Mikayla and Rose^^

two and a half months later

Aris had not been home since we saw him at the hospital a few months back. The house had been much more tranquil since the spirit and excitement had faded away. Rose's birthday was approaching quickly as the cold month of January descended upon us.

Rose was now up and roaming around- besides the times when she lost her balance and fell- which made the task of being a nanny and a mother much more complicated. One moment she was beside me, and within seconds she was attempting to go down the stairs. Besides Rose, with Cam being in a wheelchair, it made it difficult for him to accomplish most day-to-day activities, which meant I needed to be next to him almost all the time in case he wanted my assistance.

"Ten more minutes Cam." I reminded, glancing over my shoulder.

"Okay." He squeaked as he readjusted his leg on the pillow, making sure to keep it elevated at a certain height.

Over the past months, the swelling had decreased quite significantly and wearing a cast was not as awkward as it had been earlier.

School conferences were coming up soon as well, which meant I would have to contact Aris to find a date. I was not dreading it, I just was not looking forward to conferences.

    I strolled over to Rose and gently lifted her up from the ground, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Momma," she smiled as she waved her hands at me.

It took my a moment to realize what my daughter had just said to me. If I was not mistaken, I was convinced she had said 'momma', but I was not positive.

"Cameron," I shouted, waiting until I saw him turn around, "did you hear Rose say momma?"

He cocked his head and sent me a strange glance, "No, I don't think so."

I frowned and placed Rose on the floor, continuing on with my day. I flicked my wrist, causing my FitBit to illuminate with the time and date. My pulse raced as the time drew near to when we were supposed to leave and Cameron did not even have his shoe on yet. Immediately, I grabbed one of his converse and slid it on to his foot.

"You can wheel over to the door, I will be right there with Rose." I informed as I motioned for him to hurry.

~

Rose was nearly as close to walking as Cameron was to get out of his wheelchair. Time seemed to be flying past and I was not enjoying it. I held Rose in one arm while I wheeled my crippled son through the hallway.

"Hi, I am here for my son, Cameron Collins." I smiled warmly at the receptionist at the desk.

"Alright, the doctor should be out to call you back any moment." She answered with a toothy grin, continuing to click away on her computer.

I nodded in response and walked over to a corner in the room. Feeling uncomfortable, I pulled out a wipe from my purse and swiftly sanitized any toys the kids would want to touch.  As I did so, Cameron stared up at me with big blue eyes, he jutted out his lower lip and propped his chin on his hand.

     "Momma, I'm scared." He mumbled to me, avoiding any eye contact.

     I sighed, taken back by his comment. I crumpled the wipe into a tight ball and tossed into the nearby trash can. While smiling, I placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to give him a sense of comfort as I spoke to him.

    "Bud, you are here because they want to check and see if you can get that big annoying thing off of your leg." I explained, tapping his blue cast.

   He was silent as he took in my comment, his agile eyes resting on his signature-bombarded cast.

    "They said like five months!" He groaned.

      "That can change," I countered, "You know, mommy had braces when she was in high school. They told me I would have them on for three years!" I smiled once I saw Cameron's precious reaction, "and guess what?"

     "What?" He urged, almost falling out of his wheelchair with anxiety.

     "I got them off within two years, not three." I replied.

     "So that's why your teeth are so straight!" He exclaimed, his face clearing to reveal an eager smile.

     I let out a hearty laugh and ran my fingers through his thick blonde hair.

    "Well, yes, but that's not the point-"

      "Cameron?" A woman's voice interjected.

      I spun around to see the nurse standing by the doorway. I offered a quick smile before I picked up Rose and pushed Cam's wheelchair.

    The nurse led us down a long hallway until we stopped at an ocean themed room towards the end.

    Rose let out a soft squeal as she pointed at the drawings of fish, beaming from ear to ear.

    "Can you say fishy?" I asked, kissing her cheek.

    She turned to me, her brown eyes searching me for an answer instead.

   "Alright, I'm going to take him into a different room to do some scans and record his height and current weight. When we come back, we will let you know the results." The doctor informed as she grasped the handles of Cameron's wheelchair.

      "Sounds good." I smiled, "you will have fun, buddy." I assured as I brushed his hair back, giving him a quick kiss on his forehead.

     Once they left, I turned my attention back to Rose, who was gurgling happily on my lap while she shook her toy. I sat her on the ground and pulled out my phone, sending a text to Aris to update him on what was going on down here.

  Me:
     Hey, thought I'd let you know that I'm at the hospital for Cam's checkup, I'm hoping he can get that darn cast off. Poor kid despises that thing:(

Aris:
     keep me updated!
     I have to go to class now, I miss you all so much, I'll talk to you later.

