#caitlin garrett

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2 am calls

If there is one rule that is universally known, it's that if your phone is ringing in the middle of the night, it's never for a good reason. So, when Cecilia was startled awake by the sound of her phone, her heart was already racing before she even answered. If her parents weren't asleep at 2 o'clock in the morning then something was very wrong.

"Daddy?" Cecilia answered, already throwing back the blankets and stumbling out of bed. "What's wrong?" She didn't even know what was going on yet but Cecilia had already started pulling on a pair of jeans in preparation for rushing out of her apartment like a bat out of hell.

"Everything is going to be okay," Her dad said soothingly in what Cecilia and her sisters called his "doctor tone". It was supposed to keep people calm but she felt anything but calm right now. "Caitlin was attacked by a group of men tonight, and she's in the hospital..." What was very much not his typical "doctor tone" was the way he choked up as he spoke. Tears were already in Cecilia's eyes. 

"What do you mean attacked?" Cecilia cried. Brady was awake now and was looking at her with panic-filled eyes as he tried to connect the pieces from the parts of the conversation he could hear. "Is she okay?" Cecilia struggled to get the rest of her clothes on, and finally, let Brady take the phone from her and put it on speaker so they could both get dressed but still get the information they needed. 

"We're waiting for the results of her scans to come back to make sure there's no internal bleeding," Morgan told them. "She's got a concussion and needed a few stitches, but she's awake and can remember what happened... so the doctors think she'll be good as new soon." Cecilia let out a cry of relief and nodded even though her dad couldn't see her. 

"We'll be there soon," She promised, grabbing her phone and making a beeline for the front door. Cecilia didn't even care that her hair was a mess and her shoes didn't match, she needed to get to her sister as soon as possible. She wouldn't believe that Caitlin was okay until she saw her for herself. 

"I'll drive," Brady said once they got down to the garage and Cecilia had her hand on the driver's side door. He gently pried her keys from her hand and steered her towards the passenger door. "You focus on Caity, and I'll get us there, okay?" He kissed her forehead before hurrying around to the driver's side and getting behind the wheel. Cecilia was too frazzled to appreciate Brady right now, but when things calmed down she would tell him how great he was. 

They made it to the hospital in record time considering the streets were practically empty at this time of night. Cecilia's mom had texted her Caitlin's room number, and since she knew this hospital like the back of her hand, she knew exactly where to go. When she saw her parents waiting for them in the hallway outside of Caitlin's room, Cecilia ran towards them. 

"Hi, baby," Rosie greeted, wrapping her daughter in a tight hug and relishing the fact that she was safe and uninjured. Morgan wrapped his arms around both of them and kissed the top of Cecilia's head. 

"You need to prepare yourself, baby," Morgan murmured, looking down at Cecilia with a frown. "She's in bad shape, and it's going to be shocking to see her like this, but she'll be okay." Cecilia nodded and straightened her spine in preparation for seeing her sister. She could handle this, she was going to freak out when she wasn't even the one hurt in the first place. Her parents waited for a few more long seconds before stepping aside. 

The issue with never seeing your sister be anything other than her beautiful and vibrant self was that you couldn't really prepare yourself for seeing her any other way. So, one look at Caitlin, and Cecilia was hurting away with a gasp. Caitlin was black and blue all over and her face looked like someone took a bat to it (or, rather, six pairs of boots). Cecilia was so taken aback that she stumbled over her own two feet and into Brady. 

"Oh my God," She cried into his chest. Brady wrapped his arms around her tightly and she could hear his heart pounding. Cecilia wanted to run away or throw up or start crying and never stop, and maybe she would have if Brady wasn't holding her up. 

"I've got you," He murmured, holding her closer. 

"Is that Cecil?" Caitlin croaked from her hospital bed. "Is she crying? Did she get beat up, too?" Cecilia laughed at her sister's absolutely inappropriate timing for making jokes, but it was enough for her to turn away from Brady and back towards the hospital room. She hurried over to her sister's side and started crying all over again. Cameron and Hannah's faces were just as red and splotchy, so at least she wasn't the only one. 

