Rose Tattoo | tattoo artist/single dad!calum

chapter 4

As Stevie crossed town, eager to get back to her apartment and take her dog for a walk before she had to sit still for a few hours, Calum sat on his couch and stared at the cellphone in his hands. He was exhausted, more so than he had been in years, and felt overwhelmed as he realized that his plans for the day had fallen through. He could hear Tāne's coughing, the same sound that had plagued him for days, and he felt his heart constrict in his chest as he stood to find the cough medicine.

Calum had always considered himself lucky. By all accounts, Tāne had always been a good child. He had never been very fussy. He went to bed on time, was easy to put down, and was a sweet, affectionate, pleasant child. He was easy - as easy as a child could be, anyway - and Calum was grateful. Not much changed when he was sick - Tāne was still a sweet, pleasant child - but he didn't sleep as much, too sick to get comfortable without the aid of some sort of medication, and Calum's heart hurt for his son. He was slightly irritable, a little more emotional than usual, and didn't want to be far from his father as he battled his illness.

Tāne was on the upswing after a rather serious bout of flu and Calum was relieved that the worst of it seemed to be over. He wasn't quite back to his usual self, not yet, but he didn't look as miserable as he had and he no longer felt as warm as he had the night Calum had taken him to the emergency room. He was well enough for Calum to be able to report to the shop for the first time in nearly a week - Calum was already dreading the few makeup appointments he would have to reschedule, though he was thankful for Ashton stepping in and taking a few of them to lighten the load - but the babysitter that Calum always used, and trusted to handle Tāne in such a state, was on her way to take an exam and no one else seemed to be able to fill in on such short notice.

He only had one client, Stevie, and he knew that if their initial meeting was anything to go by, she wouldn't be one to have a meltdown if he had to cancel. However, Calum was itching to get back into the shop - this was the longest he'd been out since Tāne was born - and didn't want to make Stevie wait any longer for her finished tattoo. He remembered her story vividly, the pain in her eyes and the tremor in her voice as she recalled the loss of her friend, and wanted to help her close that chapter. He knew that it would be at least another three weeks before he could fit her in again and he didn't want her to have to wait.

As soon as Calum gathered Tāne in his arms and carried him to the living room, his son was clinging to his neck and fighting sleep. Even if Calum was able to find a sitter, he knew that he wouldn't want to be far from his father when he felt so bad and, honestly, Calum wasn't fond of that idea, either. So, though he knew Ashton would agree to let Tāne rest in the back room as Calum tattooed Stevie, he grabbed his phone and called to check, just in case.

The moment Ashton was on the other line, Calum could hear the hum of noise from the shop. He knew that things would thin out by the time he and Tāne arrived, there wasn't a lot on the books for that afternoon, and that the others would gladly help him keep an eye on his son. As he asked, Ashton assured him of as much.

"Of course you should bring him," he huffed, almost offended that Calum would even bother to ask. "There are still some of his snacks in the back if he gets hungry and Luke should be done by the time you get here. I'm sure he won't mind sticking around and helping keep an eye on him."

Calum could hear Luke ask, "Is he bringing Tāne?" in the background and confirmed that he was, indeed, to Ashton. "He's better but he still doesn't feel great. I don't want to be too far from him. You sure you don't mind?"

"I'm hanging up on you for even asking," Ashton huffed and Calum smiled at the sentiment despite the slight anxiety he still felt. He knew just how much Ashton, Luke, and Michael loved his son - almost as much as he did - and he knew that Tāne would never be an imposition. Before he could speak, Ashton said, "Bring him a blanket, it's kind of cold in here today. See you in a few," and ended the call.