Callie steeled herself before she knocked on the door of Kevin and Shelly Wordsworth's house. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and she hoped the girls wanted to play outside.
She'd met them yesterday in Jules' room. They were there when she'd arrived after school. They sure love their Aunty Jules, she thought and smiled. They'd drawn get well cards and pictures for Jules which Wordy had hung on the walls by Jules' bed.
Both Wordy and Shelly had told her that the painting was beautiful and amazing. They had hugged her tightly and said thanks. She wasn't used to getting so many hugs, but she liked it. She had hit it off right away with the Wordsworth girls.
The oldest, Allie was especially fond of Callie. The first reason was that their names rhymed, the second that they were only two years apart so they had some of the same interests. They both loved Justin Bieber, the same Disney shows and hate One Direction and Miley Cyrus.
The younger girls followed the older girls around although both Callie and Allie were good about including the other two.
"Hi Callie." Shelly smiled. "Come on in. Girls! Callie's here!" She called up the stairs. A chorus of 'Yay! Callie's here!' and excited yelling floated down from upstairs. They thundered down the hallway and started running down the stairs until Wordy walked by the stairs and told them to stop before they fell.
"Good to see you Callie." Wordy gave her a hug. "How are things?"
"Good!" She smiled. She was going to tell them about an award she got at school but she was surrounded by three excited girls. They encircled her in a big group hug and talked over each other telling her hi and what they did in school.
Wordy and Shelly laughed. "Ok, time to go run off some of that energy!" Wordy talked above the din, something he was very used to. "Get your boots on, it rained last night. Then out in the backyard with the lot of you!"
The girls pulled on their boots and Callie followed them to the sliding doors at the back.
When the sun had set and the girls still weren't back inside, Wordy went to the slider and called them in. Four muddy girls walked in the house laughing and talking. Wordy looked at them and shook his head. "Ok, bath time!" He shuffled the two younger girls into the bathroom upstairs while Allie and Callie sat in the kitchen talking and waiting for their turns.
Callie didn't want to use up their hot water so she went into the living room. "Uh, Shelly. I can just take a shower at home. I don't want to use up your hot water."
Shelly looked at her. "Oh that's ok. Trust me, I'm lucky if I ever get a hot shower." She smiled, then it faded. "Unless you're uncomfortable-"
"Oh no." Callie put out a hand. "I'm fi- good." She corrected herself.
Shelly caught it and smiled. Kevin had told her about the team's use of that word. "Besides, I insist you stay for supper. The phone's in the kitchen, you should check with your mom." She winked and watched Callie return to the kitchen.
Callie called and left a message for her mom, letting her know she was staying for supper. She was sure her mom was sleeping before her convenient store job.
After everyone got cleaned up and supper was eaten, they gathered in the family room to wind down before bed. Unfortunately, the girls couldn't calm down once Callie said she had to go home. Wordy offered and gave Callie a ride home because it was dark and he didn't want her walking alone at night.
The next day, Callie decided she would spent most of it at the hospital. She really didn't have anywhere else to be or do. She hadn't really made any new friends at school although everyone knew what had happened and a few had asked if she was ok.
"Morning Sam, morning Jules." It was 1000 when she walked in. It was another beautiful day and the sun was shining into Jules' room. Callie saw it and smiled. Good her irises will love the sun, she thought.
Sam turned, saw her and let a small groan escape his lips. He was sure it wasn't loud enough for Callie to hear. Doesn't she have any friends her age, he thought gruffly. She's always here.
He was running on very little sleep. He had left at 2300 when Jules had finally fallen asleep. She had been coughing more often but he figured it was her lungs healing. The hospital had called him at 0200 to tell him there was a problem and he'd raced back. Jules had a setback during that time and they had to put her back on the ventilator.
It was nearly 0400 before they'd let him back in the room. He'd spent the time wearing a hole in the carpet in the waiting room. The nurses and doctor had to rush back in twice more because Jules woke up and freaked out about the ventilator. They had to sedate her to keep her from pulling the tube out.
Callie heard what she thought was a groan and stopped in her tracks. She looked at Jules. The tube's back in. "What happened?"
"Lung infection. Luckily not pneumonia. So if you're sick you can't stay." Sam ran a hand through his hair. He looked back at her, his eyes red and bloodshot. "Are you sick?"
Callie furrowed her brows. Why was he talking to her like this? What did she do? "No, I don't think so."
"You don't know for sure?"
"I feel good. What's- are you ok?"
"Yup. I'm ok." He sat back in the chair and rubbed his eyes with his palms. He looked back at her. "Are you coming in?" He asked impatiently.
"I, uh.. Don't know." Callie stood where she was, unsure what to do. I thought it was ok for me to come, she thought. Didn't Jules say to come anytime?
"Suit yourself." He yawned and looked at Jules. Why can't she just let us have some alone time, he asked her silently. She's always around. He was very annoyed and he didn't really know why.
Callie stood where she was looking at Sam. After nearly a minute, she moved forward cautiously. The bag in her hand crinkled and Sam turned to look at her with annoyance. She furrowed her brows again and looked down at the bag. She stepped to Sam's left and placed the bag on the rolling tray.
"Um, whe- when she wakes up tell her I hope she likes it."
"Thanks." Sam said flatly.
Callie looked at his profile. He looks so tired, she thought. She opened her mouth to say something and quickly shut it when Sam rolled his eyes. She backed away, turned and left.
On her walk home she mulled over what had just happened. Sam didn't seem that happy to see her. Why? Did she say or do something? Maybe they didn't want her there everyday. Maybe that was too annoying.
She didn't like that Jules had gotten sicker. It made her want to be there every second to make sure she got better. That's probably what Sam is doing, she thought. She doesn't need me hanging over her too. I'll wait until after the art exhibit. I'll have to try to sneak in and grab the painting so I can get it to the exhibit. Hopefully she likes my present.
Later that day, Jules had opened her eyes and looked confusedly at Sam. She motioned for the pen and Sam handed it to her after he kissed her forehead.
"What happened?"
"You have a lung infection and weren't breathing well enough so they had to put the tube in."
"Feel like shit."
"Do you want me to get the nurse?"
She turned the page and pointed to no. She eyed him carefully and wrote, "did you sleep?"
"Some." He took her hand and held it up between his own, elbows on the bed.
"Look tired. Go to bed."
"I'm not going anywhere Jules. I'm good."
"Can't both be sick." She speared him with a look which made him give her a small smile.
"Ok. I'll go in a little while." He dropped one of his hands and softly rubbed her cheek with the back of her fingers.
She looked around the room and wrote, "Callie?"
"She stopped in for a minute but had to go." Sam stiffened when Jules showed him the paper. His sleep deprived mind didn't understand why she asked about the teen. He was here, wasn't that enough?
Jules' eyes fluttered closed. So tired, she thought. Just gonna close my eyes for a second.
Sam put her hand on the bed, kept his on it and sat back in the chair. He put his head back and slouched in the chair so that his neck was resting on the back of the chair. He was asleep seconds later.