113My prereaders and my superbeta, kjwrit, assured me that this chapter was in desperate need of a tissue warning… so here it is.
-The National Hormone Institute has issued a *Severe Tissue Warning* for this chapter. Please seek the nearest box of tissues, a pint of your favorite Ben & Jerry's and a super large spoon before reading this chapter.
-o0o-
Chapter 6 (Lullaby- One Republic):
"Seth, remember that you're riding home with JR today and that you need to be ready to go straight to the hospital when I pick you up. Grampa was disappointed we didn't get to spend very much time with him last night," I yell up the stairs to my scatterbrain of a son.
"I already told you Mom, that wasn't my fault!" he yells back irritably.
"Seth Michael Swan, what did I tell you about using that tone with me? Besides, I don't think it was Mr. Whitlock who waited until 4:30 on a Sunday afternoon to tell his mother that he had a map project due the next morning, was it?"
"I'm sorry mom, jeez, I already said that I forgot. But at least I got it done, right?" he calls sullenly over the railing as he makes his way down to the kitchen for breakfast.
"You know, I really hate this attitude you've got lately," I say as I watch him slam a cereal bowl down on the counter, knowing his anger is over Dad having to stay in the hospital because it could be seen in everything he's done for the last three days.
Three days, is that all it's been? Three days since Dad collapsed and needed to be rushed to Forks General; three days since they told us that his liver and kidneys were working at less than a 10 percent capacity and even that low percentage wasn't going to last more than a week at most. Only three days since we had been told that there was no way Charlie would be home with us for Christmas- which was less than a week away now- and three days since I had to first face the possibility that he wouldn't ever be coming home again. It's only been three days since they told me that my father was most likely going to die this week, and three days since I came to the realization that they were probably right. And for the past three nights, after making sure that Seth was sound asleep, I've cried, grieving over my father's life being cut short so unfairly and in such a horrible way.
Ever since Thanksgiving we've watched my father's already tenuous hold on life slipping farther away. First came the feeding tubes when he could no longer keep anything down, then the IV fluids that meant that he had to stay in bed most of the time. His skin had begun to take on a greyish hue and was literally hanging off of his bones now, the cancer seemingly eating him alive from the inside out. Then we had to resort to using catheters and bed pans, his lack of mobility gave him bed sores and all while we were forced to watch his skin slowly turn a subtle shade of yellowish grey that indicated his major organs were slowly losing function. The doctors offered to treat him with dialysis to help flush the uric acid from his system, but Dad said no to any more needles.
I had taken a few weeks off work, an easy thing to do when everybody in town knew about Charlie being so close to the end, and was spending every minute with him that I could. Earlier Friday morning we had watched some ball game that he had DVR'd and he was resting when I left to pick Seth up from school that afternoon, but when we got home I heard his feeble screams of pain before we even made it all the way in the house.
Seth got to the room before I did and for a few seconds I thought my son was going to lose it. His panic was written all over his face though he couldn't move from the doorway. I pushed past him and fell to my knees beside my father. I was scared to lift him, with just a glance I could tell that one of his legs was bent at a very wrong angle, and I wasn't sure what other damage his fall from the bed may have caused internally, so I yelled for Seth to call 911 and have them send an ambulance and then to call Jake and have him meet us at the hospital.
I know that it took less than ten minutes for the ambulance to arrive, but as I held my father's frail hand it seemed to take forever. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew he would not be coming home again and that alone made me tell him that he was going to be alright, but the look of pity he gave me broke my heart and it took everything in me not to break down then and there.
When we got to the hospital they set his broken femur, ran a shit load of tests and gave Dad enough pain medication to knock a raging rhino out for days. Then Dr. Wallace pulled me to the side and told me that we needed to spend as much time as we could saying our goodbyes this week. Hearing him confirm what I knew to be true but didn't want to accept, I wanted to hate this man; I wanted to have someone to blame for all of this, but also I knew that it wouldn't do me any good. The truth was finally shaking our hands and death was walking up the driveway.
