AN: Thank you all for the nice words. It truly meant a lot. I was having a really bad time, when I posted the last chapter. My problems in my personal life caused a little breakdown for me. After a little thinking, relaxing and talking to some of you - I realized I was overreacting. And I am sorry for my little emotional authors note in the last chapter.
The story is still coming to end, but I will not rush to it. I will write the ending this story deserves. Thank you all for the support!
I hope you enjoy :) I haven't had time for a proper editing, so I am sorry for all the mistakes in this chapter.
Callie POV
December 20th
I had never imagined myself as the girl who would be sending pictures of me dressed up to my boyfriend. But here I was. I was standing in front of the mirror in my room, dressed in a formal black cocktail dress, black high heels, silver earrings and my hair falling freely over my shoulders. My phone was in my right hand. I flashed a smile and took a picture of myself.
Once the picture was taken, I examined the picture on my phone. This picture I took right now was clearly better than the previous one. At least I didn't have a crazy persons smile and the lighting seemed better as well.
I sent the picture to Gavin over the WhatsApp. Few seconds later I got a replay – Wow! You look amazing, babe! I will have to take you to fancy dinner or ballet sometime just to see you in this dress in person ;)
A huge smile appears on my face, when I read his reply. My fingers moved swiftly over the screen as I type back a response -Thanks, Gav :) Does that mean, I will see you in a suit? Do you even own a suit?
Gavin has been very patient and supportive with me. We haven't tried to have sex after the first unsuccessful try. He hasn't been treating me any different and I was very thankful and grateful about that. Nothing is worse than people suddenly looking at you with pity and walking on eggshells around you.
3 days ago I suggest to Gavin that we could try again next Sunday, when mom and Cooper are going out to some dinner with Cooper's sister and her husband. The house would be empty. I was thinking that maybe I will feel more comfortable and safe in my home, than I did at Gavin's place. Only time will tell if I will freak out again.
My phone buzzes again – I actually have two! One black, other is dark gray and it has a vest! So, just so you know...I clean up nicely too
I heard the front doors open and soon Cooper called out "Amy! Callie! It's me!" He was here to pick us up.
"Okay!" Mom called back, when I heard her heels hit the floor going from her bedroom to the bathroom "I need 2 more minutes!"
I text back to Gavin as I walk over to the desk, where I had put my little black purse -Nothing is hotter than guy in a well tailored suit ;) Cooper is here. We are about to go. I will text you later.
I read Gavin's reply, before I put my phone away -Have fun, babe!
When I was halfway down the stairs, I saw Cooper looking into the living room. He stood with his hands on his hips, he had pushed his suit jacket back a little. As I took two more steps down, Cooper turned around and watched me as I walked down.
"Oh, look at you! You look very beautiful, Callie!" Cooper says genuinely as he walks towards me to give me a kiss to my cheek. I feel my cheeks get warm a little as I blush at his compliment.
"You look good as well," I return the compliment and then continue on our usual manner "...for your age!"
"Oh, wow...you go right to the jugular!" Cooper chuckles back after he failed at fake hurt facial expression. He pressed his hands to hips again "How did you make your hair – did you not brush it again?"
"Ha-ha" I fake a laugh "I brush it!"
"Yeah...how often? Once a year?" Cooper shot back with a smirk
"No, once in two week at least," I say not very convincing, making Cooper laughs back very sincerely, holding his stomach
"Even I brush my hair more often!" Cooper says through laughter, but then his attention is turned towards the stairs, when mom started to walk down. The laughter stops completely, when mom appears fully in our sight.
Amy and Cooper lock eyes for few seconds. Mom was wearing one of the dress we bough when she was getting ready for her first date after Aaron. It was the black cocktail dress, with her high heels. She had her purse in her hand and her hair was up. Mom had a little bit of make up, eyeliner, lipstick on, but nothing too much. This was the first time mom wore this dress.
I glance up to Cooper as see him watching Amy, with mouth slightly open. When I looked to his eyes, I could clearly tell he was in love. I nudge him with my shoulder and whisper to him "You are drooling!"
Cooper doesn't take his eyes off mom, just closes his mouth. Once mom was almost at the end of the stairs, Cooper walked towards her and held his hand out to help mom take the last step down. Mom takes his hand and steps down the last two steps.
"You look stunning!" Cooper compliments, before leaning down to give mom a kiss. It was a very quick peck to her lips.
"You put on your expensive tie," Mom chuckles as she reaches for Cooper's red tie and says, what to my ears sounded slightly seductive "I wondered when I would see it again..."
"You just want to take it off again," Cooper grinned back in a hushed voice. Sadly he wasn't quiet enough. I heard it all. It hurt my ears!
"Okay!" I say out loudly so they both would hear me "Minor here!" I raise my hand up and point down to myself "Don't want to hear your foreplay!"
Mom gives me a look and then comes my way "No need to over react honey. And it's called flirting!"
"It's called foreplay because your underage kid heard it as she was standing 2 steps away from the two of you!" I reason back as the three of us head out of the house.
