Back Into Your Arms
Chapter 58
I arrived in New York. I never thought I would be back so soon, it’s as if the world had stopped and I was suddenly back there again in the blink of an eye.
I quickly got on a taxi and told the driver to go straight to the hospital. The wait felt endless until I finally arrived. I paid the driver and made my way to the receptionist. I explained my situation and she explained to me theirs. Julie and Eric were still in the ICU, but she assured me she would call me as soon as they were out of surgery.
I thanked her and rushed over to Julie’s apartment.
The nanny was just sitting there on the couch watching TV as the kids played with their toys. The nanny must have not been close to Julie or Eric because she seemed quite nonchalant about the whole situation.
I looked at the kids playing happily and sighed in relief. The silly nanny jumped up startled since I had opened the door with my key.
“Ah, you scared me” the nanny stood up startled.
“Sorry” I apologized a little embarrassed, I should have knocked.
“Aunt Mel!” Aaron, Julie’s son jumped up. My heart felt heavy in my chest.
“Hi baby, how are you?” I kneeled.
“What are you doing here?” he asked me curiously.
“I’m here because I miss you guys, I’m going to be here for a little while”
“We missed you so much” he said to me as he gave me a hug. I smiled, trying to hold back my emotions and my tears.
“Baby Sarah” I exclaimed as I reached over to hug the little 5-year-old. She didn’t recognize me for a second, but then it all came back to her.
“I guess I’ll be leaving now” the nanny yawned and stood up.
“May I have a word with you before you go?”
“Sure” she shrugged. I walked with her over to the kitchen.
“Did you, um tell them?”
“Nope, just told them their parents would be back soon”
“Okay, I’ll talk to them”
“If you need anything my number is right there”
“Thank you, what was your name again?”
“Emma”
“Right, thank you Emma”
I walked her out the door and sat down with the kids. I wanted to puke, but instead I took a deep breath and formulated my words.
“Your mommy and daddy are not feeling very well, they are in the hospital but will be back as soon as they can, in the meantime I’ll be here to take care of you guys okay?”
“I want to talk to my mom” Aaron complained.
“Me too, as soon as she can I will make sure you talk to your mom okay?”
“Okay” he nodded understandingly.
I proceeded to make them a quick dinner and get them ready for bed. They had to go to school the next day and I was going to have to play mom for a while.
I was thankful that the couch was a pop up bed, I would have otherwise had to have slept on the floor. I tried to make myself comfortable and unpacked a couple of things. I couldn’t help but not feel okay, I felt empty like something was missing, I looked at my phone, I hadn’t called John.
I sat down on the bed and decided to FaceTime him, hoping he would even want to talk to me after I so rudely cut him off earlier in the day.
But my lovely John answered right away.
“Melody Riley”
“John” I tried to smile.
“I miss you already”
I sighed as I looked around, I missed him too.
“I do too, how did the meeting go?”
“I got yelled at”
“Because you haven’t finished the lyrics”
“Yup, but that’s not important right now. Tell me, how’s Julie and Eric?”
“ICU, many surgeries”
“Are you serious? And the kids?”
“In bed, asleep, I couldn’t explain the situation very well, I’m scared that I may be giving them false hopes. I don’t know the condition of their parents, I can’t tell them that they will be okay because I’m not even sure about that”
I wanted to cry, to sob, to scream but I had to keep it together.
“It’s not your job to tell them everything will be okay, it’s your job to just be there with them, to go through this with them, the kids I’m sure are already feeling better now that you’re there, I’m sure Julie’s mother in law is feeling better knowing you are with them, and so would Julie and Eric. So just do the best you can at taking care of them for now, take everything one day at a time. You got through today, that’s already a lot. Drink a tea, take your melatonin and try to get some sleep”
I nodded, he was completely right. His words were already comforting my soul.
“I wish you were here” I whispered to him as I looked at him through the screen of the phone.
“Me too”
“Sing to me”
“You want me to sing to you?” he laughed nervously.
“Your voice makes me feel better”
“What do you want me to sing for you?”
“Whatever you think will help me”
I watched him as he cleared his throat but paused for a moment to think about what to sing to me.
“The only thing I’m really sure of, I’m unsure of most everything” he began to sing. I giggled softly at how easy to relate to the lyric was. I continued listening to him sing.
“But I’m looking up and looking forward, there’s nothing back there for you or me. So you say you are broken, beaten, used and mistreated, tired, shattered, bruised and battered. The only thing I’m really sure of I’m unsure of almost everything but I know, I know, I only wanna talk to you Mel, I only want to talk to you” he finished.
He cleared his throat again and said, “Don’t ask”
I smiled.
“I won’t, but I loved it” I whispered back.
“I’ll see you tomorrow”
“Oh, God I wish”
“I’m serious”
“What do you mean?” I asked confused. He then showed me his ticket.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you go through this alone, did you?”
My heart did a little skip, if he had been right in front of me I would have taken him in my arms and kissed him.
“You’re making me want to cry” I pouted, trying to hold my tears back.
“I’ll be there at 10”
“I’ll meet you there”
“And the kids?”
“They’re going to school tomorrow”
“Oh okay, I’ll text you then. Oh, and I have something for you, remind me”
“I will, goodnight my love”
“Goodnight” he said to me blowing me a kiss. I smiled as we ended the call.
Just talking to him briefly had already lifted up so much weight off my shoulders. We still had so much to talk about, but for the moment I was just happy we had even talked at all, and that he was going to be with me soon.
