Three Days

by Ariadne Wayne

  Sat in a chair beside the bed, I rocked Carly, still fast asleep . As the nurses came and left, and the doctor made arrangements for her surgery, all I could think of was what my life was before Maddy.

  She’d given me more than she could ever know. I’d lost one woman I loved, I couldn’t do it again.

  With no idea how serious this was until they operated, I was a mess of emotion inside.

  “I just want you to be safe,” I said.

  Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at me. “I’m so sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For everything. I was so awful to you tonight and here you are, holding my hand and loving me, the way you always do.”

  I squeezed her fingers. “It doesn’t matter. You know how much I love you. Nothing’s ever going to change that.”

  She smiled, and I raised her hand to my lips, brushing a kiss across it.

  Please be okay.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Knowing now we could be here for hours, I needed to work out what to do with Carly. Sleeping in my arms didn’t really work for either of us. She needed a bed, a proper sleep, and a distraction while her mother was having surgery.

  “I’ll call Logan, he’ll take her,” Maddy said. She fished her phone out of her bag, and sat with it to her ear as she made the call.

  “Damn it. Straight to voicemail.” She slapped her palm to her forehead. “Oh, he was going away this weekend. I bet they’ve already gone.”

  “It’s okay. If she has to stay here, she has to stay here.”

  “We could always leave her with Bob. You know he’ll take good care of her.”

  I grimaced. “As much as I like the guy, I don’t like the idea of leaving her in that place, and you know he’s not going to want to go anywhere.”

  Maddy’s face fell. “I wish we were closer to your parents. They’d take her in a heartbeat.”

  “It’ll be morning by the time they get here. Unless …” I shook my head. “No, that would never work.”

  “What?” She looked at me quizzically.

  I stood. Carly stirred in my arms and I kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back shortly, with or without the monkey.”

  Maddy grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”

  “Somewhere I know she’ll be safe. Now rest.” I leaned over to kiss her softly. “I’ll take care of Carly, and you just get better. I’ll try to make it back before your surgery, but if I’m not back in time, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  She chewed her bottom lip, looking nervously at Carly. “I wish you would tell me what you were doing.”

  “Going to see a friend. Don’t worry about us. And do what you’re told. It’ll be the first time, but the doctor knows what is best.”

  She crossed her arms, and frowned. “I’ll try.”

  “Be back soon and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  I leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. “If I don’t make it back, I’ll be here when you wake up. Promise. I love you, Maddy Carmichael.”

  “Love you too.”

  I buckled a sleepy Carly in her car seat, and she grumbled, looking up at me with sleepy eyes. “We’re going somewhere you can have a proper sleep, sweetie. Hopefully you can stay there.”

  Maddy would have gone nuts if she knew where I was going, but there was only one person in this town I would trust with my daughter. Someone who might not want to help me, but would surely help Carly. Rowan.

  ~

  Although it was late, the living room light was on when I pulled up outside. Last time I was here, it was to talk Rowan into leaving with me, and when she said no, I did the most stupid thing I’d ever done.

  When I’d said my goodbyes in the park, I’d never planned to see her again. But this was a special case, and I knew Carly would be safe and sound here.

  “Come on, baby.” I said, unbuckling her harness.

  She rubbed her eyes, flopping her head on my shoulder. “I’m tired, Daddy.”

  “I know, baby.”

  I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to knock on the door.

  “Who’s that at this time of night?” I heard Rowan ask.

  “I’ll get it,” Kyle said, his footsteps already coming towards the door. After what happened, I was sure he was ultra protective of her, even after all this time.

  The outside light went on, and the door swung open. I’d be the last person he’d expect to see.

  He set his jaw at sight of me before narrowing his eyes as he took in Carly on my shoulder. “Andrew?”

  Rowan appeared behind him. “What?”

  She did the same as him, raising an eyebrow.

  “What are you doing here?” Kyle asked.

  “I have no right to be here—“ I started.

  “Damn right you don’t,” he said. “I’m calling the police.”

  He turned his head toward Rowan as she placed her hand on his arm, nodding towards Carly.

  “Is that your little girl?” she asked.

  “I didn’t steal her, if that’s what you mean.” I said the words so harshly, and didn’t mean them that way. She recoiled, and Kyle stepped in front of her.

  I sighed. “Look, sorry. It’s just been a really long day and you two are the only people I can think of who might be able to help me with Carly. I need somewhere for her to sleep, where I can leave her and know she’ll be safe.”

  “Where are you planning to go?” Kyle said. Always suspicious, and rightfully so.

  “What’s her name? Mum said something about you having a child.” Rowan pushed Kyle aside, moving a little closer to look at my daughter.

  “Carly. It was my wife’s mother’s name.”

  She smiled. “Oh. I thought you said Charlie for a minute. We have a Charlie, a little boy about her age.”

  I nodded, smiling, unsure of what to even say to that. “To answer Kyle’s question, Maddy has an ectopic pregnancy she has to have surgery for. We’ve been at the hospital the last hour or so, and she’s going into surgery soon. It’s no place for Carly, and I don’t have anyone to take care of her. I was wondering if she could stay with you for the night.”

