“Daddy! Make them stop!”

Wes tries to comfort Annabelle as the nurses are trying to get her prepared for x-rays. She’s not having it though. “Shh I know baby girl, I’m sorry but they have to do this one thing before you can get your cast.”

I sit quietly in the corner of the room while Wes tries to calm Annabelle. It has been a week since her surgery to repair her leg. The swelling has gone down they are ready to put on a cast, but they need to take a few x-rays first. She’s been such a trooper, but the last time they did x-rays she was in a lot of pain and so she’s scared for them again.

Wes is doing his best. He’s been so strong for her, but when she’s asleep he crashes on the couch in the hospital room and he is so broken and vulnerable. The entire family has been making the four-hour drive multiple times in the last week to check on everybody. They take shifts and even got a hotel nearby so everybody can shower and rest when needed.

Wes hardly leaves, as expected, but every other day we’ve managed to get him to the hotel to take a shower and get a new change of clothes. I don’t want to overstep too much. I’m not mom, I’m not even girlfriend, but even after I was cleared and discharged, I don’t have it in me to leave. So where Wes goes, I go.

“Daddy! No!” Annabella cries again.

“Shh, if you calm down they can take you and it’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Sir, if she won’t calm down we’re going to need to sedate her,” the nurse says to Wes and that just pisses Wes off even more.

“Hell no. She’s not going under.” Wes’s fists clench and I jump up to put my hand around his arm to calm him.

In an attempt to get everybody on the same page, I take Wes’s hand in mine and try to speak to the nurses myself. “I think what Wes is saying is that maybe you can give us a moment with her. This week has been very stressful.”

“I can do that.” The same nurse says. “If she isn’t ready when I get back in fifteen though. We can’t wait much longer. We need to get the cast on her so she can be discharged.”

“We will see what we can do. Thank you.” I smile at the two nurses and they leave, attitude in check. Wes turns and picks up a pillow off the couch and screams into it.

“Daddy, are you mad at me?” Annabelle cries. Wes goes back over to Annabelle and wraps her arms around her.

“No baby girl, of course not.”

“Hey Annabelle, can I sit with you?” She nods her head and I sit on the bed next to her and hold her hand in mine. “Nobody is mad at your sweetheart. Don’t worry.”

Annabelle starts to get a little bit fidgety. “The machine is scary, Holly. And I have to be alone.”

“I know it is scary and last time it hurt, but that was before the doctor fixed you, remember?”

“But what if it hurts again?” She says, still scared and concerned about the x-rays.

“I don’t think it will. Plus, once they do this x-ray they get to put the cast on and remember how you picked purple?”

She sits up with a big smile. “Purple is one of my favorite colors.”

“I know it is.” I lean in the whisper to her, “I bet your daddy would be the first to sign your cast.”

“Really, daddy? You’ll sign my cast?”

He smiles and rubs her back, “Absolutely baby girl.”

“Holly?” Annabelle looks back at me.

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Will you sign it too?”

I lean forward and pull her in for a hug. “Of course!”

After our hug, she sits a little straighter and the tears seem to have dissipated. “Daddy, I think I’m brave now.”

“Oh Annabelle, you’ve already been so brave, princess. I’m so proud of you and I know Holly is too.”

I let Wes take my place sitting with Annabelle. He gently squeezes my fingers as we switch places and he mouths thank you. I give him a smile and let the two of them spend some time alone while I let the nurse know that she’s ready for her x-rays. I make my way down to the cafeteria and I hear my name as I turn the corner.

“Holly!”

I turn around and see Stacy, a sight for sore eyes for sure. “Stacy! Hey!” We give each other big hugs and I lay my head on my shoulder and sigh.

“You doing okay, babe?”

“I’m alright. Just really tired.” I’ve mostly been sleeping in the room with Annabelle and Wes, but a few nights I’ve gone back to the hotel. The lack of sleep is starting to catch up with me.

“How is Annabelle?”

“She’s okay. Bravest little girl, I swear. She’s getting one set of x-rays before they put her cast on and then we can go home, thank God.”

“We?” She lifts her eyebrows and tilts her head.

I wave her off, “You know what I mean.”

Stacy and I walk into the cafeteria and I order a large cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin while Stacy just gets an iced tea. We find a table near the window, it is snowing again today, but it is the soft snowflakes and the sky still looks blue.

“I think what you’ve done is really admirable.” Stacy reaches over and takes my hand in hers.

I just shake my head, “I don’t think it is admirable. I feel like I need to be here.”

“How is Tiff?” Stacy asks.

“Jimmy and Tiff were here yesterday. She was still really shaken up over the entire thing and had a hard time seeing Annabelle in the hospital. She blames herself, which is dumb because the truck was in our lane, there was nothing she could have done. Even if she totally swerved to miss him we would have run off the road.”

“I understand how crappy she must feel though. Especially with Annabelle in the car too. It doesn’t help that she seems to have gotten the worst of it.”

“Well, she may have gotten a broken leg, but since she was rear-facing that was all. I hate even thinking about how much worse it could have been. It keeps me up at night though, that’s for damn sure.” I shake off the negative thought.

“I wanted to thank you, by the way, for helping out at the shop. Closing for a week would have been killer for the business.”

“Of course. We’re family, hon.”

Since I haven’t been back to town since the accident, Kathy and Maddie have been running mornings at the shop. Gio comes into work a couple of hours once he’s done with school, but he can’t cover all the afternoons. Stacy came in a couple of times to work where we needed some shifts filled in. We close at two though, everybody understands, they all know about the accident.

Stacy and I hang out for a little bit longer until I receive a text from Wes that Annabelle is back from x-rays. Stacy is going to grab us lunch and be back. I make my way back to the room and Annabelle and Wes are both sleeping. I take the blanket and curl up next to Wes, laying my head on his shoulder.

As I snuggle my head onto his shoulder, I feel him stir in his sleep a bit and he lays his head down on mine. He makes a few grunting noises and I laugh under my breath a little, he’s still grumpy, even in his sleep.

“Holly,” he grunts

“Shhh, just rest Wes.” I take his hand gently run my thumb across the back of his hand.

“I love you.” I squeeze his hand, not knowing how to respond. Shit, he probably doesn’t even know what he’s staying, but damn this makes things complicated.