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cami-stuffs · 4 months

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Pushing Towards You

Chapter 19: Tender Moments

Calista burst through the emergency room door at the Jericho hospital with Larissa in her shoes. She walked hurriedly to the point of almost running for a tall and long-legged Larissa. The pace was not fast, and she could follow Calista closely. The drive to the hospital had been short, and Larissa was so apprehensive that she couldn't utter any words and concentrated on driving as fast as she was allowed.

At the hospital, Calista went to the nearest medical center and identified herself as Artemis' mother. Larissa listened as the nurse said that only the family would be allowed access to the room where the girl was taken, glancing at her. But Calista would have none of that. She identified Gaia as his ex-wife and mother of Artemis and Larissa as his current wife.

Dragging Larissa by the hand, Calista raised her voice a little to tell the nurse that they were all members of the girl's family and, therefore, they were all going to enter the room. With her eyes wide with fright, Larissa smiled slightly when she heard Calista and allowed herself to be taken to where Artemis and Gaia were.

The hospital corridors were empty and silent the day after Christmas; only the hurried footsteps of Calista and Larissa, guided by the nurse, could be heard. She showed the room door and said the doctor would come by to report the girl's health status in the next few minutes.

Calista held her breath and opened the bedroom door, ready to see her daughter lying unconscious in the hospital bed. But instead, Artemis was sitting on the bed, with her head bandaged, smilingly talking to Gaia. The sight of the two of them there, calm, made Calista slow down and cry now that the shock of the news had passed. Larissa hugged and kissed her head, comforting her for a few seconds.

Artemis seemed confused by her mother's reaction, but Gaia understood perfectly what was happening in Calista's head. The girl had never scared her like that, even though she was a very active child. Larissa whispered to Calista, assuring her that the girl was okay and that she could calm down. At the same time, she looked helplessly at Gaia, who found the scene amusing.

As the school's principal for teenagers, Larissa had already witnessed scenes like that and helped several of her students when injured. But it was the first time this student was also the daughter of her future wife, and she had to comfort the mother using more than words and a compassionate pat on the back or even ensure that the Academy would provide all necessary assistance for the student's full recovery.

Going to the two, Gaia held Calista by the elbows and pulled her lightly, separating her from Larissa, who no longer knew what to do. The two exchanged looks, and Larissa gave a grateful smile, going to stand at the foot of Artemis's bed. Gaia took Calista to her daughter, only for her to change her embrace from Larissa to Artemis, crying louder.

"Mom, I'm fine." Calista was clinging to Artemis' neck, and the girl was trying to free herself from her mother.

At that moment, the doctor entered the room with the test results. There were no signs of concussion. Artemis was not in danger; everything except the cut on her forehead seemed to be in order. In any case, she would remain in the hospital for another two days to ensure that there would be no surprises. Only after listening to the doctor was Calista able to stop crying.

"What happened?" It was the first thing Calista said since she entered the room and saw that her daughter was okay.

"It seems that our daughter, besides being a shapeshifter, also has telekinesis abilities, as Dr Maina suspected. But she still needs to be refined." Gaia smiled at an Artemis, who looked embarrassed but still found it funny. "I'll get food while this devilish girl tells you what happened. Now that things have calmed down, I bet everyone will start to feel hungry."

Artemis got hurt trying to help Larissa. The three were taking the trail through the Nevermore forest. Larissa led the line, Artemis followed closely behind, and Gaia closed the train. The path was blocked at one point, and Larissa had to lean on a nearby tree branch to get past the blockage. The unit broke and was ready to collide directly with Larissa and knock her to the ground.

Instinctively, Artemis raised her hand and tried to stop the branch. She succeeded; the branch did not collide with Larissa, but in a moment of ecstasy, the girl lost control of her newly discovered abilities and lost focus. The tree branch swayed and tilted towards Artemis; if she hadn't been quick enough, she would have received a more significant blow to the head. Still, the branch briefly collided with her forehead, opening a cut and knocking the girl out.

