"Daddy, is Cammie gonna be okay?" Eliot asked as Cammie was brought into a new room to get more scans done. She was at the hospital almost every week, sometimes multiple times a week. Cammie didn't understand why they needed to keep doing scans and taking blood, she didn't look or feel any different.
Evan swallowed hard, "yeah El. Cammie is going to be right as rain, it's just going to take a while." Eliot nodded.
"That's what mommy always says." Eliot said flipping through his book scanning for his see and read bookmark. It had a clear slip running down the middle so he could focus on the line he was on and not get distracted by the rest of the page. "Can you read first?" Eliot questioned and Evan smiled down to him, adjusting the book to see.
"The Cat ate my Gym suit." Evan read aloud. "What kind of book is this?" Evan laughed, running his finger down the page.
"Mom picked it out. She said it was realistic fiction about a girl a bit older than me and she is an outcast." Eliot explained.
"An outcast?" Evan said impressed with Eliot's word choice. "Tell me more."
"Well her name is Marcy and she doesn't really like school and I don't like school, but then she gets this teacher that makes school better." Eliot said shaking the book to Evan, tired of holding it up. Evan took it from him. "Begin please."
"Chapter 11. My Mother immediately came up and said, Marc did you have a nice day?" Evan watched as Eliot mouthed the words, reading along with Evan. "Do you know what this word is?" Evan said pointing down at the page. Eliot stared at the word intensely.
"Al... Al..." Eliot tried to sound it out but it looked so strange. A beat passed. "Al-pha-bet... Alphabet!" He said victoriously.
"Yes, very good. Okay your turn to read." Evan said beaming happily at Eliot's progress.
"Stuart smiled at me across the table." Eliot read slowly and precisely. Eliot could do this. He could read he just needed a bit more patience and care.
"It's just one episode, but if they like me, they said it could be a weekly position!" Liz, Scarlett's best friend said as she ran a hand over her Himalayan cats fluffy back. "Can you believe it? I had given up but then Marcus told me just one more, don't give up. And what do you know I got the part!"
"I knew you would. It sounds perfect!" Scarlett exclaimed. Liz had wanted to be an actress for as long as Scarlett knew her, but was picky with what she wanted to do, what parts she would play. Liz never wanted anything that was revealing. Sure she had liked watching Game of Thrones, but never wanted to act in a show as exposing or terrifying as it. She was going to be on a sitcom. A potential love interest for one of the main characters.
"Well your kitty seems to be well." Dr. McGregor said interrupting their conversation.
"Oh right, I forgot why I was here." Liz laughed. "I am going to be going to California for a week and trying for more parts while I'm there, I would love to have my wing woman with me?" Liz said with a big toothy smile. "But I know that Cameron is still not doing well." She added knowing Scarlett would say no.
"Scarlett is the bill in?" Dr. McGregor questioned. Everyone loved Scarlett, clients and otherwise but they seemed to talk a lot more when Scarlett was in the room, pushing them back slightly into the next appointment.
"Almost done." Scarlett moved to the computer, maneuvering it like a pro, which she was. "You know I could ask Cameron what she thought about me leaving..." Scarlett considered it for a moment. Leaving her family for a week, leaving Evan to deal with everything. She couldn't do that to him, she would never do that to him, even though he would tell her to go and have fun. "But I can't." Scarlett finished.
"I know, I was just thinking out loud." Liz put her cat back in its cage as Dr. McGregor wiped down the table. "If I meet any huge celebrities I will send you pictures of me befriending them and forcing them to join our friend group." Liz said sarcastically.
"If you see Dylan O'Brien or Josh Hutcherson, you will have to keep them hostage or follow them until my plane lands. I swear if you met them and don't-"
"Don't worry darling if I see your childhood crushes I will drag them home with me." Liz laughed as Scarlett printed the bill.
"Speaking of crushes," Scarlett said leading the way out of the exam room. "Evan has been asking about Ryland. How did his job interview go?" Liz's smile faded quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It will be fine. They all just want younger guys you know. But I'm hopeful and praying about it. God has to have a plan right?" Liz chuckled to cover the tightness in her chest.