Today is Seth's last day at school before the winter holiday starts, and though he begged me to let him stay with Charlie and I at the hospital, I know that he needs a dose of normality to help him through this week. I also need a chance to talk with Charlie, in essence, to say my own private goodbyes to the man who raised me and loved me like no one else ever will. It is with a heavy heart that I pull into the school drop off lane and wish my son a good day, not knowing if today will be the day that he doesn't get the chance to say his own goodbyes. He tries one more time to get me to let him come with me before angrily slamming the car door upon my refusal and stomping into the building, but I let him go anyway and sigh as I gently press the accelerator down and make my way to the hospital.
I step into Charlie's room and have to do a double take because the man I see in front of me can't be my father. He didn't have this many tubes and machines around him last night and his eyes are sunken and dull. His lips are severely chapped - to the point of cracking- and his skin looks like aged tissue paper, both of his arms resting on the bed and each of them containing an IV site. There are more IV bags hanging on the poles this morning as well, the timed clicks of the dispensing machines counting off the drips like demented and schizophrenic metronomes, and adding to the cacophony is the erratic beeping of the heart monitor and the low bleating of the pulse/oxygen monitor. Then add in the gentle whirring of the oxygen mask and the noise is deafening and no amount of the sterile hospital smell, most often associated with any ward in any hospital in the world, is enough to cover the stench of Charlie's impending death that is literally hanging in his room.
Charlie's eyes track my movement as I walk to his bedside and as I lift his hand, I am struck by the frailty I never expected to feel in my father. He has always been the one to hold me up, to carry me when I needed him to, and yet, here in this room, he is the one who needs my strength. I feel the tears spill over my cheeks and drip off my chin as I hold his hand for a minute longer and the fear and resignation in his eyes only causing them to spill faster. I slowly lower myself to my knees on the floor beside him and I lay my forehead on our still entwined hands and sob, hearing my father do the same, and lift my mouth to kiss his hand.
"Daddy, I don't know what to do for you. I don't want you to go. I don't want to have to raise Seth by myself. We need you Daddy," I sob.
"Baby girl, look at me. I know how strong you are and I know that you will be alright. I can promise you that I won't leave you alone either, I'll always be watching over you; only my body will be gone. I wish this wasn't true. God, I wish I had never gotten sick, but there's nothing we can do to change that," his voice breaks on the last word, forcing him to stop speaking for a minute. "But Baby Girl, you are strong, and I have always been sure that you and Seth would be fine, with or without my help. He's a good kid Bella, you've seen to that. Edward was an ass for giving the two of you up, and one day he'll know exactly what he lost. When your mom left and took you with her that was the hardest day of my life. I fought tooth and nail to get you back, and every ounce of strength it took was worth it in the end. I wouldn't change a minute of the time that I've spent loving you and that boy of yours."
"Oh Daddy, I love you, so much." The tears are coming faster now, his words spurring them on. My heart is clenching in my chest as he weakly reaches out to attempt to pull me to his side, so I gently lift a few of the wires and tubes laying on the bed and climb up beside him, snuggling into his side as tightly as I dare. Lying like this reminds me of the nights when, as a young child, I would crawl into his bed after watching something scary, his arms tightening around me and protecting me from all of my nightmarish dream monsters and I realize in this moment that it will never happen again, me seeking the comfort and safety his arms have always provided and my chest tightens once more.
"I have always been proud to be your father Bella, but never more so than when I watch you with Seth. You are an amazing mother and he is one amazing kid. I know that you two will be fine after I'm gone, though I have a feeling that you won't be alone too long," he whispers into my hair.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask him quietly, raising my head to look up at his face.
"I've seen the way Emmett watches you two, like you're his whole world. That man is in love with you and I want you to know that I like him." Getting that word approval from my father gives me the strength to voice something I have been scared to admit even to myself before today.
"I think he's The One Dad, I really do, and I think I might even be in love with him already. The couple of dates we've been on since Thanksgiving have been wonderful, and the way he treats Seth, I just… " I say, not quite sure how to end that sentence without becoming an emotional mess again.
"For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure he is too Baby Girl. I believe that he will be what you need when you're ready, just don't make the man wait too long. You'll need someone to help you through everything after I'm gone, and Seth'll need a man to show him that it's alright to cry sometimes and not bottle everything up like you tend to do." I can't help but giggle just a bit as Charlie says this to me, knowing that it's nothing but the truth. I do tend to bottle everything up, just like Charlie, and Seth has definitely inherited that trait from the two of us.
