Thank you guys for the reviews. This chapter is late I know but its finally here. Like I have said about my other fic (my saving grace) I will be trying to update this fic a minimum of once a week (probably the same day every week) so you guys aren't left waiting too long. There will be a number of small time jumps in the next few chapters (as there is in this one) only because I really want to get the story moving I already have the basis of the fic panned out so hopefully it wont be to hard putting pen to paper.
One Month later
The three brothers remained silent as they waited for the doctor to see to Casey. It was his last round of chemo today and to say him, Brax and Heath were anxious would have been a mare understatement. The last month had not only tested Casey's strength but also Brax and Heath's faith.
Neither of the three would ever admit to it but each one had at some point found themselves imagining what things would be like if the worst outcome was to happen. Brax found his blood run cold at the thought and a shiver of fear course through him each time the thought settled. Heath found his body go numb and his head begin to pulse uncontrollably at the thought and Casey… Casey found his body ache more for his brothers than it did for himself.
They had barely managed to overcome the things life had thrown at them before but Casey wasn't sure his brothers would overcome this. His thoughts always led him back to their mother. He loved her the way a son should, they all did regardless of whether the people around them thought she deserved it. They had all given her the love every child should have for their parent but it seemed the joke was on them. The one time they needed her… the one time he truly needed her to step up and comfort him like a mother should she fled. Just like their father she put herself before him, before his brothers and left them to try and mend the broken pieces. Casey found himself often wondering which of his parent's people would regard as the worse; a father who abandoned his whole family, leaving them penniless and practically homeless to fend for themselves knowing they had nowhere and no one to turn to or a mother who stuck around till her son got cancer then decided she was no longer needed.
A heavy breath escaped his lips and Casey discarded of his thoughts; what good would it do him or his brothers thinking about their parents, they were gone and no amount of thought would change that
The door creaked open and the three brothers' turned their heads simultaneously. This could be it… this could be the last time they had to sit in this room, this could be the last time they all watched the clock as the hours ticking by slowly. This could be the start of their new beginning but somehow Heath found himself wishing Brax had needed a few extra hands setting up the final arrangements for restaurant that day if only to have an excuse not to be there, Brax found himself wishing he had taken a few shots of bourbon that morning if only to calm his nerves and Casey closed his eyes wishing he had been able to go to the beach that morning. Because all three knew that after this the only thing left to do was wait. Wait to find out if the chemo had worked, wait to be told if life had finally shown them compassion and handed them an olive branch to pull them out of the storm. So as the doctor walked into the room, they each held their breath in prayer
"Morning Casey" The doctor smiled at Casey before looking over at Brax and Heath
"Brax, Heath" he gave a nod of the head as he stood with his hands in the pocket of his white overcoat. Dr Williams was in his late 30's and had been Casey's doctor since Casey was first brought into the hospital over five months ago.
"It's been quite a year so far hasn't it" He had been the one that had broken the unfortunate news to them and he had been the one to answer all the questions they had had during the last five months. He had been the one to explain Casey's diagnosis to them and talk the three of them through the process of his treatment. "I know the three of you must be anxious about today, but Casey" he turned to look at Casey "You have come really far"
"Err…" Heath rubbed his hand against the back of his neck and sat forward in his seat. He glanced at Casey before looked back up at the doctor "How will you know if it's worked properly… the chemo?"
Doctor Williams nodded it wasn't a question he hadn't been asked before "Well if you remember when we first found the cancer we found three lymph node regions all on the same side if Casey's diaphragm. Well after this session Casey will need to come back in a couple of weeks and we will do a scan of the affected areas. This way we will see if the lymph node regions are gone and it will also allow us to make sure that the cancer hasn't progressed into any other areas"
"Progressed?" Brax questioned "What do you mean progressed?"
