All We Were

Sometimes Sorry Is

Sprig pulled away from Caleb's embrace and sniffled, a small trace of smile on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm just so scared, and depressed. I guess it's all the hormones messing with me and all I want..."

"Is our baby home? I'm feeling the same way Sprig. I look at her and you and hate myself. I'm never going to be good enough for you and it's my fault--" Caleb started but had to stop in order to keep himself collected. It was getting harder not to break.

Sprig looked at him for the first time since the baby shower. He looked so beat down, so haggard and she couldn't help but reach out and slowly cup his face. "It wasn't your fault."

Caleb shut his eyes and leaned into her touch, she was so forgiving of him. "I know it was, if I had been stronger. If I hadn't let you close, she wouldn't be fighting for her life."

Sprig thumbed a tear that had slipped out and rolled down Caleb's face. "You did nothing wrong. You were strong. It doesn't do us any good to blame ourselves because it's already happened. Come back to me, come back to us."

God how she could pull him out of troubled water with just a few words. He leaned down and placed the softest kiss he could on her tender lips. "I'm here."

They were just pulling away from each other when the door bell rang.

"I'm really not in the mood to deal with visitors. I don't think anyone knows yet that we haven't brought the baby home yet." Sprig said walking towards the front of the house.

Caleb was two steps behind her, "I'll just let them know to come back at a different time."

Sprig busied herself in the kitchen, not that she was super hungry but she figured she'd try and set a routine for them until they could bring her home.

"I don't think she wants to see you," Caleb was whispering but Sprig had managed to hear that much. She could hear what the other person was saying but it seemed to irritate Caleb. "I think it would be better if you'd just leave."

"Hey, I wanted..to..make.." Sprig walked out of the kitchen to see Mandy standing at the doorway, an angered Caleb standing between them.

Mandy didn't waste any time. "Sprig, please hear me out. I only want to explain something and then I'll be out of your--"

"Shut it. If you came here to apologize and seek forgiveness. You won't get it. Sometimes sorry is not enough and what you did to me, to Caleb was so cold and vindictive that I can't forgive you." Sprig shouted.

Panic-stricken Mandy stood there, her hand cupping her neck, her eyes wide from shock. "I-uh- wanted to explain. I wanted to clear Caleb's name. Not mine, I am a horrible person, you're right and I tried to rip you two apart because I don't like being alone. It wasn't because I hated the two of you. I just couldn't handle the loneliness of being single anymore. That day at the beach, I had followed him out there and he had already shot me down. He said that I could stay and enjoy the party but that I would get nothing from him. He was an innocent in all of this."

Sprig now stood, shocked from what she'd just heard. Caleb had moved closer to stand by her while Mandy recanted her story. This was too much to process. Too much to handle in such a short time. Sprig closed her eyes and allowed herself to breath. Nodding her head, "I want to hate you, I want to blame you for all the stress and pain you've caused in the last months. I want to, but that's not going to help anyone and it will only make me bitter. I don't want to hang on to anything negative because I'm already dealing with some fucked up shit. I forgive you, but not for you. I forgive you because I can't let you drag me down further. You've said what you needed to say, and I think you heard what you needed to hear, so let this be the end of this and walk away. Don't come see me anymore. Don't try to be my friend. You are my ex. Exes stay in the past until I'm ready to deal with them. I hope you find happiness Mandy, I truly do, but please stay away from me and my family."

Mandy tearfully nodded and stepped back out on to the front steps, Sprig didn't waste time slamming the door in her face and making her way back to the kitchen quickly. She was trying to butter the toast that she had burned when she felt Caleb standing behind her.

"I said what I needed to say." She spread the melting goop until the blackened bread.

"I heard. I watched."

"Hmm."

Arms wrapped around her, "Exes stay in the past eh?"

Sprig didn't know why, but that tiny sentence, said with enough playfulness had her laughing. She laughed for a few minutes, until tears were rolling down her face. Caleb appeared highly concerned for her and the more she tried to calm herself to explain, the more she laughed at this whole situation.

Finally managing to quit long enough she croaked out, "Yes, until I'm ready to deal with them."

"Is that what you're doing with me? Dealing with me?"

The humor from seconds ago dissipated, seriousness covering her like a second skin, "No. I'm falling more in love with you. Caleb, you're not in my past anymore. You're in my present, my future, I can't see myself without you anymore and I swear to God, if you were to ever leave, I probably couldn't pull myself back together and that would be a shame. Our daughter needs both of us."

"I couldn't agree more and I'm not going anywhere. I don't know what I have to do to prove that I won't leave, I'm not going to leave, I love you two so much it hurts sometimes."

"You're already proving it. I trust you completely, with everything," She looked back at him, fully realizing that she did trust this man. She loved him more than words and trusted that everything would be alright, "So what do you say you call for takeout because I just burned the only food we really had in this house and I'm too tired to want to go out and shop for something."

Caleb laughed and brought her hand to his lips, "Baby, I thought you'd never ask, though I'm hurt you don't want me to go and get stuff for grilled cheese sandwiches. They're my specialty you know."

"Oh I know, but I think if we did that, I would probably end up jumping your bones and I don't think I'm allowed to be doing that yet."

"Fair point, I know I'm a sex god in the kitchen. Wouldn't want to hurt anything down there yet."

"Someone sounds mighty sure of his manhood."

"Hey now, manhood aside, I'm calling now before I anger the queen."

"Damn right my love. Damn right." Sprig laughed.

"Sprig?" Caleb said in-between dials.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Caleb."