At this point, Larissa took control of the narrative. With Artemis bleeding and unconscious, she and Gaia needed to bring the girl back to the school grounds so they could take her to the nearest hospital. Larissa was the only one with the strength to carry Artemis in her arms, but Gaia preferred to build a rustic stretcher with tree branches using her skills. Artemis had received a shock to the head, and they didn't want to worsen the injury with excessive movement.

In Nevermore, Larissa gave Gaia the keys to the van to take her to the hospital while she picked up Calista at home. On the way to the apartment, Larissa called Calista to tell her what had happened while Gaia was already going to the emergency room. Artemis said she woke up a little disoriented shortly after arriving at the hospital and quickly underwent the necessary tests. And when Calista and Larissa arrived, she had just been taken to her room.

"You scared me!" Calista sat on the edge of the bed and held her daughter's hand.

"Sorry." The girl responded weakly.

"It's okay, my love." Calista kissed her hand. "I arrived here thinking that something serious had happened. Instead, I receive the news that you are out of danger, in addition to having saved Larissa from a major blow from that branch using skills that no one knew you would have. All of this is represented with a cut on your forehead." She smiled and stroked the side of the girl's head.

"Looks like shapeshifter needs a scar on their face, right?" Artemis looked at Larissa's mouth, where a clear line could be seen beneath the makeup.

"Believe me, your scar was acquired in a context of great bravery." Larissa smiled. "Very different from mine, but that's a story for another time." She exchanged glances with Calista. Of course, Calista knew the origin of the cut that created the scar on Larissa's mouth.

Gaia returned carrying a bag full of cookies, snacks, soft drinks, and sweets. She looked like she had run out of stock from some vending machine. Calista wanted to protest at so much junk food, but before she could say anything, Artemis and Larissa were already eating.

"Lista, they need us to sign some hospitalization papers," Gaia said to Calista, opening a bag of snacks. The two left, leaving Artemis and Larissa alone in the room.

Artemis watched the director for a few seconds and moved to the side, asking Larissa to sit beside her. The principal was surprised; it was the first time the girl had asked for this closeness. Larissa sat beside Artemis, and the two ate silently for a few minutes.

"I can't feel my face." Artemis broke the silence. "I can't feel my whole head."

Larissa laughed. "It's the anesthesia." She explained. "We, shapeshifters, are used to feeling every part of our body to be able to change our anatomy. Under anesthesia, it seems like we have lost the limb completely. I wonder how a person not a shapeshifter is aware of their own body."

"You understand a lot about our kind, Ms. Weems." Artemis rested her head on Larissa's arm as she spoke, catching the woman off guard. "It must have been difficult to learn all this on my own. I'm glad you helped me understand a little more about myself."

Larissa was not used to receiving recognition from students. She didn't even expect it. She looked after them all equally and helped them according to their needs. She did it. After all, she liked it because she felt it was her vocation. But Artemis was different. They were connected somehow, and although the girl hadn't gone through the same thing as her, Artemis knew as little about herself as Larissa did when she discovered her abilities.

Furthermore, Artemis was the daughter of Calista, the love of Larissa's life. Receiving the girl's approval and affection made everything more real and meaningful. Larissa took a while before finding words; she felt a tightness in her chest, an urge to cry. It wasn't a usual feeling.

"First, call me Larissa, honey." She started by resting her head lightly on Artemis's. "I'm happy to be able to help you, and you can count on me whenever you need."

"Thank you, Larissa," Artemis said. "I'm glad you and my mom are together."

Okay, that was it. The tear Larissa was holding back took on a life of its own and rolled down the principal's face. Larissa closed her eyes to try to contain them, feeling a burning sensation, and more tears accumulated and passed freely through her eyelashes.