Doctor Williams sighed "In the unlikely case that the chemo hasn't worked, the cancer could have progressed into stage three or further along"
"So not only is there a chance that the chemo may not have worked but the cancer could be worse than it was five months ago" Heath spoke almost through gritted teeth
"That is the worst possible outcome. It's best we focus on what's on hand"
Casey sat unspoken Listening to the conversation unfold before him. At Heaths last words his gaze travelled to Brax who bore such pain in his face he felt himself grimace. He knew the chemo not getting rid of all the cancer had crossed all their minds but he knew neither of the three of them had taken time to think 'What if the cancer had only progressed'. Casey could almost see the wheels turning in Brax's head and knew they were both thinking the same thing. This last month up until about a week ago had been the worse since he started the chemo. He lacked any energy and his appetite had deteriorated to nothing; the amount of weight he had lost was beyond worrying. He had thought it was just because of the chemo, all these side effects were to be expected right? But what if he was wrong, what if it was because the cancer was spreading? Casey clamped his eyes shut trying to distance himself from the room and only finally opening his eyes again as he heard Doctor Williams words
"I'll get the nurse to come and prep him. I'll be back before the end of his session" Giving the three brothers a crooked smile he retracted out of the door
…
Her head lay weakly against the pillow, she closed her eyes as she tried to ignore the constant nauseous feeling that had enveloped her stomach and chest. She wrapped the duvet tightly around her body as she felt her head pounding with pain she wasn't aware existed. From the moment she had woken up that morning her strength had gone from a little to none existent and both Ruby and Bianca had protested against leaving her alone. Although after much begging and guilt tripping she managed to get Ruby to go to school but Bianca had already called in saying she wouldn't be in that day.
Charlie's eyes flickered open as her room door croaked, she gave the only smile she had strength to muster as Bianca walked into the room
"Hy" Bianca smiled down at Charlie sadly as she sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the hair from Charlie's face.
"Hy" replied Charlie. The worry on Bianca's face told Charlie she looked just as bad as she was feeling. She knew she was a lot paler in contrast to her usual olive skin and although never haven been a big girl, to say she had lost weight in the last month was somewhat an understatement. She could feel her collar bone press slightly against her skin with each move she made.
"I made you some fruit salad… You up to eating?" asked Bianca. Charlie hadn't been able to hold anything down since her chemo session the previous morning.
"Maybe later" replied Charlie. She wanted to try and eat even if only to ease Ruby and Bianca's fusing and worrying but the way she felt in that moment; there was no way she could stomach anything
"Well at least drink this" Bianca picked up the glass of water she had placed on the tray
Knowing even if she could eat it was important for her to keep hydrated she nodded and with the help of Bianca pulled herself up and rested her head on the headrest. Taking the glass from Bianca she drank as much as she could and was surprised as to how thirsty she had been. Smiling as Bianca took the almost empty glass from her hand, Charlie let out a light sigh "Thank you… didn't even know I was thirsty"
Bianca smiled at her and placed the cup on the bed side table. She sat contemplating what to do with the letter in her back pocket that had been addressed to Charlie, knowing to well who it was most likely from. They knew to well that today was the day Angelo and Nicole were finally leaving the bay. Bianca was more than happy to finally see the back of them and she had hoped they would leave quietly but it seemed Angelo had other ideas
Charlie must have sensed that something was off as she placed her right hand over Bianca's "I can't possibly look that bad can I? Charlie tried to lighten the mood and Bianca smiled and shook her head
"It's not that" She sighed knowing she couldn't keep it from Charlie "It's this" digging into her back pocket, she produced the letter "I err…I think it's from Angelo" Bianca placed the letter on Charlie bed side table. "You don't have to read it Charlie; you don't owe him anything"
Looking down at the letter Charlie nodded at Bianca's words before looking up at her "I know" She looked back down at the letter. She hadn't so much as spoken to Angelo since that day at the restaurant
"I'll leave you to get some rest" said Bianca, aware that her best friend wouldn't want an audience if she decided to read the letter. Standing to her feet she gave Charlie's hand a light squeeze before leaving the room.
