Better Off Alone (Adopted by Brendon and Sarah Urie)

44. Sarah

Brendon put Callie to bed and came into our room smiling.

"What's got you so happy, Mr. Urie?" I asked.

"Everything. Our daughter. You. Our family. Everything just feels... almost perfect, don't you think?"

"I do. Callie is exactly what we needed to complete our little family. I can't tell you how much I love that kid," I smiled.

We got ready for bed and climbed under the covers together, lying in each other's arms.

Sometime in the night Brendon woke me up.

"Do you hear something?" He whispered.

I listened. There was a noise coming down the hall.

"I think Callie's having a nightmare," he said, getting up to go check on her.

I heard him pad down the hall and go into Callie's room. Then I heard a loud yell of pain.  I jumped up.  It sounded like Brendon had fallen over. I ran into Callie's room and saw Brendon lying on the floor, his hand on his stomach and blood coming through his fingers.

"Callie!" I screamed seeing a knife in her hand. Her eyes were open but unfocussed. "Callie, what happened? Brendon, Bren?  What happened?"

"She stabbed me," he coughed out. "Call an ambulance, Sarah."

I grabbed Callie's phone and even though I knew she couldn't hear me I was shouting at her to drop the knife. She blinked, looked at the knife, dropped it and looked at me as I kept shouting. She covered her ears and curled up into a ball. She started screaming. Well, it wasn't exactly a scream, but it was what she was doing.

"911, what's your emergency?" The voice on the other end of the phone said.

"My husband has been stabbed and he's bleeding everywhere. Please help us!"

"Is the perpetrator still in the house?"

"It was an accident. There's no perpetrator. It was an accident!  Please! Help. He's bleeding so much."

"Ma'am, can you quiet the noise in the back?"

"No. That's my daughter. She's screaming and I can't get her to stop either. Please, please. We need help now!"

"I have first responders on the way. Keep pressure on your husband's wound. Stay on the phone with me. Who is in your house right now?"

"It's just the three of us. My husband, our daughter and me."

"Okay. And how did your husband get stabbed?"

"Callie. Callie stabbed him with the kitchen knife. But it was an accident. She didn't mean to."

"How old is Callie?"

"She's 12," I said. "We adopted her this summer. She's had a very traumatic childhood."

"How did Callie get a knife?"

"I don't know. I think she took it when we were sleeping."

"Okay. And how is your husband doing?"

"He's bleeding everywhere. He looks a little pale. Brendon? Brendon are you awake?"

He groaned and opened his eyes some.

"He opened his eyes and he groaned. Bren. Speak to me."

"Don't let Callie blame herself," he groaned and coughed.

"Stay with me Brendon!" I said. "Look at me, look at me."

"It hurts, Sarah," he said.

"I know, I know. But let's keep pressure on this and keep talking to me. Okay?  Tell me about the new album. Remember?"