Wounded; A Brallie Fan Fiction *EDITING*

Chapter Fifteen: Still Breathing

Callie's POV
Stef was right. I could hear them, but I was just simply too weak to open my eyes let alone my mouth to speak words. I never thought such simple tasks would every be so trying; but everything hurt, not just emotionally. Every part of me had been crippled. The only thing that seemed to work right was my hearing, and that was what I needed, was to hear the voices of the people who were the reason I stuck around.

Tonight, I was given the ultimate decision to live or die. And I chose life, because I wanted happiness for my family more than I wanted it for myself. And if that wasn't love, and didn't know what was.

My family members took turns coming into my room privately, to tell me whatever they needed to tell me. We all knew that this was because the doctors thought there was a chance I might not make it; the lingering risk of internal bleeding. But they were wrong. I was here to stay, I wasn't leaving anytime soon.

Stef came in before anybody else. I could hear her sniffing from the threshold all the way to the side of my bed, where she pulled up a cushioned wheeled chair and rested herself gently upon it.

I felt an electricity when she placed my hand in hers; the same tether I felt when Jesus grabbed my hand right after the accident.

"You look so beautiful," Stef weeped. She squeezed my hand and took a quick minute to cry, to regroup herself. "Every day, Callie, I look at you, and I am so grateful for you. You make every day better. You've changed all of us; you taught us all how to look the other way and do the right thing, even when our first impulse is to do the wrong thing.

"I never imagined that I'd be blessed enough to have two daughters, and I can't imagine my life without you now," she continued, and wavered her words through her sobs. "Without your smile, without your love. I don't know how I'd be able to get up every day knowing I wouldn't be able to see your beautiful face in the kitchen.

"I wanted to apologize for not being more understanding about you and Brandon. I can see now that you two . . ." She laughed for a second, and drew in a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm saying this; I can see that you two just . . . fit somehow, and I don't know how we're gonna do this, but we'll make it work. We'll come through. We always do."

She squeezed my hand so hard it made my heart beat faster, and she told me she loved me. She gave me a prolonged kiss on the forehead and walked out. I heard her sobs echo down the hallways until she faded away completely.

It seemed like a complicated mix between minutes and hours before Lena came in next. Her footsteps approached my bedside slowly, and I didn't hear any wimpering, but I knew it was her. I could smell her herbal shampoo and her floral perfume with overwhelming gratefulness.

Lena sat on the edge of the bed and held my hand. She traced my knuckles and my veins for a few silent moments before I heard the first sob break loose from her chest.

She laughed at herself. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry. I shouldn't be. Because I know you, Callie, and I know you're gonna make it out if here." She released a melancholy sign and smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "You know the other night I was bickering with your mom about why the dishes weren't done, and I just thought to myself, God I wish my daughter was here right now. Because it's always you, Callie. You always come in and do your best to help. So you'll do the dishes or you'll set the table or you'll clean the bathroom, even if it's not your job. You know? And I know you do it because you don't want to hear your mom and I fight, and because you want to protect your siblings. But it's also because you need us. And Callie, we need you. We need you so much. You mend us, and you fix us when we're breaking. You make us better, and- and I can't imagine not having you around anymore.