandcastles, all four looked incredibly happy. She had never witnessed a smile this big from Callum before, it amazed her to think he actually had that much happiness and was actually a great father; just this last day with him had opened her eyes completely. She unlocked the phone and opened up a new text.
What type of thing do you write to your husband who is probably worried sick about you? "Hi Ethan, it's Sophia, don't worry I'm fine, I'll see you soon, I love you x" she wrote. No...that's not right, "Hi Ethan it's Sophia, I've lost my phone, I'll be at the ED soon, can't wait to see you and Thomas, I love you x" No, that sounds like she'll be coming in on a stretcher...After what seemed like a lifetime, with numerous amounts of attempts later and she had finally came up with a text that would do: "Hi Ethan, it's Sophia. Sorry I've took so long to get in touch but I just want you to know that I'm fine, I'll see you very soon please don't be worrying, I hope you're okay? I can't wait to give you and Thomas a big hug! I love you both so much and Cal too of course, love, Mrs Hardy ;) x" just as she was about to hit send she noticed the car had started to move quickly to the side. "Callum straighten up you've gone over the lines" she spoke as she looked back at the phone. The car still continued to speed over into the next lane, then into the next, she shot a glance over to Callum to find his head was slumped down and his eyes were closed; he'd fallen asleep.
"Callum!" She screamed in fright as she grabbed the wheel, "what?!" He called in shock as he swerved the wheel quickly, turning the car right in the direction of another oncoming car. Sophia closed her eyes and screamed for her life as the car sped out of control.
To be continued...