Mom locks up the doors "Oh, so now you are an underage! Last I knew, you labeled yourself as an adult!"
"When was that if I may ask!?" I ask not remembering that conversation
"When I saw you get off the bike and make out with-"
"Oh-okay! Let me stop you there, mother! That disagreement is over! It's done!" I announce as we start to walk towards Cooper's car
"I wouldn't call it over, daughter!" Mom reasons back "We just agreed that we disagreed about that issue!"
"Oh, it's always so nice to hang out with you. I love the sound of you two bickering about nothing one moment and then be the ultimate mother-daughter duo the next moment!" Cooper comments to himself as he opens the front and back doors for mom and me "Reminds me of when I first met you both! I wonder how will your mother-daughter duo play out this time..."
Mom glance over the open doors to me and gives me a fake threatening look "Call me – mother – one more time and I will write you out of my testament!"
"Yeah, right" I laugh back knowing that pretty much everything she owns will go to me
I became aware of that, after mom got shot. It was a very dark and quite depressing conversation about her rewriting her testament after the shooting. She was still in hospital. I did not want to have that talk, but mom insisted. The talk still sometimes haunts me. Just imagining mom dying is...horrible. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Almost loosing her was hard enough.
Mom had insisted on us having that talk and us going to the lawyer (once she was on her feet) so the stuff she owned would be left to me in-case-the-thing-that-I-do-not-wish-to-think-about-actually-happens! She called it being prepared for the worst, because she didn't want to leave me with nothing.
We all sat in the car. Three clicks rung out in the car as we all put our seat belts on, before Cooper started started the car. Mom turned to look back at me. She gave me the look, that asked if I heard the same thing. Suddenly, holding the seat belt out, I lean to front seats as mom turns to Cooper.
He asks warily as he looks between us"...what?"
Mom and I speak in unison "What do you mean when you first met us!?"
"This. This is the a perfect example of your relationship," Cooper points between us with a grin and then turns to start his car "If I should describe to strangers your relationship, I could tell them this story that is happening right now!"
"We-" mom points between Callie and herself "-do not bicker!"
"Yeah...we are not bickering!" I add standing up to mom
"What would you call it then?" Cooper asks as he slowly pulls out of the driveway
Mom and I share a look with once another, having a silent talk between us and then say in unison again "Squabble!"
"I am pretty sure that's a synonym for bickering..." Cooper says when we drive away from the house
"We did not bicker when we went to first session to you," Mom says back, not admitting that Cooper was right about the synonym thing
Cooper laughs back "Yeah...sure you weren't!"
Flashback
Cooper POV
April 7th
"And remember to do the exercises I told you about at home," I told one of my clients as I was pushing him in his wheelchair to the elevator
"Do I have to? I am coming to see you 4 times a week already!" he whines back
"Trust me, if you stick to the schedule I gave you, you will back on your feet in no time," I tell my client and stop at the elevator. I reach over the wheelchair and push the elevator button. The elevator was already coming up, so I pull the wheelchair just a little bit away from the doors to let the people out (if any will step out). Few people walked out from the staircase and headed to the center.
5 seconds later the elevator doors open and a woman, who was dressed in police uniform, and a young girl, with a splint on her arm, appeared in front of us.
"I swear! It was Jesus!" the young girl says trying to convince the older woman of something
The police officer, however, was not convinced "Why would Jesus eat my bagel?"
"You left it out! You know how Jesus is!" the girl reasoned back. This conversation was very weird. Jesus and bagel – that must be the craziest topic I have ever heard.
"Aha..sure! I know it was you! Don't even try to blame Jesus!" the officer said back not conviced
"I swear - he came over with Jude today, after school! They left before you got home!" The girl says as they step out of the elevator
"How convenient! I'm not believing a single word you say!" Officer said and poked the girls stomach "I know you ate it!"
"You have no proof!" the girls strategy suddenly change as did her tone
"Oh, I will get proof!" Officer says before they disappear around the corner
My client laughs as I push him in the elevator "What was that all about?"
I laugh back "Jesus and bagel apparently!" I walk out of the elevator "Okay, take care Thomas" he waved back before the elevator doors close.
I turned and walked back to the center. Few people were sitting in the waiting room. The officer and the girl were still bickering over the bagel in a hushed voice, when I walked pass them. A smile appeared on my lips, when I heard them continue bicker about the bagel. I walked up to the front desk to talk to Lisa.
"What's so funny?" Lisa asked when I leaned on the desk
"Nothing," I grin back and peak a look back at the most likely mother and daughter
"Your 17:00 a clock is here!"
"Already?" I raise my hand to look at my watch on my wrist. It was only 16:50 "Okay, who was it?"
"Callie Scott," Lisa hands me a file. I take the file, look it over diagonally, before I head to the waiting area to ask her to follow me.
"Callie Scott!" I read the name and looked up. The officer and the girl, who was with her, stood up. I guess I should have know, it was them. Who else would it be?
"Callie?" I looked to the younger girl, she nodded back "Follow me, please!"