"What did I say about bar fights?" Cecilia tried to joke, but it barely landed and sent a fresh wave of sobs through her. 

"I forgot," Caitlin grumbled. "But hey," She gave Cecilia and little shake until Cecilia looked up at her. "I'm still totally gay... so it's all good." Even though she hadn't yet been told that this had been a hate crime against her sister, Cecilia still chuckled. 

"Oh thank god," Cecilia laughed, rolling her eyes. She looked over at Hannah and found Caitlin's girlfriend looking on with a trembling bottom lip. Since Cecilia couldn't give Caitlin a proper squeeze without hurting something, she moved around the bed and hugged herself around Hannah and then Cameron. 

This was probably the worst night Cecilia had had in years, but at least she got to be here with Caitlin and see for herself that she'd be okay. Everyone she loved the most was in this room, and even though they were all crying, she knew they were all just as relieved as she was that Caitlin was okay. Cecilia just wondered if she could talk them all into finding the bastards who did this to her and see how much they liked being attacked. She'd worry about that tomorrow, though, because tonight she just wanted to do anything and everything her sister asked of her. Whatever would make her feel even the slightest bit better.

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gossiping

Cecilia would never get bored of talking to her sisters. They could sit around for hours talking about everything and nothing and never run out of things to say. There wasn't a topic out there that the Garrett sisters hadn't covered in depth, and Cecilia loved every second of it. And because they enjoyed each other's company so much, they could often be found spending their evenings together with takeout and a bottle of wine. 

"I'm just saying," Caitlin said from where she was lounging with her head in her girlfriend's lap. Cameron was on the other end of the couch with Caitlin's feet tucked beneath her (because they were cold) and Cecilia was curled up in the chair a few feet away. "If he wasn't my friend, you wouldn't have any issues telling me what he's like in bed... so I don't know why it matters now!" 

"It doesn't matter," Cecilia laughed. "I just don't want him to feel weird about you knowing details of our sex life!" That wasn't the truth, though, obviously, because if she and Brady were having sex then Caitlin was right, Cecilia would be spilling all the details. But she and Brady weren't actually sleeping together, and that wasn't something she could explain to her sisters without getting into all the details. As far as Caitlin and Cameron were concerned, Cecilia never would've married someone she hadn't slept with first. That would've been true if the circumstances were different. 

"I know everything about you!" Caitlin scoffed. She nudged Cameron with her foot and their younger sister agreed with a shrug.

"I mean, we do," Cameron laughed. "Who cares if we know your husband sucks in bed." 

"I didn't say that!" Cecilia exclaimed when the other girls started howling with laughter. 

"I am simply making assumptions," Cameron shrugged again. Cecilia opened her mouth to argue back but before she could say anything the front door opened and Brady came through. He was already smiling having heard their laughter from the hall and as he approached the group he raised a brow.

"What are you all talking about?" He questioned, leaning down to offer Cecilia a kiss on the head in greeting. He leaned against the arm of her chair and looked around at them.

"Oh, nothing," Cecilia tried, but her sister beat her to the punch.

"Cecilia won't tell us anything about yall's sex life so we're assuming the worst," Caitlin mused casually. "Sorry to hear about your incompetence in the bedroom, Brades, that really sucks." Caitlin, Hannah, and Cameron started howling again. Brady blinked in surprise and looked down at Cecilia with a raised brow.

"Obviously, that is not what I said," Cecilia said, rolling her eyes. Brady laughed and tapped her nose before standing up again.

"I'll leave you ladies to it," He chuckled, moving towards the kitchen. Cecilia jumped up to follow him and stuck her tongue out at her sisters as she passed them. 

"Ugh, sorry," Cecilia grumbled once they were alone. "They're annoying, but they'll drop it...I just told them it's weird since you know Caitlin." She waved a dismissive hand and rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about it," Brady replied, shrugging. "Tell them whatever you need to... I'll go along with it." He paused for a moment to consider something and then said, "Actually, clear up that whole thing about me not being any good..." He laughed. Brady grabbed himself a glass from the cabinet and poured a bit of wine into it. He'd just taken a sip when Cecilia spoke again.

