It's the following day before I allow my family to come to the hospital and see me. For all Luca told me that they had been to see me as soon as I was admitted, I was feeling too drained to be inundated with the hugs, kisses, and questions I know they'll have. Speaking to Jane about what happened was enough for one day. Speaking about it all again today will be enough until I need to speak to the police and give a formal statement.
I can't stop pulling at the sleeve of my fresh nightdress. It's nerves and I shouldn't be nervous with my family. They are my family after all. "It won't sit at peace."
"And neither will the person wearing it." Luca reaches for my hand and tenderly pulls it away from the sleeve. "Leave it alone. It's fine."
"Nothing is fine."
"Kaylee, your family won't care about your sleeve being turned up. They won't even care that you may get tired after a while and ask them to leave. They'll understand because all they will care about is you being safe and well."
"You're not being helpful, Luca."
"I am by telling you the truth." He runs a hand down my hair and smiles. "Plus, I think you will have another visitor at some point either today or tomorrow that I hope you class as family because I know they've been asking to class you as theirs."
I frown. "Who? Louisa?"
He nods with his lips pressed firmly together.
"After everything that's happened and what she heard Nadia say about her being her mother . . . she started asking questions I didn't think I would be able to answer. I mean, it's not that I didn't think I would be able to answer them, I just didn't want to answer them." He sits down and rests his elbows on his knees, hands clasped. "But I did what any father would do when his child asks him something."
"You answered her questions," I murmur.
"I did." He sighs heavily. "I answered everything she asked as best as I could."
"When?"
"Yesterday when my father took me out of here."
"And?"
"And talking to her made me realise that that was a worry I had always had from the moment she came into my life. After Nadia left, I've always had the fear that Nadia would tell her that she was her biological mother before I had a chance to tell her. I was scared that she would blame me because she didn't have a mother figure in her life. I was scared to have her hate me for not having a normal life like her friends. I was scared she'd leave me and want to be with her mother."
"But she wouldn't and she didn't."
"No, she wouldn't think of it now she's seen what she's like. To be honest, she was terrified to even speak her name because of what Nadia did and how badly beaten she saw you. She didn't even mention her by name, only called her 'that scary lady'."
"And how did Louisa take the answers you gave her?"
"The only assurance she really wanted from me was to know that Nadia would never come back into our lives. She said that as long as she has her daddy and new mummy in her life, she's happy."
I choke back a sob. "She's calling me mum?"
"She is," he smiles. "I know we haven't spoken properly about that but . . . yeah, she is starting to refer to you as her mum now that we're engaged and she knows you're not going anywhere."
"Wow," I breathe, looking down at my hands in my lap.
"You're okay with that, right? You don't mind her calling you her mother, do you?"
"I don't." I clear my throat. "I mean, I heard something from your mum about you wanting me to adopt her as my own. Now I'm hearing that she's already started calling me 'mum' . . . everything seems too good to be true after what we've been through."
"There's always a silver lining in the storm, Kaylee. You just have to look for it and we've found ours."
I smile at him and he leans in to press a kiss to my lips. "I love you."
"And I love you." He returns my smile and settles back in his chair while looking at something on his phone.
I watch him closely until he tells me to stop staring at him, but it doesn't come. There's something different about him and it's a good something. Almost like there's been a weight lifted from his shoulders that's been there since before we got back together. A weight that's likely been there since he became a dad for the first time. So maybe, just maybe, talking to his daughter about everything that's happened recently has helped lift it.
Am I surprised that Louisa was the one who approached Luca and asked him about Nadia? No. Am I surprised that he's been worried about the questions she would ask and his reluctance to talk about them? No. Am I surprised he actually talked about the situation with his daughter and everything she's encountered? A little, but it's what he needed to do. He needed to talk to someone who wasn't his mum or myself, someone who wouldn't try to make him see things differently and who would simply listen to him because they needed to hear everything for the first time.
Yes, speaking to Louisa has clearly done him the world of good because he's happier for it. He can rest a little easier knowing that his daughter knows the truth and that he can finally answer any questions she may have in the future. That is until the day comes when she starts to date and I know Luca will turn into an overprotective father once again.
"Knock knock. Can we come in? It is visiting time for the invalid after all." My sister's voice fills into the room as she peeks her head around the door she's holding open.
I scoff. "Why do you do that when you've already got the door open and in the room?"
She opens the door wider and happily rushes over to me and submerges me in a tight hug. "I like annoying you." She pulls back and sits on the edge of the bed. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Chloe, get off the bed." My mum instructs, gently pulling at her arm so she moves out the way to hug me. "You need to let your sister get some breathing space for a moment."
The rest of my family take it in turns to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before they settle in around the room wherever they can get a seat. Chloe returns to sit on the bed with me, Declan sits on the window sill, while my mum and dad sit on the two seats to my left that Luca has rearranged for them so they can sit together and not apart. A nurse brings in two more chairs which Luca sets up on my right side for my gran and grandpa to sit in. Luca stands at the end of the bed while continuing to focus on his phone.
"So, how are you feeling?" My dad asks.
"A little sore depending on how I move but the pain killers they've got me on are kind of doing their job."
"Did they say when you can go home?"
"Eh, I don't quite know. Dr. Watts hasn't actually said when I'll be able to go home." I look at Luca for an answer and he slips his phone into his jeans pocket and grips the bottom of the bed. "Did he say to you?"
"He didn't but I think he wants you to have a couple more days in here to make sure your vitals are where they should be."
"I don't blame him," my gran agrees. "You were left to starve and were extremely dehydrated. It was sick what they did to you."
"They no doubt did it as some sick game they thought would be funny," my grandpa says sternly. He looks at Luca. "I hope you have a team of good lawyers who are going to get the three of them sent to prison for a very long time for what they did to my granddaughter. If you don't, I will personally do something to them myself that will make sure they never see the light of day ever again."
