A/N: Okay, I'm not sure I liked this story but I was on my way to work this morning when the song "Far Away" by Nickelback was playing and this general idea came into my mind. Also, the movie "Ghost Dad" (I know most of you won't remember it) inspired me as well.

A/N: It's just a short-fic nothing to be excited about. I own anyone who isn't part of the "7th Heaven" family and just for your information this story takes about two years after the end of season 11.

A/N: this story is a four part story. It was ten pages too long for a short story so I improvised.

A/N: And yes, the dog that you will read about is named after my dog and the colors are the same so if you think I stole your idea I didn't so don't bother suing…all I have is my dog and .50 in my bank account…did you really think you'd get something out of a poor college student?

A/N: Read and Review I know it sucks but what can I do?

This time, this place, Misused, Mistakes

She watched him sleep peacefully and held his hand. It had to of been a mistake. They said not worry, he had plenty of time. Instead here she was in their room...watching him slowly fail each passing day, not knowing if each day would be his last, or if by chance, the will of god that he would make it until the end of the week, month and if they were lucky maybe another year.

Too long, too late, who was I to make you wait

For days there was something telling her everything was not alright and she let it slip through her fingers. She knew the signs had been there for a while, but she ignored them. Now, it was just too late. Now, she blamed herself for the time that was going to be lost.

Just one chance, just one breath, just in case there's just one left

And now, sitting beside him holding his hand she knew that every breath he took may be his last and she didn't want that to happen. Over 40 years of marriage, 7 children, 6 grandchildren, plus one on the way and an almost empty home the only life she will have ever known may disappear with one last breath.

'Cause you know, you know, you know

"Annie," the hoarse voice spoke. Annie lifted her head away from the hands that they held and looked over at the only man she had ever loved. With tears brimming to the tops of her eyes she looked over at the pale, gray haired man.

"Shhh…" she murmured to him. "You need your strength if you are going to see the grandkids today and go down for dinner" she told him standing up and letting go of his hand to tuck the blue and gold blanket that lay across their bed around his waist. He had been bed-ridden since the mild heart attack he had suffered last month and that was enough for the doctors to put him on complete bed-rest, anymore stress on his heart could weaken him further.

For a while he complained but then realized what his middle daughter felt while being bed-ridden during her first pregnancy and was able to accept the fact that he was no longer the active man that he had been and was now relying on the help of others, as others had relied on him.

That I love you, I have loved you all along

"Come here," he croaked, patting the empty space between him and the night stand signaling for her to come and sit next to him. Annie sighed and moved back to the empty spot where she had just been sitting and laid down next to him. Eric scooted over a little bit to give her enough room. He laid his head back on the headboard and soon her head joined his. Their hands linked together as so many times before then.

And I miss you, been far away for far too long

"Annie," he started his sentence again and cleared his throat. "There is something that I have wanted to tell you these past few weeks," he stated his voice barely above a whisper. Annie moved her head she should be able to look him in his eyes. "I already know what you want to say. I don't want you to think like that," she told him, the words barely coming out coherent. Eric released their linked hands and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. He knew that his time here was almost up and he wanted to make sure his wife knew how much he loved her.

"I should have told you this before" he chucked, pausing to take a breath. It was getting harder and harder everyday to breathe.

I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go

"I want you to know Annie Camden, I'll be here. I'll be in your dreams, your every thought and every being. I'll be here when Ruthie gets married, when the twins graduate from college. I'll be right here." He showed her placing his left hand over her heart. "All you have to do is keep believing and I'll be here from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed and even then I'll be in your dreams" he told her trying hard to choke back the tears that were threatening to come crashing down his face. "All you have to do is believe" he said simply, repeating the words over.

Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore

"Eric," she sobbed burying her face into his chest. "Don't leave me. Don't leave us. Please" she cried harder. His flannel night shirt sopping up the tears and starting to become drenched. Eric just pulled her closer. He had a nice talk with God the other night. Told him he was thankful for everything and everyone he had ever placed into his life and he couldn't be happier and he had accepted the fact that God wanted him to come back home and he would be ready whenever God needed him.

On my knees, I'll ask Last chance for one last dance

"Annie, let's dance. It's been years and I don't want to lay in this bed one more day!" he told her suddenly. Annie wiped away her tears and looked at him confused almost. "What do you mean you want to dance? We haven't danced in years since Lucy's Wedding" she exclaimed. Eric smiled. Only Annie would look him that way wondering what was going through his mind when he wanted to do something spontaneous.

"I don't think you are up to that."

"I feel good, I felt better than I have in a while" he pointed out to her. "Actually I think today is the best I have ever felt" he told her stretching the truth just a little but in fact he was feeling a lot better than he had recently. Maybe it was because of a new medication that he had been placed on or maybe it was, well maybe there was no reason he was feeling better.

He started to get up from the bed but he felt some slight pressure on his chest and stopped. "Eric? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Annie asked frantically. Eric shook his head. "I'm okay, I guess I'm not ready to take on the world right now" He joked easing himself back onto the bed and closed his eyes waiting for the tightness to pass.