"Should we have sex?" She asked, her lips pursed in thought. Brady choked on the sip he'd just taken and coughed, looking at her with wide eyes. Cecilia reached over and patted his back until he could breathe properly again.

"Are you serious?" Brady's tone sounded more shocked than she thought it would. 

"I mean, yeah," Cecilia shrugged. "We're married... we're friends... people have sex all the time without it being a bigger deal than it needs to be... everyone already thinks we are so, why aren't we?" 

"I..." Brady started but stopped and laughed again, running his hand down his face. "I don't know... I don't think I'm fully prepared to have this conversation."

"You're right," Cecilia slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead. "You've been working all day, you're probably exhausted..." She looked closely at him and frowned at how tired he looked. "I didn't mean we should have sex tonight, I'm absolutely unprepared for that... but we should talk about it maybe." 

"Yeah, sure," Brady agreed, offering her a tired smile. "We can talk about it..." He nodded towards the living room. "When we don't have a house full of nosy women." 

"Agreed." Cecilia stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Brady's cheek before starting towards the living room again. Before she got too far away, though, she paused and looked back at him. "You do want to have sex with me, though, right? Like you're attracted enough to me to not have to force it? Don't let me talk you into something you don't actually want to do..."

"Jesus Christ, Cecilia," Brady groaned in a teasing way and rolled his head back on his shoulders. 

"It's a valid question!" She defended, swatting playfully at him. 

"If we have sex, it will be because we both want to, okay?" Brady said. 

"That's not really an answer..." Cecilia mused, pursing her lips. "About whether or not you're attracted to me..." 

"You fucking better be," Caitlin shouted, coming around the corner at the tail end of Cecilia's last sentence. "I'll kick your ass, kid, don't think I won't."

"My wife is the most attractive woman on the planet," Brady bellowed, playing into the role of a devoted husband. But he still looked right at Cecilia when he said, "I am insanely attracted to her." 

"Good!" Caitlin clapped her hands before grabbing the bottle of wine she'd come into the kitchen for. She grabbed Cecilia's arm on her way out and pulled her back towards the gossip. Cecilia caught Brady's eye as she was pulled away and blew him a kiss and called out a promise to keep it down so he could unwind and go to sleep if he wanted. 

Cecilia might not be able to tell her sisters much about her sex life tonight, but maybe the next time they all hung out, she'd have a lot more to say on the matter. 

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grocery store run-ins

One of Rosie's favorite things to do each week was taking Caitlin to the grocery store. At two and a half years old, the grocery store was Caitlin's favorite place in the world. She couldn't tell time yet, but she knew when it was grocery store day, and she'd learned to ask her dad if he needed anything from the store before he left for work. Rosie loved sharing Caitlin's excitement and she tried to make their weekly trips as fun as possible. 

"Do we want elbows," Rosie asked, holding up a box of pasta with one hand and tickling Caitlin's elbow with the other. "Or do we want bowties?" 

"Bowties!" Caitlin exclaimed, grabbing the second box Rosie held up and tossing it behind her into the cart. 

"Can you say farfalle?" Rosie said it slowly so Caitlin could try and mimic her. 

"Fafafa..." Caitlin sang instead, throwing her arms up. Rosie laughed and leaned in to kiss her toddler's head as she pushed the cart down the aisle. When they rounded the corner to go down the next row of food, they nearly collided with someone. 

"Oh, no," Rosie exclaimed, pulling the cart back and offering an apologetic smile to whoever she'd run into. "I'm so sor..." The words died on her tongue when she saw who'd she run into. Rosie didn't have a rude bone in her body, so even though she wanted to run the man in front of her down, she offered another smile and tried to move around him as if she didn't know who he was.

Rosie knew who this man was, though, of course, because she'd lost nearly three years of her life to him. Almost six years had passed since she'd seen him, but she'd never forget Michael Garrett's face. And even though he was smiling now and acting surprised, she knew he'd probably put himself in her path. 

"You're not even going to say hello?" Michael said as Rosie moved around him. She didn't turn around to look at him, and she tried to put her body between Michael and Caitlin's eyesight. But she could feel him behind her, and before she knew it Michael was in front of her cart again and stopping it with his hands. "Rosie, don't be rude..." He was still smiling charmingly. 

