"What's wrong?" Hazel asked cal as they sat together outside and smoked.
"Just tired, that's all." Hazel nodded and smoked the same cig as cal from his hand. "That's his second kid and I know it."
"I forgot he had a first one."
"With some girl from school." Calum smoked.
"Maybe he'll take care of this one."
"I don't know...he's not even sixteen yet, hazel."
"We just have to talk to them...I'll talk to her and you talk with issac okay?" Calum nodded. Hazel ran upstairs and sent issac down.
"What?" He sat next to cal. "What do you want?"
"That's your second child isn't it?" Calum put his cigarette out and looked at his son.
"No."
"Issac."
"Fine." He sighed. "Yeah she's mine, but I'm taking care of her."
"What about the other kid?"
"She moved away with her...I don't know where they are and she wants me nowhere near the baby."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I wanna take care of this one."
"I'm glad. But why haven't you ever told me?"
"I thought you'd be mad at me."
"I'm not mad issac....are you aware of how you can prevent this?"
"I could have used a condom, blah blah blah, I've heard it all before."
"And that's all true issac. It's important to be safe with all this. I have condoms, there's places to get them." Issac nodded.
"I'll be a good dad."
"I believe that."
"Can ruby stay here a while?"
"I'm sorry buddy, no." Cal shook his head "there's already a lot of people in the house and mom needs the extra room."
"But mom can just sleep with you."
"Yes...but mom needs a space to go for alone time every now and then."
"Okay." Issac nodded. Calum pulled him close.
As Calum and issac finished up their conversation, ruby and hazel, who was holding the baby in her arms, came downstairs. Cal looked at the baby and then asked to hold her.
"Of course." Ruby smiled and handed cal the little girl
"Hi kid." Cal spoke to the baby...she looked just like issac and cal made a point to say this while touching her small soft cheek.
"She's cute isn't she?" Issac was smiling from ear to ear. Calum nodded and kept staring at the baby. Soon enough issac and ruby decided to go, they were gonna stay at her place and cal told his boy to call him in the morning as soon as he got up. Issac agreed and the two of them took off for the night. (they got picked up by Ruby's mom)
Calum watched the car leave and sighed sadly.
"What's wrong?" Hazel asked.
"I...I gotta go, I'll be back later tonight." He needed Mitchy. He needed mitch's hugs, and his kisses and he needed to feel normal for a few hours.
"What?" She frowned.
"Gonna go see mitch." Hazel sighed
"O-okay..."
Calum drove as quickly as he could to mitchys. The moment Mitchy opened the door Calum broke down crying. He felt so helpless.
"What happened?" Mitchy lead cal over to the couch and sat down with him close to his side.
"I've lost control...I-I just don't know what to do, I'm so fucking sad."
"Hey shhh it's gonna be okay." He pulled him closer.
"No it's not."
"But what happened? What's out of your control?"
"Everything! My kids, my ex, my...my sons kids..."
"Stay here for a few days." Cal nodded
"But can I come tomorrow? I told haze I'd be back later tonight." Mitchy nodded and they stayed cuddled up.
"Anything you wanna do?" Mitch asked.
"Sleep. I just wanna sleep."
"Cuddles?" Cal nodded
The two of them cuddled and slept for a good long while and hours later cal was being woken by Mitchy shaking him softly.
"Hmmm?" Cal sat up and yawned.
"It's 1am bub, you should go."
"O-oh yeah..." he got up, kissed mitch goodbye, and drove home.
———
Hazel tried to stay awake for cal and when he got back she was half asleep but as soon as she heard him walk through the door she rushed over asking if he was alright.
"Just fell asleep, I'm okay."
She looked up at him. "Wanna just go to sleep?"
"Please."
That night they slept cuddled up together. It was nice.
That's when the nightmares started. The horrible nightmares that would continue to keep Calum awake for nights.