We lay like this for several hours, nothing more than a daddy and his baby girl, both of us taking comfort in the other's presence while we can. Nurses and doctors come and go throughout the day, but no one says anything about it. Just as I am thinking about getting up to go pick up Seth Charlie's arms tighten and I look up into his face to see nothing but a strain that wasn't there moments before. Before I can worry about the look on his face the heart monitor starts trilling out an alarm. I can see the blip on the screen that represents his heartbeat jumping all over the place and I can hear a nurse in the hallway page Charlie's doctor before she hurries to his room. I roll to my feet and stand beside his bed, still holding his hand and squeezing it as softly as I can in this situation, the tears streaming down my face. I'm not ready to say goodbye for real just yet.
"Get Seth," my dad whispers through teeth clenched in pain, "I need to tell him I love him."
I can only nod in agreement, the lump in my chest preventing me from speaking, before I'm eased to the side by a nurse who immediately takes my place. There is only so much they can do for Charlie with a DNR in place, and I watch as she injects his IV line with an extra dose of pain medication. She holds his wrist for a minute, counting his heartbeats while watching the monitor and I can see the second it hits his system because the line on the monitor stops jumping and his face loses most of the pained expression it held only seconds ago. His eyes though, they still plead with me to hurry and bring my son to him.
I blindly dial Rose's number, and somehow beg her to bring Seth to the hospital right away, though I don't remember any of the words I spoke. It seems like days pass before I see Jake walking my son towards me; though in reality it's been less than twenty minutes since I made the call. Jake silently ushers Seth to my side where I reach down and hug him for all I'm worth, only releasing him when he grunts out something about not being able to breathe. I turn him towards my father's room and tell him that his Grampa wants to talk to him and watch him walk in with a heavy heart, knowing that they need a few minutes alone to say their goodbyes, but still wanting to shelter my son from the impending pain of loss at the same time. Jake doesn't say a word and merely grabs my shoulders, folding his arms around me, and sways us back and forth as I start to cry once more.
"Jake, can Seth stay with you tonight? I want to stay here with Dad, I don't think he's gonna make it through the night and I really don't want Seth to be here when it happens. Hell Jake, I don't wanna be here when it happens, but I really don't want him to be alone either," I rasp into my best friend's chest.
"Don't worry about a thing Belly, we'll take care of him; you take care of your dad. We'll be ready when you call, and we'll do whatever you need us to. You know that Rosie and me have no problems keeping Seth for as long as you need us to," he whispers into my hair and hugs me tighter to his chest before releasing me. I attempt to smile up at him, though I'm sure it looks more like a grimace, and tell him that I appreciate it.
Just as I turn to walk to Charlie's door I notice hurried movement down the hallway and look to see what is happening. I can't help the catch in my breath as I see Emmett practically pushing people out of his way as he walks towards me and much like with Jake had done moments earlier, he wraps his arms around me and lifts me into his embrace. He holds me there for a few minutes, his large hands running soothingly up and down my back and his lips brushing across my hair as he murmurs words of strength and support to me. His mere presence alone calms me enough for me to turn my face up to his and the look in his eyes surprises me. They hold unshed tears of pain and concern, barely contained by his lids, so I slowly lift my hand and timidly run the tip of my thumb under one releasing some of the moisture.
"Oh God Bella, I'm so sorry Baby," he says, his voice hoarse with the strain of holding his emotions back. "Tell me what to do, tell me what you need me to do Baby."
"Just hold me Em, that's all I need right now." I answer him in a whisper, not trusting my voice to hold out right now.
"I can do that," he says and wraps me in his arms once more.
Jake clears his throat beside us, effectively reminding us of his presence and I turn my face to look at him in acknowledgement. "Um, I think I'm gonna go to the cafeteria and grab a snack while I wait for Seth to be ready. I've got my cell, so text me when you need me," he says.
"Thanks Jake, I don't know what I'd do without your help right now. I'll let you know when he's ready," I tell him and try to untangle myself from Emmett's arms. "Let me go check on them now and make sure they're doing alright."
Emmett reaches for my hand, pulling me back to his side and says, "I'm going to head down with Jake, but I'm not leaving you, not tonight. When you text him that Seth is ready to go, I'll be with you so you're not alone with all of this."
"You don't have to Em," I start to say, but he cuts me off mid-sentence.