  They looked at each other, Kyle cocking an eyebrow at Rowan. It was unnerving for a moment, as they seemed to communicate without talking. His stance softened.

  “You really have no one?” Kyle asked.

  I shook my head. “There was Maddy’s mother, but she died before Carly was born. It’s just been the three of us these past few years. If I have to, Carly can stay at the hospital with me, but it’s not going to be fun for either of us waiting for Maddy to come back out. Please, I’m not asking you for me—I’m asking you for them.”

  Rowan sucked in her bottom lip, tugging on Kyle’s arm. He nodded at her, and she smiled.

  “Come in, Andrew,” he said, scratching his head with his other hand. “There’s a spare bed in Mia’s room, we can put her down in there. Is she going to be okay waking up somewhere strange?”

  I followed them in to the living room, and Rowan went around me to look at Carly’s face. “Oh, Andrew. She’s adorable.”

  “Spitting image of her mother,” I said. I sat on the couch, and prised her arms from around my neck. “Carly, honey. I need you to wake up and meet some people.”

  Those big blue eyes opened, and I heard Rowan behind me make an awww sound. “Daddy?” Carly said, looking around.

  “This is Rowan. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to let you have your first sleepover with her.”

  She frowned, her fingers digging into me. “Carly, I have to look after Mummy. Rowan has a bed you can sleep in that’s much more comfortable than sleeping on me. And she has a little boy for you to play with in the morning that’s the same age as you.”

  At that, her eyes widened. She played with other children at the group Maddy took her to sometimes, but the idea of a child to play with just her would be exciting.

  “That’s right, Carly. Charlie is the same age as you, and he has a big si
ster, Mia. They’ll both be very excited to meet you. And we can all have pancakes for breakfast if you want.” Rowan took a step forward, and smiled that magic smile at Carly.

  Carly nodded, her grip relaxing as she smiled back.

  “I’ll be back in the morning to pick you up and take you to see Mummy. Okay?” I tapped her on the nose, and she grinned.

  “I might even have some hot chocolate in the kitchen to help you sleep.” Rowan kept that smile up. When she did that, she could talk anyone into just about anything.

  Carly raised her hand to her mouth, sucking on a finger and I knew she was gathering the courage to ask something. She was bold like her mother, but had her bashful moments.

  “What is it, Carly?” Rowan asked. Of course, if anyone knew that shy look, it was her.

  “Is Mia awake?”

  Rowan shook her head. “It’s late, sweetie. Mia’s fast asleep, but she’ll be up in the morning and you can play together.” She reached out, and ran her hand over Carly’s curls. “Come on, I’ll get you sorted.”

  She stood, and smiled at me. “I’ll take care of her; don’t worry about it. Just go and make sure Maddy is okay.”

  Kyle swayed on his heels, clearly not comfortable with me being here. “Thanks so much, both of you. I know I’m the last person you want to see, but I knew I could trust you to look after my baby girl.”

  At that, Kyle relaxed for some reason. I don’t know, but his face softened at my words, and he nodded.

  “I understand. We’re lucky that we have my dad around. She’ll be fine here. We’ll take good care of her and take as long as you need,” he said.

  “Thank you.” I nodded, turning towards the door.

  Two steps later, I had blonde curls against my hand as my daughter threw herself at my leg. “Daddy,” she cried.

  I bent, and she wrapped her little arms around me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath of her hair, smelling that baby scent.

  “You be a good girl for Rowan, and I’ll come and get you in the morning,” I whispered, pushing the strands of hair off her face that had escaped her ponytail. She cupped my face in her hands, pursing her lips for a kiss.

  “Love you, Carly.” I kissed her, and she snuggled against my neck.

  “Love you too, Daddy,” she said before letting go.

  Rowan extended her hand to Carly, and she ran to her. “My mummy is sick,” she announced loudly.

  “I know, sweetie. So we’re going to find lots of things to keep you busy while she gets better,” Rowan said. She met my eye, looking more like the old Rowan, but with much more confidence than she ever had before. I guessed that came from being with the right person.

  Thank you. I mouthed the words, and she led Carly into the kitchen.

  “Good luck,” Kyle said. “How about we swap numbers so you can get hold of us and vice versa.”

  In my haste to get back to Maddy, I hadn’t even thought about that. “Sure.”

  It felt weird swapping phone numbers with the person who must hate me more than anyone else in the world, but at the same time I was glad he could put that aside to help Carly. I was eternally grateful for that.

  As I pulled in to the hospital car park, my phone buzzed.

  I’ve given her hot chocolate. She’s already asleep. Rowan.

  I clutched my phone to my chest. Now to make sure Maddy was okay.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “Where’s my baby?” she asked, glaring at me as I walked in the door. A nurse was inserting a cannula in the back of her hand so they could monitor her. She winced as the needle went in.

  “She’s safe.” I raised my eyes to the ceiling so I didn’t have to meet her eyes. “She’s with Rowan.”

  “She’s what?” Maddy screeched. I looked back down as the nurse jumped from the sudden noise. “Andrew, you could have gotten in big trouble for going near her.”