Calista entered the room precisely at that time. She saw Artemis sitting with her head resting on Larissa's left arm, who was resting her head on the girl's. Larissa seemed genuinely moved, and Artemis seemed unaware of what she was doing to the woman. The scene filled Calista's heart with joy but was quickly interrupted by a Gaia who entered the room complaining of hunger. Quickly, Larissa wiped her tears, and in the process, her eyes met Calista's. The two smiled at each other, but nothing was said.

Artemis spent two more nights in the hospital, uneventfully. In truth, the girl was bored and wanted to return home as soon as possible. As Calista had undergone a procedure a few days before, Gaia sent her home and slept with Artemis until she was discharged.

With the New Year approaching, Larissa was organizing a party for staff and students who, for personal reasons, chose to remain at school. She insisted that Calista was with her during the event's organization, partly because she was already used to her company and opinions and partly because she still wanted to keep an eye on Calista to maintain the rest requested by the doctor.

While Artemis was in the hospital, Calista and Larissa planned the entire New Year's Eve celebration, and everything went as expected. Despite this, Larissa seemed anxious and restless, and Calista could not extract any information from her that would be useful in knowing why. It was natural for Larissa to be agitated by the latest events, but everything was going very well, and Calista did not justify her behavior.

Larissa only seemed to relax after Artemis was discharged from the hospital and was back at school. When the girl arrived, Larissa was in the kitchen, taking care of New Year's dinner details, and could not welcome her with Calista. But, as soon as she got rid of all the pending tasks, Larissa went to the girl's room to check on her.

Since the day Calista caught Larissa and Artemis talking in the hospital room, she noticed that the two were closer, and with the girl's return to Nevermore, Larissa relaxed her vigil over Calista and transferred it to Artemis. One morning, Calista didn't notice their absence until she saw them arrive in Larissa's car at school. They seemed to be having an animated conversation, which was promptly interrupted as soon as they came face to face with Calista.

"Thank you so much for getting in touch. We'll talk next year. Happy Holidays." Larissa was finishing a call in her office when Calista entered the room.

"Good news?" Calista asked, walking around the desk and sitting on the edge of it. "Or can’t you tell me because my daughter is now your best friend?"

Larissa laughed at the provocation and pushed her chair back, opening her arms and signaling Calista to sit on her lap.

"Jealous of Artemis? I thought you wanted us to be friends." Larissa kissed Calista's shoulder as soon as she sat on her lap.

"Of course not; I love your closeness," Calista responded with a sniff of Larissa's neck, snuggling into her lap. "Who was that on the phone? You seem happy."

"That was the shapeshifter lady who got her wife pregnant. She was interested in our story and will come to Nevermore after New Year's to meet us." Larissa had a broad smile on her face and looked at Calista expectantly.

"So, she's going to help us?" Calista now had her head resting in the crook of Larissa's neck.

"Mhmm." Larissa nodded, wrapping her arms around Calista and pressing her against her body. "Looks like we're having a baby."

"Thanks, Riss," Calista said softly.

"For what, my love?" Larissa was surprised by this gratitude.

"For taking care of me and Artemis. For being willing to go deeper into your shapeshifter knowledge. I think it's going to be a busy year." Calista said, raising her head to look at Larissa.

"You and Artemis are my family now; I will always care for you." Larissa kissed Calista's forehead. "Even Gaia is family, but I don't think she would let me take care of her. It would be too unconventional." Larissa chuckled, accompanied by Calista.

The two spent the afternoon at the office discussing what New Year's Eve would be like. Larissa had prepared a supper in the garden like the school remnants and a fireworks display at midnight. According to her, Artemis was responsible for the idea of the fireworks, and that morning, they had gone to the city to buy pyrotechnic items.

For safety reasons, Larissa had never proposed anything like this at school, but everything seemed to make more sense this year. After her near-death episode until her reunion with Calista, Larissa appeared to give a new meaning to many events that, before, seemed protocol. Calista loved this new disposition and saw in her partner a genuine desire to stop being a workaholic and become the head of a family.

Chapter 18 | Chapter 20

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