"I know I don't have to Bella, I want to. I want to be here for you, for your family. I've made it perfectly clear what my intentions are and I intend to help you get through this," he smiles sadly down at me as he says this, but I can see the determination shining in his eyes, "I told you Swan, you and Seth are stuck with me now. Your pain is my pain, and if I can help lessen it in any way, I want to be here to do it."
"Alright Em, thank you," I grip his hand once more as tightly as I can, pulling what strength I can from him before letting him go and turn towards Charlie's room while I ready myself for whatever I will find there.
"I will Grampa, I promise." I hear my son say as I walk into the room, his voice choked with unshed tears. My heart swells with pride as I watch my son and my father, both stubbornly refusing to cry in front of the other, neither one of them proving anything but how deeply they love one another.
"Alright boy, I love you, don't forget," my dad tells him gruffly with the hand holding my son's shaking just enough that I can see it.
"I love you too Grampa. I won't ever forget you," my son chokes out, this time unable to stop the tears from running down his face.
"Now-now, don't cry about this son, I'm not. I told you, this has to happen. I'm in too much pain to hang around here in this body anymore, but I'll never be more than a word away. You can talk to me anytime you need to and I'll always find a way to answer you. This is not goodbye, remember? This is 'I'll talk to you later' or 'I'll see you around'," my father explains patiently to my son in a broken voice, all the while gripping his hand as tightly as he is able.
I quickly text Jake, letting him know that Seth is almost ready to go. I lower myself into the chair beside Charlie's bed and reach for Seth's free hand, gripping it to show him that I'm here for him if he needs me. Several more minutes like this pass by with the three remaining Swans silently holding hands while I watch my son come to terms with the fact that this will be the last memory he'll have of his grandfather. My heart breaks at the thought that my father won't get to see Seth grow into a man; he won't be there for his graduation or get to take him out and share in his first legal drink, and I curse the cancer once more in that moment for taking all of these things from my son and for taking my daddy away from me, though I know that no amount of cursing will help.
A tap at the door alerts me to Jake and Emmett's presence and the three of us look up at them as they enter the room. Charlie nods his head, and releases Seth's hand from his, raising and offering it to Jake's in greeting and while the words are jovial, the atmosphere in the room is nothing but melancholy. Jake steps back and Emmett steps forward to greet Charlie himself, but just as Jake and I start to herd Seth towards the door, Charlie asks if I'll give him a moment to speak privately with Emmett. I can't say that I'm surprised after the conversation he and I had earlier, and while I can guess at what they're going to talk about, it's clear to me that Charlie's request has taken Emmett by surprise.
I nod and Seth leans over the bed to hug his grandfather one last time, both of them holding each other as long as they can, before Seth turns with a heart-wrenching sob and runs out of the room while Jake and I follow him out and close the door behind us.
"I'll call you as soon as anything happens. Thanks again Jake, I couldn't do this without yours and Rose's help. I hope you know how much it means to me that you two are there for us," I say haltingly, hugging him as tightly as I can.
"Always Belly, you should know that by now. That man lying in that bed in there is part of my family too, just like my dad is for you, and I'd do anything for him. You guys too," he explains, giving me one last hug and turning to usher Seth to the elevator. I watch Jake and Seth for a minute, Seth's shoulders sagging under the weight of Charlie's disease and Jake resting his large hand on one of those shoulders in a show of silent support. The elevator doors ding as they open and Seth and Jake step inside, but before the doors close completely Seth looks up and catches me watching. He raises one hand to offer a meek wave before wiping his eyes once more and my breath hitches at the tortured look in his eyes making me wish, not for the first time, that nothing sad will ever again touch his life in the way that this has.
I turn and make my way back down the hall to Charlie's room but I can't find the strength to open the door, not when I know what is awaiting me inside. Nothing but death and despair, nothing I want to face right now, but I have to for my father's sake because I will not let him go alone. I need to be there for him, to fight for his peace and he needs to know that he is loved beyond reason as he leaves this world, while I need nothing more than to hold my daddy's hand one last time.
I'm lost in my own head and look up when I hear the click of the door opening. I didn't even hear the nurse as she walked right up to me and the surprise of seeing her standing next to me with her hand on the doorknob pulls a startled gasp from my lungs. She looks at me with such a pitying gaze before reaching over to softly pat my shoulder. "I wouldn't think it'll be too much longer now, not past morning anyhow. We're all assuming that you'll want to be staying in there with him tonight, is that correct?" she asks and at my nod she continues, "Alrighty then, I'll have maintenance bring up a cot for you, though I don't think you'll be getting much sleep. But, either way, it'll be there for you."
