Reach For You [Dad!Calum Hood AU]

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

HE WAS HAVING trouble breathing. They'd been in the waiting room for forty-five minutes, btu it might as well have been forty-five hours because of how agonizingly slowly the time was passing. He was pacing, wringing his fingers and twisting his rings, repeatedly running his hands through his curls. His heart was thundering in his ears and chest, deafening him to anything else and shaking his entire body, and he couldn't breathe. There was a fucking boulder sitting in the pit of Calum's stomach, nauseating and weighing him down heavily, knowing it wouldn't let up until he saw her. Calum wasn't capable of calming down, of sitting and waiting. He couldn't relax. He couldn't breathe.

"Why isn't anyone telling us anything?" Richie burst out, worry and frustration coating his voice thickly. Calum didn't look his way, hoping to focus on his unsteady breathing but not succeeding. "It's been nearly an hour."

"They're taking care of her, honey," Mrs. Russo's gentle yet shaky voice spoke, clearly unable to keep her own nerves and fright at bay. "We just—we need to be patient."

Calum was severely struggling with that.

Every cell in his body burned with the need to find Aspen and hold her, to make sure she was okay with his own two eyes. There was a painful tightness in his chest since the second he'd received Mrs. Russo's phone call, rendering him breathless, yet also feeling as though he was being suffocated. Paralyzing fear froze the blood in his veins; Calum felt numb yet at the same time, he was was aware of his body trembling in terror, worry and everything in between because no one was telling them anything. He didn't know what to do with himself. It didn't feel real.

"Daddy?"

The sound of Luna's small, timid voice instantly broke Calum out of his mindless trance, gaze snapping to the little girl who sat in a chair next to Michael. Calum looked at her, lips parting at her scared expression as she asked, "Is Mama gonna be okay?"

The air he didn't remember inhaling rushed out of Calum's lungs, ignoring everyone else's eyes on him as his remained glued on Luna. She looked so small, sitting in the chair, and Calum's stomach twisted painfully once again. He didn't want her here, in the hospital as they waited impatiently to see Aspen, but they had no choice. Everyone was here, including Mrs. Russo, who'd been staying at Richie's for the weekend. Everyone was here, wrecked with terrified nerves and overwhelming worry in hopes that Aspen was okay. That the accident hadn't been as bad as they all were fearing.

Forcefully putting aside his worry, Calum found the nonexisting strength to muster up a reassuring smile as he walked over to Luna. He crouched down in front of her chair, gripping her small hands in his large ones, the contrast always drying his throat, and gave them a squeeze. The unshed tears burned his eyes but Calum kept them at bay as his throat worked. "She's gonna be fine, bug," Calum told Luna, the rasp evident in his voice. Her watery green eyes made his throat tighten uncomfortably. "We'll see her soon."

Calum fiercely hoped he hadn't just lied to his daughter.

Fuck. If only someone could tell him what the hell happened.

They'd waited for what seemed like hours, long enough for Luna to eventually fall asleep curled up in Michael's lap. Calum would've let her sleep on him, but he was afraid his trembling body would wake her up. He knew they hadn't been at the hospital for long, maybe an hour or so, but time was passing by so slowly. It felt like the world had come to a standstill without him knowing what was going on with Aspen, if she was okay. She needed to be okay.

"Aspen Russo?"

The mention of her name by an unrecognizable voice had Calum spinning around, everyone suddenly straightening in attentiveness at the sight of a doctor approaching them. "How is she?" Mrs. Russo asked before Calum had a chance, though he was sure the way his throat felt, he'd barely be able to get the words out. "What happened to my baby?"