It had been a week since AJ had been sectioned and in placed in a room in the hospitals psychiatric department. It was safe and great to say on Punks behalf that she was on the mend. Her medication was completely helping her, and she hadn't had a spell of crazy thinking in a few days now.
Liesel was now approaching three weeks old, and she was still just a tiny, precious little thing. She'd cracked her first smile, and thankfully it was whilst Punk had taken her to visit AJ. It was such a heart warming thing to see. Watching her little cheeks squidge together whilst she smiled so happily and content. She was a very easy baby thankfully, despite her first few days at home. She barely cried, and when she did, it was just to let her parents know she was in need of her bottle, change of diaper, or was just cranky and ready for a nap.
Punk was thrilled to say that tonight was the last night he'd be sleeping at home alone with baby Liesel. AJ was finally getting out the next day, and he had a big surprise waiting for her. She'd been through a lot, and he knew it couldn't have been easy. She was a stable woman. For her to catch an illness like this and have to deal with it so terrifyingly, Punk was amazed, and so proud. He couldn't wait for her to come home.
Compared to the first few days, AJ had been up more and moving around. Her room no longer felt like a dark room of isolation, although it wasn't exactly where she wanted to be. It was hard for her to explain what she felt throughout her time being ill. It was hard to explain what she felt and what she heard and seen. Punk normally asked her every time he visited, and she'd try her best to explain, but it was just too hard and complicated. She hoped one day she could describe how she felt to him, but the words just weren't there just now.
"Have you heard from your dad?" AJ asked later on, her last night in the hospital thankfully, sitting on her bed with crossed legs as Punk sat feeding Liesel, who was supposed to get her bottle before they left the house, but she was being too fussy then.
"No." Punk shook his head, "He isn't going to bother us." Punk said, "I seen him today. We were civil, for the sake of my Uncle. He wasn't making any snidy comments or remarks. I really think he's going to leave us alone." Punk said.
"I'm really sorry I couldn't be there today." AJ apologised again as Punk just shook his head, "I tried my best, but they just… wouldn't let me." AJ said, "I should have been there for you." She sighed, really wishing she could have been with Punk on a day he really needed her.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I had my sister." Punk smiled, "Who by the way, told me that you knew she and Dean had a thing going on." Punk raised his eyebrows, "Thanks for the heads up." He smiled as she chuckled to herself.
"I thought it'd be better coming from her than me. Plus, when did you expect me to tell you?" She said, "I've been in here all week." She told him as he nodded.
"It's just… it's so weird seeing them together. I always had a hunch Dean had a crush on her, but I though he was just being a jerk and always staring at her to annoy me." He said, "I can't believe he's Toni's father." He admitted, finishing off feeding Liesel, cleaning up her mouth which had got a little messy from some dribbled milk, lifting her up and rubbing her back to wind her.
"I suppose you're just gonna have to get used to it." She shrugged, hiding her cold hands away into her jumper sleeves. She was so ready to go home and into her own bed. She'd missed normality, and this place would forever haunt her.
"I suppose I will." Punk nodded, "We better get going. She'll be looking for her bed now." Punk admitted, knowing that after Liesel's night time bottle, she just drifted straight to sleep, "I'll be here first thing in the morning to pick you up." He promised her as she nodded.
"Ok." She smiled, having a goodbye hug from both Liesel and Punk before they soon left the hospital after their visit.
The next morning, Punk had gone and collected AJ by himself. Liesel was at home waiting along with another few surprises. Punk and AJ both had to sit in the psychiatrist's office that had been dealing with AJ. She just ran through some sheets of paper for discharge, and also made her point very clear about AJ finishing her course of medication, looking at Punk to make sure she took it. She also spoke to them about future pregnancies, and that they should consult her again if AJ found out she was expecting again, not that AJ or Punk were planning that for any time soon, but just to let them know.
And finally… they got to leave the hospital. AJ had never been happier.
"I'm so glad to be getting home." AJ sighed with relief, laying her head back on the back of the passenger seat in the car, pulling up to their house and sitting still for a minute. She'd had an emotional, crazy week, literally. She'd never felt so out of place and scared like she was in that hospital. She couldn't explain to anyone how it felt like to accuse her boyfriend of such hanus things. She still didn't understand how she could just hallucinate things and hear things, and how on earth her pregnancy with Liesel could have affected that. It still didn't make sense to her, but in all good time she would sit down with Punk and at least try to enlighten him. She knew it was hard on his side to. He had to stand back and watch as doctor ripped her away from him. It was truly terrifying.
"Me too." Punk smiled whilst turning off the car engine, "The house has felt so empty without you." Punk admitted, "You know that if… if you begin to start, you know… hearing or seeing whatever again, you gotta come tell me. Straight away-"
"Phil." AJ paused softly, resting her hand on his arm, "It's not permanent. I know I told you I still don't understand it really, but I do understand that it's going away. In fact, it's gone. I'll finish my medication off and that's me." AJ said, "It's not like a mental disorder that can come and go. It's an illness that only comes after birth." She reminded him as he nodded, "Don't worry, ok?" She said as he nodded.
