Sitting on her side of the bed, leaning back against the headboard, she tried to focus on the book in her lap, but she couldn't. Instead, she was too busy staring down at the floor, where Lindsey was sitting with their two youngest children.
Alli was sitting across from him, swaying back and forth as she hummed the lyrics to the song he was playing on the guitar. And Clancy, just a couple of weeks old, was laying on a blanket, looking up at the ceiling.
"Can I handle the seasons..." Allison's soft voice filled the room, which caused both of her parents to smile. "Of my life..." she let out a loud laugh right away, instantly becoming shy when she realized that she had all of her mom and dads attention.
"Sing it, Alli." Stevie nodded her head, a sweet smile on her face as she encouraged her to continue. "Well, I've been afraid of changing..." she held out her hand, motioning for her daughter to pick up where she left off.
With red cheeks and big grin, the five year old smiled wide "Cause I built my life around you..."
~~~
"Hi..." Stevie let out a tear filled sigh as crept into the room. "I'm sorry, we're just now getting here." She added, dropping her sweater on the chair as she came closer. "Are you okay? You must be starving..." She wondered, creasing a brow as she bent down to look into the fish tank.
"It's freezing." Lindsey shivered lightly, one hand meeting her back as he maneuvered around her.
He had just set their bags down in the living room, locking them in before heading right to the thermostat on the wall.
It was raining when they'd landed, and after a trip to the hospital, only to find out that Clancy wasn't able to take visitors and they weren't allowed to stay, they ended up back at her apartment.
At first, Lindsey suggested they just get a hotel room, but Stevie knew that Clancy wouldn't mind. In fact, their daughter would have been offended if they hadn't gone to her apartment to begin with... They always stayed with her, and it was hard to grasp the fact that she wasn't there.
It suddenly felt a lot quieter and darker in her sweet two bedroom little apartment.
"I can't believe she didn't look both ways." Stevie was sick to her stomach- just totally devastated and beside herself.
She had cried all the way to Clancy's- so much so, the driver asked if he needed to pull over, or call someone...
"I mean, the two rules are don't talk to strangers, and look both ways before crossing the street." She brought her hand up to her face, wiping away some of the tears as she used the other hand to pour a little bit of fish food into the tank.
Taking off his jacket, Lindsey set it on the back of the barstool as he stared over at his wife. "Accidents happen every day..." he was at a loss for words, he really was.
When they told them that she'd been crossing the street when she was hit, he was in disbelief... How can that happen twice to the same set of parents?
Biting down on her lower lip, her big brown eyes met his as the tears began to stream down her cheeks.
"They sounded very hopeful." He assured, eyes weak as well. "She has a couple of broken bones, but she's gonna be fine." Lindsey was certain of it... "Now come on," he trailed towards her, one hand slipping around her waist as the other worked on unzipping her sweater. "You got to get out of this wet stuff, Steph." He didn't hesitate to pull it down her arms, knowing she had to be freezing as well.
He helped her get out of her jacket, before he grabbed her a towel for her long blonde hair. And for a long moment as he worked on getting her dried off, neither of them said a word... the only sound in the room was her sniffles.
"I'm scared..." she whined, wrapping her arms around her husband to be held after he'd set the towel down on the chair in the corner.
He nodded lightly, kissing her head as he moved some soggy strands of hair out of her face once more. "You're so tired." Lindsey could tell by the sound of her voice and the look that lingered in her eyes.
The lack of sleep, the traveling, the sadness and worry was all catching up to her. She was so exhausted.
"Let's go lay down, huh?" He leaned back only enough to look at her sweet face a little better.
She nodded her head softly, head meeting his chest as he led the way down the hall.
Clancy's apartment wasn't huge- in fact, it was the exact opposite, but it was comfy. She had shawls draped over her lamps, an old tambourine hanging on the wall, family pictures, artwork and pottery scattered about. But everything had a place- a spot that it fit into perfectly.
Pushing open the guest bedroom door, Lindsey chuckled lightly at the artwork sprawled out carefully on the floor. It appeared that she had laid them all out, and was looking at them before she'd left.
Clancy wasn't expecting them for a couple of more weeks, so while the house was completely spotless, that room at the end of hallway had been housing some of her recent work.
She had converted part of her kitchen into a studio, but that too only held so much and then it spilled over.
He bent down, gently picking up one of the card stock paintings. "I could recognize these hands anywhere." Lindsey held it up to show Stevie, who was already pulling her pajamas from her suitcase.
She glanced up, heart sinking into the very pit of her stomach when her eyes met that painting.
It her two hands- it was so obvious by the nails, the rings, and even the veins... it was her dainty hands that were reaching out, grasping for something that wasn't there.
"My sweet girl..." she whispered, the tears building up in her eyes once more. "I can't lose another baby, Lindsey." Stevie's voice was so shaky and so devastating, it broke him... it really did.
"No," he shook his head, pulling her into his arms immediately. "You're not losing anything, Steph." Lindsey whispered as he left a couple of gentle kisses on her temple. "I promise, baby."