"You know, I have been looking for a math genius to help Eliot." Scarlett said vaguely.
"Go on." Liz urged pulling out her wallet.
"Well, I was thinking of getting him a tutor. You know I'm no good at math anymore and Evan although he is wonderful at everything Eliot doesn't always listen to him."
"Tell me about it." Liz grinned. "Your children can be trouble."
"Anyways," Scarlett said moving to scan her credit card. "Do you think that Ryland might be interested in helping Eliot out once or twice a week? We would pay him, it won't be as much as-" Liz reached over the counter and hugged Scarlett.
"Thank you! I need to get him out of the house. When he's not doing interviews he's sitting in front of the tv and moping!" Liz said a smile on her face again. "Oh and he loves Eliot. Your kids are great! I will send him over every day if you want!"
"Well, talk to him first and then we can keep him company while you are becoming a movie star." Scarlett said, the phone rang obnoxiously in Scarlett's ear and she flinched at the noise.
"21st Vet Clinic, this is Amber..."
"I will let him know that he is coming over Monday?" Scarlett nodded. "To help Eliot. And you don't have to pay him, just fed him and he will be happy." Liz said hugging Scarlett again. "Tell Amber I say bye," Liz added waving to her from behind the counter.
"Will do and let me know how the trip goes!" Scarlett said opening the door for Liz.
"Oh trust me darling I will be calling you every night and raving or ranting about everything!" Liz hollered as she unlocked her car.
"I'm sorry, but Dr. Lavigne doesn't work on Wednesdays." Amber said into the phone, clicking through the appointment calendar.
Scarlett watched Amber discuss appointments and different payment options with the client and she smiled widely. River's daughter was doing amazing. River was Scarlett's old roommate years ago and although she wasn't married, nor knew who the father was River did an amazing job at raising Amber the right way. Amber had been living with River's mom for the first few years of her life, until River got her life together. Around the time Scarlett and Evan got engaged, River thought it was about time she started acting like a grown up and taking care of her daughter. Now she was loving and compassionate and couldn't imagine her life without Amber in it.
"Your mom doing good?" Scarlett questioned when Amber put down the phone.
"Yeah, she's fine. She is dating this guy. She didn't want me to know, but she's really smiley after seeing him." Amber explained. "I don't know why she bothers hiding him from me it's not like I care if she dates. I don't know my dad and don't care if I get a new one." Amber said nonchalantly.
"Your mom is just trying to take things slower." Scarlett said remembering their old days, the days when River had a new guy in her room every night. "Your mom has grown a lot since then."
"I know and she told me if I get pregnant before I get married she was going to give up completely and turn into a nun. I don't know why or how that helps, but it was a good motivation most my childhood." Amber said with a grin. Scarlett was Ambers God mother and treated her like a daughter, seeing her all grown up and working for her, some days Scarlett saw a little girl answering the phone saying Doc McStuffins is not available and they would need to call back later. Now she was 20 and in the midst of taking a veterinary technician program at the community college. The phone rang annoyingly again and Scarlett waved her hand at it.
"You go to lunch, I will handle phones."
"Thank you Scar," Amber said hugging her bye. "Will you be here when I get back?" She questioned.
"Probably, I have to check with Evan and make sure Cammie is okay, she had another appointment this morning."
"Oh that reminds me." Amber held up a finger and ran into the back as Scarlett answered the phone.
"21st Veterinary Clinic, this is Scarlett... oh hi Miss Romano yes I will refill that right now..." Scarlet clicked a few buttons and printed a medication label and a bill. "Yes you can come on in it will be ready by the time you get here." Scarlett hung up looking up from the computer, standing and moving around the counter to fill the drugs.
"This is for Cammie." Amber held out a little package. "It was delayed and then stuck somewhere in Taiwan or something." Amber explained shaking her head.
"Thank you, I will give it to her today."
"Tell her I love her, and if she wants company, I'm here for her." Amber said walking out the back again as Scarlett put the present safely in her desk before filling Miss Romano's medicine.
"A tutor? In math?" Evan said repeating Scarlett. "Oh Ryland, I thought you were going to hire a young handsome guy," Ethaline walked into the room and Evan waved at her, she smiled in response, leaning down to Eliot.