Charlie's gaze travelled back to the letter. Knowing Angelo and Nicole were leaving that day she had been trying her best not to think about it but it had unfortunately been on her mind since she woke that morning. Slowly picking up the letter she looked down and recognised Angelo's hand writing that had scribbled her name on the white envelope. In honesty to herself Charlie wasn't sure what she felt for him or about him anymore. She had been so adamant to keep him from her thoughts that when she did think of him, she could no longer recognise how she truly felt… or maybe she just didn't want to. Exhaling as a small wave of nausea hit her, she gently tore the envelope open taking the letter from it. Unfolding it she began to read his words
Charlie
I know I'm the last person you want to hear from but this was the only way I could think of to truly apologise to both you and Ruby. You have no reason to believe me but I did truly love you Charlie and although it may not be the same I still do love you, both you and Ruby.
I don't know when everything changed, I don't know when I changed but I'm sorry for everything I have put both you and Ruby through and one of my biggest regrets will always be that I'm not able to be there for you when you need me most.
I need you and Ruby to know that I will never stop caring about you. I understand that you may feel different but to me you will always be family.
For the pain I have caused I'm sorry. I never meant for things to turn out this way but I promise you when I gave you that ring Charlie I meant every word of what I said to you that day... but somewhere along the line my feelings changed. I really hope that although I don't deserve it you will find a way to forgive me one day; both you and Ruby. You're one of the strongest people I know and I know you'll be just fine. Please let Ruby know that I will always love her and she will always be like a daughter to me
I wish you all the best Charlie
Angelo
Charlie peered down at the words on the paper and they felt like pricked against her skin. Her eye's hovered over the words 'Like a daughter'. Charlie fought back the urge to scoff at his words. In the last six years of the seven they had been together, Angelo had always referred to Ruby as his daughter not 'like a daughter'. He may have been trying to be sincere but his words only proved to emphasis all that had changed in their life's. 'I wish you all the best Charlie' such a formal way to address someone you had shared a bed with for so long, someone's who's happiness had once been your main priority. But this is what he had made of them…nothing more than mere acquaintances even if that. And he was wrong, she didn't need him, those that she needed and most especially those that she wanted were still with her. Charlie waited for that same pang of betrayal to hit her, she waited for the same pain she had felt the day she caught him with Nicole to resurface, for the jealous of what Nicole now had and what she had lost to rear its head but nothing… she felt nothing. Maybe it was that her body was to overwhelmed with the effects of the chemo to feel anything else, but none the less his words evoked no emotion from her. No jealousy, no self-pity, and no anger. Folding the letter back up, she placed it back into the envelope and dropped it on the floor beside her bed. Everything in that letter was a past, something she had no room for in her life.
…
Ruby paced with eagerness to get home. Having missed a fair bit of school, she hadn't been able to leave at lunch to check on Charlie as she had been instructed to stay back and catch up on some work; something she was told she would have to do till she caught up on missed assignments. Calling Bianca at every chance she had got had been all she had done that day.
She placed her feet with thuds against the ground. Turing down the path just before the beach she glanced back as she heard her name being called. Seeing who it was she somehow picked up pace now not only wanting to get home to Charlie but also wanting to get away from the approaching figure
"Ruby please wait" Nicole moved faster "please"
Ruby gritted her teeth but none the less slowed till she came to a stop. She heard a sigh of relief leave Nicole's lips before turning around to glare at her "What do you want Nicole?"