  “I knew that, but you two are far more important to me. Besides, she and Kyle were glad to help. Carly’s snuggled in a warm bed, having had hot chocolate, and has other kids to play with in the morning to keep her mind off you.”

  I reached for Maddy’s face, stroking her cheek with my fingers as she closed her eyes.

  “Is she really safe there? I mean, they don’t really have any reason to help you and every reason to get back at you.” She kissed my hand, opening her eyes and looking up at me. Her eyes searched my face for an answer.

  I nodded. “I would never have gone near them if I didn’t think I needed to, but Rowan will take good care of her. She was always the one who tried to rescue half-dead birds in the orchard and tried to nurse them back to health.”

  “Carly wasn’t upset at you leaving her there?”

  I shrugged. “She was half-asleep so that probably made it easier. You should have seen her at the thought that there were other children there. That woke her up. She was so tired, Rowan said she went straight to sleep.”

  I handed her my phone so she could see the text from Rowan the night before.

  Her face softened as she read it, some of the worry fading away. “I love that she sent you this. Just to know that Carly was asleep and not upset.”

  “You know Carly; she would have slept on the lino in here if she’d had to.”

  Maddy laughed. We were always picking Carly up from the floor where she’d fallen asleep. Any place, many awkward positions.

  “I suppose I should be happy that she slept in a bed.”

  I leaned forward, kissing her on the nose. “Well, there you go. Now, let’s get you sorted so we can all be together.”

  Moments later, two nurses came to get Maddy for surgery. I’d made it back just in time, but now came the wait.

  I squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back. We shared more love gazing at each other for those scant seconds than some people get in a lifetime.

  It was that look I’d envied between Mum and Dad.

  We had it.

  ~

  Sitting alone in the room, all I could think about was Maddy. Everything that came before her hadn’t lost any importance, but now, she was the whole world to me.

  She’d pushed her way into my life with all the heat of the sun. My world had fallen apart, but she put it back together again, piece by piece, until it all fell back into place and I found a reason to move forward.

  The birth of Carly had brought us closer, even though we’d had to deal with the death of Maddy’s mum. Our daughter had brought the joy back to her eyes, and given her a new passion. The thought of anything happening to Maddy gave me a stomach-ache.

  She was my wife, my lover—my best friend. Everything I was revolved around her. Now, I waited for the news that she had come out okay. I didn’t care if we could never have another child, although I knew that would be so hard on Maddy. I had all I needed, and I’d spend the rest of my life showing her.

  The constant ticking of the wall clock started to grate on my nerves as the time passed. I closed my eyes, burying my face in my hands to avoid looking at how long she’d been in surgery.

  I just wanted to take her home and hold her, love her, every single day for the rest of my life. Maybe we could move closer to Mum and Dad, give Carly easier access to her grandparents. Getting a house would be cheaper there than it had been in the big city, and Maddy could relax and get back into her music.

  Doing that would be hard, though; we loved our little house. It had become a home with Carly, and it was the only home she had ever known. So many things to think about.

  ~

  I had no idea how much time had gone by, losing myself in thought about how we could move forward as a family. Maddy had been so cranky and we’d fought so much the last few weeks. Now I understood just how much her health had been affecting her, even if she hadn’t realised.

  Finally the doors opened, and they wheeled her back into the room. I stood back while they made her comfortable, waiting patiently, even though I just wanted to hold her and tell her just how much I loved her.

&
nbsp; She was still drowsy, and a nurse smiled at me as she left. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here, but I won’t say anything. She’ll be sleepy for a while longer, but everything went well and the doctor will be ’round in the morning to talk to both of you.”

  “Thank you,” I said, never taking my eyes off Maddy.

  She stirred, her eyes opening at the sound of my voice, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “You’re here.”

  “Where else would I be?” I said. I moved to sit on the bed at her side, kissing her on the forehead.

  “I’m so sleepy.”

  “Then sleep, baby. I’ll be right beside the bed.”

  “Love you,” she mumbled.

  “Love you too.” She was already gone, sleeping soundly, and I sat back in the chair beside the bed. Whatever had happened, we’d get all the details in the morning together. There would be no baby this time, but what the future held would become clearer when the doctor told us how bad it was.

  Maddy was safe, and that was all that mattered to me. How she’d take the loss of the baby was another matter.

  ~

  I rubbed the stubble on my chin as my five o’clock shadow started to creep out. Distracted by our argument last night, I hadn’t shaved before bed as I usually did. Maddy often joked about it making me look more rugged when I forgot, but I liked staying tidy for her. Besides, when she ran her lips under my chin and down my bare neck, it did things to me that I couldn’t even begin to explain.

  Her eyes opened slowly, they were bleary, but it was so good to look into the darkness that I loved so much.

  “Hey,” she murmured.

  “Morning.” I took her hand in mine, raising it to my lips.

  “You need a shave.”

  I shook my head, laughing. “You never skip a beat do you?”

  “If I don’t tell you what to do, who else is going to?” She rolled onto her side towards me, her tired eyes full of love.