They spent the next week living exactly like that. Neither Stevie nor Lindsey would get any sleep at night, but before noon each day, one of the kids would drop her off at the hospital with lunch and they would sit together and eat.
The first two days were rather quiet amongst them, which was awkward for him, but worse for her... Silence between them wasn't weird, not after that many years of marriage, but suddenly it was almost unbearable.
Before she didn't care if he thought she was being boring- he could just go into his studio and do his own thing, but now it was different... Now she was back to trying to win him over, in some ways.
She had to entertain him, which was something she hadn't done in many, many years.
But by Saturday, almost ten days after their accident, Lindsey was finally being discharged with a long list of rules, but still happy to be getting out of there, nonetheless.... happy, but nervous.
"The girls are on their way up to help us." Stevie mentioned, putting the last of his clothes into his duffel bag as he sat on the bed, watching.
He had been doing that an awful lot lately and though it didn't make her necessarily uncomfortable, it did make her slightly insecure.
She had changed a lot... five kids and four decades does that, and she was worried that the more he stared, the more he realized it.
"Louise and Nora, right?" He had tried to remember all the kids' names, but when she was talking about them, the count seemed to just keep doubling...
She tried her best though... she really was.
She nodded her head softly, wrapping her sweater around herself as she leaned up against the edge of the bed.
She'd given up on the crutches the day before- having had enough and decided she was good enough to put slight pressure on her ankle while walking... She was her own medical expert.
"Mom?" Her voice caused them both to look up, only to meet two young women, lingering in the doorway.
"Hi..." The little blonde with two braids on either side of her sweet face let off a very gentle, sympathetic smile as her eyes met her fathers.
One of them had the biggest brown eyes- identical to her mothers and the other had ocean blue orbs, just like Lindsey's. But they both had her nose, his dimples and a sweet smile that caused him to smile back instantly.
And he could tell them apart right away, just by Stevie describing their children, here and there over the course of the last few days. She told him that Nora was tough- the toughest girl in the world, and Louise was soft... Sensitive and shy.
He felt love, even though he didn't really realize it in the moment.
"Hi, babies." Stevie broke the moment of silence when she realized Lindsey wasn't going to reply... He was too busy staring. "Honey, this is Nora." She motioned to the older daughter, who was already grabbing bags off the chair, but he already knew that.
She was exactly like Stevie had described her as. She had the long dark curls, the dark eye makeup, the leather jacket and flare jeans. Nora was unique. She had this toughness about her that was very apparent, while the little blonde next to her held the exact opposite energy.
Louise had two long braids framing her face, an off the shoulder top going along perfectly with her long, flowing skirt and wedges to make her four inches taller than she really was. And she was shy- so quiet and anxious... Lindsey couldn't decide if Louise was 16 or 26, and both were wrong.
"Hey..." he lingered, finding it impossible not to stare.
"Hey, dad." Louise was exactly like Stevie in her twenties... the hair, the clothes, the gentle but raspy voice, and those brown eyes... Those eyes were unmatched.
He nodded, not sure what to say, considering he had never been called that before... not that he could remember, of course.
And it only took a split second before Stevie saw that look lingering in her daughters eyes as she stared at the man that didn't remember her... He was looking at his kids like they strangers and in many ways, they were.
So before the tears could form, she patted Lindsey's arm. "Let's go home." She wasn't ready for any emotional break downs yet... she hadn't even had one herself.
The two girls led the way, while the couple lingered not far behind. They stopped on their way out, thanking the nurses one last time before they found themselves climbing into the SUV that had been pulled around for them.
"You okay?" Stevie was standing outside the passenger side door, making sure Lindsey was buckled in before she got in the back.
He nodded his head, not sure he could remember her ever being that nurturing, or mature... She was such an adult. "I'm good." Lindsey told her, cracking a very faint smile.
"Good." She patted his knee before she stepped back, closing him in before she slid in behind him.
"We ready?" Nora wondered, glancing over at her dad before she looked in the review mirror at her mom and Louise.
"We're ready, sweetheart." Stevie wasn't actually certain of that, but it was time.
It was time to start figuring out how to live and move forward with the new reality that they were facing... This was just the beginning of learning about to complex life that he knew nothing about.
As soon as they were pulling out of the parking lot, Stevie asked Louise about her two children, which meant the entire car ride wasn't spent in an awkward silence. Instead they talked about swim lessons, and ballet class, while Lindsey looked out the window the entire time.
He didn't recognize a single thing. It was all so new and modern. The roads were different, the cars were fancier, the people duller, and everything was so built up.... Far more than he remembered.
Even though all that was very interesting, the shocking part really came when they pulled up to the metal gate, Nora reached out typed in the code and then it split open to reveal the home that sat back on hill.
There was a long driveway with rosebushes on each side, and a fountain at the end.
"Welcome home." Nora smiled lightly as she threw the car into park in front of the garage door.
He raised a brow, still staring up at the house as he nodded in approval. "I'm glad to see we didn't raise five kids in a studio apartment..." Lindsey was relieved, to say the least.
Stevie couldn't help but chuckle as she shook her head and pushed open the back door. "We have figured a few things out in the last forty years." She assured before she stepped out on the concrete.
A/N:
Trying to catch you up to where I am. I am on chapter 14 right now so these fast updates are only going to last a few more chapters, haha.
