Calum and I were finally able to have a good time outside of the house. He took the boys to Meredith's parents house before coming back for me so we could go out.

I felt a bit embarrassed since he had to roll me around in the wheelchair but most people came up and asked me what had happened and then knew about it since it was a small town and the accident had been in the news.

We went to Connie's Corner Store for lunch and then home where I took a nap on the sofa.

When I woke up Calum was watching television as he sat on the floor in front of me, smiling at me when I woke up.

I joined his show, the two of us watching it when his phone rang a few minutes later.

"Hey, mom." He answered. "How are you?"

As he listened to her he turned around and looked at me before lowering his phone.

"My mom was wondering if she could come make us dinner tonight." He said.

I was a bit nervous to meet his parents for longer than two minutes but I knew I'd have to do it eventually.

"Sure." I smiled. "Id love to see her again."

"Great." He smiled at me and then moved his phone back to his ear. "Yeah, that'd be great. What time? 6:00? Okay. See you then."

He then ended the call.

"If your parents are coming then I need a shower so I can make myself presentable." I said.

"Ness, they know you just had surgery."

"I know but I want to make a good second impression." I said and he laughed.

After a shower I had Calum dry my hair with the hairdryer which was extremely comical and then had him straighten it for me which was terrifying.  I then applied my makeup and then Calum helped dress me in shorts and a loose white blouse.

"They'll be here in a few." Calum rolled me into the kitchen where he moved me to the table.

"It's kind of awkward to meet them when i'm on painkillers and in a wheelchair." I commented as he went to pour me a glass of water.

"I know, but I think after everything they just really want to get to know you." He replied.

I took a sip of my water to calm my nerves and a few minutes later there was a knock on my door.

Calum went to get it, opening the door to reveal his parents there with grocery bags in their hands.

"Hey, come on in." He smiled at them and his mom and dad stepped inside.

His mom walked into the house and saw me sitting in the kitchen, smiling at me.

"Nessa, how are you feeling?" She walked over and set the bags on the table before awkwardly hugging me.

"I'm feeling alright." I hugged her back.

"Is Calum taking care of you well enough? Because if not I can smack some sense into him." She joked as she pulled away.

"He's doing an amazing job. I'm really glad he's here." I laughed.

"Mom." Calum scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"I'm just checking." She laughed. "Now help me with dinner."

Calum rolled his eyes causing me to giggle as he went to get the grocery bags and help his mom unpack them.

"So Nessa, how long do you need to be in the cast?" Calum's father asked me.

"Six weeks and then I can start physical therapy." I replied sweetly.

"But she'll only be in the wheel chair for a couple weeks and then the doctor said they'd get her on crutches." Calum continued.

"So will you be staying here all six weeks?" Calum's mom asked him.

"Oh, uh i'm not sure yet. We'll just see how it goes." He said, glancing at me.

It sucked just sitting idly by as they cooked dinner but they talked to me to keep me involved which was nice. They asked me about my family and New York and I told them as much as I could.

Finally I got a reprieve as they set dinner on the table and we all sat down to eat.

"I heard on the news that they sentenced the guy who shot up the bank today." Calum's dad said as we began to eat.

"Yeah. They're transporting him tomorrow." Calum said.

"That was honestly the most terrifying thing ever." I said and Calum gave me a half smile.

"You were there?" Joy asked me.

"I was at the corner store with Kate and Calum when it happened and he and Luke just ran out the door across the street to the bank. We could hear the gunshots."

"Oh my goodness." She put her hand over her heart.

"And then I had my phone off and came home to you freaking out." Calum smirked at me.

"Because I didn't know what officers were shot and you weren't answering your phone." I smacked his arm with my good hand. "Don't make fun of me I was scared to death."

"I know, i'm sorry. It was cute." He smiled and my cheeks blushed as he flirted with me in front of his parents.

"Yes, he can be a little lax at communicating." Joy commented, giving Calum a disapproving look.

"I know! I was calling and texting like a crazy person, and when he came home I just started crying, but I made him promise he has to text me that he's okay if anything like that happens again."

"Good. Make him promise to text me too." Joy laughed.

"I will!" I joined in her laughter.

"What are they doing about the guy who hit you?" Calum's dad asked, but I didn't know the answer. Calum hadn't told me.

"His family paid his bail but he has sentencing soon." Calum said. "I have to testify and so will Nessa."

"You haven't told me that." I said to him.

"Well I was going to and then you had your surgery so I thought i'd wait a bit before telling you." He said and I frowned. "Don't worry. You just have to tell the judge and jury what happened, or what you can remember, and then you'll be done. You're not the guilty one here so you have nothing to be worried about."

I nodded.

"Do you remember the accident, Nessa?" Joy asked.

"Not much. I just remember the feel of my
car getting hit and that's about it." I said. "The next thing I remember after that is waking up in the hospital."

