VALENTIN POV
Callie was pacing the hospital waiting room but I know better than to ask her to sit by me.
The movement helped her stay calm.
All of Vera's pre operative appointments went smoothly so we arrived at the hospital on a Friday morning at 5am. Mama and Dad were there, too, since classes were not in session today. Next week is when finals are due but Callie was able to stick with Vera as much as needed then just help with grading remotely when she is able. I knew Amber and Mike had to work but planned to stop by later in the day to check in.
The last couple of weeks have been hectic at best. We got Vera moved into her new apartment and Callie into her place nearby less than a week ago. I was aching to spend as much time there as possible and ended up crashing with her the last few nights.
It started innocently enough. Callie's moving in weekend was overwhelming but I brought a bottle of her favorite red wine to enjoy once everything was unloaded. It was not until Sunday night when the UHaul was returned and we made a final pass through her old house that we had the chance to actually relax.
We didn't have the kitchen unpacked and just passed the bottle back and forth while sitting on her new couch and eating cold pizza. Callie has a Waiter's Corkscrew keychain that we used to open the bottle, though she was eager to get into her kitchen boxes for the electric opener that I gave her awhile back.
Getting drunk makes us lazy.
I fell asleep after midnight and Callie tucked a blanket around me then went to bed.
Since then, things had changed... for the better. I went to my apartment on Monday then had Miles follow me to help set up some furniture she had delivered. We both took our work laptops along so we could keep up with any issues that arose but it was a great way to keep busy. I also had a backpack with a few clothes inside and ended up crashing with Callie after Miles left. She was unpacking clothes so I helped do some rearranging then sat on her bed to get some work done.
Yet again, I fell asleep, but this time she curled up next to me. When I woke up a few hours later she did, too. Callie just smiled shyly then asked, "Want to just stay? It's too late and you're too tired to drive anyway..."
After a gentle kiss I headed to the bathroom then took a quick trip to my car for the bag I packed. Since then I have gone to my apartment every day for a bit so I could get more detailed work done on my desktop computer, but gradually brought food from my kitchen or leftovers to use up. Callie cleared room in her dresser and had space in her closet so it was easy to keep a few things on hand.
I was hesitant to move ahead physically with Callie until we had the chance to catch our breaths after Vera's surgery, but never slept as well as I did next to her. Naturally the woman I love is patient and understanding. It was a relief that she did not expect things to move ahead faster than I was ready, especially since we had not even discussed our pasts at length yet.
"Callie?" A nurse came out of a set of double doors leading to the surgical bay and toward where we sat.
She paused and nodded as I stood, wrapping my arm around her waist.
The nurse smiled gently, "Your Mom is doing really well but she is losing more blood than anticipated. I see in the notes that you can give her a transfusion, correct?"
