Hi all, sorry this isn't WCOB, this story is a little close to home, and quiet sad. thank you my amazing beta ctwinter, I owe her the world for agreeing to be my beta
Hope you enjoy.
lily
Embry Call felt tired.
He felt for once in his life like the 67 he actually was.
Through all the hard times him and his sweet Bella had been through he didn't expect for it to come to an end so soon.
They had only had 50 years of marriage.
Fifty-one years spent tangled between the sheets, sharing their hopes and making their dreams come true.
They should have had 50 more years but it was cut heartbreakingly short. They only had days left now.
"Daddy, Uncle Sam's here." Embry smiled at they're youngest, she who was so much like her mother; being the youngest and the only daughter Embry knew that it wouldn't be easy for her.
She was so close to her mother. The inevitable would affect her the most out of the children. She was they're surprise; he could still recall the shock they had received when on Bella's fifty-third birthday they found out that they were pregnant again.
He could recall her smell, as she cursed him for not telling her she was in a fertile cycle. To he honest, back then he was just thankful to be holding Bella. She had just recovered from her second round of chemo and had been given the all clear when they had celebrated.
He hadn't really cared that her scent was sweeter at that time. He was too busy celebrating holding her in his arms and that she wouldn't be gone in the morning.
"Daddy," Belinda gently shook her father's arm,
"Did you hear me?" Embry grabbed her hand and kissing it lightly he croaked,
"Yeah, your uncle Sam's here to make sure I'm eating and showering, and leaving the house for my patrols."
Belinda sniffled lightly as she hugged Embry. "He's worried daddy. We all are."
Embry hugged her lightly. She was so much like her mother he didn't know what he would do when come tomorrow and he would be looking across the dining table at his daughter, not his wife. "Has Jason come home yet?"
Belinda nodded lightly. "Yes daddy. He's sitting with mum now."
Embry grunted as he pushed her away lightly, "You should go sit with her as well, it'll do her good to have all of you guys in there."
"OK daddy," Belinda stated as she brushed past Sam in the doorway of the kitchen and headed down the hall to her parent's bedroom.
"Sam," Embry stated as he turned back to stare out the window.
He hated how his brothers watched him when they came over. Checking on him. They were worried because they didn't know how he would react when he finally lost Bella. The legends say he would follow her to the grave. They weren't sure if he would slowly waste away or follow her instantly.
He and Bella had years to prepare for the day she would finally leave him. He just couldn't believe it was here sooner than they both thought it would be.
She had been diagnosed with leukaemia after she had Carl and Cody. Embry had been by her side for five years when they were dealt bad news after bad news. Until finally, Bella had come out of the woods and they thought that they could continue on with their lives and put Bella's battle with cancer behind them, That first year they hadn't wasted time and added to their family with Daniel. The next year Adam followed. It wasn't until he had felt a lump in her breast one night when they were fooling around that his fears came back. He was convinced that he was going to lose her this time. His sweet Bella had battled for years already and he didn't know if he could handle going through it with her again.
Watching her suffer ate at him. But as he watched her determination as she lost her hair and then started to lose the weight she had spent years putting on, he prayed that his Bella's strength would pull her through this battle as it did the last one. Even when she lost her left breast and most of her lymph nodes he watched her go from strength to strength.
Not once did they talk about death, not when he knew in his gut that she would pull through this. Within 4 years she had beaten cancer a second time and was putting on weight that she had lost in the previous years. She had a new lease on life and spent every waking moment with the boys, teaching them and growing with them.
Embry felt lucky that he was able to experience this new lease on life with her. After all, he believed his Bella could beat everything that was thrown at her now.
When he lost his job at the fishery he thought that they would have to move for him to find more work. But his Bella had supported them while he went to college and earned a degree in teaching.
Their son Lucius was born that year and then what they thought was to be their last child joined them the next year, Jason. Then a magical baby, Kika, joined them 10 months after Embry's 47th Birthday.
Out of all the boys they had Embry had thought they would be prepared for when Jason started to show anger problems at school. But then Jason was nothing like his parents or his older brothers. He was quick to be angry at his father and over the years more angry words were shared between him and Embry than encouragement. He still remembers the pain in Bella's face when Jason had left the house five years ago. She had done nothing but cry for days when she had thought she had lost her son.