Nicole shuffled from one foot to the other, her cream maxi dress sweeping the ground. "I don't want to leave things like this Ruby" She looked at Ruby pleadingly "You're my best friend and I…" She stopped as Ruby interrupted and shook her head
"No, no I was your best friend but you; you were never mine"
"That's not true" Nicole's eyes filled with remorse
"A best friend could never do what you did… just go. The sooner you both leave the better"
"Ruby I'm so sorry, If I could change the way I feel"
Ruby scoffed her eye's full of disgust and impatience. "Don't you ever get tired of saying you're sorry. It means nothing Nicole, you mean nothing" Ruby was now sneering at her "I was there for you whenever you needed, my mum has helped you countless times and the only way you could think to repay that was to sleep with Angelo" Ruby shook her head "I'm not sure which I'm more disgusted at, the thought of you and Angelo sneaking around behind mums back or having to see the both of you shamelessly playing happy families"
"I'll do anything Ruby please" Nicole's eyes had long glazed over with her tears
"There's nothing you can do to fix this Nicole… it's broken, you broke it and that's that"
Nicole shook her head "There must be something… I just want my best friend back"
"How about I start sneaking around with your dad and then get pregnant for him" Ruby searched Nicole's dumbfounded face "Not such a pleasant thought is it"
Nicole blinked her tears away and pursed her lips together, it was clear she had lost this battle, she had lost Ruby
"I only hope I never have to see you again…the both of you. That's something you can do for me" and with that Ruby turned and left the person she had once though of as her best friend standing, staring at her disappearing figure
…
Two weeks later
Her body shock violently as the pain began consuming her till her muscles felt limp. The darkness continued to consume her till she could barely see a thing. Her helpless body now lay limp on the soiled ground… yet no blood. Her uniform looked different, almost discoloured. There was no visible wound yet she could feel life itself slipping away from her. Her closing eyes sluggishly roamed her surroundings. She could see the other soldiers armed as they ran towards her but they didn't stop, They carried on past her as if she wasn't there. She opened her mouth to speak or shout against the sound of people screaming and the gun shots but her voice had long left her. She couldn't hold on anymore, her eyes closed shut as all sound began to fade
"Charlie…Charlie"
Her eyes sprung open at the desperate calling of her name. She felt her chest rising at an alarming rate. She could feel the sweat dripping heavily from her head. Her gaze flickered around but she could no longer feel the rough ground below her. The soiled ground, the soldiers, the frantic cries; they were all gone. Trying to steady the beat of her heart, she finally focused on the figure that called her name
"Charlie" She expected to see Ruby or Bianca but it was Brax. She frowned in confusion as she once again checked her surroundings almost as if unsure where she was. Brax must have seen the confused expression on her face
"You're at home Charlie"
Charlie's gaze returned back to him and she simply nodded her head. Her chest was still rising heavily. She closed her eyes trying to regulate her deep breathing. Feeling the pressure that was caused by Brax's presence on the couch subside she opened her eyes and found he was no longer sitting beside her. 'Had he left' she looked at the front door and it remained closed and she hadn't heard him walk out. Her thoughts stopped as she heard the tap running in the kitchen. Before she could lift herself up, Brax came walking back into the living room
Brax placed the bucket down on the coffee table and picked up the cloth on his lap. Dipping it into the lukewarm water he rinsed the excess water out before turning to her. Neither of the two spoke as he gently ran the cloth over her forehead, brushing her hair back from her face. Dipping the cloth back into the water he repeated the same process before bringing it to her cheek and neck; taking all the evidence of her nightmare away from her face
Charlie watched him as he once again stood to his feet and journeyed back into the kitchen. Her breathing had by now returned back to somewhat a regular speed. Brax was soon back and he once again sat on the edge of the couch in front of her. His gaze was intense as he searched her face
"Are you ok?" He shook his head as he spoke thinking how stupid his question was
"Thank you" was the reply he received from Charlie
A corner of his lips lifted as he replied "You really shouldn't leave your front door wide open, anyone could walk in"
Charlie frowned her face momentarily in confusion before she remembered that she had left the front door open before climbing onto the couch. The house had felt too warm so she welcomed the gentle breeze from the wind
"I didn't mean to fall asleep, it was really hot; I figured I would just leave it open for a little while" Brax nodded and she once again spoke "What are you doing here?" her voice wasn't defensive or harsh, he could see she was still slightly dazed most probably about whatever it was she had been dreaming about that had gotten her so worked up.
