Challen and Addy

Chapter 37 (Challen): Enough Hours

Copyright © 2025 by GroveltoHEA

"You look a little nervous," Addy said to me.

"Your parents are about to arrive." Around us, travelers moved past us in both directions as we waited at baggage claim for Addy's parents. "What possible reason could I have to worry?"

More than I knew.

"It'll be fine."

"They're not too fond of me anymore, Addy." Un. Der. Statement.

"Do you blame them?"

"No. I blame myself. I know I have to try to repair my relationship with them, knowing that I hurt their daughter." I paused. "But I'm still not ruling out the possibility of your dad trying to kill me."

The long, delighted laugh that erupted from her made me smile. It was becoming more frequent, and the sound lightened my heart every time. Gave me more and more hope that we were coming out into the light after a long period of darkness.

"I promise not to let him kill you. Not this visit anyway. However...I'm not committing to future visits at this point."

"You're hilarious." At least, I hoped she was being funny. "You need to sit down?"

She'd walked in from the parking garage with me, and I wanted to make sure Addy wasn't getting too tired, but her energy had been good ever since we had that weekend away. Getting away from the Center had done wonders for revitalizing her spirits and boosting her energy. Addy even had said she felt stronger after that weekend, and attributed her new-found energy to helping her get out of rehab sooner.

"I'm good," she said, her eyes on the down escalator. "Oh! There they are!"

Waving, Addy hurried to the side of the escalator and was soon engulfed in her mother's arms. Her mother pushed back from the hug after a minute, took in Addy's happy face and proceeded to burst into tears, grabbing her daughter to her.

Nate and I stepped closer to them to block them off from strangers' eyes and to give them some semblance of privacy.

"Oh, Addy," her mother cried.

"Mom, I'm OK, I promise." But Addy's voice was watery and wobbly, too.

"I know, but the last time we saw you...oh, Addy. Oh, my girl. My girl."

Instead of trying to talk her mother down, Addy just held her and let her cry out the fear and worry of all the months since I'd called them with the news of her accident. Then Addy let herself cry while Nate and I stood sentinel until Addy and her mother were laughing self-consciously and wiping their faces.

"Now, you got a hug for your Dad?" Nate asked her. 

Addy nodded, looking like she was about to burst into tears again as his arms went around her. Instead of that sight causing a pang because I'd never experience that again, I felt unbearably grateful that Addy was able to find solace in her father's hug.

Shannon came over to me, her manner reserved in a way it never had been.

"Addy's doing OK? Really?"

"She is," I assured her. "And your visit will make her feel even better."

"And you two?"

"I'm trying to prove myself. I have a ways to go."

"You're lucky she's even letting you prove yourself after all that you did. She wouldn't have, if she'd listened to us." 

I wasn't a parent, but I could understand the bitterness in her voice. You hurt someone's son or daughter and the parents could hold a grudge longer than their child who was actually hurt. My mother still referred to the girl who broke my heart in eighth grade as that little hussy who better hope our paths never cross. The girl had accepted my invitation to go to the eighth grade dance at the end of the year, and just as my mother was about to drive me over to her house, the girl's wrist corsage in hand, the girl called and told me she was going to the dance with a more popular boy in our class. I recovered but my mother never did.