"Hello," Rosie greeted around the lump in her throat. Caitlin swiveled around to see who she was talking to, and when she looked back at her, Rosie could see the confusion in her daughter's eyes. She didn't know this man, but he looked like someone she should know. 

"And who is this?" Michael asked, moving closer to them and waving his fingers when Caitlin looked at him again. "I'm Michael, what's your name?" He put his hand out for Caitlin, and when she didn't take it (because she was two and a half years old and didn't know what a handshake was), Michael grabbed her arm and clamped his hand around hers. 

"Don't touch her, Michael," Rosie gasped, pulling Caitlin's arm from his grasp and shoving him away. He was still smiling at them, and if anyone knew him as well as Rosie, they'd see that it was a sinister smile.

"Why not?" Michael taunted. "I'm her uncle, aren't I?" Rosie blanched, and he took that as a confirmation. Michael's eyes darkened. She figured he'd had his suspicions, but Morgan's family had cut him off completely years ago. Michael had been blocked on every form of social media, and he'd left town years ago. There was no way he'd know that Rosie and Morgan were together unless he'd been keeping tabs on them. Maybe he hadn't, but he knew now and he was angry. 

"I have to go," Rosie stammered, pushing the cart forcefully past him and hurrying down the aisle. Caitlin blinked up at her, and she tried to smile at her daughter. "It's okay, angel, mommy's okay." Rosie took one final look over her shoulder to make sure Michael wasn't following them before she made a beeline for the front of the store. 

"Oh, hi, Rosie," One of the store workers greeted when she saw Rosie hurrying towards her. 

"Hi, Rhonda," Rosie said. "I'm so sorry to do this, but there's been an emergency, and I've got to go..." She looked towards the cart half full of groceries as she picked Caitlin up out of the child's seat. 

"Is everything okay?" Rhonda asked, moving the cart aside and frowning at Rosie. "Is Miss Caitlin feeling okay?" 

"My husband called," Rosie explained vaguely. "We may be back later... we just..." In her peripherals, she saw Michael round the corner and she clutched Caitlin tighter. "I'm sorry..." She said to Rhonda before turning away and practically running out the door. She didn't care if Michael wasn't planning on doing anything, Rosie didn't want to take that chance when she had Caitlin with her. 

"No..." Caitlin whined, wiggling around in Rosie's arms. "We not done yet..." Her favorite part about the grocery store was the checkout line, and she wasn't going to be happy that they'd left without going through it. 

"We'll come back later with daddy," Rosie promised. She fished her keys out of her bag with one hand and let Caitlin press the button to unlock the doors to try and distract her from being upset. When Caitlin was buckled into her car seat, Rosie rushed around to her side of the car and when she took another glance around she found Michael staring at her from a few cars down. 

Rosie tried not to be reckless as she pulled out onto the road but her heart was pounding so hard she couldn't hear anything else, and she didn't know what to do. She decided that she'd go to the hospital instead of home so that Michael couldn't find out where she and Morgan lived. Maybe she was being paranoid, but Rosie didn't care. 

When they were a few miles away from the store, Rosie slowed to a stop at a light and reached for her phone to call Morgan. He was working, and it was likely that he wouldn't answer, but just in case... You've reached Dr. Garrett, I can't come to the phone right now, but please... 

"Damn it..." Rosie murmured, pressing the end button. She glanced up to make sure the light was still red and then behind her to make sure Caitlin was okay, and then she settled slightly. Everything was okay. They were okay. Rosie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking out her window while she did. And there he was. 

She didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her, or if it was actually Michael in the car next to her, but Rosie let out a shriek, and before she could stop herself her foot moved from the break to the gas petal and her car peeled out into the intersection. And because the light had still been red... another car collided with hers. The other car had only clipped the front bumper of Rosie's, but it was enough to push her car off to the side of the road (which, she supposed, was a small silver lining). 

"Caitlin!" Rosie scrambled out of her car, ignoring her car and the other driver and everything else around her because Caitlin was crying, and that was all that mattered. "It's okay, baby, you're okay," She soothed, unbuckling her daughter and pulling her into her arms. It seemed like Caitlin was just scared and not actually hurt. 

