In Her Sleep

All Of It

"It has to be good news, right? I mean, they wouldn't be back so soon if it wasn't…or maybe she can't wait to end everything." Caleb retrieves his hands from his pockets only to shove them back in before perching on the arm of his office couch, facing Darren. He is nervous as hell. Not even the worst of cases in the E.R had made him this nervous before. The feeling had stuck with him from the moment Layla disappeared with Janice and the news of their return just caused his nerves to thicken. Could a little over two hours be enough for her to decide to forgive him or had she decided to skip that part entirely and just dump him.

"Can't tell, Janice sounded sort of off." Darren's words and the accompanying frown does nothing to ease the tension Caleb is feeling. "But then again, she's been cranky the past few days, so I highly doubt her mood can be used to determine anything."

"Did she tell you about the baby yet?" Caleb figures a bit of a distraction will do him good and hopefully help shake off some of his nerves.

"Nope. I suspect she's planning something to that effect, which means I'm screwed."

"How so?"

"You know I suck at acting, so how the hell am I supposed to fake surprise that will be convincing for her? She'll see right through me."

"You could try the truth route. I know I should have." Caleb sighs, thinking about the flash of pain that painted Layla's face when realization hit her.

"To be fair, yours wasn't a lie. You just haven't gotten to that part yet."

"Might as well have been. I should have told her and you know it. And now I might lose her because I was too chicken to face my past."

"On the bright side, she's the reason you are here. You could use that angle to get yourself out of the misunderstanding."

He could totally do that and he has no doubt it would work like a charm, but that would make him no different from Simon. "I don't want to get myself out of anywhere. I will not treat this like some business transaction. I want her to know how much she means to me. I want her to know that I'm not just another Simon waiting to get rid of her after I get what I want."

"And what exactly is it you want?" 

"All of it. Partner, friend, wife, home, babies, all that mundane stuff." Caleb replies with more conviction than necessary. With Layla, not even his own fears are enough to keep him from wanting it all.

"Then you are in luck."

"Janice?" Caleb shoots up from his seat at her voice, eyes going past the pregnant woman looking for Layla. Disappointment greets him when he doesn’t find her. Janice’s smile however, showers him with a little hope.

"You have one more chance to pitch that lovely dream of yours. Don't mess it up." Janice pokes him on the chest before crashing on the couch next to her husband. "I've got a lot riding on this and if you mess it up, I'll never forgive you."

Caleb would have had a snarky comment to that, just to piss Janice off, but right now Layla's absence is all he cares about. "Where is she?"

"Relax, she'll be here. Just get ready to spread your charm. Though I highly doubt you'll really need any of that."

"I won't?" Everything about Janice tells him to relax, but Caleb can’t seem to do that.

"Nope." Janice gestures to Darren for them to leave. "There is dinner to be had and you two better make it." She demands as she drags a reluctant Darren past him and for whatever reason Caleb finds the sight heartwarming. What he'd give to have that with Layla.