Stitches of Survival

Mama Tried

Chapter Sixty-Four: Mama Tried

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"Mel is down and Joel is finishing up his homework." Jackson alerted me as he made his way down the stairs to where I was sitting on the couch, Chris in my lap. A small smile filled my lips as I looked down at the little boy snoozing away in my lap, having finally drifted off only a few minutes earlier. "You want me to take him up?"

"Not a chance," I didn't hesitate to shake my head. I knew that it was the right choice, taking Chris to lay down in his crib, but every fiber of my being just wanted the moment to last a little longer. 

A moment in which I could let everything else that was going on in our lives slip away just to focus on the innocent little child sleeping peacefully in my grasp. I could focus on the way Chris' nose scrunched up every now and then when he slept rather than on the fact that Mark was currently talking with a lawyer and Arizona about taking away Callie's custody of Sofia. I could try and enjoy a conversation with Jackson instead of thinking about the fate of his own unborn child due to his recent divorce. I could simply take reassurance in the fact that all three of my children were safe at home rather than remembering the argument Joel and I had had before school that morning. In this moment I could pretend like my life wasn't seemingly falling apart around me. 

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Jackson offered as he took a seat beside me, reclaiming his half-finished beer from the coffee table. 

"What part of it?" I scoffed, not even knowing where he wanted to begin. 

"How about the fact that you agreed to testify in court?" He suggested. 

"If we go to court," I clarified. "Remember, they're with the lawyers now to try and find a way to avoid taking it that far. This could all be over with sooner rather than later."

"Do you really think so? That this could all be over tonight?" At his question I found myself finally tearing my gaze away from Chris to meet his gaze. I knew that his blue orbs showed exactly what my own did-- a mixture of slight hope and overwhelming doubt. 

"I really wish so," my voice was no more than a whisper as I spoke this time. "Jackson, I want nothing more than to just wake up and find out that the last two years have just been a crazy nightmare. 'Cause then Derek and Samuel could both still be here with us. You and April would be together, raising your son together. Derek would've been able to meet Chris and Ellis, to see all of his children grow up. And maybe, just maybe, Callie wouldn't be going to New York and there'd be no use for any custody battle. We could all just be happy and be a family again, no drama."

"Trust me, I think we're all wishing that right about now," he sighed. "Do you know what you're gonna say, in court? What they might ask you?"

"I'm guessing Mark and Arizona's lawyer is going to ask about my relationship with Sofia. Try to prove that I'm a big part of her life, remind the judge about her siblings here," I guessed. In all honesty, I hadn't thought much about my testimony, having refused to speak with the lawyer beforehand for any prepping. "But whatever they ask me, I'm going to tell them the truth. I already told Mark, I'm not going to lie and say that Callie's an awful mother. I just want what's best for Sofia."

"All of us do," he nodded in agreement.

"I did decide on one thing thought," I admitted. "If you and April ever put that baby of yours in this position, I'm gonna be there slapping you both until you come to your senses."

"Yeah, you won't have to worry about that," he chuckled slightly at the idea of going to court with April. "After everything that's happened, seeing what this case is doing to them, April and I agreed to take a step back. She dropped the restraining order and I told my mom to back off. Now we're just gonna handle everything with the baby on our own, no lawyers involved."