"Calum called us after you woke up. He was so worried about you." Joy gave me a soft smile and I felt my cheeks blush as Calum awkwardly moved in his chair.

"Well i'm glad he was there for me then, and i'm even more happy that he's here for me now." I smiled.

Calum's parents stayed for a little while longer, having store bought pie for dessert before they left for the night.

I sat at the table, piling the dishes as Calum cleaned up in the kitchen.

"I really like your parents." I said as he came to grab the rest of the plates.

"Yeah?" He laughed. "What about me, am I ever going to meet your dad?"

"Um, I don't know." I said awkwardly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He chuckled.

"Well he's super busy and in New York and I don't know when we'd have the opportunity." I shrugged.

"Well if this continues the way it does i'd like to meet him."

"Next time I talk to him i'll ask."

"Okay." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

After the dishes were cleared Calum rolled me to the bedroom where he helped me get ready for bed.

Once I was beneath the blankets, Calum went to take a shower as I watched television and a few minutes later he walked out with a towel slung low around his hips.

"That's not fair." I whined as I looked at him.

"What's not fair?" He asked, a smirk on his lips.

"Don't patronise me, Hood." I stuck my tongue out at him.

He continued his smirk as he walked over and placed his hands on each side of my head before ducking down to press an extended kiss to my lips.

This broken leg was really pissing me off because now I wanted to jump his bones.

He pulled away and sent me a wink before going to the bathroom, coming back out in boxers and a tee shirt.

"I'll go get your medicine." He said and left the bedroom, coming back after a few minutes where he set the pill and water on my night stand.

"Door." I reminded him and he rolled his eyes as he went to close the bedroom door and then walked back to his side of the bed.

He turned off the lamp and then laid down after I took my pill but I reached out for his hand.

"Come closer." I tugged on his fingers and he laughed as he moved across the bed to me. I pulled his arms around me and Calum moved his head so he could kiss along my neck and jawline, driving me crazy with want.

"You're so beautiful." He murmured into my neck and I tugged on his neck so I could bring him to kiss me.

"You're the best boyfriend ever."

"You're the best girlfriend ever." He replied cutely.

He then shifted so he wasn't on top of me and laid down, his arms going around my waist.

"Calum?" I asked after a while of us laying there, trying to fall asleep.

"Yes, baby?" He hummed and I smiled at his choice of name for me.

"Do you really think i'm beautiful?" I whispered.

He lifted his head a bit so he could look at me and I turned my head to the side to meet his gaze.

"Nessa, you're the most beautiful girl i've ever met." He spoke to me in a soft yet sincere voice.

"But what about Meredith?"

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"You don't need to worry about Meredith. I promise you. You're gorgeous, and sweet, and make me happy...and that's extremely beautiful to me. She's gone now, Nessa. But you're here and you make me happier than she ever made me."

I gave him a soft smile even though I was grinning on the inside, and tugged him towards me.

He kissed me a few times, confirming his words before he bumped his nose to mine.

"I can really see myself falling in love with you."

I gasped at his words, not expecting him to say that at all, but I knew I was feeling the same way.

"I can really see myself falling in love with you too." I said back and I could see his grin in the dark before he kissed me again.

And that's how we ended our evening before my pain medicine took over, kissing in the dark.

In the morning when I awoke it was to the smell of coffee and the sound of the television in the bedroom on. I creaked open my eyes and saw Calum sitting in bed next to me, a coffee mug in his hands as he watched the news.

I pushed my hair behind my ear, my movement making him look over at me.

"Morning." He smiled.

"Hi." I smiled back at him.

"Do you want coffee?" He asked sweetly.

"Please." I reached out to squeeze his knee.

Calum picked me up and carried me to the living room, setting me on the sofa and covering my legs with a blanket before he made me a cup of coffee.

"So I need to get the boys from Meredith's parents, do you want me to go get them or have them bring the boys here?" He asked.

I hesitated.

"Don't you think they'll get pissed if they come here and see me?"

"You know what Ness, I could honestly care less what they think. They've screwed this up for me once and I won't let them do it again."

I nodded.

"So i'm going to call." He decided and I heard him call her parents to bring the boys to my house, giving them my address.

I nervously sat on the sofa with him until there was a knock on the door and I felt my heart begin to race.

Calum took a deep breath as he stood up and kissed my forehead seemingly for comfort before he went to the door.

When he opened it I heard both the cheers of joy from Eli and Cade.

"Daddy!" Eli yelled and jumped to hug Calum.

"Hey bud!" He hugged him.

"Where's Nessa?" He asked.

"Inside, come on." He opened the door wider and let Eli in followed by Cade and then a man and a woman, Meredith's parents.

Her father had greying hair and ageing blue eyes.

Her mother had blonde hair, perfectly styled and my eyes went a bit wide as I realised I recognised her. She had been in the corner store before...the day after Calum had had dinner with them.

