Never the Same

Chapter 32

It's the following day before I allow my family to come to the hospital and see me. For all Luca told me that they had been to see me as soon as I was admitted, I was feeling too drained to be inundated with the hugs, kisses, and questions I know they'll have. Speaking to Jane about what happened was enough for one day. Speaking about it all again today will be enough until I need to speak to the police and give a formal statement.

I can't stop pulling at the sleeve of my fresh nightdress. It's nerves and I shouldn't be nervous with my family. They are my family after all. "It won't sit at peace."

"And neither will the person wearing it." Luca reaches for my hand and tenderly pulls it away from the sleeve. "Leave it alone. It's fine."

"Nothing is fine."

"Kaylee, your family won't care about your sleeve being turned up. They won't even care that you may get tired after a while and ask them to leave. They'll understand because all they will care about is you being safe and well."

"You're not being helpful, Luca."

"I am by telling you the truth." He runs a hand down my hair and smiles. "Plus, I think you will have another visitor at some point either today or tomorrow that I hope you class as family because I know they've been asking to class you as theirs."

I frown. "Who? Louisa?"

He nods with his lips pressed firmly together.

"After everything that's happened and what she heard Nadia say about her being her mother . . . she started asking questions I didn't think I would be able to answer. I mean, it's not that I didn't think I would be able to answer them, I just didn't want to answer them." He sits down and rests his elbows on his knees, hands clasped. "But I did what any father would do when his child asks him something."

"You answered her questions," I murmur.

"I did." He sighs heavily. "I answered everything she asked as best as I could."

"When?"

"Yesterday when my father took me out of here."

"And?"

"And talking to her made me realise that that was a worry I had always had from the moment she came into my life. After Nadia left, I've always had the fear that Nadia would tell her that she was her biological mother before I had a chance to tell her. I was scared that she would blame me because she didn't have a mother figure in her life. I was scared to have her hate me for not having a normal life like her friends. I was scared she'd leave me and want to be with her mother."

"But she wouldn't and she didn't."

"No, she wouldn't think of it now she's seen what she's like. To be honest, she was terrified to even speak her name because of what Nadia did and how badly beaten she saw you. She didn't even mention her by name, only called her 'that scary lady'."

"And how did Louisa take the answers you gave her?"

"The only assurance she really wanted from me was to know that Nadia would never come back into our lives. She said that as long as she has her daddy and new mummy in her life, she's happy."

I choke back a sob. "She's calling me mum?"

"She is," he smiles. "I know we haven't spoken properly about that but . . . yeah, she is starting to refer to you as her mum now that we're engaged and she knows you're not going anywhere."

"Wow," I breathe, looking down at my hands in my lap.

"You're okay with that, right? You don't mind her calling you her mother, do you?"