"Are you okay?" The man from the other car asked, rushing over to them. 

"I'm so sorry," Rosie cried, turning around and looking all over for Michael. "Someone was following us and... and I looked over... and he was right there, and I just... I'm so sorry..." 

"Hey, hey," The man soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, everything is okay..." She was glad someone nice had been in the other car and not some raging asshole. 

Rosie kept looking around for Michael to pop up again as she exchanged information with the other driver and apologized another fifty times. They were both lucky that there wasn't much damage to either of their cars and that they could both still drive them. Another stroke of luck came from Morgan calling just as Rosie got back behind the wheel. She explained the whole situation to him, trying not to cry so hard that he couldn't understand her, and then told him where they were. 

"There's a McDonald's," Rosie told him when Morgan asked if there was somewhere they could go inside and wait. She looked back at Caitlin and asked, "Do you want some fries, Caity?" The toddler nodded, still sniffling, and Morgan said he'd meet them there soon. 

Rosie drove slowly towards the McDonald's and parked in the closest spot to the door. She checked her face in the mirror and wiped away all the tear stains before turning the car off and putting on a smile for her daughter. "Let's get something yummy for your tummy," Rosie said, bouncing Caitlin on her hip as she went towards the door. 

"Frentch friiiiies..." Caitlin sang, waving her arms in the air. So, Rosie ordered them some fries to share and Caitlin's favorite M&M McFlurry and found them a booth to wait in for Morgan. She kept an eye for Michael, too, just in case he was lurking somewhere close by. Luckily for Rosie, Morgan showed up first, and she'd never been more relieved to see him in her life. 

"Is that my Caity bug?" Morgan greeted, scooping Caitlin up into his arms. His tone was happy and excited, but Rosie knew him well enough by now to see the panic in his eyes. Everything would be okay now that he was here, though, and hopefully, they'd never have to see Michael ever again. Even so, Rosie would be finding a new grocery store to take Caitlin too just in case.

[lunarcharacters]

dr. dad

Caitlin was almost never alone. If she wasn't with her girlfriend, then she was with her band, and if she wasn't with her band, she was with her friends, and if she wasn't with her friends, she was with her family. The only time she was ever alone, she was sleeping or in the bathroom, and even then, there was always someone close by. Caitlin was a social creature who loved her people, she didn't want to be alone with her own thoughts somewhere if she didn't have to! On the rare occasion that Caitlin did find herself alone, she was probably trying to get someone on the phone. 

"Boo, you whore," Caitlin said into her cell phone when Cecilia didn't answer. She grumbled incoherently, looking down at her phone as she walked down the street from the bar she'd just left. Usually, she wouldn't be out alone, but tonight was one of those nights when everyone had somewhere else to be. Caitlin had come out to one of her usual hangout spots to see if there was anyone she knew around, but all she found was a bunch of drunk men who didn't know how to take no for an answer. She'd politely declined their offer to buy her a drink and ignored their compliments, but they hadn't taken a hint until she shouted at them that she was taken and not interested. After only two beers, Caitlin had called it a night. 

The bar she frequented was down a blocked-off street so in order to get a car back to her apartment, Caitlin had to walk down the street where one could actually pick her up. She'd done it a million times, so it wasn't that big of a deal. But tonight was the first night she was walking alone. 

"Hey girly," Someone called out when she was halfway down the block. Caitlin glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes when she saw the three dudes she'd yelled at earlier. God, men were the worst people alive. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" The same guy shouted, and his friends laughed like he'd told the funniest joke in the world.

"I'm ignoring you!" Caitlin called out in a singsong tone. 

"Come on," He laughed. "Don't be like that… we're just trying to get to know you!" 

"If I recall correctly," Caitlin turned towards them so that she was walking backward. "I told you that I was taken, yes? And also not interested." 

"Oh come on," The guy tried to pick up his pace but tripped over his feet. His friends grabbed him before he could hit the ground, and they all started laughing again. They were drunk off their asses, and Caitlin didn't want to be anywhere near them. "I bet I could take your boyfriend… where's he at?" 

