Can We Fall One More Time? (Sequel To Gotta Be You)

-105-

"Can I get you something to drink?" I asked Simon as we walked to the living room.

Darren was playing with his toys on his play mat, with Krueger laying beside him. 

"Look how big he's gotten?" Simon said, taking a seat. 

I smiled "I'm sorry Liam can't say hi; he's upstairs asleep"

"It's no problem; I know that he needs his rest" he sighed "I just couldn't believe it when I heard what had happened; how are you Gracie"

"Liam's doing much better, and he's spending most of his time with Darren"

He nodded "But what about you?"

"I'm adjusting" I muttered "It's been hard"

"I know, but I also know that you will find some way to get through this"

I looked over at Darren "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the office; I've had some difficulty getting in cars lately"

"You don't have to apologize, Gracie; I wanted to stop by soon to express how happy I am that you both are alright"

"While you're here, I actually wanted to talk to you about the album"

He shook his head "Gracie, you don't have to have to worry about that right now"

"That's exactly why I want to talk to you about it"

"I don't understand"

I looked away from Darren "When I started this album, you knew that one of two things would happen when it was done"

He nodded "Is that what this is about?"

"As excited as I am for this album, I need a break. I knew that I would either start another residency after it was over, instead of touring; or I'd take a hiatus, and focus on my family" I took a deep breath "After what's happened, I realized that I need to not only work on myself, but give all my time to my family"

"You look like you're about to cry"

"I am" I said, chuckling "But, it's because for the longest time, all I wanted was to be a singer and have this amazing career" I shook my head "Three albums later, and there's new things I want. I want to see my son grow up, without missing anything; I want to discover new loves and passions" my voice was shaky "I cannot tell you how thankful I am for getting the chance that you have given me; I don't know how long this hiatus will be for, but I needed you to know that"

He smiled "Gracie, there's nothing wrong with taking time for yourself and your family" he looked at Darren "They're what's important; however, whenever you're ready to make another album, you come see me"

I nodded "Thank you for understanding"

---

Darren was in my arms as I walked to the master bedroom, seeing Liam sitting up in bed. 

"There's my little man" Liam grinned, taking Darren from me.

I sat down beside Liam "Simon just left"

"How did it go?"

"Really good. He understands that this is what I need to do, and as hard as it is to say goodbye for a bit, it's what I need to do"

Liam nodded "I'm proud of you"

"You are?"

"Of course I am" he smiled. 

Only a few weeks had passed since Liam was found, but every time I looked at him, I was almost too scared to look away from him for too long. 

I was still trying to get back to a normal schedule, but it was really hard. If I wasn't careful, I could make things worse for myself as I tried to focus on everyone else around me. 

Things were still hard to process, and with as quickly as things moved after Liam was found, I didn't have much time to even attempt to process. I just had to keep moving, instead of focusing on everything. 

Darren crawled towards me and sat on my lap.

"Hi, baby" I smiled.

Darren started babbling.

Liam smiled "Is that so?"

It was so entertaining watching Darren make an assortment of sounds; the more we talked back to him while doing it, the more he did it. 

"Do you think we'll be able to get back to normal?" I asked.

Liam nodded "I know that it will take time, but hopefully by the end of the year neither one of us will still feel the weight of it"

"It's a heavy weight"

"I know, Gracie; every time I look at my foot, I'm just reminded" he looked down "I know we're both having trouble sleeping"

I nodded "How many hours do you think we get a night?"

"Maybe three or four"

"I'm surprised we're even functioning at this point"

"That's what my mum said, when I spoke to her earlier"

"How are they?" I asked, picking Darren up once more. 

He sighed "Worried; you know that they were here that first week we got back, but there's still the daily call"

"It's unfortunate that they live so far"

"It is, but they know we're going to be there for Christmas this year" he smiled "They said your dad is welcome to join us"

"He'd like that"

Liam took my hand "We're going to get through this Gracie; we'll get through this and then we'll have an exceptional life together"

Darren giggled, making us smile.

"We'll get through this, Gracie"

I nodded "One day it will just be a bit easier, right?"

"Exactly"

So I just had to wait for that one day. 

I could do that.