"Thank you…" I look at her badge to read her name, "Angela, to all of you, for making this as pain-free as you have. I don't think there's any words to let you know how much it means to me to know that he's not in too much pain right now. I just know that I couldn't do this alone, so thank you," I tell her, resting my hand on top of hers before releasing it.
"Oh sweetie, it's the least we can do for the Chief. Last year I had a Peeping Tom issue and Chief Swan came out himself and caught the guy the next night. Without him, I'm pretty sure there's no way I'd have ever gotten another decent night's sleep ever again. And I'm not the only one with a 'Chief Swan' story around here. Everyone in this hospital, heck; in this town, knows and cares for the Chief, and you should see the other girls fight over who gets assigned to him at shift change. Every one of us wants to help him in any way we can. Now, let's get in there and check on him, shall we?" I notice that her eyes are a bit damp as she pauses and wipes at the moisture before turning to open the door, but that one little show of emotion is enough to make me feel less alone and I find myself even more grateful.
Emmett is in the chair beside my father and it shakes me just a bit to see him grasping my dad's hand in his. My dad's eyes are closed, but the look of peacefulness on his face is oddly painful to me and I immediately feel guilty that I don't want to see it yet. Angela walks up to his free side and checks his stats, recording them on the handheld device they all seem to be carrying around nowadays, and then checks his IV fluid bags, adjusting something on one of the dispensing pumps, and pushes a button on his heart monitor.
It isn't until she does that that I notice how slowly his pulse is dancing across the screen, and now that I've watched it for days I know there's nothing normal about it anymore. I watch as the number next to the jumping line gradually gets lower and look back to my father's face and see that his eyes are now watching me, but when he smiles at me, I lose the tenuous grip I have on my tears. Emmett stands and puts his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side as I reach down for Dad's hand and as his hand slips into mine Dad turns to her and asks, "Not too much longer, is it Angela? Remember, I have a DNR. I don't wanna fight it; please don't make me."
"No Chief, not too much longer. Don't worry; we won't be in here tonight for anything other than increasing your pain meds if you need us to. Dr. Wallace has given a standing order that you get anything you want now, including peace and quiet," she replies with a soft smile and leans over patting his shoulder gently before looking back up at me.
She nods her head towards the door to indicate that she'd like to speak privately for a moment and I follow her to the hallway right outside the door. "I turned off the alarms on the Pulse/Ox and heart monitors. I can still see them out at the desk but I won't come in if they go off unless you call us. If you need anything you push the call button and I'll be right in. It shouldn't be too painful for him, he'll probably go to sleep and pass away. If he looks like he's in pain, we'll sedate him, but I don't think it'll come to that. After his heart stops Dr. Wallace will come in to pronounce him. The Chief mentioned that he already had his affairs in order, so you might want to give his lawyer a heads up that it'll most likely happen tonight. Other than that sweetie, I'm glad you're not gonna be alone tonight; it's not gonna be easy for you to watch."
"Alright, thank you again, for all of this," I choke out the words while trying to keep myself together for a little while longer. I mean really, how do you thank someone for letting your father die on his own terms? When I step back into the room and walk to Emmett's side I see he's holding my father's hand once again and I wish for a miracle that I know won't be taking place. Emmett pulls me down to sit on his lap, cradling me against his chest, and places my dad's cool hand in my much warmer one while time passes both slowly and much too quickly. I know there's nothing more we can do but watch the hands on the clock rush around to greet each new hour as the numbers on the monitor that record each heartbeat continue to decrease.
Sometime after Midnight I give up watching the clock and watch my father's chest rise and fall instead. I start counting his breaths, but as I notice after a while that they too have decreased in their frequency I stop that as well. Pretty soon he starts gasping quietly, his lungs trying to pull in the oxygen to nourish the blood his heart needs to keep beating and I feel the tears tracing their well-used path down my cheeks as his breathing becomes more and more uneven. Hearing the difference and knowing that he isn't getting what he needs anymore, I look up at the silent heart monitor only to see the line jumping erratically, the numbers jumping as well. One second the number is low and the next his heart is racing at nearly 190 beats per minute only to drop drastically once more, but all I can do is helplessly watch my father's body as it just lays there, barely twitching, and not giving any indication of the internal struggle that I know is taking place.