"I'd be completely lost without you." He laughed, looking down, "I mean… you're just out of hospital and you're still keeping me right." He said as she smiled, playfully scratching the back of his head.
"I love you." She smiled.
"I love you too." Punk said, as she unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss on his lips, cupping his cheek softly whilst enjoying his soft lips that she'd missed the easy access to over the past week and a bit.
"I can't wait to see my baby." AJ smiled, pulling back from the kiss and stepping out of the car, letting Punk get her bag as she rushed up the steps, heading on in through the door without thought, bursting through the living room door without thought as she suddenly jumped back at the many people in the room.
It was everyone she'd ever considered close to, and past Dean, Elise, Sami and a few older girls from her studio as well as some other folk, she spotted her sister, who she hadn't seen in a few years.
"Oh my God, Kim?" AJ shook her head, looking over at her older sister who nodded with a smile, catching her little sister in her arms as AJ clung on to her tightly. They always tried to stay in contact. AJ planned to go out to Kim's for the Summer last year, but she was a little caught up with Phil, and she always found an excuse to not go.
"It's so good to see you, April." Kim smiled whilst embracing her sister tightly, so incredibly happy to see her.
"How did you… why are you even here?" AJ shook her head, not wanting that to have came across rude, pulling back from the hug.
"Your boyfriend called me. He told me what had happened and I got worried. And I also wanted to meet my first niece." Kim smiled. AJ had told her when she found out she was pregnant via phone call, and she was finally now getting round to meeting her niece.
AJ turned round to Punk who smiled whilst walking into the living room. He had managed to get in contact with AJ's sister. He thought it'd be a good surprise for her coming out, considering they hadn't seen in each other in a long time.
"Thank you for doing that." AJ smiled later that night after just putting Liesel to sleep in her crib, "It was so good to see her again." AJ said, having loved seeing her sister again, as well as all the other friends in her life. It really showed that people cared about her. Something she actually wasn't used to.
"I knew you'd be over the moon with seeing her. And she's here for the full week, so you know, you can go out with her, catch up on all the things you've missed. I might even give you some money to treat yourself shopping with her." Punk shrugged, "Isn't that what sisters do?" He said.
"Yeah." AJ smiled, "I guess we do." She said, almost having forgot what it felt like to have her sister around, "Are you gonna give Liesel some money so she can treat herself too?" She smiled whilst pulling back their bed covers as he stripped down to his boxers. It had only been a small gathering, and it didn't last too long as everyone could sense AJ was tired and wanted to settle down. But she was so grateful to see everyone, Punk could tell.
"Liesel can have all the money in the world." Punk said, turning to look down at Liesel asleep in her crib, "Daddy will give her anything she wants." He smiled down to her, stroking her cheek softly as AJ smiled.
"Well then she'll just be spoiled." AJ pointed out.
"Who cares. If it keeps her staying with me until she's forty." Punk shrugged as AJ laughed.
"She'll be moved out at eighteen, living with some boy she thinks is the one-"
"So she will." Punk chuckled at the thought.
"But then she'll realise he isn't, and she'll come running back here, hugging you and promising herself she'll never fall for someone again." AJ said, "But she will, and it'll be a viscous circle until she finally does meet the right guy. And then… then you'll have to let her go." She nodded as Punk rolled his eyes.
"I decide when she gets to move out." Punk said, "Not her or you. I know what you'll both do when she gets older. You'll gang up on me. But it isn't going to happen." Punk vowed, even though it most likely would happen.
"Oh, I think it most definitely will." AJ smiled, sliding under the covers with him as he pulled her into him, wrapping his arm around her as she curled into his side, "She's gonna want to play with your hair, and paint your nails, and then she'll want to get older and dye her hair and you'll say no, but I'll let her do it anyway because-"
"Uh… no you won't." He looked down at her.
"Hey… I know about your bleach blonde, long hair when you were a teenager. Your sister told me all about it."
"But she's gonna have hair like yours. She won't need to dye it, or cut it, or anything." Punk shook his head.
"Oh, and then the period is gonna come." She ignored him and continued whilst making strange faces.
"Ok, that… is all you." He said, wanting nothing to do with that part of Liesel's life.
"And you thought keeping her away from boys would be the hard part." AJ chuckled as he smiled.
"For me it is." He said, "But I guess we don't have to worry about that just now."
"Definitely not." AJ laughed, "But at least I know no one will get away with her hurting her." She said.
"Yeah, your damn right." Punk nodded, "Any kid that hurts her is gonna have two broken legs. And then the bones from his legs that I've broke, I'm gonna take them out and beat him with it-"
"Phil." AJ exclaimed, "That's a little extreme-"
"Well then you best hope no one hurts her." Punk said as she smiled to herself.
"I always knew you'd keep her safe." AJ said, resting her head on Punks chest.
"It's the only job I have now. Keeping her and you safe." Punk said, "Nothing else matters."
"Not even your dad?"
"Not even my dad." Punk said bluntly, "He'll get what's coming to him."