"Nessa!" I was pulled from their appearance by Eli running over to me.

"Hey, Eli!" I smiled as he went to climb in my lap.

"Careful, Eli." Calum reminded him as Eli climbed in my lap to hug me.

"Nessa, I missed you." He smiled cheekily at me.

"I missed you too! How was your day yesterday?"

"Good." He replied.

"Tell me what you did."

"I played video games and went to the park." He smiled.

"That sounds like so much fun." I hugged him again, Cade crawling up on the couch next to us to get in on the cuddles.

"Hey, Cade!" I hugged him next as he wrapped his chubby little arms around my next and pressed his cheek to mine.

"Mwuah." I gave him a kiss on the cheek causing him to giggle.

"Nwessa." He grinned.

I heard some laughter and looked up to see Calum looking at us.

Meredith's parents stayed by the door as Calum's walked towards me and the boys.

"Nessa, this is Dan and April, uh, Dan, April, this is my girlfriend Nessa." Calum introduced us.

"Hello." I gave them a kind smile.

"Calum told us you broke your leg." April said to me. She seemed a little less severe than Dan.

"Yeah, and my wrist." I held up my left arm.

"Yes, but to be fair, you only broke your leg in the car accident, you broke your wrist because you didn't want to listen to me." Calum smirked.

I stuck my tongue out at him while Eli laughed.

"I listened to you after that."

"Yeah, all it took was for you to break your wrist." He laughed.

"Stop picking on me." I giggled.

"Grandma, I want to show you where I sleep!" Eli suddenly jumped off the couch and went to drag April to the first bedroom.

"I sleep here with Cade, and Daddy sleeps with Nessa!"

The six-year-olds words were seemingly innocent to him, but everyone else knew the meaning behind them and I could feel Dans glare on the side of my head.

"Um..." I said, not knowing what to do.

"I think it's best we leave now." Dan said in a cold voice. "April!"

April walked back in the room, looking shocked and went to stand by her husband.

"Lets go." Dan said and practically dragged her out of the house.

"You know what." Calum said and they both stopped. "You can hate me, and you can hate her all you want. But i'm happy. For the first time in a long time i'm happy. And I won't let you take that away from me. Not again."

Dan glared at Calum and then pulled his wife outside.

When the door slammed closed Calum looked at me with a sad expression and then shrugged.

"Whatever. Um, what do you want for lunch?" Calum shook his head as if to clear the air.

"Whatever is fine with me." I gave him a small smile.

He nodded and walked into the kitchen.

After lunch Calum put Eli and Cade down for a nap in the second bedroom before giving me my medicine and letting me curl up as much as I could on the sofa with my head in his lap.

"Thank you." I looked up at him, his hand continuing its movements as it played with my hair.

"For what?" He asked.

"For defending me." I said and he gave me a small smile. "I know it must not be easy to do that and I know they are your wife's family but-"

"My dead wife's family." He corrected. "And you're my family too."

"I am?"

"Yes. You're my girlfriend, therefore I consider you my family. And i'm pretty sure the boys consider you a part of the family. So consider yourself Nessa Hood."

"Um, I think we've got a while until that's even remotely considered a possible thing." I blushed causing him to laugh.

"I know. I'm just optimistic."

I took a nap as well, the medicine taking its hold on me.

After a few hours of sleeping, Calum made dinner for the boys and I and then took them to his parents house while I laid in my bed and watched television.

After a while I heard the door open and a few seconds later he walked into the bedroom.

"Eli was very upset that he wasn't spending the night." He said and I laughed.

Calum went to change into his night clothes and then walked back into the bedroom, getting in bed next to me and scooting as close to me as possible.

"No, if we are going to have the tv on we are not watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians." He reached for the remote.

"No! Cal!" I moved it away. "I'm injured."

"That's not an excuse." He laughed.

"Please?" I pouted.

"Ugh. Fine!" He rolled his eyes playfully and kissed my nose as he moved back to his spot.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"So in two weeks when you get your cast off, would you be interested in returning to work?" He asked.

"Yes! I would love to get out of this house!"

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Not that I don't love spending my whole day with you, because I do, it's just that I miss the station and Kate and everything."

"I know." He laughed. "I'm just messing with you."

"So when I get my crutches are you going to stay here with me or go back home?" The air got a bit more serious at my question.

"I don't know. What do you want me to do?" He asked, a small smile on his lips.

I couldn't answer because I didn't know, so instead I leaned over and kissed him, letting myself get lost in the man who had quickly changed every previous thought I had ever had about love.

--

Do you think that Meredith's parents hate Nessa because she's dating Calum or is it something more? And should Nessa tell Calum that Meredith's mother came to the corner store the day after Calum told them about Nessa?

More to come!

Much love xx-m