"What game are you playing?" She questioned.
"You know like how men hire nannies? Of course you would hire a genius to replace me?" Evan joked.
"I could never replace you, you give the best foot massages. Who else is going to touch my feet?" Scarlett said as the phone rang again. "Give me a sec?"
"Sure." Evan looked to Eliot and Ethaline.
"Ethaline is really good at this." Eliot said as they played Mario Kart on the Switch. They both sat on the floor grinning, moving dramatically as they turned corners and jumped over cliffs.
"Better than me?" Evan wondered.
"No, but she's good." Eliot said honestly.
"For my first time playing on this thing I think I'm doing excellently." Ethaline said as she crossed the finish line. "Did you finish already?" She questioned looking to Eliot.
"Yeah I got first. It's okay you got fifth, that's really good." Eliot encouraged.
"Thanks," Ethaline said through a tight smile, then noticing Evan was off the phone she turned to him. "Cammie has one more scan to run, but the machine is being weird." Ethaline explained her real reason for coming to see them. "It shouldn't be too much longer."
"Thank you for letting us know." Ethaline nodded as she walked away.
"Thanks for letting me play." She called back to Eliot.
"You are welcome." He responded.
"Evan?" Scarlett questioned through the phone.
"Why don't we try a bit more reading since we are almost done?" Evan offered and Eliot groaned about to start another game. "Eliot." Evan warned.
"Fine, fine," Eliot said annoyed, but got out his book again.
"Evan?"
"Oh hey sorry I forgot about you." Evan said putting the phone back to his ear.
"Monday, after school, Ryland is coming to help Eliot I'm going to make hamburgers on the grill, that sound good?" Scarlett confirmed.
"Sounds good." Evan said as Eliot slapped his bookmark against Evan's leg.
"How is Cammie?" Scarlett questioned as the phone rang again.
"Still in tests, but almost done. We should be home soon, hopefully." Evan added, not wanting to jinx it.
"Okay, let me know if she needs anything. Or if you need anything, you okay?"
"I'm fine Scar, don't worry. Everything is in control."
"What's this word?" Eliot moaned.
"I will talk to you when I get home." Scarlett said, "I love you." And hung up.
"That word is baffled." Evan said reading where Eliot pointed. "I was baffled by his answer."
"That's a funny word." Eliot said with a grin. "Baffled, baffled, baffled, baffled."
"Yes, what's the next word?" Evan insisted as Eliot continued to say baffled. Evan was baffled on how persistent Eliot was in making Evan lose his mind.
"We are all set for tomorrow. I think we can get some real improvement with your nose. Fixing your deviated septum will help with your breathing, stop some of those nose bleeds, congestion, should relieve a bit a pain," Cammie tried to smile at that. Less pain, that was something she could get behind. "Maybe even help your migraines."
"Alright," Cammie said reaching a hand out and shaking Dr. Cade's. "Then I will see you bright and early tomorrow." Cammie informed them.
"Alright." Dr. Cade smiled widely. She liked this new Cammie. The first time she met Cammie, she was bitter and angry and wanted a quick fix, something Dr. Cade couldn't give her. Now Cammie had seemed to age ten years in maturity and understood that these doctors were not Gods and could not fix her like she wanted, but they were trying to help. "See you tomorrow. You have a good day Cameron." Cammie nodded as Dr. Cade left.
"See you tomorrow hot stuff." Ethaline said with a grin as she hugged Cammie goodbye. "I'm really glad we are going to fix your soring problem." Ethaline joked.
"I don't snore!" Cammie said mouth ajar. "You little liar." Ethaline smirked and headed out.
"Bye Eliot, bye Mr. Brooks." She called.
"I don't snore." Cammie said to Eliot who was grinning.
"Cammie snores!" Eliot said making faces at her. Eliot no longer cared how Cammie looked. She was his sister and he loved her and she loved him. That was that.
Eliot was not to punch people that made fun of Cammie, he was to do his homework, he was to hug his sister every day, he was not to punch her when she was a butt head. Those were the new rules he had to follow if he wanted to go to Basketball camp, and doing boxing twice a week.
"Come on, grab your stuff." Evan said leading them out to the elevators.
