Page 57 of The Road Back to Us

“I’m not sure she’ll be able to participate—”

I started before Kara and Ben exchanged a glance and grinned at each other.

“We took care of that as well,” Kara said happily.

“You did?” I asked.

“Yep. We didn’t want her to miss out on anything, so we’re making things where she can still be involved, even while she’s in bed.”

“That’s very sweet of you guys. I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”

I helped Ben put the rest of the groceries away and gave Kara some space as she took the flowers to Lyric. The energy in the house had changed drastically, and I already felt lighter with it.

Fifty-Two

Lyric

“Oh my gosh, Kara,” I squealed, looking at the gorgeous vase filled with roses and baby breath. “It’s gorgeous! Thank you so much!”

She tipped it slightly toward me so I could smell the flowers before setting it on the dresser. It fit perfectly on the corner, where I could see it without it blocking the view of the TV. She fidgeted with her hands for a few seconds before she looked at the door, looking like she was desperate to leave. I furrowed my brows, immediately concerned.

“Are you okay?” I asked, noticing the way she stiffened at the question.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I should go see if Ben needs help.”

She turned to walk out, my heart tightening at the way she was withdrawing from me.

“Kara,” I called, stopping her, but she refused to look at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she lied, continuing to look at the floor instead of at me.

I felt so helpless, unable to get up and go to her. She was clearly upset, and I needed to know why.

“Please come talk to me,” I begged, knowing she heard the desperation in my voice as she gently shook her head. “Please.”

I didn’t bother to hide the raw emotion in my words as she slowly turned to face me, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Honey,” I whispered, holding my arms out for her. “Come here. Please talk to me, Kara.”

She shook her head again, wrapping her arms around herself.

Deciding that I didn’t care, I threw the covers back and slowly got out of bed. It wasn’t like I wasn’t allowed to ever get out of bed; I just had to minimize the frequency and what I did while I was up and moving around. But right now, getting to Kara was my highest priority.

I gently touched her shoulder, letting her know I was there.

She turned around, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at me with concern on her face.

“You’re supposed to stay in bed,” she said softly.

“Yes, I know. But right now, you’re more important than me sitting in that damn bed.”

“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “You need to rest. I don’t want to cause you any stress or hurt the babies. I’ve already done enough as it is.”

She covered her face with her hands as she cried hard, her words taking me by surprise.

“Sweetheart,” I whispered, my voice struggling to come through. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“This!” she shrieked, dropping her hands as she pointed to me. “I’m the reason you got in that car accident! I’m the reason that you and the babies almost died! If you hadn’t been coming to get me, you would never have gotten in that accident! Don’t you see? It’s all my fault!”