Chapter Sixty-Two

I should have planned my time better. I should have remember the schedule that had been the same since we'd moved into the new house.

I should have remembered that if I went 'home' on a Thursday, I was guaranteed to have to see my father.

"Callie?" he said in surprise, coming downstairs.

"Daddy," I said coldly. We hadn't talked in a while.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," I said, looking into the fridge.

"Can we talk?" he asked. I whipped my head around to face him.

"What, about Jenny, or about Sawyer, or about both of them?" I demanded.

"All three. Come on, sit down," he requested. I went and stood by his chair.

"This is why, isn't it? This is why you made me get married, why we couldn't possibly wait until February? Because you knew that before then, I'd find out that they slept together and I couldn't conceivably go through with it?" I asked.

"I knew it was what was right for you," he said.

"You're avoiding my question. This is why?"

"Yes, it's why. Are you unhappy?" he asked.

"Yes, Daddy, I am. I was happy for about five minutes before all the newlywed sex wore out and he run over Jenny and I kissed John and stupid Mark started hitting on me," I aid.

"Seeing as you're not, I'm not going to force you too… I mean you don't have to stay… forever… Who are John and Mark?" he said, picking up on the second half of the speech.

"John's one of my best friends, you know, Tess' babies surrogate father, Mark is blonde and very attracted to me and doesn't pick up well on vibes," I said.

"You mean he's trying to seduce you," he said.

"Yes. And I, unlike some others, understand what fidelity is," I shot back.

"You were broken up…" he began.

"Don't! Don't you dare take his side! You know that we were in love, that Jenny was a backstabbing bitch! That Jenny…" I stopped when I saw the look on his face. The look of agony. The heart wrenching hurt.

"Have you been to see her?" he asked.

"Earlier. Is there anything we can do?" I asked.

"You're the only one that's done anything. I got a call from the doctor…" he began.

"I don't think I want to hear this…"

"There's nothing they can do. We just have to wait," he said.

"For her to..?" I asked.

"Or live. They didn't sound… hopeful."

I stared in surprise as my Daddy started to cry. My 6"2, basketball playing, pediatrician, Daddy. I knew only two men more masculine than my Daddy and he was shivering and crying like a small child.

My fury melted away, I forgot my sister and my husband together, and I put my arms around him and rubbed his back while his body shaking with sobs. Eventually my own, inevitable tears came and I cried with him, gasping for breath.

"It's my fault," I sobbed, finally coming to the truth.

"It isn't, it isn't. Sawyer and I talked," he said, after he'd taken control over his tears.

"If I hadn't pushed her…"

"It was his car. We shouldn't blame. You gave all that blood, it was more than any of us could give to her," he said.

"I wish we could give more."

"I'd give my life for her if I could. Jenny was the most important person in my life for years, until all you came around and brought it to a tie. She's so special," he said.

"To all of us. If she would only wake up, I'd forgive her anything," I said.

"I know. Could you forgive me anything?" he asked.

"Daddy's, it's not the time…"

"It's the perfect time. I'm sorry, but I did what I needed to do. If you had been pregnant, this would have been the best way to go about it," he said.

"Do you ever wish you and Nikki had married, way back when?"

"I used to. For a long time, I did. Before I met Peyton," he said. Glancing around his head, I saw Mom appear in the doorway. Watched her face rise and then fall as he spoke.

"Hey," I said to her. Daddy turned, and she came to sit with us.

"Do you want to be married, sweetie?" she asked. She took my hand.

"No. Not right now. But I know if I give it up, I can never really have him back. I'm kind of screwed," I admitted, brushing away a tear.

"It's marriage. It sucks in the beginning," she said. Daddy looked at her, and she smiled at him.

"But not in the end," I said, sadly as I watched them exchange loving looks.

"Oh, this isn't the end. You know we're only thirty-five? Damn near the average age for first getting married. It wouldn't be inconceivable for Jenny to have siblings that were this much younger than her," said Mom.

"Oh, please don't. The next kids will be mine," I said.

"What..?"

"I'm not, honestly. But last year, we found Tess' pregnancy test in our house for some reason and we figured it was yours. It was a scary couple of weeks," I explained.

"I'd imagine. Why didn't you just ask?" asked Mom.

"Couldn't. Tried. Where's Lauren?" I asked.

"Oh, we never know anymore. She's heartbroken. She got an unmarked letter from Jason, in which he declared undying love and then found out that he sent Tess the same letter. The exact same," lamented Mom.

"He's such a skeeze. I always knew it. John's so different from him," I said.

"I'd suspect that Tess was falling for John, but for the whole blind devotion to Jason thing. He's been good to her," said Daddy.

"Yeah. He's a good guy," I said.

"Didn't you guys date for a nanosecond last year?" asked Mom curiously. Daddy and I exchanged looks.

"Yeah, and we're still friends. You know, I don't think I have any male friends that I've never made out with?" I said thoughtfully.

"Well, that Mark kid…" began Daddy.

"Yeah, him," I said quietly, looking away.