5sos Blurbs

Skylum (IWCT Series)

***Three years after BTY***

"Hey, Cal." Skye settles gently into the bed beside him, radiating with nervousness.

"Is everything okay, baby?" Calum frowns, setting aside his laptop to give her his full attention.

"I have been having some thoughts and dreams about something that is a really touchy subject, but it's something I can't ignore any longer." She sighs.

"Good or bad, Skye? You're scaring me." Calum frowns, nervously taking her hands in his.

"I want another baby, Cal..." she whispers, her eyes studying the veins in his hands as she admits it. "I know how sick I got with Rui, and I'm terrified of that happening again, but I keep dreaming of this baby that is supposed to be part of our family. I just know they are."

"I can't, Skye... I can't watch you go through that all again, I can't watch you be that sick." Calum shakes his head, "But, I may or may not have also been thinking that our family didn't feel complete anymore..."

"You have?" Her face lifts, eyes filled with bewilderment as she finds his.

"Ya." He chuckles, "It's been nagging at me a lot lately actually. But there was no way I was going to ask you to go through that again, so I've been looking into other options, trying to figure out the best route for our family."

"Have you found anything?" Skye smiles, grateful that her panic about breaching the subject with Calum was all unnecessary.

"Ya, I have." He chuckles, reaching behind him for the laptop he had just moved, typing only a couple letters into the URL bar before a link pops up for him to click.

"Adoption?" Skye grins as she assessed what he's been looking into.

"Ya, there are so many babies out there who need loving homes, and we could become parents to one of them." Calum pulls her into his side as he scrolls down the page. "This one appeals the most to me, of the ones I've looked through, it feels right." He double clicks a link, opening a new page.

"Orphaned Marshallese children?" She glances up at him, confusion written across her face.

"The Marshall Islands are about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, part of Micronesia. It's a very pour country, and sickness and death is rampant. Their orphanages are overwhelmingly full, and so many babies are dying due to that. I've contacted someone just for information, and it sounds like it wouldn't take too long if we were willing to take an older baby or young toddler, who might need a lot of help."

"I would love that, to nurse a baby back to health, and love them in a way they have never been loved before." Skye smiles.

"I thought you might. I'll email them back tomorrow and ask for an application and let them know we are ready to move forward with this plan."

"I was so worried you wouldn't like this conversation." Skye laughs, "Little did I know, you were steps ahead of me in the plan."

"Our family needs another baby, and soon." Calum shrugs, sliding the laptop back onto the nightstand and hugging Skye close.

"Ya, it does."

*** 6 months later ***

"Do we have to leave Australia already?" Nika pouts as she pulls her suitcase to the door.

"School starts again in five days, Punk Princess. You need to be home and over your jet lag by then." Skye laughs.

"It takes like two days for me to bounce back. That means we can spend three more days here with Nana." Nika tries.