I quickly got on a taxi and told the driver to go straight to the hospital. The wait felt endless until I finally arrived. I paid the driver and made my way to the receptionist. I explained my situation and she explained to me theirs. Julie and Eric were still in the ICU, but she assured me she would call me as soon as they were out of surgery.
I thanked her and rushed over to Julie’s apartment.
The nanny was just sitting there on the couch watching TV as the kids played with their toys. The nanny must have not been close to Julie or Eric because she seemed quite nonchalant about the whole situation.
I looked at the kids playing happily and sighed in relief. The silly nanny jumped up startled since I had opened the door with my key.
“Ah, you scared me” the nanny stood up startled.
“Sorry” I apologized a little embarrassed, I should have knocked.
“Aunt Mel!” Aaron, Julie’s son jumped up. My heart felt heavy in my chest.
“Hi baby, how are you?” I kneeled.
“What are you doing here?” he asked me curiously.
“I’m here because I miss you guys, I’m going to be here for a little while”
“We missed you so much” he said to me as he gave me a hug. I smiled, trying to hold back my emotions and my tears.
“Baby Sarah” I exclaimed as I reached over to hug the little 5-year-old. She didn’t recognize me for a second, but then it all came back to her.
“I guess I’ll be leaving now” the nanny yawned and stood up.
“May I have a word with you before you go?”
“Sure” she shrugged. I walked with her over to the kitchen.
“Did you, um tell them?”
“Nope, just told them their parents would be back soon”
“Okay, I’ll talk to them”
“If you need anything my number is right there”
“Thank you, what was your name again?”
“Emma”
“Right, thank you Emma”
I walked her out the door and sat down with the kids. I wanted to puke, but instead I took a deep breath and formulated my words.
“Your mommy and daddy are not feeling very well, they are in the hospital but will be back as soon as they can, in the meantime I’ll be here to take care of you guys okay?”
“I want to talk to my mom” Aaron complained.
“Me too, as soon as she can I will make sure you talk to your mom okay?”
“Okay” he nodded understandingly.
I proceeded to make them a quick dinner and get them ready for bed. They had to go to school the next day and I was going to have to play mom for a while.
I was thankful that the couch was a pop up bed, I would have otherwise had to have slept on the floor. I tried to make myself comfortable and unpacked a couple of things. I couldn’t help but not feel okay, I felt empty like something was missing, I looked at my phone, I hadn’t called John.
I sat down on the bed and decided to FaceTime him, hoping he would even want to talk to me after I so rudely cut him off earlier in the day.
But my lovely John answered right away.
“Melody Riley”
“John” I tried to smile.
“I miss you already”
I sighed as I looked around, I missed him too.
“I do too, how did the meeting go?”
“I got yelled at”
“Because you haven’t finished the lyrics”
“Yup, but that’s not important right now. Tell me, how’s Julie and Eric?”
“ICU, many surgeries”
“Are you serious? And the kids?”
“In bed, asleep, I couldn’t explain the situation very well, I’m scared that I may be giving them false hopes. I don’t know the condition of their parents, I can’t tell them that they will be okay because I’m not even sure about that”
I wanted to cry, to sob, to scream but I had to keep it together.
“It’s not your job to tell them everything will be okay, it’s your job to just be there with them, to go through this with them, the kids I’m sure are already feeling better now that you’re there, I’m sure Julie’s mother in law is feeling better knowing you are with them, and so would Julie and Eric. So just do the best you can at taking care of them for now, take everything one day at a time. You got through today, that’s already a lot. Drink a tea, take your melatonin and try to get some sleep”
I nodded, he was completely right. His words were already comforting my soul.
“I wish you were here” I whispered to him as I looked at him through the screen of the phone.
“Me too”
“Sing to me”
“You want me to sing to you?” he laughed nervously.
“Your voice makes me feel better”
“What do you want me to sing for you?”
“Whatever you think will help me”
I watched him as he cleared his throat but paused for a moment to think about what to sing to me.
“The only thing I’m really sure of, I’m unsure of most everything” he began to sing. I giggled softly at how easy to relate to the lyric was. I continued listening to him sing.
“But I’m looking up and looking forward, there’s nothing back there for you or me. So you say you are broken, beaten, used and mistreated, tired, shattered, bruised and battered. The only thing I’m really sure of I’m unsure of almost everything but I know, I know, I only wanna talk to you Mel, I only want to talk to you” he finished.
He cleared his throat again and said, “Don’t ask”
I smiled.
“I won’t, but I loved it” I whispered back.
“I’ll see you tomorrow”
“Oh, God I wish”
“I’m serious”
“What do you mean?” I asked confused. He then showed me his ticket.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you go through this alone, did you?”
My heart did a little skip, if he had been right in front of me I would have taken him in my arms and kissed him.
“You’re making me want to cry” I pouted, trying to hold my tears back.
“I’ll be there at 10”
“I’ll meet you there”
“And the kids?”
“They’re going to school tomorrow”
“Oh okay, I’ll text you then. Oh, and I have something for you, remind me”
“I will, goodnight my love”
“Goodnight” he said to me blowing me a kiss. I smiled as we ended the call.
Just talking to him briefly had already lifted up so much weight off my shoulders. We still had so much to talk about, but for the moment I was just happy we had even talked at all, and that he was going to be with me soon.
♠ ♠ ♠
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