Empty Space II

                                    

                                          
Siyabonga
Siya's POV
                          
It's been three months since I came back from Australia and physically my health is at its best.  I can now walk on my own , my injuries have healed very well. My visits to the physiotherapist have decreased gradually, I now have to go once in three weeks.
                          
My physical health progress has been relatively fast. With my family progress has been gradual. They were all very hostile at first , mom made sure to  show me how angry she was. When I first went to visit them she threw everything she could get her hands on at me , yelling and crying. Dad didn't say much but I could see the disappointment and hurt in his eyes as he tried to contain mom's anger . Thabile's family was no better particularly her older brother but I took the brunt of their anger but as time went by they let go of all their hostility all but Sphesihle. He made it a point to express how my presence was unappreciated. He barely said a word to me and he was angry at his mom for quite a while but he must have gotten over it. The only person I saw him happiest was when he was with his sister. 
                          
Khanya is the only one who's never harbored any hard feelings towards me but I guess it comes with the beautiful innocence of being a child. She loves everyone she meets fiercely. I love it when she crawls onto my lap, places her chubby hands on either side of my face and turns my head away from whatever I'd have my attention on at the time to her and places a kiss on my nose earning herself raspberries all over her tummy which would fill the room with her squeals of laughter. I'd sometimes catch Sphesihle looking over at us in longing and sadness but whenever I call him over his face contorts to a look of utter rage before he walks out of the room.
                          
Thabile still won't tell me what happened that led to my fleeing to Australia but I've gathered enough to know that firstly I left , I'd been living in Australia for the past 2 years but I still don't know the details and Thabile is not very forthcoming with answers and she although not hostile like Sihle makes sure to hold me at an arms length. This made my heart twist in an ache but I knew I had to be patient with both of them. I wanted to rectify whatever was amiss among us. I had seemingly torn my Family apart and I want to mend it back up. 
                          
Today I woke up to loud wailing and I knew it belonged to Khanya. I heard Thabile trying to soothe her as well as talk to someone over the phone when I walked down the hall to Khanya's room to see what was going on. I walked in and Khanya broke out into a hacking cough. I walked over to them and took Khanya into my arms and she calmed down considerably. "Okay, thank you. I'll see if mom can watch her. I really can't miss work anymore than I have." She said ending the call. 
                          
There goes that ache clawing at my heart again. Did she not trust me to care for our child? "I can watch her. I don't mind." I spoke up hesitantly causing her to look up from scrolling on her cell and the frown lines reasonably eased. " Really?! Thank you so much ." She spoke rushing past me , probably missing the shattered look on my face. I'm here, she can rely on me. I don't want her to seek help elsewhere before asking me and the disbelief in her tone that really hurt. I heard whimpering and I looked down at the sweaty and drowsy Khanya in my arms. I took her to the kitchen and tried placing her on the countertop to take out the flu medicine in the cabinet but she wouldn't budge so I held her to my hip and took the container that had all the medicine and a teaspoon from the drawer and took out the cough medicine and got her to drink it. I took off her onsie and left her in her nappy as she was so sweaty and cradled her on my chest as I made my way back to her room. By the time I got there she was asleep. I placed her on her crib and watched he as she slept. Soon afterwards I heard another scream. I rushed out to Thabile's room and into the bathroom where I found her trying to stop the leaking of water from under the sink.