Post by linda on Jun 12, 2006 6:30:51 GMT 10
Lyrics are Michael Buble 'Home' again
Chapter four
“I have the flight out.”
“Wait, Luka, you said you’d stay for another few weeks.” Carter caught his friend’s arm.
“John, I’m sorry but Abby needs me, Bella needs me at home. I have a family now.” Carter shrugged and trudged away, and Luka sighed.
The flight was booked for three days away. He could stay until tomorrow evening, and then hitch a lift to the city with someone who was going for the supplies. He’d planned it well.
Sitting down in a plastic chair he pulled out the well worn photo of Danijela and Jasna, but then extracted another photo from behind.
It had been taken at Bella’s birthday party a few months ago. The sun was shining and Bella was wearing her ‘pretty dress’. Her freckles had appeared in the sun and she was laughing as Abby was playfully chasing her to give her a kiss. It was spontaneous and beautiful. He smoothed it out and sighed. Only a few more days.
--------
Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home
-----------
She rolled over and bunched the duvet between her hands. Sleep muddled her head and she decided the noise had been in her imagination. She could hear Bella’s breathing next to her, feel her leg touching her own. Without another thought she fell back asleep.
He closed the door softly and laid the suitcase on the floor. The flight had been delayed and he was annoyed that it was now 5am. Neither of them would be up, and he had been so looking forward to this moment.
Taking his shoes off, he padded down the hall. Maybe he should wake her, just say hello. Stopping in the doorway, he peered in and smiled broadly.
Bella was ‘star fishing’, her pyjama leg scrunched up to her knee and her hair spread out across the pillow. A strand played across her lips, and twitched with every breath. Abby was asleep on her belly, a hand outstretched and entwined with one of Bella’s. Silently he crept to her side of the bed.
“Abby.” He whispered. She didn’t move. “Abby.” He stroked her cheek as she frowned and sighed. “Abby Kovac, wake up.” Her eyes flew open and she recoiled. He laughed as she stared at him.
“You made me jump…gosh…what?” she sat up and shook her head, to clear it. “Why didn’t you call, tell us you were coming.” She smiled slowly.
“I wanted to surprise you. But my flight was delayed. I’m sorry.” She caught hold of his hand and squeezed it.
“I’ve missed you.” She whispered, pulling him down on the bed next to her. “Why did you come back early?”
“I kept getting your letters and wondering if I had made the biggest mistake, leaving you both here. It was as if I needed to get it out my system to make me realize where I needed to be all along.” He kissed her softly. “Right here.”
Her arms enveloped him, as she slid back into the bed and he followed.
“So she’s still alive.” He whispered in her ear. She swatted him lightly.
“Of course, she wasn’t with you.” He tickled her ribs and laughed, his breath like a familiar touch along her skin. All those weeks she’d longed for this touch, this feeling of his body curved around hers fitting together like the clichéd jigsaw. “She’s missed you.”
“I’ve missed both of you. More than you can imagine.” He drank in the scent of her skin, the feel of her hand on his arm, the beat of her heart on his palm. Everything he’d dreamt of was within his touch right now.
“She’s changed.”
“You’ve been away for…7 weeks? I hardly think she’s changed.”
“She has. Her hair is longer, she looks bigger. And she has another bruise.” He pointed to the one on her knee. “Looks like a heart.”
“I was trying to teach her to swim.” Abby confessed. “I wanted us to be able to go together when you came back. You foiled my plan.”
“We can teach her together.” She nodded.
------
“DADDY!” Bella leapt across the bed towards him, her face lit up.
“Hey Belly, have you been good.” She nodded furiously, clinging to him. He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent.
“Did you miss me?”
“I sure did little one.” Bella reached out and shook Abby.
“Mommy, daddy’s back.” Abby laughed and pulled her daughter between them.
“Yes he is. How about we go swimming again today- you can show daddy what we learnt last week.” Bella bounced and giggled in the loving embrace of her parents.
As soon as she was fed, bathed, dressed and in front of Barney, Abby went to get a shower. As she was rinsing off, she felt a breeze.
“Luka?”
“Yeah, I’m just washing my face.” He ran a basin-full. “I saw your letter on the side.”
“Did you read it all?”
“No, I didn’t want to be nosy. I just saw the first line. So he’s written to you.”
“Yeah, and I wrote back.” She shook her head and turned off the water. “I wanted you and Bella to get to know him.”
“You need to as well. He left when you were…”
“Seven. I was seven and Eric was 18 months.” She towelled her hair and sighed. Luka stepped over and hugged her.
“I’m here for you. I wont leave you again. I realised one day when I stood with Carter that my life didn’t just revolve around me anymore. There is Bella and you to think of, and here is where I’m happy.” Abby kissed his broad chest and smiled.