"I overheard that re headed lady, Irene I think her name is. She said she had just come from your place, she seemed really worried about you" Brax's gaze never wavered once from her as he spoke "I was almost done at the restaurant so I figured I would take a break and just pop round and see how you were doing. From what she said it seems you were home alone"
Charlie blinked slowly and nodded her head "Bianca's at work and Ruby as school. Irene's been with me all day but Bianca and Ruby will be back soon so I told her she could go… I just wanted a little time alone" She gave him a light smile "But thank you for coming round, you probably have a lot on at the moment"
Brax shook his head "You have nothing to thank me for, we're friends right" and they were. In the last month they had become friends, Ruby had become a close friend to Casey and both Charlie and Brax had somehow been able to talk to one another about the things they felt they couldn't tell others. But still Brax refrained from asking her what she had been dreaming about, if there was one thing he had learned about Charlie is when she wanted to open up she would do it willingly.
Charlie's nostrails flared as she registered the smell in the room and turned her gaze towards the brown paper bag on the table. Brax followed her gaze. Leaning forward he opened up the bag
"I also heard Irene saying she hadn't been able to get you to eat anything, so I figured I would bring you this"
Before he had even taken the content out of the bag Charlie was shaking her head "Thanks but I'm not really hungry, plus I can't seem to keep anything down"
Brax seemed to ignore Charlie as he placed the content onto the table followed by what seemed like a strawberry shake.
"If you haven't eaten all day then you have to try and get something down you. I brought butternut squash soup, this was one of the few things Casey could keep down during his chemo" not waiting for her to reply he stood to his feet and made his way to the kitchen with the soup in hand.
Charlie could hear him opening up a few drawers and cupboards. Slowly lifting her head from the arm of the couch, she brought her legs down allowing them hit the ground below her. Just as she was about to stand to her feet she stopped as Brax walked back into the living room, tray in hand. She watched him as he sat beside her before he placed the tray onto her lap. She looked down into the bowl of soup in front of her and then back up at Brax
"Just because you don't feel like you are hungry doesn't mean you shouldn't eat. Even if it's just a few spoons and if you don't like the soup you have my full permission to throw abusive insults at me" he gave a grin and for what seemed like the first time Charlie noticed the dimple's that pierced his cheeks.
Brax picked up the spoon from the side of the tray and pointed it at her. Looking down she sighed and took the spoon from him "Thank you" she inhaled as she dug the spoon into the soup. Placing it into her mouth she waited or that same nauseous feeling to come… but nothing. The rich creamy soup settled in her stomach informing her of how hungry she actually was. Digging the spoon into the soup she took a few more bits before looked up at Brax
"Where did you get this from?" She asked as she dug the spoon in again
"What makes you think I brought it?" asked Brax
Charlie's spoon stopped midway to her mouth, her eyebrow knitted together "Did you make it?"
Brax nodded "Yea"
"You sure?" Charlie asked unconvinced
Brax chuckled "Pretty sure…why?"