"I can assure you, Mr. Fletcher, that I have a great team of lawyers who are already working on a case against them," Luca assures.
"Good. I know that you have some affiliation to the female that put Kaylee in this state but-"
"She's the mother of his daughter, grandpa," I add, reminding him why Luca knows Nadia.
"Mother to his daughter?" My grandpa shrieks. He glances from Luca – who nods at him – then to me and back to Luca. "That crazy woman is the mother of your child? How stupid can you be to have a baby with that lunatic?"
Luca opens his mouth to defend himself but doesn't get a chance to when my grandpa continues his rant.
"I always pegged you as a man of honour and who had respect for women. I thought you would have stuck to your word and waited to have a baby with someone you loved."
"But things happen, grandpa." I defend. "Not everything is perfect in life. The times have changed a lot since your younger days."
"I know they have and I'm not saying everyone's life has to be perfect. All I'm saying is that I expected more from Luca and-" He holds his hands up and rests back in his seat. "-I'm leaving it at that."
"In other news," my mum says loudly to get everyone's attention onto something else, "your gran and I have been talking about your wedding."
"Mum, Luca and I are already in agreement that we're going to hold off on getting married for the time being."
"I know and I don't blame you. We were talking about some things and-"
"Mum, I'm going to stop you while you're ahead." I glance at Luca who is grinning at me to go on. "There won't be a wedding for at least a year or two."
"Two years?" My gran shouts. "I could be dead by then and I want to see my firstborn granddaughter get married."
"As do I," my grandpa agrees.
"I know and I hope you both will but for the time being, there is a two-year time stamp on it."
"Why? You're an event planner. You can plan these things in a matter of weeks."
"I just don't want to walk down the aisle with crutches."
"Of course not. We were talking about after you get rid of them and can wear a lovely pair of shoes again. Not to mention a beautiful dress."
I take a deep breath and look down at my right hand that Chloe is holding on her lap. My eyes move to my belly and I know it's now or never to tell my family that I'm pregnant. They can't see past why we want to wait at least two years before getting married and they need to know why we've picked that rough timeframe. "I don't care about the shoes or the dress, mum."
"Then why the two years wait? If anything, you can wait for a maximum of one year."
"Well, if you must know-" I start.
"She wants to be able to fit in her dress," Declan interjects, moving to stand next to Luca. He smiles at him and pats him on the back. "I'm right, aren't I?"
Luca narrows his eyes at him, unsure how to take my brother's kindness. "Surprisingly, you are."
"Well, good on me. Makes a change to be one of the first ones to work it out." He hugs Luca with a couple of pats on the back. "Congrats."
I'm taken aback. I've never seen Declan do that in years. I know he was still trying to adjust to Luca and I being together but for him to willingly stand next to Luca and hug him – it's a refreshing thing to see. It goes to show how much he's progressed since hearing that Luca and I were back together.
"What is he congratulating him on?" My gran asks.
"I do mean it this time, you repeat anything you've did in the past nine years to my sister and I will follow through with my promise of hitting you." Declan turns to me and smiles softly, tears filling his eyes. "Your . . . I'm . . . oh, come here!" He moves quickly to hug me, something else that he hasn't willingly done in a long time. "I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Declan." I whisper into his shoulder. "You're a good brother."
"Going to be an even better u-"
"Oh my God!" Chloe screams, getting off the bed. Declan and I pull away from each other and look at her. She has her hands covering her mouth and her eyes are wide. "No way. No freaking way!"
I nod. "Yes."
"Ah! Finally!" She hugs me tightly and Declan joins her.
"Can someone please enlighten the elder folk as to what is going on?" My mum asks.
"I think I know," my dad says softly.
Chloe and Declan let me go and move to stand next to Luca, Chloe giggling like a schoolgirl because she knows she's going to be an auntie. My dad gets to his feet and steps to the bed. He takes my hand in one of his and runs his other than down my hair, a small smile appearing on his lips.
"I had a feeling this would happen but I had hoped the wedding would be first," he starts. A tear falls down his cheek and his smile gets bigger. "But I couldn't be happier."
"Stan, what are you talking about?" My mum stands next to my dad with a frown on her face. "What's going on?"
My dad presses a soft kiss to my forehead. "I think you should tell them all, baby girl."
I look from my mum to my grandparents before settling my eyes on Luca. He nods and it's all I need to reveal the news and put them out of their misery. "I'm pregnant."
"No," my gran breathes. "Really?"
I nod and Luca reaches for his wallet that's in his jacket. He pulls out the printed sonogram picture from yesterday's scan and holds it up for everyone to see.
My mum squeals and almost pushes my dad out of the way to hug me. "Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you. For both you and Luca."
"Congratulations, sweetheart." My gran kisses me on the cheek before doing the same to Luca. "There's definitely no getting rid of you now."
"I wouldn't be going anywhere anyway," Luca concurs.
My grandpa is the last to congratulate me, choosing to wait until everyone else has moved to Luca so they can get a better look at the scan picture. He carefully sits on the edge of the bed and takes both of my hands in his. He runs his thumbs over my knuckles. "I'm not judging you, Kaylee. I just want a simple answer."
"Okay."
"Are you happy?"
"I am." I look past him to my family gushing over the picture and how interactive they're being with Luca. All the issues they previously had with him forgotten and replaced with joy. "I'm more than happy."
"That's all I wanted to hear." He turns so he's sitting next to me with an arm around my shoulders and looking at our family. He sighs heavily. "I'm going to be a great-grandfather."
"And you'll be a good one," I assure. "Just like you're already a good grandfather."
"And you'll be a good mother. I can assure you of that."
"I hope so."
"I know so."