~Cole~
"You know they're 100% calling the police right now right?" Callie laid her head back against the shitty hospital pillows. Twice in 6 months this girl has been in hospital and I can't say the 2nd is any easier than the 1st. At least this time I knew she would likely be okay. Telling dad to get onto that balcony just incase is the best decision I've ever made. Something in my mind said it was possible. Some niggling little voice that I would never ever ignore again because it's that voice that means Cal is okay. Bruised and sick but she'll be okay.
"Yeah. Don't worry. My dad's on it already." She nodded her head slowly. She tried to hide the fact that it hurt but I saw the slight furrow of her brows. He'd really hit her. Fractured her skull that was going to cause an awful amount of pain for the rest of the year, potentially longer. I leaned over, gently running my thumb over the bandages dotted around her face. "I bet you have some really cool scars when you come out of this."
"Hm. Yeah. Great that they're on my face though. Yours is on your arm. At least you can hide that."
"I can have Rowan-"
"If you say have Rowan hit you in the face with his gun, I will hit you in the face with my fist and I'm still pumped on adrenaline."
"You pack a punch when you're not high on endorphins."
"Precisely my point." I chucked at Callie, reaching for her hand. "Can we go the next, like, forever without a hospital trip though because these are stressful."
"Why are you asking me? It's you always ending up in here."
"Um, excuse me, I think you'll find this time you made me come."
"Because you fell from a building after being smacked in the face with a gun."
"I was pushed." I grabbed Callie's hand, bringing it up to my mouth to place a soft kiss on the back. "I'm fine Cole."
"I'm not convinced."
"The doctor said so."
"I want a second opinion."
"You're not getting one."
"I'm gonna get a second opinion."
"Okay. Here you go. My opinion. I'm fine. Get fucked."
"I just killed a guy. I don't think sex is on the table right now. Gimme a few hours." Callie gasped dramatically.
"Jesus. Maybe we should get you checked out." I snickered. "I mean, you've gone like 3 whole hours without telling me what you're going to do to me tonight. I'd honestly have thought you'd be trying to get in my pants here. My ass looks good in these jeans."
"You're telling me." Callie smirked. "I love you."
"Me or my ass in these jeans?"
"You and your ass in everything and nothing." Two knocks on the door interrupted us as I leaned to kiss her cheek. Suddenly the room was filling with too many people. Callie's parents, siblings, in laws. She really didn't need all this stimulation right now.
"You. Get away from our daughter." Callie's dad pulled on my shoulder but Cal just clung to my hand harder. "You put her here."
"I can assure you Mr. Fraser, this is nothing to do with me."
"Bull. Shit." One of the voices says but I look to my priority. No one else in this room matters to me other than her. "Sebastian is dead because of you."
"Oh shut the fuck up Dylan." Callie rolls her head and the room falls into silence. "Sebastian had it fucking coming."
"Don't you dar-"
"He's the reason I'm in here. Not Cole. Cole's the reason I'm alive because he had his dad catch me when Sebastian threw me off a fucking building. The only reason I am still alive is because Cole made him drop his hold on my throat. You guys had Sebastian built up on this fucking pedestal as some perfect ideal of a man but I can guarantee-"
"He is dead Caroline."
"I FUCKING KNOW." Callie grips my hand tighter. "Do you not think I saw it? The guy held me at gun point, tried to rape me at Liz's wedding-"
"So he didn't succeed?" That's it.
"Out."
"Who the hell do you think-" I stood up slowly, walking around the group and opening the door.
"Out. Now."
"I don't fucking think-"
"You do not get to come in here when your daughter has just been through one of the most traumatic experiences of her fucking life and tell her because that bastard didn't succeed at raping her he didn't deserve to die. He's been threatening to murder Callie for 8 weeks. He had a drunk drive T-Bone the car she was driving that almost killed her, he broke into our apartment, almost knocked her on conscious by suffocating her, slapped her, held her on the edge of a 20 story building then hit her in the head with his gun before tossing her over the edge like she's a candy wrapper. He sexually and physically assaulted your daughter, tried to murder her multiple times. You guys do not get to stand here and make him the victim in front of Callie who's the real victim in all of this. I won't stand for it. So either put your heads back on and sort yourselves out or fucking leave. I will not ask you again. I am not afraid to have you removed from the building." Callie's dad stepped forward, trying to square me up as if I'd ever see him as some kind of threat.
"Caroline is coming home with us."
"The fuck she is. Callie's old enough to make her own decisions. She doesn't need her father telling her what she is or isn't doing." I looked over at Cal who sat in the bed. My tee shirt over the top of some jeans Rowan had grabbed for her as we left for here.
"WELL?!" Callie's dad practically shouted at her and she straightened her back.
"I'm not coming home and until you understand that none of this was mine or Cole's fault, I won't be visiting." The room erupted into chaos, screams and shouting and dramatic self intitled demands for her love they didn't deserve.
"What the fuck is going on-" A flash of red hair walked into the room and she immediately scowled, pulling on the chair beside Callie's bed and climbing up. "OI! SHUT THE FUCK UP ALL OF YOU." Lilah demanded the room fell to silence. "I can hear this argument down the fucking hallway? What the hell is going on?!"
"They seem to think it's mine and Cole's fault that Sebastian's dead."
"Bullshit. All of you. Out." They stared at Lilah. "Sorry, Did I fucking stutter?! Get the hell out!" Myself and Theo managed to round the furious crowd out and into the hallway. My head hurts, never mind Cal's. When I came back in Lilah was sat on the edge of Callie's bed, discussing today in details. "Wait. So you actually got shot trying to save her? Let me see." I rolled my eyes, lifting the edge of my shirt sleeve to show the bandage there. Lilah slapped her hand into Theo's chest. "Why can't you do something that sweet for me?"
"You mean something that stupid that I'd nearly get myself killed? Hm. I wonder." The two girls looked at each other before rolling their eyes.
"You're no longer engaged."
"What? Because I wouldn't-" Lilah stood up, winking at me before half storming out of the room. "Lil, come on."
"Nope. Cole would risk his life for Callie and you just said it's stupid. What if I was going to die like that?"
"Lilah, come on this is a stupid-"
"Would you love me if I was a worm?" Theo groaned as the door slammed closed behind them both.
"Thank you." Callie shuffles up in the bed, tapping the spot beside me so I can squeeze myself in.
"For what?"
"For telling my parents it's my choice, putting them in their place. I knew they liked Sebastian but I didn't think they'd-"
"Still take his side?" She nods. "Don't worry about it Cal. Come people are just stuck in their ways. As long as I'm here, no one is going to blame you for any of this because it's not your fault."
"I know." She shuffles down under my arm, tipping her head back slightly to look at me. "Would you still love me if I was a worm?"
"I'd build you a little worm version of all the rooms in our place, move you around when I moved. I'd feed you top tier worm food and I'd pet your head all the time." Callie smiled, scrunching her nose up as she got more comfortable. "Would you love me?"
"Ew. No. Who loves a worm?"
"You are so fucking lucky you're all poorly right now or I would tickle you so hard for that."