And it was all because of him.
When Bella was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma he realised that this would be the final time for his Bells. The doctors were unable to treat her any longer after the first three rounds of chemo. The treatments had stopped working and all they could do was make her comfortable for the next few months.
His Bella had been so strong. She had gripped his hand and demand that she be allowed to return home and live out her remaining days surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
It saddened him greatly that she had only gotten to meet three of their grandchildren with two being born that September.
"How are you doing Embry?" Sam asked gently as he sat across from Embry at the dining table.
"My soul mate is wasting away," Embry stated bluntly, "I can feel her slip away from me with ever breath she takes."
"Embry-"
"No Sam," Embry cut Sam off, "Me and Bella had already arranged everything that needed to be arranged. Carl and Sandra have agreed to look after Belinda if I'm unable to, even with the new baby Carl jumped at the chance, what with him knowing what it's like to be imprinted and all."
Embry tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice as he talked to the Beta of the pack. It had taken him years to convince the pack that he had actually imprinted on Bella.
Their imprint was gradual and took time for it to mature but when it was finally a full imprint it was like nothing he had ever experienced before.
His oldest sons Carl and Cody had experienced that exact same thing when they imprinted on there partners, where as Adam's imprint was instant.
They figured it had something to do with Bella being a shield against mental attacks. It was thought that they possessed a shield of some strength that was able to block the actual imprint.
"If there is anything the pack can do?" Sam offered.
"Leave us alone for the day," Embry answered. "Let us grieve in peace without the pack."
"We are family Embry," Sam reminded him. "Don't you think we should get to say goodbye as well?"
"You stopped being family a long time ago Sam," Embry stated. "My family is in my bedroom saying goodbye to their mother." Rising from the table Embry gestured to the front door, "Now kindly get the fuck out of my house."
Taking the hint Sam left the house, the kitchen door banging behind him.
Raising his hand Embry rubbed absently at the pain in his chest, over the last few days it had been gradually getting worse. Standing up from the table he grunted lightly with the effort it took to walk down the hall towards the bedroom where his wife lay.
Licking his lips he opened the door and slowly entered the room.
Nodding to Carl, he smiled at his wife.
"The kids tell me Sam was here again," she whispered in a horse voice.
Embry nodded. "Nothing to worry about love," he reassured her as he came to sit on the bed beside her.
Bella hummed lightly, as she leant her head on Embry's shoulder drifting off to sleep in his arms. Kissing her lightly on the forehead, he closed his eyes and savoured the feel of her in his arms.
"She's been going in and out all day," Kika stated as he shuffled his feet on the wood floor. Snapping his eyes open Embry stared at his son before nodding and stating, "She's been really tired."
"Carlisle said that his given her all the pain medication he can for now," Carl said.
"Carlisle?" Embry asked. He hadn't remembered the vampire being in his house to treat his wife.
"He met us at the boarder and gave us something to give her for the pain she's in," Adam reassured his dad.
Embry nodded lightly as he closed his eyes.
When he awoke next it was to Bella slowly stroking his forehead.
"Hey," he croaked, "You should be resting."
"I love you," Bella stated as she closed her eyes, "Belinda told me its our anniversary."
"Yeah," Embry agreed, "Fifty-two years since I imprinted, 51 years since we dated and 50 years of marriage."
"Embry," Bella whispered. "You have to make peace with Jason."
"Bella," Embry shushed her. "Me and Jason are fine, everyone's fine."
Bella smiled shakily and closing her eyes, "I feel so tired."
"Then you should sleep," Embry croaked as he kissed her lightly.
"I love you," Bella whispered as she sighed tiredly.
Feeling a tear drip down his cheek, Embry brushed it away as he listened to Bella's last heart beat.
In the morning when Cody came into wake his dad he paused in the doorway as he noticed how still they were. Embry had passed away through the night holding his Bella in his arms.
Hi all I know this isn't What Could have been, I gotta work some clinks out of the next chapter it should be up by Wednesday. Osteosarcoma is cancer of the bone if anyone is going to ask and here is the ages of Bella and Embry's kids:
Belinda 13
Kika 19
Jason 21
Lucius 22
Adam 26
Daniel 27
Cody 32
Carl 32
Thank you for reading this.
lily