     "Momma!" A voice called, pulling me from my trance.

      It took me a moment to realize that Rose had actually said my name. I tossed my phone on the cushion and threw my hands up to my mouth, a hazy mist forming in my eyes. Rose, looking completely flustered and confused at my reaction, peered up at me with her large hazel eyes. I spoiled her with a thousands kisses as I squeezed her against my chest.

     "You did say momma!" I awed, "I knew it! Oh, Rose." I sighed as I engulfed her little body in an enormous hug.

    Shortly after, the doctor and radiologist came back, both appearing content. Behind him, another lady gladly wheeled him in. From what I could see, Cameron was maintaining a straight face.

     I sat Rose on her play mat and strolled over to them. Flashing them a smile, I immediately asked the question I had been longing to spill out.

     "So, what are the results?" I inquired, taking a deep breath.

   The nurse offered Cameron a swift glance and then turned to me.

     "His leg seems to have healed much faster than we expected," He explained, "with my pleasure, I am able to say that Mr. Collins here is able to get the cast off. Since, we have some extra time, we are able to take the cast off today, if that is what you would prefer."

     A smile grew on my face as I extended my arms widely, embracing my boy. After I released my grip, I put my hands on his shoulders firmly and looked him straight in the eye.

    "Time flies, doesn't it buddy?"

    "It really does."

     At that, I cracked a smile.

~

"Momma, my leg feels weird." He groaned as he gently moved his leg around.

"It will feel like that for a little while. Once you start using it normally, it will feel good as new." The doctor replied, placing the cast on the floor.

My eyes drifted over to Cameron's cast which was embedded with a plethora of signatures, most of which had derived from his classmates and teachers.

"Can we keep the cast?"

"It is quite cumbersome, but I would be more than happy to let you take the cast home." He answered gently.

"I just know that one day when he is older, he will want to see the cast he wore when he was five. My sister broke her arm once as a young child and she found her cast to be a significant part of her memories."

"Yes, I agree. My niece broke her arm a few years back and experienced the same thing."

I turned to Cameron who was hovering over the stroller; Rose was fast asleep. Even though she was sleeping, he got on one knee and began to speak to her in a soft voice.

"Hey Rose, I got my cast off which means that when you can walk-which will be soon because mommy said so-then I can chase you!" He giggled, "my leg feels like a noodle so it might be a few days."

Letting him do his own thing, I faced the doctor with a grateful smile, "Thank you, so much."

"It's my job, and my pleasure." He laughed, holding his hand out for me shake.

I clapped my hand firmly into his, the warmth of his hand sending a strange sensation through my cold fingertips.

He patted Cameron's back and bid him good luck with healing and led us out to the doorway, watching us intently as we made our way down.

"Why is he staring at us?" Cameron mumbled, trying to look back, but at the same time, trying to avoid the doctor noticing him doing so. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Why are you scared, bud? He is only making sure we get out of this place safely." I assured, attempting to steer the stroller and hold his hand.

"Okay." Cameron replied, a tone of hesitance clear in his voice.

When we reached the car, Rose was still fast asleep in the stroller and as her mother, I felt extremely awful to wake her up. I motioned for Cameron to hop in his seat and wait for me to help buckle him in while I brought Rose over. As gently as possible, I unbuckled her seat, causing her to stir a bit, but not wake up. I pulled the seat from the stroller and instantaneously, she began to moan.

"Dammit." I cursed under my breath as I hurried to put her in the car because she started crying, "Rose don't cry, don't cry baby, please."

My trembling hands tugged under the seat to try and find the seatbelt, at first it was not there, but suddenly, my finger ran over a coarse fabric, instantly lighting the bulb in my head. Swiftly, I pulled it up, yanked it through the hole and buckled her in.

Then, I was silent. Slowly, I looked up at Cameron who seemed to be begging to say something. I shook my head at him, hoping he would understand the signal. He did and thankfully, Rose was asleep again.

I slowly closed the car door and made my way around to Cameron's side. I bluckled him quickly as well. Before I could close the door, I felt a small tug on my shirt. In result, I whipped my head around, realizing it was only Cam that had done it.

     "I miss dad." He muttered.

     "Me too."

~

AN// Man, has it been awhile. I apologize deeply for the fact that I have not posted anything since mid-November. I have realized that school has become quite a priority at the moment, but I was not cognizant of the fact that that would effect my chapter publishing. I am really going to need you (my wonderful readers) to help me make the decision I have been pondering over for the last few months. . .

Should I continue this book?

Yes, over the past year and half the book has gained over 3,000 views, which I am extremely grateful for, but the book does not carry the same special meaning or interest that it did a year and a half ago. If you think I should continue, please comment! Thanks to all of the readers who have gone this far! I love you all