A Melwood Story

/chapter eighteen/

A Melwood Story
Chapter 18

Chris

I hate seeing Lulu in pain. As they put the cast on for her broken arm, she cries and cries relentlessly. I try talking to her to calm her down, but it doesn't help.

When the doctor finishes, he recommends getting something for the pain, which I was going to do anyways.

I pick up Lulu as she continues to cry and we head out to the waiting room where Melissa, Max and Nya are waiting.

Melissa stands up when she sees us. "Aw, Lulu."
"Cast for at least a month and a half they said," I tell her.
Melissa kisses the top of Lulu's head. Almost immediately, she stops crying.

I sigh and hand Lulu to Melissa. "Here."
"Hey, baby girl," she says as she takes her into her arms.

I walk over to Max and Nya who are watching some video on Melissa's phone. "You two want to go home now?"
Nya looks up and notices Eloise. "What's on Lulu's arm?"
"She broke her arm," I tell her.
"Oh," is all she says.

I pick up Max, hold Nya's hand, then make it out to the car. Melissa following behind me with Lulu.

Melissa

It's almost seven in the morning when we get back home. Everyone is tired from spending the first three hours of their day at the hospital. I get it.

I take Lulu out of the car first and take her straight upstairs, so she can get some sleep. Then I remember that her bed is the reason she broke her arm.

Still holding her, I go back downstairs to get her old bed that she couldn't get out of.

"What are you doing?" Chris asks when he sees me carrying the bed, which is one of the folding ones.
"I'm setting this up in her room so she won't break another bone," I tell him.
"Alright," he says as he sets Max down. "I'll set it up."
"No, it's okay, I've got it," I say as I head back up the stairs.
"Okay then."

I set the bed up, then gently set Lulu in it. "Go to sleep princess."
"My arm hurts," she whines,
"I know. You'll be okay."
She shakes her head slightly. "I don't think so, momma."
"Trust me, Lulu," I say as I touch her forehead gently.
"Okay."
"Sleep well, baby girl." I leave the room, then head down the hallway to our bedroom to get a change of clothes.

Chris is sitting on the edge of the bed when I enter the room. His hands cover his face.

"Chris, what's the matter?" I ask.
He looks up at me, his face blank. "Nothing. I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine, so I'm just asking."

"Okay, well, I'm not," he admits. "When Lulu was crying in my arms, then you just kissed her on the top of her head gently and she stopped crying, I got frustrated with myself." I sit down next to him on the bed.
"Why?"
"Well, what was I doing wrong that she was crying in my arms? Has she developed some sort of hatred for me?" he asks.
"Chris," I start. "It has nothing to do with you. I think maybe in some circumstances she's going to want her mom. It's going to happen. Sometimes Max will probably favour being with you instead of me because you guys are guys."

He smiles at me slightly. "Okay."
"Okay," I whisper back. "You feel better now?"
"A little bit," he admits.

Chris

We were so worried about getting home, that I forgot to make a stop at the drugstore for some medicine for Lulu.

It's about lunch time and Max and I have already eaten, so I decide to take him on a walk with me to the drugstore that's not that far from our house to get the medicine.

I put some shoes on Max, then on my own and we head out the door.

We're a couple blocks from the house and only about two more until the store. I spot a paparazzi a little ways away from us. I look around for an alternative path that we could take, but I don't see anywhere we could go to dodge the person. I try to stand in front of Max so they can't see him.

It seems like years until we arrive at the store, out of the paparazzi's eyes. For now.

I get the medicine within a couple minutes, buy it, then head back out. I glance around for the paparazzi, but I don't see them, yet.

We make it almost one block before a camera man pops out of thin air. Literally.

"Hi, Chris. How are you doing today?" the person asks.
"Good," I answer as I pick up Max and hold him in my arms.
"Who's the little guy with you today?"

I debate about answering, then realize I don't have to.

"Is he your son?"
I don't answer.
"Your girlfriends kid?"
Don't answer, I remind myself.
"How is your girlfriend? Melissa, right?"
Nothing.

"How's filming Supergirl been going?"
Almost in our neighbourhood.

When I reach the gates for our neighbourhood, the cameraman says goodbye, then turns around and walks away.

"Hey," Melissa greets when I open the front door. "How was your walk?"
"Good," I say. "We had a little run-in with the paparazzi, though."
"Oh, what did they say?" she asks.
"They asked about Max."
"What about him?"
"Well, I didn't know that the world didn't know that we were raising our three kids together."
"It never occured to me that they should know."
"I didn't say anything, so it's okay."
"It's fine," she says, then leans back on the couch.

I sit down next to her, bouncing Max on my leg. "Sorry. I didn't mean for it to stir up the past."
She looks over at me. "It's okay, honestly, Chris."

I kiss her softly on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too," she says with a smile. That smile.