Charlie finally placed the spoon in her mouth and withdrew it "It's just this soup is really really bad" She smiled at him before placing another spoon full of soup in her mouth
Brax chuckled "I can tell" he looked at her glad to see she was eating something
Both their heads turned up towards the door as it opened
Brax smiled at Ruby "Hy"
"Hi I thought that was your car outside" Ruby looked from Brax to Charlie "Hi mum" Her gaze fell on the bowl of soup in front of Charlie "You're eating" She sounded surprised and relieved
Charlie nodded "Yep. But it's not nice; I just don't want to hurt Brax's feelings"
Ruby looked at her confused and Brax chuckled as he stood to his feet
"I should get going"
"No stay" said Ruby as she dropped her bag on the floor
Brax shook his head "I still have one or two things to do back at the restaurant so I really should be getting back"
Ruby nodded her head and Brax looked down at Charlie as she spoke "Thanks for coming round and for this" She nodded down at the soup
Brax smiled "No problem. I'll see you guys later" he said as he walked through the door
"Bye" said Charlie "And Brax will you give my best to Casey" Charlie had grown quiet fond of the young boy
Brax nodded "Will do" he turned and walked out the door
"Brax" Brax stopped just outside the door as Ruby stopped him
"Yea"
"Thank you…for that" Ruby nodded back at the door
"It's nothing, really. I left a strawberry shake on the table she probably won't feel like eating anything after the soup so you can give her the shake later it'll help give her a bit of energy"
Ruby nodded "Well given she has hardly eaten anything since her last round of chemo on Tuesday, the fact that you got her eating means a lot"
Brax smiled "You're a pretty strong girl you know that"
Ruby sighed "I'm not so sure about that"
"You are, Casey seems to think so too"
Ruby smiled in response
Giving her a final smile Brax turned and walked to his car
…
Closing the door behind her, Ruby watched as Charlie continued eating the soup "That soup must be really bad, you don't look like you're enjoying it at all" She mocked with a smile and walked around her school bag and sat next to Charlie
"Umm" Charlie swallowed "I was just messing with him, it's really good" Charlie held the spoon up and gave some to Ruby
"That is good" Ruby smiled "I'm just glad to see you eating something" Looking down at the shake on the table, Ruby picked it up and went to place it in the fridge where she saw a plastic container with more of the soup Charlie was eating. Smiling she walked back into the living room to find Charlie's bowl now practically empty as she downed the glass of water Brax had placed in the tray
"I think I need to ask him where he got the soup from" said Ruby and Charlie shook her head
"He made it"
"He made you soup?"
Charlie shook her head "I don't think he made it specially for me. He mentioned that Casey liked it, so he must have made some for Casey and they had some let over I guess"
Ruby nodded and took the tray from Charlie's lap into the kitchen.
…
The Next day
His palms were sweaty and noise around him seemed to have drained out. Casey tapped his feet against the ground as they waited for the results. The scan, the blood test, all the hoops he had been made to jump through the previous week had been leading them to this moment. Brax and Heath at either side of him both their feet's copying Casey's but tapping against the floor more feverishly. No words had been spoken since they had been led into the office. The same office where all this had started and now with hope, the office were it would end. Every sound had all three heads jolting towards the door waiting in anticipation for doctor Williams to make an entrance. This felt even more unbearable than when they had been sat waiting to find out what was wrong with Casey six months ago.
Finally the door opened and all three brothers seemed to straighten up stiffly as they watched doctor Williams close the door.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting" he walked around the desk and sat in his chair "I was attending to a patient" neither of the three brothers spoke each one staring at him pleading for him to just get it over and done with
Casey's last round of chemo may have been a couple of weeks ago but he felt far from a hundred per cent. He still lacked energy, his appetite hadn't picked up much and he still had days he couldn't seem to muster up the strength to do a thing. But doctor Williams had assured them that just because the chemo had ended didn't mean Casey's health wouldn't still be affected or a short while. It could take weeks even months to get back to health and maybe even more to regain his previous healthy state. So Casey hoped that was all it was
Three pairs of eyes roamed all over Doctor Williams's seemingly unreadable face an expression Brax disliked. They never gave anything away and usual that was a bad thing but what did he know… they had only ever received bad news since the day they brought Casey to this hospital
Heath wanted to scream at the Doctor at the momentary silence that filled the office, screaming in a way no noise could. They had been waiting months for this moment he wasn't sure he could wait another minute; his nervous were getting the better of him as the tapping of his feet against the floor stopped along with his brothers
All three pairs of eyes fell to the table as Doctor Williams placed what seemed to be Casey's results onto the desk. Casey couldn't take it anymore
"Can you just please tell us" His eyes filled with worry and hope
Doctor Williams nodded and opened his mouth in order to deliver the much anticipated news
Hope you enjoyed that chapter. There were quite a few things I wanted to get into that chapter but it would be way to long so I will put them into the next one. Remember to Read and Review love reading all your reviews :)