Chapter 26

Connie got home to an empty house as she put her keys on to the counter. She had a few minutes to get changed before Cal would no doubt turn up wanting them to go wherever it was he was taking her. She hated surprises and he knew it, yet he was always doing it. She looked down to the bracelet shining on her wrist before smiling and running upstairs to get changed.

Emerging back downstairs she faced Cal who had just come inside. He smiled at her before opening the door once again. "Ready to go? It's warmed up a little outside but I'd take a jacket in case." She smiled picking up her coat before following him out of the door and getting into the car.

The drive was quiet and she didn't recognise where they were going. When Cal stopped the car Connie looked around realising she didn't recognise anything about where they were. "Cal where are we?" As she got out the car she could hear a familiar noise but couldn't place it. Instead of speaking Cal took her hand leading her towards the darkness.

She let him walk for a while before getting fed up of following. "Will you just tell me what we're doing?" She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms across her front looking up to him. Cal looked at her closing the space between them before resting his hands on top of her arms. "I'm not in the mood to randomly walk through places after today, I just want to sleep… What part of this is relaxing at all? And this is not helping the case for me-" He twisted her around so that she could see the opening a little way from them. "…trusting you."

Once she saw it she realised where they were and couldn't believe she hadn't noticed earlier. The sounds got louder as she stepped forward and realised it was the sound of the sea slowly washing up onto the sand. Her eyes ran across the shore before settling on the pier a little further down. The same pier that she used to come to with her father all those years ago. But how had he known that? She'd never told anyone about this place, had she?

As she walked closer and closer she felt herself finding it harder to concentrate on the now. She found herself thinking back to all the times she came her when she was younger. Running around with her father, coming here when they argued, her bringing him here when he was unwell… Coming here after he died, sitting on the end of the pier staring out at nothing in particular. As she thought about everything tears seemed to fill her eyes. Before she had the chance to wipe them away she felt Cal at her side. "I know there's mixed memories from this place, but I figured it was somewhere you always came to think… and relax." She felt the corners of her lips turn up as he faced her and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Elliot told me."

Leaning forwards Cal enveloped her into a hug before taking her hand once again and walking across the damp sand towards the pier. Walking along it was strange for Connie as it had been a few years since she'd come here. They stood at the end before she realised Cal had laid out a blanket for them to sit on. Sitting down she dangled her legs over the edge as she watched the sea rolling in and out. She leant into Cal as they sat there in silence for a while.

He broke the silence by sitting up away from Connie who looked at him before turning her eyes back to the sea beneath them. "I know this place is special to you, helps you remember everything about your Dad." He felt Connie tense beside him as he moved to a kneeling position next to her. He rested a hand under her chin making her look at him. "I bought you here because I know that your Dad meant everything to you, and I wanted him to be a part of this…"

Connie watched as Cal seemed to move and get comfortable. She shook her head unsure of what he meant but he started speaking again. "I know that wherever he is, he's proud of you…" Connie felt her breath stop in her throat as she choked back the tears. "His daughter, the genius cardiothoracic surgeon…" she looked back out over the water finding it too hard to look at him. "The incredible mother to a smart and caring child…" He watched as she gazed off, tears slowly falling from her eyes. "The sexy and loving woman who captured my heart the minute she walked into the ED…" Smiling slightly now she looked back at him as he reached round into his pocket and pulled something out. "The beautiful woman I want to be my wife…" she looked down towards the small black box he had opened up and now held towards her. "Will you?"

Connie let go of the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding while he spoke. She could feel the warm tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking into her jumper. Cal was watching her as she sat there looking up at him. Connie felt herself screaming inside before she started nodding her head towards Cal who had a smile break across his face as they both moved closer to each other and throw their arms around one another.

Cal smiled into her hair holding her tight as he heard Connie begin crying. She couldn't hold it in anymore, she'd struggled seeing this place again and knowing that somehow he'd found out about it. Now, now she was struggling with everything she was feeling. Love, loss, adoration, happiness and sadness…

As she leaned back Cal pulled the small silver ring from the box and slid it onto her hand without a second thought. She watched as he did before resting the other hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop the sobs from escaping her. "Come here silly-" Cal cut himself off by pulling her into him again and hugging her tightly. He felt her hands move around him and hold onto him. He struggled wiping the smile from his face, knowing she was his and that after everything they were finally at this point. When she sat up this time she leant closer and placed her lips onto his with her arms still wrapped around him. She smiled into the kiss as she moved away looking up at him not speaking.

Cal took her hands in his looking down at them. "I meant it, I know he's so so proud of everything you've done… I know some days you find it hard without him around you still." She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper before leaning into his chest as they sat quietly looking out over the sea. To anyone else this would have been a ridiculous place to be sat and to have that kind of conversation, but to her it was perfect. He could have spent all the money in the world on tonight but it wouldn't have been a scratch on this, right here and now. It was moments like this that reminded her of why she had to hold onto him, why she couldn't let what they had go, why she'd gotten through everything in the last few months… It was all because of him and she never wanted to lose any of it, no matter how much she hurt sometimes and now… Now he would always be hers.