Dance On [Austin Mahone Fan Fiction]

Chapter 33: Losing

Once the session is over my mom walks behind me as I wheel towards the door-another one of Marcus' suggestions. Natalie waves enthusiastically at me. I manage to load myself into the car. My arms are sore from our session, and I fight back the tears. My phone lights up once we've made it back into town. I look down and see Austin's face fill my screen. My thumb goes toward the screen to answer, but I hesitate before rejecting it. I don't want him to hear how much pain I'm in.

We make it home and my mom carries me up to my bed so I can relax. After falling asleep for a while, the bed shifting causes me to wake up. I manage to roll over and I see Austin's beautiful eyes staring back at me. Before I can recognize what's happening, I burst into tears. Austin wraps his arms around me, puling me closer.

"I know baby." He whispers. "Your mom said it was a rough day."

I sniff into his chest. "Its not fair." I whisper through tears. "Why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know Calli." Austin says. "Its not fair."

"My doctor thinks I'll get better." I say looking up at him. "But I feel like he's lying to make me feel better about this."

"I don't." Austin replies. "I think you can get better. Maybe not immediately, but eventually."

Austin softly strokes my cheek, brushing my hair back. I lean up as far as I can and press my lips to his.

He pulls away, while moving his arms. One rests on my back-where I can still feel- and the other under my knees.

I start giggling. "What are you doing Austin?"

He slides off the bed and carries me out the door. "Your mom said you needed to come eat something, so I'm taking you to her." Austin stays for dinner, but has to leave shortly after.

I decide to make it easier on my mom and Nathan, and I start sleeping on the couch for the next few months. The therapy isn't getting any easier. I feel like my dream of dancing is never going to happen. I start to sink into a depression. My eighteenth birthday passes, but I cant bear to do anything. Austin has to leave to do his world tour, so my pain just increases. I managed to pull my grades up and graduate, but I had to wheel myself across the stage. I couldn't even walk.

One night in November, I wake up to voices, quietly yelling, in the kitchen. I glance at my phone and notice it's almost three in the morning. I make out the voices to be mom and Nathan. I pull myself out of the couch and onto my chair. The whole ordeal is a hassle. Finally, I make it to the hallway and start listening.

"I don't think its a bad idea, I just don't think we need to do anything drastic yet." Nathan whispers.

"It's not that drastic, Nathan." My mom whispers sternly. "Its to help her."

"Kelly, I know how badly you want to help make this happen for her, but packing everything up and moving to Dallas for something that may not work?" Nathan whispers gently.

"Nathan. I talked with this doctor. He knows what he's doing. He said Calli could walk, maybe even dance again, within three months of starting this." My mom's voice slowly grows louder. "Why wouldn't we do this for her?"

"My job, your job, Grey's therapy, Calli's friends." He says. "They're all here. Dallas? That's a four hour drive for Calli to be able to see anyone."

"I know that." My mom spits out. "I know all of the limiting factors, but what about my daughter's inability to do what she loves? What about her never getting to walk down the aisle? She has to wheel herself when she gets married. Do you think I want that for her?"

"She's my daughter now too." Nathan whispers. I can hear the pain in his voice."Don't you think I want to be able to see her dance or walk again?"

"If you really did you'd want to do this just as badly as I do." I can barely make out the words my mom utters. "Calli's new life is hard on us and you know it. I know you're tired of carrying her up the stairs."

I feel like someone just stabbed me in the heart. I cant believe my own mother is thinking all of this about me. I want to know more about the doctor, and how he'll help me walk again, but I don't want to watch this rip my mom and Nathan apart.

"Kelly, I love you and I love Calli. I'll do whatever it takes to help her, but we don't even know what this process will involve."

"Yes I do." My mom says. "The doctor said it's a surgery to correct her spine, along with training on crutches. All it will takes is three months."

"How invasive is the surgery?" Nathan asks. "How long will she be in recovery?"

My mom hesitates. "Its a messy surgery, I'll admit that. She'd be recovering for a month and a half at least."

"Kelly, you cant be serious." I hear Nathan stand up and walk around. "A month and a half recovery, with a messy surgery. You would really put Calli through that, for a possibility of her walking again?"

My mom softly starts crying. "I lost one person I love already." She whispers. "I can feel myself losing Calli too. She's giving up."

Nathan walks again. "I know I'm not Graham, Kelly. I know I'll never be your first husband or Calli and Grey's first father, but I love all of you more than anything. You're not going to lose Calli."

"But I already did." Mom whispers. "I'm losing."