I feel Emmett's hand squeeze mine and I look up at him, only to follow his gaze back to the monitor and my own heart misses a beat or two as my mind takes a second to register the complete lack of movement on the screen, only a steady flat line, and the number now showing a solid zero. I drop Emmett's hand and bend over my father placing my ear to his still chest, right over where his heartbeat has always been, only to be met with silence. I feel his body shudder once under my cheek as it attempts to pull in one last breath, anything, but nothing happens and it settles heavily down into the mattress. My own breath hitches as I turn my head and press my face into his now lifeless chest, pursing my lips one last time, and place a final kiss on my father's sternum. I whisper my goodbyes, my tears soaking the fabric of his thin gown, and I feel the loss wholeheartedly as Charlie's hand limply falls away from mine.
Emmett pulls me up and across to a quiet corner as several nurses and Dr. Wallace enter the room and make their way over to Charlie's bedside. Words are spoken but I don't hear them; cords are unplugged, IV's are taken out, a faceless nurse even takes a minute to run a damp washcloth over his pale and peaceful features, and one by one they make their way out of the room, taking much of the now unnecessary medical equipment with them, leaving us alone with my father's body, but watching it all happening feels so surreal.
With the room once again empty of the hospital staff, Emmett walks me over to the bed with a supportive hand placed warmly at the small of my back, but then steps away to give me a minute alone. I reach out to touch Dad's body, but pull back at the last second, afraid to face the full reality that he is truly gone. Finally I push myself that last inch, reverently touching his face, and take a seat next to the bed. I stay that way for a while, lost in my head, remembering all the happy times I had with my father, but I am brought back to the present by a quiet tapping at the door. Emmett opens it and let's Harry in, and within seconds of him walking up next to me I'm sobbing in his arms.
"I know angel, I know. I'll miss him too, but we all know he's happier now. No more pain and all the fish he can catch, right?" Harry laughs weakly through his own tears, clenching my shoulders in a tight embrace, and leans down, placing a kiss on the top of my head, and says, "Come on kiddo, they need to take him downstairs and you need to get out of here. Go get that child of yours and hold him tight."
He turns me and places me in Emmett's waiting arms before ushering us out of the room. "Don't worry about any of his stuff, I'm gonna stay and fill out all of the paperwork they need and then I'll clean out his room. I'll bring anything in here to your house tomorrow when we talk. We need to make some calls and get a few things rolling, but I'll be there to help, so will Sue," he tells Emmett and I, though I can't guarantee that I'll remember anything he's said in ten minutes.
My mind is shutting down in its grief and Emmett literally has to carry me to the elevator and down to his car. He opens the door and slides me into the seat, asking me something, but I can't understand his words, so I watch numbly as he buckles me in and walks around to the driver's seat where he starts the car and pulls out his phone. The next thing I know, he's carrying me into my house and walks us up the stairs to my bedroom. I can feel him manipulating my limbs as he works my clothes off, and then back on, and I vaguely register the fact that he has changed me into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, my normal bedtime attire. Though I try to thank him, to say anything really, my mouth just won't work.
He carries me to my bed and sets me against the headboard while he pulls the covers down and then he gently maneuvers my body down the bed until I am laying in a mostly comfortable position while he pulls the covers back up around me. The lights flip off and I assume that he is leaving me for the night until I feel the bed dip on the other side before he pulls me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me, and enveloping me in his strength. I can feel his lips moving over my temple, whatever words he's speaking to me doing nothing more for me than pushing his breath across my hairline, but I can feel myself melting into him.
I may not hear his words right now, but their message is clear; he's not going anywhere and it makes me happy for a second, knowing that he's right where I need him to be, but then the crushing pain of the reality of my father's death rolls over me once more and I'm lost again. The storm of emotions coursing through my body pulls me under and my eyes close as I lose myself once more in my grief, all the while knowing that Emmett is holding me and I trust that he will somehow find a way to bring me back.
-o0o-
So, there it is. Charlie's gone, but Emmett is there for her. The next chapter is kinda angsty too, but not as bad as this one is.