Whose Fault? (Editing)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Max drove extremely carefully the entire way home, glancing at us in the rear view mirror every couple of minutes. It didn't bother me in the slightest, however I chose to tease him about it. Softly caressing Callie's cheek, I cooed at her, "I think Uncle Maxie's worried about you back here. But he should be keeping his eyes on the road now, shouldn't he?" I smirked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head at me then focus his attention back on the road.

My heart swelled with joy when she opened her eyes as we pulled into the driveway, "you knew we were home, didn't you? How are you so smart already?!" Callie slept a lot. So whenever she opened her eyes, there was this warmth that flowed through my body at being able to see her beautiful blues. Just like mine.

Max helped me out of the car and I made my way around to grab Callie. I cradled her in my arms as I made my way into the house. Max following closely behind with the bag that we had brought with us to the hospital. I was taking my time making my way upstairs, mostly because I was still in pain, but also because it was so calming to walk around with her in my arms. I didn't ever want to put her down.

After making it upstairs, I sat down on the couch holding Callie in front of me, simply staring at her as she slept. I had taken dozens of pictures of her already, but needed to memorize every single detail I could about her. From her small, flat nose to the curve of her ears, I wanted to be able to always remember what she looked like when she was this small.

I wasn't shocked when she started fussing, it had been a couple hours since she was last fed, so I knew her tummy was ready for more. I began to get anxious about whether I could do it by myself or not, but I had no choice other than to take a deep breath and follow the steps as I was advised. I struggled at first to get in a comfortable position but I when I found it, I relaxed as Callie latched on without any trouble.

Most of my day continued like that: studying, feeding, and changing Callie. I didn't mind though. She was my world now. Max made sure I had everything I needed and that I ate and took care of myself throughout the day. I think he was worried that I'd get too lost or caught up in Callie to take care of myself.

I was walking around the house, rocking Callie as she slept when Max suggested I take a shower and relax, "no way, Maxie. This is the most relaxed I've been in such a long time."

"I know, Wren. I know. But you still need to take care of yourself and you need a shower. Clean yourself up and take a minute for you and breathe. I'll hold Callie and make sure she doesn't change in the slightest." Max held his arms out for her and I reluctantly handed her over.

It was the quickest shower I had ever taken in my life. I would've been proud of myself if I hadn't been so focused on getting Callie back in my arms. I walked back into the living room ready to trade places with Max, but upon watching him with her I decided a few more minutes wouldn't hurt.

Max was cradling Callie in one arm while the other was placed lightly on her chest and her hand was grasping onto his index finger. I watched on as a tear escaped from his eye, but he didn't bother to move to catch it. I made my way over, sat next to him, and swiped the tears away. "She's so precious," he said softly, not wanting to wake her. He looked up towards me, "I cannot wait to have my own."

I smiled at the thought, "you would make the most amazing dad."

He thanked me and handed her back over. A few minutes later, Max went to bed. I couldn't find it in me to get any sleep. Callie would only wake me up every couple hours anyway. Now that she was here, I didn't want to risk waking up terrified because of the nightmares anymore.

The next week was spent extremely similar to the first day at home. I followed the same routine every day. Kept an eye on Callie, fed her, changed her, and calmed her when she was fussy. We had an appointment with the pediatrician the third day we were home. While there I filled out a family history form to the best of my abilities; I didn't know anything about Xavier's family and, quite frankly, didn't want to find out. So I just left that part blank insisting that the "father" didn't want anything to do with me or her and I had no contact.

We talked about Callie's development and how she was doing in all aspects. I had mentioned her failing the hearing screening and the doctor recommended an audiologist to make an appointment with before she's one month old and told me what to be more aware of to see if her hearing was an issue. Then they did a full physical and answered all the questions I had for them.

By the time we got home, I was exhausted. I made sure Callie was fed, then lay down with her on the bed to finally get some rest. Even if it was only for a couple hours.

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Hey there!

Ya girl didn't feel like waiting to upload, so here it is! This chapter is 3,507 words. I hope you liked it!!

TM