“There’s no hurry, just take your time.”
Callum squeezed her hand encouragingly but it only annoyed her even more. Sitting up straight, she took another deep breath and reached down to straighten out one leg, locking the brace. She maneuvered herself upright, locking the other brace and sliding her arms into the cuffs of her crutches, automatically adjusting her centre of gravity.
“Are you sure about this?” Callum asked, standing up and straightening his tie.
“If I don’t go in now, I never will.”
“Alright then. Let’s do this.”
She began walking, watching her legs carefully on the uneven ground. The last thing she needed right now was to face-plant. She tried to focus on the fact that she was here for Tom, that he would want her to be inside the church, celebrating his life, not hiding out here like a frightened five-year-old.
She felt Callum stiffen beside her and she stopped walking to look up. Jack stood just a few feet away, staring at her.
Suddenly, she forgot how to breathe.
Their eyes locked.
She’s standing.
Jack wanted to ask her how, but he didn’t have the words. Her body language, the look on her face, everything about her screamed that he needed to be careful. He searched relentlessly for an opening, a sign, anything. She shook her head slowly, her eyes clouded with emotion so thick that he couldn’t penetrate. He lowered his gaze to her legs. She was using crutches, her hands gripping the handles so tightly that her knuckles glowed white, visible even from where he stood. But she was standing – no wheelchair. His heart soared.
“You’re walking.”
The words hung in the air between them. Every time he had imagined this moment – and there had been literally hundreds – never had he thought that she would just be standing in front of him like this. It was a miracle.
“You need to get out of here,” Callum interrupted, taking a step towards him.
Jack put his hands up in self-defense, automatically taking a step backwards as he tore his gaze away from Ally to face Callum’s anger head-on.
“Fair warning, Jack.”
Hatred spilled out between each word as Jack’s body reacted to the trauma, breaking into a cold sweat.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, taking another step backwards.
Callum pushed him roughly and Jack stumbled back, caught off guard.
“Don’t make me say it again.”
“I’m sorry, I –“
“Save it,” Callum hissed. “Bottom line here? Not interested.”
Jack had difficulty thinking straight as confusion, guilt and fear swirled in his head and his heart, pulling him off-centre. The fury that rolled off Callum did not surprise him. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Callum immediately shut him down.
“You need to go.”
“I didn’t mean to –“
“Where the hell do you get off?” Callum demanded, close enough for Jack to see the fire in his eyes. He pointed at the church beside them. “Your father’s in there, Jack – his coffin is in there! And you stand out here and say you’re sorry?” He shook his head, almost foaming at the mouth with the effort it took to keep his temper under control. “It’s a little late for sorry, don’t you think?”
His heart sank, the truth slicing through it like a knife through butter.
“Callum, please!” Ally cried desperately.
“I don’t want to fight,” he said. “I just… I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Callum frowned, shaking his head. “You have no idea do you? You just thought that if you couldn’t see what was going on here, it wasn’t happening? Do you realise how selfish that was – what that did to him? To Ally, to me?”
Jack struggled to keep it together. Every word seemed to weaken his resolve, wearing him down. He took another step backwards, closely followed by Callum.
“Look, I know –“
“You know nothing!” Callum shouted, bearing down on him.
“Stop it!” Ally begged. “Please don’t do this!”
“Why couldn’t you have come back last week? Or last month, or a year ago? But no, you come back for your Dad’s funeral. What the hell is the point of that?”
“Hey!” Maggie demanded, appearing out of nowhere. “What’s going on here?”
Jack glanced over Callum’s shoulder at Maggie, standing with her arm around a sobbing Ally. Jane stood behind them, watching closely.
“Stop this, right now!” Maggie hissed at Callum.
Callum glared at him, struggling to control his temper, before finally turning to rejoin Ally, Maggie and Jane. The four of them stood there, watching Jack in stony silence, united against him.
“You’ve got every right to be pissed,” he said, addressing Callum.
“You think?” Callum’s nostrils flared. “I have no idea why you even came back here. It’s too late for Tom, and we don’t need you anymore – we needed you four years ago, but you disappeared like the coward you are and left us to deal with everything, which we did – without you.”