“Welcome home.
Chapter four
“I have the flight out.”
“Wait, Luka, you said you’d stay for another few weeks.” Carter caught his friend’s arm.
“John, I’m sorry but Abby needs me, Bella needs me at home. I have a family now.” Carter shrugged and trudged away, and Luka sighed.
The flight was booked for three days away. He could stay until tomorrow evening, and then hitch a lift to the city with someone who was going for the supplies. He’d planned it well.
Sitting down in a plastic chair he pulled out the well worn photo of Danijela and Jasna, but then extracted another photo from behind.
It had been taken at Bella’s birthday party a few months ago. The sun was shining and Bella was wearing her ‘pretty dress’. Her freckles had appeared in the sun and she was laughing as Abby was playfully chasing her to give her a kiss. It was spontaneous and beautiful. He smoothed it out and sighed. Only a few more days.
--------
Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home
-----------
She rolled over and bunched the duvet between her hands. Sleep muddled her head and she decided the noise had been in her imagination. She could hear Bella’s breathing next to her, feel her leg touching her own. Without another thought she fell back asleep.
He closed the door softly and laid the suitcase on the floor. The flight had been delayed and he was annoyed that it was now 5am. Neither of them would be up, and he had been so looking forward to this moment.
Taking his shoes off, he padded down the hall. Maybe he should wake her, just say hello. Stopping in the doorway, he peered in and smiled broadly.
Bella was ‘star fishing’, her pyjama leg scrunched up to her knee and her hair spread out across the pillow. A strand played across her lips, and twitched with every breath. Abby was asleep on her belly, a hand outstretched and entwined with one of Bella’s. Silently he crept to her side of the bed.
“Abby.” He whispered. She didn’t move. “Abby.” He stroked her cheek as she frowned and sighed. “Abby Kovac, wake up.” Her eyes flew open and she recoiled. He laughed as she stared at him.
“You made me jump…gosh…what?” she sat up and shook her head, to clear it. “Why didn’t you call, tell us you were coming.” She smiled slowly.
“I wanted to surprise you. But my flight was delayed. I’m sorry.” She caught hold of his hand and squeezed it.
“I’ve missed you.” She whispered, pulling him down on the bed next to her. “Why did you come back early?”
“I kept getting your letters and wondering if I had made the biggest mistake, leaving you both here. It was as if I needed to get it out my system to make me realize where I needed to be all along.” He kissed her softly. “Right here.”
Her arms enveloped him, as she slid back into the bed and he followed.
“So she’s still alive.” He whispered in her ear. She swatted him lightly.
“Of course, she wasn’t with you.” He tickled her ribs and laughed, his breath like a familiar touch along her skin. All those weeks she’d longed for this touch, this feeling of his body curved around hers fitting together like the clichéd jigsaw. “She’s missed you.”
“I’ve missed both of you. More than you can imagine.” He drank in the scent of her skin, the feel of her hand on his arm, the beat of her heart on his palm. Everything he’d dreamt of was within his touch right now.
“She’s changed.”
“You’ve been away for…7 weeks? I hardly think she’s changed.”
“She has. Her hair is longer, she looks bigger. And she has another bruise.” He pointed to the one on her knee. “Looks like a heart.”
“I was trying to teach her to swim.” Abby confessed. “I wanted us to be able to go together when you came back. You foiled my plan.”
“We can teach her together.” She nodded.
------
“DADDY!” Bella leapt across the bed towards him, her face lit up.
“Hey Belly, have you been good.” She nodded furiously, clinging to him. He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent.
“Did you miss me?”
“I sure did little one.” Bella reached out and shook Abby.
“Mommy, daddy’s back.” Abby laughed and pulled her daughter between them.
“Yes he is. How about we go swimming again today- you can show daddy what we learnt last week.” Bella bounced and giggled in the loving embrace of her parents.
As soon as she was fed, bathed, dressed and in front of Barney, Abby went to get a shower. As she was rinsing off, she felt a breeze.
“Luka?”
“Yeah, I’m just washing my face.” He ran a basin-full. “I saw your letter on the side.”
“Did you read it all?”
“No, I didn’t want to be nosy. I just saw the first line. So he’s written to you.”
“Yeah, and I wrote back.” She shook her head and turned off the water. “I wanted you and Bella to get to know him.”
“You need to as well. He left when you were…”
“Seven. I was seven and Eric was 18 months.” She towelled her hair and sighed. Luka stepped over and hugged her.
“I’m here for you. I wont leave you again. I realised one day when I stood with Carter that my life didn’t just revolve around me anymore. There is Bella and you to think of, and here is where I’m happy.” Abby kissed his broad chest and smiled.
“Welcome home.