ceaseless// 5SOS

42

one month later
Luke

"I'm home!"

"I'm in the yoga room,"

"You're doing yoga without me? Is that safe yet?"

"No... I was totally waiting for you," Gabi giggled, quickly rolling out my mat, "It's totally safe,"

"Mhm. Give me two minutes,"

"1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi,"

"Hey!"

I dropped my bag and went upstairs to my room, changing from my scrubs to shorts and a tank top, rushing back down to the office/ yoga room. Sierra had done an amazing job in here over the last month to make it some sort of Gabi sanctuary, and Gabi loved it. I'd never seen her so attached to a room.

"125 Mississippi, 126 Mississippi,"

"Oh get lost," I laughed, "What are we doing?"

"Well I will be doing the child's pose and then falling to sleep,"

"Oh how the tables have turned"

"Whatever. I didn't have a nap today,"

"Baby steps,"

It really had been baby steps the last month. Gradually eating more, moving more, sleeping more at night.
Crying less, going to hospital less, sleeping in my bed less.

The old Gabi was no where near back, not even scraping the surface. She probably wasn't coming back and I was having to come to terms with that, and relearning everything about my kid.  Still, she was still every bit as bright and intelligent and incredible.
And I loved being her dad.

"I'm done," she said, laying down on her mat, "I'm tired,"

"Me too,"

"What is mum cooking?"

"Whatever Calum brought the other day,"

"That's gonna taste so good,"

"It will. Go and have a shower before we eat,"

"I need to lay," she grumbled.

"Okay. You just lay,"

"How was work?"

"Good. Just the usual,"

She called for Petunia, so I laid beside Gabi and waited for her, both of us giving her attention when she came. We pretty much sat and rubbed her stomach until Sierra called us to eat.

I got us all some water, then sat at the table and began to eat, watching Gabi from the side of my eye. She ate too. Today was a good day.

"This is nice,"

"It is, isn't it?" Sierra said, "Were you okay today on your own?"

"Maddox came over for an hour,"

"Oh that was nice I bet,"

"Yeah. It was fine, I like this house a lot now,"

"Good,"

"Weekends are better though,"

"Weekends are always better,"  I said, "I wait all week,"

"Everyone waits all week,"

"You know what I meant, to see you. I get to spend all day with you,"

"At the hospital,"

"Last infusion! Then we celebrate,"

"It doesn't feel like much celebrating,"

"Baby steps," I reminded, "It is something to celebrate, because I am proud of you,"

"I thought I would be better by now,"

"Sometimes life throws you curveballs, darling. Nasty ones at that, but we have to celebrate the small things then celebrate the shit out of the big things, and to me, you have been a trouper. So no, this isn't where you get fully better, or get back to med school... it's where I choose to celebrate the growth and the courage you have shown," he said, starting to mess with my hair which meant maybe he would cry, "You, Gabriella, are a tremendous person and you will do tremendous things in your own time. The world can wait for you,"

"Too deep for a cauliflower and sweet potato curry meal,"

"You're so annoying, you know that right?"

"I do try,"

"He is right though," Sierra said, smiling, "I just can't wait to see what you do to the world,"

**

the end

of the gabi trilogy!
but it's not the last time u will see her xo