muses_w_remotes | 11.7. Groundhog Day quote
11.7. "I do. Whatever happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I'm happy now... because I love you."
| Groundhog Day
Co-written with doctortara
[Follows THIS]
Lachlan was at home alone in the house for all of two hours before he let himself realise how much he was deeply missing his family. And it was only two hours because he spent nearly half an hour in the shower with the spray piercing hard against his skin and then the next hour and a half sitting on the floor in the middle of his son’s nursery hugging the teddy bear from his crib. He really didn’t want to be alone and he had no idea why he told Tara he did. He just hurt all over, but most of all he hurt in his heart. He wasn’t even sure why he hurt that much. A few drunken ramblings shouldn’t come with so much pain.
But he hadn’t been able to stand it alone, nor did he want to. It was late when he just pulled his jacket on over his black and grey checked pyjamas pants and white wifebeater and shoved his feet into his Converse without bothering to do up the laces. His plan had been to go to bed and try to sleep, but it was a stupid notion. He wasn’t going to sleep with things like they were and he didn’t want to go to their bed without his wife. To top it all off, he ached to nurse his son and give him a proper kiss goodnight. Tara’s words might’ve hurt, but this was just as painful. Probably more. Running away was stupid. Stupid and lonely.
It was nearing midnight when he quickly made his way through the dimmed Maternity ward to the Special Care Nursery. He didn’t care that he really was in his pyjamas with his leather jacket, nor did he care that he looked like shit. The nightshift nurses sitting at the nurses’ station just smiled at him as he passed and he managed a mere, faint smile in return. He was glad they didn’t question his presence or his appearance, but really, he was entitled to be here anyway, no matter what the time was. His little boy was sick and needed him. His wife needed him too. What the fuck had he been thinking running away like a coward when the truth got too hard to swallow?
His plan had just been to crawl into bed with Tara or just sit and wait for her to wake up in the morning. He hadn’t expected her to be awake, but it was his own fault too that she was. Where every other surrounding room in the ward had their lights off, the Campbell room was dimly lit by the light above the crib. Tara sat in the arm chair beside it, gently rocking the little bed back and forth with her hand while their son whimpered restlessly inside it. She held a small bottle of water in her hand, but he mustn’t have wanted to take any. It was usually a last resort for them when he was restless, meaning Tara had probably tried everything else first.
When she looked up at the sound in the doorway, Lachlan saw she had tears in her eyes and that sharp tug in his heart was back. He went straight over to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing a kiss just below her ear. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I didnae stay. I dinnae know what’s wrong with me…” he whispered hoarsely, holding onto her like he never wanted to let go.
“Just don’t let go,” Tara sobbed softly, clutching the back of his jacket with one hand and using the other to brush her fingers through the back of his hair. “I didn’t even know what I did but I was starting to think I was losing you. When you left, I just…” She stopped and just pressed her face closer into his shoulder, the fresh sweet scent of his cologne mixing with the leather of his jacket. It was all him and exactly what she needed right then. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where it came from for me to say those things, but they aren’t accurate, Lachie. You and Riley are all I want and need. If you could give me more children, I would never say no, but you can’t and I don’t need you to. I’m complete. You have to know that, Lachie, please!”
Lachlan didn’t let go. The embrace was almost bruising, but he just held her securely. “It was just a shock. I didnae understand why you were contradicting yourself, but it doesnae matter. I just need to know that we’re okay. I need to know you dinnae hate me for nay being able to give you more children,” he pleaded, inevitably becoming tearful again himself.
“Lachie, you’re my whole other half. You can’t give me more children because you saved my life!” Tara said with hushed insistence. “You gave me one amazing and perfect wee boy, just like his daddy, and the two of you are the very essence of me. If we could, I would want more. And you would too. But we can’t and because of that we are complete. You, me, and our little miracle, Lachie. I can get through anything if I know I’ve got you both. I just want you back, baby. I need you back, your little boy needs you back. He hasn’t settled since you left. It’s like he knows you weren’t here.”
It was only then that Lachlan pulled out of the embrace. He cupped Tara’s face with his hands and kissed her softly, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. “I love you. I’m sorry I shut down. I just didnae know how else to cope. I wasnae thinking of any of that. I just got lost in the haze of shock. I’m nay going away again. I’m here, I promise.”
Tara pressed Riley’s bottle and pacifier into Lachlan’s hand. “Help me make him feel better. Just show him you’re still here,” she said, and kissed his fingers.
Lachlan closed his eyes and kissed her forehead, letting it linger for a few moments. He took the bottle and pacifier and moved to tuck them down into the side of the crib before moving on and picking his son up into his arms. “Daddy’s here, sweetheart. It’s okay…” He choked up on the words as he held the little bundle close to him, brushing his lips across the soft blond hair. Tara stood up and wrapped her arms around both of them, resting her head on Lachlan’s shoulder with a shaky exhalation of relief. This was how it was supposed to be.
