The first night Ellie was home and Aidan was left in the hospital she cried herself to sleep.  Marco was with her.  He sat up in the bed while she lay her head on his lap and cried.  She finally fell asleep at 2:30 that morning.  Marco slept sitting up that night and woke with her at 7:00am to go see Aidan.  For the next 10 weeks this was Ellie’s life.  Hospital, school, hospital.  It was all she did.

The days and weeks went by slowly.  Ellie spent every minute she could with her son.  There were a few scares but in the end Aidan Cameron Nash got to come home two weeks before he should have even been born.

While Ellie kept the vigil over her son Ava had waved to Cameron as he left a few months ago.  He had to go back to school but was coming for a visit over Spring Break.

Ava had talked Ellie into going to the airport with her to pick Cameron up.  Ava hadn’t told Ellie but Cam asked about Ellie every time he called.  Ellie asked about him too.  She tried to be very nonchalant about it but Ava knew they had a thing for each other.  She just decided to stay out of it.  She was sure it would all work out.

“Do you think Aidan’s okay?” Ellie asked worriedly.

“El that’s like the fifth time you’ve asked me that.  I’m sure he is fine.  You leave him everyday when you go to school.  Why are you all weird about it now?”

“Because I don’t leave him with my mother everyday,” Ellie answered as if Ava should already know this.

“Ellie your Dad’s there and he isn’t going to let anything happen to that baby.  I doubt your Mom even gets to hold him,” Ava said trying to reassure her friend.

Ellie smiled in response.   She knew Ava was right.  Mr. Nash loved to be with Aidan.  He even changed him.  Which was more than he ever did for you Eleanor, Mrs. Nash loved to say.

Elle and Ava sat in the car chatting while they waited for Cameron to show.  A few minutes after the plane was scheduled to land Ellie climbed into the back so Cameron could sit with his sister.

When Cameron finally came out of the airport the girls didn’t even notice.  They were talking and didn’t know he was there until Ava’s back hatch opened.  “Hey,” he said.

That’s weird, Ellie thought, he doesn’t seem to be very happy to see us.  Or maybe it’s me he’s not happy to see. 

That thought didn’t last long, soon Cameron was sitting beside Ellie and wrapping her in a hug.

“Hey there,” Ellie said surprised when he let her go.

Ellie was so shocked with Cameron that it took a second to remember Ava.  Ellie looked at Ava hoping she wouldn’t be upset and then realized there was someone else in the car with them.  Someone Ava was not happy to see.

Ava stared at Tucker.  She couldn’t believe he had the nerve show up here or that Cameron let him.  But most of all she couldn’t believe having him so near could make her want to touch him.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hit him or hug him.  But she knew she wanted to touch him.

Ava’s stare continued until he finally spoke.  “You look good,” Tucker said looking at her and then nervously looked out the window.

“I think we need to move runt,” Cameron said from the back.

Ava didn’t speak she turned and pulled the car out of the pick-up area.

The ride was silent.  Ellie didn’t know what to say.  Ava was too furious to speak.  And neither guy wanted to start anything yet.

“Hey Ava could you drop me at my house?  I want to check on Aidan,” Ellie said breaking the silence that filled the car.  She wanted to get away from these three before it all blew up.

A soft “Sure,” was Ava’s reply.

At Ellie’s Cameron followed her out of the car.  “I’m gonna hang out here for a while.  I want to see how big Aidan has gotten,” Cameron said.

“Cool,” Tucker said.  But Ava didn’t even look at Cameron or Ellie, she just pulled away.

******

“I hope it’s alright if I come with you.  I just thought those two need a little time alone.”

“Yeah it’s fine.  I just hope Ava doesn’t kill him,” Ellie said.

“Me too,” Cameron said smiling.

After hellos from her parents and a peek at a sleeping Aidan, Ellie and Cameron were sitting in her room.  Cameron immediately made himself at home and was stretched across Ellie’s bed.  Ellie sat in her desk chair across the room.  She didn’t know why but this guy made her uncomfortable in her own room.  Not uncomfortable in a bad way, maybe nervous is a better word.  Ellie was really nervous.  It was strange to be with him in a normal setting.  Cameron had been with her through the worst time in her life, you would think she would be comfortable with him, but she felt weird to being with him now.

“So how is school?” Ellie asked not sure what else to say.

“It’s school,” he answered her with another grin.

That boy should not be allowed to grin, Ellie thought to herself and then stood quickly to move to her stereo so she didn’t have to look at him.  She put in a cd of some band she, Craig, Marco, Jimmy and Paige had seen at some festival.  Then took a breath and told her self to get a grip.

“So how have you been?  How is school and Aidan going?  Is it hard to deal with everything?” Cameron asked when Ellie sat back down.

“Well I’s going better.  It was really scary to leave Aidan at first but now that he’s bigger I’m dealing with it better.  He is a really good baby he really just sleeps most of the time.  But they said that was to be expected with a preemie.  So for now school plus Aidan isn’t too bad.  I do have to get up with him through the night but I’m not a big sleeper so it hasn’t been too bad.”

“That’s really good.  Ava told me you named him Aidan Cameron,” Cameron said.

God if he doesn’t stop that grinning I’m going to smack him, Ellie thought then said “Yeah.” She didn’t explain that it was Aidan’s father’s name.  She just changed the subject.  “So what brought Tucker here?”

“I told him about Seth.” 

“You what!”  Ellie yelled.

“Ellie I had to.  If I had a son I would want to know.  And he needs to step up and take care of Ava and Seth.” 

“Oh my god.  That is so sexist.  Ava has been taking care of Seth for eight months without that jerk, she doesn’t need him.”  Ellie couldn’t believe that this was the same guy she had met before.

“I didn’t say she couldn’t do it Ellie, I said she shouldn’t have to,” he yelled back at her. “And neither should you.”  He regretted to words as soon as they had left his lips.

“You don’t even know me.  Don’t you dare stand there and tell me what I need.” 

“Ellie I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to upset you.” Cameron was standing in front of her.

“Whatever,” Ellie said then stood to move away from him.

Cameron reached out and grabbed her shoulder and turned her to him. “Ellie whatever doesn’t work on me.  I’m sorry you’re right it’s none of my business.  But you deserve to have someone to help you in this.”

“Why do you care?”  Ellie asked looking at him.

“I don’t know.  Ellie I just know that from the first time I saw you I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you.  You’re beautiful and brave and …”

Ellie put her lips to his before he could finish.  He put his hands on either side of her face as if he didn’t believe this was really happening and had to touch her to be sure and to keep her there.

“I’m sorry,” Ellie said as she pulled away from him. 

“Don’t be sorry Ellie,” he said wrapping her in a hug and running his hands through her hair.  “You just did what I have been wanting to do but didn’t have to guts.” 

Ellie felt so small with him.  He made her feel safe the way her father used to.  She knew it couldn’t last but she pushed that from her mind and wrapped her arms around his waist. 

Cameron didn’t know what was happening to him.  All he knew was that after that simple kiss he felt closer to her than to any girl he had ever been with.