Kaylor Family One-Shots

Dealing with Fear

Sequel to 'Fear'

Taylor's P.O.V

"Karlie, can you come here." I yell from the lounge as I watch Kallum swing backwards and forwards in his electric swing. I hear Karlie coming down the hallway. "What is it?" she questions stepping into the lounge with Kallum and I. I point towards Kallum as he swings. "Isn't the swing too fast?" I question coiling my hands together nervous that the speed could be hurting him. Karlie moves towards me and looks at Kallum before cradling my face in her hands and making me look her in the eyes. "Babe, he's fine. He's soothed and calm you need to relax okay." I nod at her but I know that I will always worry about him. "No look at me Taylor. He's healthy and he' fine." I follow her gaze at our three month old chubby son and deep down I know he's healthy. Perfectly healthy with all ten fingers and all ten toes but something in the back of my mind throughout the whole pregnancy was nagging at me to be more careful, to do the best that I could do to ensure that he is healthy and born within two days of his due date at nearly nine pounds, he's been healthy since day one. "But I don't want any harm to come to him." Karlie looks at me with such love and adoration and I know that I'm being silly but I can't help it. I'm worried something will happen and I will end up as broken as I was when I suffered the miscarriage, and despite only knowing I was pregnant for a few days I will forever know that Kallum was the second child that I fell pregnant with. The first one I lost far too soon and it's hard to let go the fact that no amount of me wrapping Kallum in cotton wool will ever change that. It's my hope that as he grows older I will be able to let go of the insecurities that something bad will happen to him the moment he steps outside the door.

Karlie's P.O.V

Standing in the doorway of our apartment watching Taylor rock Kallum back and forward as she gently rocks him to sleep makes me feel warm inside, it's the kind of image I have dreamt for since I discovered I was gay at fifteen. I had always fought hard to fight who I was but ever since I met Taylor I realised that I didn't have to wonder who I was, I could be who I was born to be and I could be a proud gay person while doing it. I've never had to worry about anyone except for me before, but the moment I met Taylor I just wanted to care for her like she was the most precious gem ever discovered and she really is. She gave me the chance to be a mom especially due to my heavy work load which had restricted me ever having a baby within the next five years but Taylor had taken a break after we had gotten married and decided to have our baby.

It wasn't until Taylor got pregnant that I found out about the miscarriage that she had years previously and the only one who ever knew about it was Austin. I had felt useless for a good week after I discovered the miscarriage and now whenever I look at Kallum I can't help but think that he could have potentially had an older sibling but at the same time it is highly likely that if Taylor hadn't miscarried she would have gone back to the father and they would have made a patch-up relationship, I'd hope that it would have been good but it wasn't meant to be. Now Taylor has me and I made it a vow when we got married to always take care of her and that's what I did. For nine months I wrapped Taylor in cotton wool and then at the hospital after Taylor's first swear word slipped out I mentally un-wrapped the cotton wool and allowed her to have her space but it took less than five minutes for Taylor to latch onto me and ask for me to help. I never questioned her swearing and the minute that Kallum was born her potty mouth disappeared and she was infatuated with Kallum, the first words out of her mouth included "I'll always protect you."

Taylor's P.O.V

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Kallum,
Happy Birthday to you...

"Make a wish baby." I state as I watch Kallum eye up the beautiful car shaped chocolate cake that Karlie had stayed up last night making for today. I watch as he blows out his five candles marking his fifth birthday. "Our baby is growing up..." Karlie states over my shoulder and I lean back onto her, using her as a pole to rest against. "I know," I whisper back to her before turning into her protective arms as she wraps her arms around me and cuddles me tightly. "We've come a long way," she continues as I nod. "Sure have. But I don't think I'll ever be able to completely let go of it." Karlie nods against me. "I know, but we've all done our best haven't we. Always tried to do the best that we could do and sometimes we muck up but together we stand and together we make the best decisions for our family. Tomorrow our baby starts school and in a few months' time we will start this whole process again. But that's half the fun." She states as I look up at her blue eyes as her hands drift down to the small bump I'm currently supporting. I look down and rub the bump as I smile up at her. "I know and that's what I'm looking forward to." I watch her nod and then look at Kallum, surrounded by his friends that he made at preschool over the past few years. The kids even include our friends who were invited to this party and brought their kids. My god son Leo is running around with Dixie Pearl and his brother James as the little kids run after them. The youngest child her is Austin's second child who is four weeks old, Lucas. While his crazy daughter Payton runs the house somewhere, probably getting into trouble with other friends kids. I know Selena's daughters are just as insane as Kallum so no doubt Payton roped them into playing dress-up or something. I snuggle into Karlie as conversations all start up around us. I quickly move to help our moms in the kitchen with food but the moment I step in both my mom and Tracey shoo me out to rest up. I protest that I'm only six months but they won't hear of it and instead called in Karlie who steered me to sit next to Selena and Austin's wife Maggie.

Karlie's P.O.V

The household changes as soon as our daughter Katrina was born, the house went from being a happy household to an absolutely crazy household and some nights Taylor and I would sit on the couch and wonder what we were thinking ever having more than one kid but all it takes is a giggle from Katrina or a laugh from Kallum and somehow it makes all the tough nights worth it. But now on the morning of Kallum's graduation from college I find it hard to believe where we are now. Today is quiet though, it's just Taylor and I here because my parents decided that it was too far to travel now that they are getting older and the same with Taylor's parents but I made sure to charge the camera and the moment that our oldest steps foot onto the stage to collect his college diploma and the pride spreads through his chest. I look down at Taylor as we both stand to clap with the crowd as Kallum's group walk across the stage and I see the large smile from ear to ear on Taylor's face and it's the same smile that I see every morning at breakfast. I'll forever be glad that he chose to stay in Nashville for college and so he chose Vanderbilt while Katrina chose Nashville State University. I'm glad that two of our other kids, Kaleb and Kim are still in high school, Kaleb is a senior and Kim is a freshman and our youngest Katie has just started 4th grade. We decided to cap having kids at five purely for the reason that neither one of us could keep coming up with 'K' names for our kids. We always found out what gender our kids were because it made it easier to design their rooms and with having a six bedroom house in Nashville we were able to personalize our kids bedrooms to match their personalities.

Every day I get to look at the faces of all our kids at breakfast before they all leave for school or whatever they have planned for the day. I always watch Taylor stand at the sink as Katie meets her friends at the bus stop opposite our driveway with her siblings Kaleb and Kim watching over her to ensure she gets to and from school safely and just before the bus arrives I watch the joy spread across her face as Katie waves to her and then I watch the older two leave for college, Kallum always drives Katrina to and from college every day and has always been her taxi driver ever since we brought him a car when he got his license and he decided to drive her, he would always protect her no matter what despite the five year gap between them. The moment all the kids disappear and it's just Taylor and I and that's when we take a water or some type of coffee and we sit in the garden under the large cherry blossom tree we planted in honour of the miscarriage Taylor suffered years ago. It took until Kim was born before her insecurities about failing as a mother and causing her to always worry about the kids, and it's every day that I'm thankful that Taylor is no longer fearful of having a family and with all the great memories we have now I can't wait for grandkids to add to the memories.