One issue that Caitlin had was not knowing when to shut up. This would've been the perfect opportunity to disengage and pick up her pace or maybe duck into one of the other pubs or restaurants lining the street. But she'd never really known when to keep her mouth shut, even when she'd assessed that a situation was potentially dangerous. 

"My girlfriend," Caitlin corrected. “Is waiting for me at home... so fuck off!" That wasn't true, but they didn't need to know that Hannah was out with her sisters. 

"You're a fucking dyke?" The guy's tone wasn't teasing anymore, he sounded pissed off. "Is that because you haven't been with a real man?" Caitlin was choosing not to engage further, but the next thing she knew, she could feel the presence of the man closer to her than he had been. Startled, she whipped around and bumped right into the man. His arms went around her, and she shouted in disgust. Caitlin had never been happier not being much of a dress girl. The jumpsuit she'd come out in had a zipper down the front, so she could fight like hell if anyone tried to get her out of it. 

"Bet I could change your mind," He breathed into her face in what he probably thought was a sexy voice. Caitlin could smell the liquor on his breath, and she'd never been as repulsed by someone as she was right now. 

"Get your fucking hands off of me," Caitlin yelled in his face, pushing against his chest with all her strength. The guy stumbled back, and his friends pushed him back toward her. He swung his arm and knocked Caitlin's phone out of her hand and into the street. Angrily, she pointed a finger at him and said, "You're the reason I hate men!" Before attempting to retrieve her phone. 

But before she could even take a step, the drunk guy's arm was swinging again, and this time he backhanded Caitlin across the face. She screamed out in pain as she fell to the ground. With her hand on her cheek, she looked up at the three men who were now towering over her and then up and down the street. How was this block this deserted? 

"If I wasn't gay before," Caitlin grumbled, mostly to herself, as she pulled herself off the ground. "I definitely am now." At this point, she knew she just needed to get the hell out of there. The fight wasn't worth it when she knew she couldn't physically win. So, she tried to move around them to get her phone. Maybe she would've been successful, too, if she hadn't looked the leader of the pack dead in the eye and raised her chin. Caitlin's cheek was on fire, but she wasn't about to let this asshole see her cry. That decision, she quickly realized, was a mistake. 

Before she could even process what was happening, the guy had backhanded her a second time, and Caitlin was on the ground again. When she tried to stand up, one of the other guys kicked her in the stomach and knocked the wind out of her. She didn't know that one of her favorite bars had a homophobic night, but clearly, tonight was that night, and she hadn't gotten the message. 

Caitlin was only vaguely aware of who was kicking her where and what they were shouting at her while they did so. In her peripherals, she saw what looked like the flashlight on an iPhone pointed in her direction. And right before she got kicked in the head again, she heard one of the guys laugh about "kicking the gay" out of her. Caitlin wished that they were just robbing her or something because then they could take her purse and get on with their nights, but no, this was a hate attack. She didn't want them, so they would teach her a lesson. As if beating the shit out of her would make Caitlin want them more. 

"Oh fuck," One of them shouted. "Let's go!" Caitlin's ears were ringing from the pain she was in, but she heard their retreating footsteps as they ran away.

"Oh my god," Someone else was shouting. Caitlin could open her eyes enough to see a blurry figure running towards her. "Oh my god, it's okay, you're okay…" The person said to her in what they probably thought was a soothing voice. "Hi, yeah, a woman's been beat up. She's hurt and needs an ambulance… uh at… Court and 90th… no, I'm just an Uber driver…" Caitlin tuned out, the throbbing in her head making it hard to concentrate on anything else. Or, rather, Caitlin blacked out. 

"My phone!" Was the first thing Caitlin said when she came to. She tried to open her eyes, but it felt like they were glued shut. 

"We got it, honey," A kind voice said from somewhere over here. "We called your emergency contact… your dad, I think. He told us where to take you and he's gonna meet us there, okay?" 

"Dr. Dad…" Caitlin mumbled. If the paramedic (she assumed, anyway) said anything else, she didn't hear her because, after a few more seconds of unbearable pain, Caitlin passed out once more.