Annie sighed. It was getting harder for her to tell him no to the things he used to love doing. Before he had become bed-ridden she practically had to force him to let Lucy take on the church services on Sunday, when he wasn't feeling great.

"I will see what I can do for you," she told him patting his hand as she got up from her spot. She heard the front door open and knew that one of the kids was here.

"Eric? I think you have…" she turned around to tell him that one of the kids was here, but she had missed the opportunity. He had fallen into another sleep session, which the doctors said were normal for someone whose heart was weaking.

'Cause with you, I'd withstand all of hell to hold your hand

Annie walked out of the master bedroom and down towards the stairs. She held the hand rail as she moved slowly down the steps. She no longer felt the need to hurry to see who was here. With all 7 kids in the Glenoak area she knew it had to of been one of them. When she arrived at the last step whomever had let themselves in had moved into a different room. It wasn't until she had been attacked by three pairs of children's arms that she realized Carlos and Mary were the ones who had arrived first.

"Gamma" the two twin girls, Ashley and Jenny exclaimed bouncing up and down as they continued to hug her. Annie brushed the hair out of their eyes and gave the two girls a large hug and a kiss on top of each of their foreheads. 6-year-old Charlie had pried himself loose and stood off to the side waiting for his sisters to stop hogging his grandma so he could get his turn.

Annie hugged the girls again and bent down to give them a kiss. "Grandpa is asleep right now but why don't you go and see if you can find Happy and then go and see if Grandpa is up? And if he isn't go and give him his special kisses, that should make him wake up" she winked at them as the two girls raced up the stairs making such a loud noise that Annie was sure Eric would wake up. Annie spotted her eldest grandson, hovering towards the living room. She smiled at him and wrapped her arm around him and led him towards the kitchen.

"How's my favorite grandson?" she asked him as they walked into the dining room and into the kitchen where Mary and Carlos were bent over the counter looking at some magazine. "Mom!" Mary exclaimed looking up from the counter. "How's dad doing?" she asked in a hushed whisper hoping not to upset Charlie. Ever since they had told the kids that Eric wasn't doing too well, Charlie had started to act strange. Maybe it was because as a toddler, Charlie and Carlos had spent several holidays and long weeks with the Camden family when Mary had left them and his Grandpa Eric was as close to his mom as he could get to.

"The same" Annie replied as she always did. How can you explain to your own children that their dad, who was always the strong one when people were weak, that he might not make it through the night? And if he does that's one more day he has under his belt and one less day to live.

I'd give it all, I'd give for us, Give anything but I won't give up

The back door opened and Savannah, Kevin and Lucy's daughter came walking though the kitchen with a small black, brown and white puppy in her arms. "Look grammma! Daddy bought me a doggy" she exclaimed dropping the puppy to the floor. She hesitated for a moment and that was enough. The puppy escaped from her clutches and ran out of the room. "Callie come back" the little girl cried running after her puppy.

Kevin was the next person to come through the door carrying Lucy's purse and coat along with Savannah's. Annie knew they were going to be late due to the impending doctor's appointment they had, but she didn't expect them to be so early. "Kevin!" she exclaimed walking over to the back door and taking the coats and Lucy's purse out of his hand. "I thought you guys were going to be late"

Kevin nodded. "We were, but the doctor managed to squeeze us in earlier than we expected. Did you guys see where Savannah went off to?" he asked them noticing the leash on the floor. "I take it Callie got away from her again" he laughed picking up the leash and heading towards the family room where you could hear the screams of a 4-year-old trying to get her new puppy to come to her, as Lucy walked into the kitchen and shut the door.

"Mom" she squealed giving Annie a hug along with Mary and Carlos. Annie hadn't seen Lucy's blue eyes shine with happiness since her miscarriage of the twins she had been carrying two years ago. "I take it you guys got some good news?" she asked them. Lucy nodded. "Since it's been a week and I haven't gone into labor they are going to induce labor in two days if my water doesn't break!" she exclaimed giggling in a young girl manner.

Before Annie had a chance to ask when the date of inducing was, Matt and Sarah with their two boys Clark and Alexander came thru the back door and Annie had forgotten all about the baby. Space started to slowly fade away with the arrival of Simon and his fiancée Andrea and Ruthie, who was a sophomore at the University of Connecticut had just finished her final exams the day before, arrived a few moments later. She had planned on getting a job in as a intern at the Connecticut State News but elected to come back home for the summer to help her mom out with the twins and her dad.

Sam and David were both at a summer camps at the moment and would be arriving home soon from the car pool. Normally, it was Annie's turn to take the car pool but she had to bow out especially with Eric being the way he was. Sam was in the neighboring town of Alma and David was right here in Glenoak. After Sam and David had performed that little skit with Margaret, a homeless girl the Camden's had taken in for a while, Sam decided that acting was something that he wanted to do. So for the summer everyday from 9am until 8pm, he would be attending Alma's school of Acting and Dance, while David who had started to show his athletic side, was interested in football so Annie sent him to the Glenoak's Community football camp for the summer.

'Cause you know, you know, you know