Feels Right


"Hey I've never noticed you got a good ass!" Cassie yelled, looking up at Jude who was standing on some scaffolding several metres from the ground.

"Oh, really?" Jude smiled as Cassie folded her arms and nodded.

"You stay up there all day?" Cassie asked, watching as Jude got herself on the ladder, climbing down the side of the building slowly.

"Pretty much." Jude nodded, reaching the ground and looking up at her work, "Doesn't look like much, I know."

"What is it going to be? You still haven't told anyone." Cassie said.

"And I don't plan to." Jude said, "You'll see it when it's finished."

"Don't people walk by and ask what you're doing?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah. I tell them community service." Jude shrugged as Cassie chuckled.

"Of course you do." Cassie nodded.

"You need anything?" Jude asked.

"Uh… nope. Just on my break." Cassie said, "You heard from big sis?" She asked.

"No, not recently. Although she sent me a link to a braille program." Jude nodded.

"Oh yeah I got that too." Cassie nodded, "I'm torn between wanting to give them space but also wanting to check in all the time."

"Yeah, me too." Jude agreed, sitting down on the side walk as Cassie joined her, "I think giving them space is probably best, for now anyway. There's a lot of changes they're gonna be getting used to and I don't wanna get in the way of that. I know mom and dad have been going over."

"I just want to make myself useful, but I don't know how." Cassie said as Jude nodded, "Sometimes I still can't really believe it."

"Yeah I know." Jude nodded.

"Hey, will you be careful up there?" Cassie nodded to her.

"Yes, I'll be careful." Jude smiled.

"Aren't you afraid that it's gonna piss a certain group of people off?" Cassie asked.

"I don't care what that certain group of people think." Jude shrugged, "I've almost forgot what it was like to be excited about… being an artist. Showing my art." She nodded, "I loved being a teacher but… that's not why I went to art school. Not really." She said, "I've missed this. I've missed being selfish and making it about me instead of helping other artists get better." She said, "Sounds bad, I know."

"No, it doesn't." Cassie shook her head, "You're right. You're an artist. Show your art off to the world."

"Yeah I'm taking that quite literally." Jude nodded.

"It's gonna be great." Cassie smiled, nudging her playfully as she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She noticed it was Theo calling and so stood up to answer it.

"Hey." Cassie said, listening to him on the line, feeling her heartbeat increase dramatically, "What?" Cassie raised her brows, placing her hand over her mouth, "Are you there right now?" She asked as Jude stood up.

"Ok, I'll meet you there." Cassie nodded, hanging up and turning to Jude.

"What? What's going on?" Jude panicked, feeling Cassie hug her tightly, "Uh… Cassie?" Jude shook her head, hugging her sister back just as Cassie pulled away.

"I have to go but… I'll speak to you soon." Cassie nodded excitedly, kissing Jude's cheek.

"Cassie, what the hell is going on?" Jude questioned, watching her sister run off to her car parked on the street.


"It must have been so quiet." Thea said, sitting across from her mother in the kitchen.

"When?" AJ asked, holding her hand around her mug of coffee.

"When it was just me and you." Thea said, "You must have been so bored and alone."

"Bored? Have you forgot what it's like taking care of a baby?" AJ smiled a little.

"I never did it on my own, though. I had Dominic." Thea said, "I had more than Dominic. I had parents and sisters to lean on. You really had no one. How the hell did you do it?" She shook her head.

"Why are you asking me this?" AJ wondered with a small smile.

"No reason." Thea shook her head, "Just… been thinking." She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

"About how alone and miserable I had to have been?" AJ asked.

"Well…" Thea nodded, "That, and how you never ended up losing your mind." She said.

"Who said I didn't lose my mind?" AJ smiled, "You think it was smooth sailing for me and you in that shitty apartment?" She asked, "Oh, baby. If only you knew the stories."

"Well you never talk about it." Thea laughed a little.

"Because I'm not fond of those memories." AJ nodded.

"I took Sam out for breakfast the other morning. Just me and her." Thea explained, "I figured I've been so strict with her recently since Sofia came home. Feels like I've just been yelling at her and I hate it so I told Dominic I was gonna take her out for the day." She nodded.

"That's nice." AJ smiled.

"It was weird. Just me and her." Thea nodded, "Nice. But weird." She said.

"Did she have fun?" AJ smiled.

"I think so. We shared pancakes and I took her to the park." Thea said, "Dominic stayed here with Sofia and James."

"How has Dominic been?" AJ asked.

"He's been alright." Thea nodded, "More kept together than me but nobody is surprised at that." She said.

"Honey, you're doing good. Nobody could ever be prepared for this, and you guys are doing an amazing job. Sofia seems so… settled and calm. It's the best you could hope for right now." AJ said as Thea nodded.

"So tell me." Thea said as AJ shook her head with confusion, "Some stories. When it was just me and you. Take my mind off of everything."

"Oh, it's all very depressing." AJ waved her hand.

"I mean… how bad was it?" Thea scoffed as AJ looked across at her with a small smile.

"I need you to watch her for me." Nineteen-year-old AJ nodded, standing outside Sam's house holding two-month-old Thea.

"What?" Sam shook her head, hungover and screwing her eyes up at the daylight which she hadn't seen in a few days, "You and I don't even know each other."

"I know." AJ said, shaking her head at the fact she had to resort to this, "I know we don't, but… if I don't go out for this interview, social services will know, and then they'll take my money off me and I'm already short on rent this month and I had an eviction notice before so… next one and I'm out. We're out." AJ said, all without taking a breath as Sam looked at her.