…maybe things would be okay now.
Word Count | 1,115
| Groundhog Day
Co-written with doctortara
[Follows THIS]
Lachlan was at home alone in the house for all of two hours before he let himself realise how much he was deeply missing his family. And it was only two hours because he spent nearly half an hour in the shower with the spray piercing hard against his skin and then the next hour and a half sitting on the floor in the middle of his son’s nursery hugging the teddy bear from his crib. He really didn’t want to be alone and he had no idea why he told Tara he did. He just hurt all over, but most of all he hurt in his heart. He wasn’t even sure why he hurt that much. A few drunken ramblings shouldn’t come with so much pain.
But he hadn’t been able to stand it alone, nor did he want to. It was late when he just pulled his jacket on over his black and grey checked pyjamas pants and white wifebeater and shoved his feet into his Converse without bothering to do up the laces. His plan had been to go to bed and try to sleep, but it was a stupid notion. He wasn’t going to sleep with things like they were and he didn’t want to go to their bed without his wife. To top it all off, he ached to nurse his son and give him a proper kiss goodnight. Tara’s words might’ve hurt, but this was just as painful. Probably more. Running away was stupid. Stupid and lonely.
It was nearing midnight when he quickly made his way through the dimmed Maternity ward to the Special Care Nursery. He didn’t care that he really was in his pyjamas with his leather jacket, nor did he care that he looked like shit. The nightshift nurses sitting at the nurses’ station just smiled at him as he passed and he managed a mere, faint smile in return. He was glad they didn’t question his presence or his appearance, but really, he was entitled to be here anyway, no matter what the time was. His little boy was sick and needed him. His wife needed him too. What the fuck had he been thinking running away like a coward when the truth got too hard to swallow?
His plan had just been to crawl into bed with Tara or just sit and wait for her to wake up in the morning. He hadn’t expected her to be awake, but it was his own fault too that she was. Where every other surrounding room in the ward had their lights off, the Campbell room was dimly lit by the light above the crib. Tara sat in the arm chair beside it, gently rocking the little bed back and forth with her hand while their son whimpered restlessly inside it. She held a small bottle of water in her hand, but he mustn’t have wanted to take any. It was usually a last resort for them when he was restless, meaning Tara had probably tried everything else first.
When she looked up at the sound in the doorway, Lachlan saw she had tears in her eyes and that sharp tug in his heart was back. He went straight over to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing a kiss just below her ear. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I didnae stay. I dinnae know what’s wrong with me…” he whispered hoarsely, holding onto her like he never wanted to let go.
“Just don’t let go,” Tara sobbed softly, clutching the back of his jacket with one hand and using the other to brush her fingers through the back of his hair. “I didn’t even know what I did but I was starting to think I was losing you. When you left, I just…” She stopped and just pressed her face closer into his shoulder, the fresh sweet scent of his cologne mixing with the leather of his jacket. It was all him and exactly what she needed right then. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where it came from for me to say those things, but they aren’t accurate, Lachie. You and Riley are all I want and need. If you could give me more children, I would never say no, but you can’t and I don’t need you to. I’m complete. You have to know that, Lachie, please!”
Lachlan didn’t let go. The embrace was almost bruising, but he just held her securely. “It was just a shock. I didnae understand why you were contradicting yourself, but it doesnae matter. I just need to know that we’re okay. I need to know you dinnae hate me for nay being able to give you more children,” he pleaded, inevitably becoming tearful again himself.
“Lachie, you’re my whole other half. You can’t give me more children because you saved my life!” Tara said with hushed insistence. “You gave me one amazing and perfect wee boy, just like his daddy, and the two of you are the very essence of me. If we could, I would want more. And you would too. But we can’t and because of that we are complete. You, me, and our little miracle, Lachie. I can get through anything if I know I’ve got you both. I just want you back, baby. I need you back, your little boy needs you back. He hasn’t settled since you left. It’s like he knows you weren’t here.”
It was only then that Lachlan pulled out of the embrace. He cupped Tara’s face with his hands and kissed her softly, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. “I love you. I’m sorry I shut down. I just didnae know how else to cope. I wasnae thinking of any of that. I just got lost in the haze of shock. I’m nay going away again. I’m here, I promise.”
Tara pressed Riley’s bottle and pacifier into Lachlan’s hand. “Help me make him feel better. Just show him you’re still here,” she said, and kissed his fingers.
Lachlan closed his eyes and kissed her forehead, letting it linger for a few moments. He took the bottle and pacifier and moved to tuck them down into the side of the crib before moving on and picking his son up into his arms. “Daddy’s here, sweetheart. It’s okay…” He choked up on the words as he held the little bundle close to him, brushing his lips across the soft blond hair. Tara stood up and wrapped her arms around both of them, resting her head on Lachlan’s shoulder with a shaky exhalation of relief. This was how it was supposed to be.
…maybe things would be okay now.
Word Count | 1,115