Falling

Chapter Fifteen

The crib was orange. After a few days of observation Mica and Sarah were allowed to go home. Nola failed to skip school but assured Sarah godmother duties were starting immediately.

Sarah just laughed and ordered her to get her head into the game. Then suddenly, Vic, Amelia and Kyle were at work and Sarah was by herself, but it wasn't overwhelming, because she had her little girl, her Mica.

She would have almost been finished with her second to last year. Owen was almost finished his education. Sarah felt as though she's lost something immense along the way. Maybe she should go back to school? Not now, in the new year. Do her final year.

She had completed all of her coursework. Correspondence had been hard as hell but she'd done it. Correspondence had been lonely as hell but she'd done it.

She missed being at school with Nola. She generally missed having that human contact. She knew missing it was a huge step.

She didn't know what to say to Owen. With only a few words he'd convinced her to try without even saying the word try or his go to, you can do this.

She didn't know if that made her happy or completely terrified her.

She didn't understand how a tortured look in his unusually emotion free face, had destroyed her convictions in seconds. She also didn't understand why on Earth he wanted her to keep her baby. To keep Mica. She didn't understand him. She realised, sitting there, unable to know what on Earth she was supposed to do, that she had never understood him. Yet, he seemed to know her playbook inside and out and he could play her like a violin. Not that he actually played violin... As the thoughts swirled around in her head Sarah bowed her head into her lap. She heard Mica begin to cry.

#

Clara approached Owen at school. Nathan saw her coming and issued Owen with a, not particularly subtle, warning.

"Bitch alert." He fake coughed into his elbow. Owen rolled his eyes and continued to stare at his phone. He pretended to play his game, but he was scrolling through information of looking after babies in their first month at home.

"Owen." Clara's voice came out high pitched as she looked down at him.

"Clara." Owen's voice came out low as he continued to stare at his phone.

"I really think that we haven't given this the chance it deserves. I mean, we've only been back together a few months and... And I didn't mean to talk to her about it, I was just so excited and happy it slipped out."

"What slipped out?" Nathan asked curiously, Owen turned his head to look at him, eyebrow raised, eyes narrowed. So Nathan looked at Clara expectantly, waiting for a response. Neither gave him one. "That bad huh?" He mused and returned to his silence.

"And, you know, you're not perfect either, you make mistakes. You don't spend time with me when she's around and it hurts you know. You stop talking to me to talk to another girl? That stings, in fact it aches in my chest because I know, I know you still love me. I know you do and I have risked that so many times but I know you do, or you wouldn't have taken me back that first time."

"He was the only one who wanted you two together again. If anyone else had a vote we'd have vetoed the hell out of it. You're just nasty, spiteful, mean, unempathetic-"

"That's not a word Nathan." Owen informed him with a smirk. Clara took that as assurance that she should continue.

"I'll do anything to make it right!" Clara promised.

"Okay. I'll pick you up at six." Owen informed her with a grin.

#

Clara spent an hour on just her hair. She braided it, then decided she wanted it out, then started to curl it and got frustrated. She then piled it on top of her head before deciding she didn't like her ears. Finally she left it out, messed it up and went for a wild look.