"Don't she got an uncle?" Sam questioned.

"He's on crack." AJ said as Sam rolled her eyes, "Believe me, I do not want to leave her with you but I… I can't lose this money. I need it. They'll put us out the apartment." She said desperately as Sam looked at her.

"Social services need proof that you're looking for a job?" Sam asked as AJ nodded, "But you've just had a baby-"

"They said I didn't qualify or… something with the paper work I filled out or maybe I forgot to fill it out… I don't know." AJ shook her head worriedly as Sam looked at her.

She was rail thin, pale and sick looking. It was obvious she wasn't eating nor taking proper care of herself.

"Let me get a look at her." Sam nodded. She hadn't met her granddaughter yet.

She wandered towards AJ, looking on at Thea who had plump caramel cheeks, dark wispy shiny hair, a clean onesie on, sleeping contently in AJ's arms. It was obvious where the very little money AJ had was going.

"It'll only be for an hour at the most. It's just a cleaning job, fifteen minutes away." AJ nodded as Sam looked at her.

"Phil has a lot to answer for." Sam shook her head, taking Thea out of AJ's arms as AJ looked on nervously, biting her nail and watching Thea closely. She didn't like the idea of Thea being in this woman's care. Not for a second. But she also didn't want to be homeless by the end of the night.

"Ok." AJ nodded to herself, "Ok." She ran her hand through her hair.

"One hour. That's it." Sam warned, "I got stuff to do."

"Stuff to do? Or men?" AJ raised a brow.

"Get!" Sam pointed away as AJ backed away, running down the street as Sam looked on at baby Thea in her arms, "Do I look like a grandmother to you?" She questioned, looking at Thea, so tiny in her arms.

She walked back into her house, taking a seat on the sofa, cradling Thea in her arms and getting a better look at her.

"Over my dead body will you call me gran." Sam made clear, watching Thea yawn in her sleep, clenching her little fist, "Oh, well you are cute." Sam sighed, stroking her cheek softly, "And you look like your dad, actually." She nodded, "Across the eyes." She mumbled, watching Thea closely. She wasn't a good enough mother to feel she deserved a relationship with any future grandchildren. Nor was she in the right state to be one. But regardless, her heart swelled when no one was looking as she held Thea.


"Hey." Cassie spotted Theo in the hospital corridor, "What's going on? Is… Is she here?" She shook her head, feeling like her heart was in her mouth.

"Yeah she was born about twenty minutes ago." Theo said as Cassie placed her hand over her mouth.

"Oh God…" Cassie whispered in disbelief. It suddenly felt real. They were really here, finally.

"I know." Theo nodded nervously, "Sandra is here. She told me to just wait out here. That we might be able to see her soon." He said.

"Is Monique ok?" Cassie asked, "Everything went ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah, she said her and the baby are healthy. She's seven pounds and three ounces." Theo remembered.

"Oh my God, Theo." Cassie shook her head, looking up at him as he looked into her eyes, wrapping their arms around each other at the same time.

"We have a baby." Theo laughed a little in disbelief, squeezing Cassie tightly and kissing the side of her head as she nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Yeah, we do." Cassie hugged him tightly. It was a lot to take in. It had been almost three years of wanting this. From the two years of trying to all the fertility appointments, to the miscarriage… it was maddening that they were now parents again finally.

"Hey, you two." Sandra interrupted their hug. She was the woman they had dealt with throughout the adoption process. The messenger between them and Monique.

"Hey." Cassie broke away from the hug, clasping her hands over her mouth as Sandra smiled.

"You wanna come with me?" Sandra asked as Cassie nodded immediately, following her down the corridor with Theo as she lead them to a private room, opening up the door for them as Cassie noticed the bassinet in the room, "Thought I'd get you whilst she's quietened down. She's been loud." Sandra nodded as Cassie stood at the doorway, frozen almost.

"How is Monique?" Theo asked.

"She's alright." Sandra nodded, "I let her know you were both here."

"She still doesn't want to see us?" Theo asked as Sandra shook her head, "Ok." He nodded.

"Well go on. She's waiting." Sandra nodded to Cassie who was still stood at the doorway, staring at the bassinet, "I'll be out here."

"Ok." Cassie nodded, beginning to walk into the room.

She'd had all kinds of dreams about what this might look like. What it might feel like. She was terrified she wouldn't feel anything. Not the same way she felt when she had Chase. But as she got closer to the bassinet, she just knew this baby girl was her daughter. She could feel it immediately.

They got to the bassinet, looking on at the baby girl who lay sleeping, wrapped snug in her blanket like a burrito.

"Hey, baby girl." Cassie's voice shook as she stared at her daughter. It wasn't like when she had Chase. But all the feelings were there. She knew looking down at this sweet little baby, that she would do anything for her, and be the best mother she possibly could be to her, just the same as she tried to be for Chase.

"Hi, sweet girl." Theo smiled, looking from the baby girl to Cassie who he could see was feeling all the things she needed to feel. All the things he was feeling too.

It felt like everything else in the world had disappeared.

Cassie picked her up from the bassinet, cradling her in her arms as Theo watched her little hands stick out of the blanket, causing them both to chuckle.

"Yeah, free those hands, baby." Cassie smiled, "We're good with the name?" She looked up at him as he nodded, too lost in a trance watching the baby girl, "Hi, Lena." Cassie whispered, leaning down and kissing her head softly, "We're your mommy and daddy." She said.

"She's amazing." Theo shook his head as Cassie nodded, looking up at him and smiling as his eyes met with hers.

"I love you." She smiled.

"I love you." He leaned down, kissing her softly.