Eliot wanted his sister back, her face mainly because sometimes he forgot and he woke up and jumped on her bed and got scared. And he hated seeing the look of sadness cross Cammie's face when he looked scared of her. He was to love his sister, through everything because family is forever in this house. Scarlett told him when Eliot didn't know if he could ever look at Cammie again. Family is forever and always in this house. Forever and always.
"I don't want to play with Fynn today. I want to stay with you." Eliot whined as he got into the car.
"You want to go to the hospital with Cammie and me? Because that's where I'm spending my day." Eliot shook his head no. "I thought not." Although school had ended Eliot's teacher wanted him to do summer school, they bargained with her and decided that summer workbooks and a summer reading list would suffice. So once or twice a week over the summer he would go to Aunt Liz and Uncle Ryland's house for a math lesson and see how he progressed before 4th grade started.
"Is she going to be okay? We are always at the hospital." Eliot said confused.
"Yeah Eliot, Cammie is going be alright it's just going to take a while, that's all." Scarlett responded as she dropped Eliot off at a friends house. "We just have to go to the hospital again and see if we can help her. little by little we will get your sister back. Okay munchkin?"
"Do you and dad practice saying that?" Eliot questioned.
"What do you mean?" Scarlett said eye brow raised curiously as she watched him in the review mirror.
"Do you practice telling yourselves it will all be alright?" Scarlett turned onto his friends street.
"Everything is going to be great." She said forcing a smile.
"Okay mommy," Eliot said not entirely believing her as he unbuckled his seat.
"I love you, I will pick you up later okay?" Scarlett waved at Eliot's friends mom, Maggie from the car. She rolled down the window. "Thank you so much for taking him again," she called.
"No problem, let me know if you need anything else." Maggie said waving goodbye as she welcomed Eliot in. Scarlett drove back home to pick up Cammie.
Cammie stood in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, trying to avoid looking at herself in the mirror. She spit and moved back to her bed where she left her book splayed open.
'Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted to put her fist through a mirror. She would tell everyone it was so that she could see what was on the other side, but really, it was so that she wouldn't have to look at herself.' Cammie glanced back to her bathroom which conjoined her and her brothers' rooms, then back to her book. 'That, and because she thought she might be able to steal a piece of glass when no one was looking, and use it to carve her heart out of her chest.' When her mom gave her this book to read Cammie groaned. Handle with care is about a girl with osteogenesis imperfecta, meaning her bones break really easily and she can't have a normal life. But her mom claimed that was not why she wanted Cammie to read it. She wanted Cammie to read it because it was a good book. Also because it's good to read about people that have problems as well, even if they are fictional and your pain is real. Scarlett had explained. The book was good, like really good and Cammie couldn't put it down, she wouldn't tell her mom that though. She tossed the book in her bag and moved to the front door, peering out the window to see if her mom was back from dropping off Eliot. She was not. Cammie did however see Colton walking his dog down the street, he stopped, well paused for a moment in front of her house. He squinted his eyes at her through the window and waved. She ducked behind the door, holding her breath. She waited a long moment before sticking her head back around. When she looked again he was gone replaced with her mother pulling open the car door, a foot falling to the ground as she made her way to the house.
"Cameron!" Scarlett called as she opened the door, "you rea-" Cammie moved past her and to the car. "Alright, bye kids." Scarlett said down to the animals that came to greet her at the door. "We will be home later." Scarlett informed them. "Everything alright?" Scarlett asked turning on the engine again.
"Fine, just excited to fix this stupid nose of mine." Cammie said turning towards the window, ducking her head so only her eyes peered out at the real world beyond the car. Scarlett opened her mouth to say more, but Cammie kept talking. "I started reading that book you gave me." Scarlett's eyes widened and she speed up slightly.
"Really?" She tried not to act too excited. She got both her kids reading, it was amazing, a miracle really. "What do you think so far?" Scarlett tried to ask coolly as she came to a stop sign letting some girls cross the street.
"It's good, I like it." Cammie would rather talk books then what she was really feeling so if that meant pleasing her mother and agreeing that she was right, even though Cammie tried to hate the book with all her might, her mom was right.