We walked in my office and sat down "You must be the mom," I say looking to the police officer
"Yes. I'm Amy!" the officer says and hands me a file "This is everything our doctor gave us. X-rays, before and after, and few copies from her medial record" The girl sat quietly, letting her mom do the talking for now
"Did Dr. Nelson suggested me?" I smirk when I see the doctors signature at the end of one of the medical record she gave me
"He did. Said you were one of the best," Amy said back, complimenting me at the same time. Dr. Nelson and I shared a room together in dorm. We are old friends.
"When did the cast came off?" I ask looking at the latest x-ray
"Last Wednesday," Amy replied for her daughter
"How's the pain?" I look up straight to the girl as I close the file and walk around the table. Amy looks to her as well.
"Better!" the mom spoke for the girl again
I smiled back, but I had to call them out."Why don't we let Callie answer that?"
"...of course" the officer blushed a little and smiled back warily "...Sorry"
"Better," Callie says quietly confirming what her mom said "It still hurts time by time, but it isn't as bad as it was at the start"
"She still takes pain meds. Only one before night," Callie's mom adds as she simply couldn't contain herself. It was a typical mom's reaction, adding everything you can to the doctor to make sure your kid gets the best care possible.
When I glanced to the officer, she mouthed "Sorry" and looked down guilty. I smiled as I close to the file. This mom surely loved her daughter. It was always nice to see this kind of parent - child relationship.
"Okay, lets have a look. Could you take off the splint, please?" I ask before I start to examine her hand and the motions she is capable with. I needed to access her hand before I could make a therapy plan for her.
End of flashback
Callie POV
"You were literally bickering about Jesus and bagel like two teenagers one second and the next second Amy was is super mom mode! " Cooper says chuckling and then peaks a look at me in the rear view mirror "And you were sitting there like this little girl, who wanted nothing else than her mom to be there for you and help you through it, support you!"
"So not true!" I cross my hands on my chest and lean back in the seat. I saw mom shook her head at what Cooper had said.
"Ha - it's so true and you both don't even realize it!" Cooper says as he parks his car by the Opera house where the ballet show will be held
We all get out of the car. While mom and I walked to the end of the car, Cooper locked the car. He made sure he had the tickets in his jacket pocket and then walked up to us. He stands between us and pops his elbows out to us "Ladies..."
Mom wraps her hand around Coopers. I hesitated a little, but in the end follow her example. The three of us enter the Opera house. It was way more fancier than I had imagined. Everything inside looked expensive. And antique. It had this old look, yet everything was luxurious and posh.
And were were just in the hallway. When we made our way up the stairs, to get to the hall, my mouth parted in surprise "Holly shi-"
"Callie! Language!" Mom hissed at me before I could finish
"They could feed the whole Africa for the money they needed to build this Opera house!" I say looking around. I made a mistake when I looked up to the ceiling.
"Seriously? The ceilings! Why would anyone need to paint the ceilings!" I blur out still looking at the painter ceiling time by time as we keep walking to find our seats
"You speak like a person from middle class!" Cooper chuckles back as he pulls his hands away "This is our row!"
"Go on first, honey," Mom says nudging me.
I walk the first one, Cooper was after me, but mom walked in last. We had to squeeze pass few people to get to our seats.
"Seats 13, 14 and 15" Cooper tells me, when we were at the 10th seat. We find our spot, just when the bell rings. All the seats were almost full, so I assumed it was about to begin soon. Just few minutes later the hall starts to dim.
Here we go. Ballet.
Either I am going to like it or hate it with every fiber.
"I hated it!" I say as I sit in the car, behind passenger seat "Or more correctly, I don't understand it! I don't understand ballet!"
"I didn't understand the story," Mom says thoughtfully as Cooper starts the car
"It wasn't that bad," Cooper shrugs back trying to stay positive
"Oh, yeah...what was the story then?" I ask from the backseat as both mom and Cooper buckle up
"You know...the guy, loved this girl and the girl love the other guy..." Cooper struggled with the words as he started the car to pull out of the parking space
"You read that off the booklet of the old lady before you!" I reason back, leaning to the front seats
"Callie, please, buckle up!" mom reminds me looking back at me. I grunt, but do what she asked. I sat back in my seat and buckled up.
"Which one was your former client again?" mom asked when Cooper drove out to the street
"The one in the light gray tights," Cooper answers simply, but then starts to doubt himself "I think...I'm not really sure. Maybe the one in the blue...I knew he had black hair...so either the gray or blue tights!"
"Their junk didn't bounce as much as I thought it would," I thought out loud. Both mom and Cooper laughed at that.
"Can we please never do that again?" I ask them both "I mean, I will never get these 3 hours of my life back"
Both mom and Cooper agreed to it instantly, without trying to argue back at me "Totally! Never again!"
"I think we should stick to pizza and movie at home!" I say glancing out the side window to the people on the pavement
"Sitting on our comfy couch," Mom adds as she looks back to me in the back seat "In our sweats-"
"HOLD ON!" Suddenly Cooper calls out in panic tone, just when a loud crash sound rung out and the car spun. The last thing I saw through the other side passenger window, before I shut my eyes and covered my head, was a car coming right towards our car.