All That Is Expected.
He didn't belong. No matter how much his parents constantly tried to prove him wrong. No matter how much he assured himself. No, he didn't belong.
Hey guys! So you probably wondering... what's up with this? Well I constantly create characters and explore different sides of them at different moments of a story so... this is me taking on Charlie. I do hope it makes sense and connects with "Hang In There" as much I want it to.
so well, the next one will be the last but I already have a sequel in the works with the Grant family going for summer vacation but first I need to finish this lol thank you so much for everything!
I do not own anything. Just my desire to put down my emotions down to words.
Chapter 13:
Charlie hated hospitals. That was old news. He had spent too many time hooked into a machine after his accident to despise them. It made him feel small and fragile. Much of how he was feeling right now. Maybe it was the concept of a new life. The birth of his brothers had made him rethink how he had acted this past few months. Yes he had been bullied and yes, he had learned he was the presidents illegitimate child to the state of Washington. His parents weren't saints. But he had been mad. Much disturbing than that, he had been mad only at Fitz because he had tried to reach out to him. Olivia had been kind off the hook. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because he had put Fitz on a pedestal. He had wanted a dad so bad when he was little that then his father was perfect. Turns out, no so much. "Charlie?" Fitz looked up at him. He gave him a soft glance. "You don't have to stay here you know?" He did know. But Olivia had said Jack couldn't be alone. Plus he really did need to talk to Fitz and maybe because they were both so tired, there wouldn't be so much yelling.
"Dad, we need to talk"
Olivia's eyes lighted up when Karen and Gerry finally arrived to the hospital.
"Wow Liv, you look tired" Gerry was trying to be funny.
"Thanks, I feel tired" Liv sighed.
"So..." Karen sat next to Liv on the bed. "Dad said one of the babies..."
"He'll be fine" Teddy said sternly. "I asked the doctor, she said they were only being careful" Karen almost burst into laughing. It was so creepy how much Teddy sounded like Fitz.
"Please tell me this will be the last baby, though" Gerry said. "Your granddaughter is older than your kids" Olivia wanted to smack Gerry. Instead she laughed.
"You got a point there Ger" Liv said. "Now...I wonder when you are gong to start having babies"
"Hey, I'm a free spirit, I'm not yet to be determined by a woman"
"Just like Cyrus then" Olivia smirked at the look on Gerry's face. "Okay free spirit... Then tell me how school is going?"
"Football is good" Gerry jumped right into it.
"And grades?" Karen rolled her eyes.
"Getting somewhere" Olivia gave him a knowing look. This was his last year of college. He best make it to graduation. Or the one getting a vasectomy would be Gerry.
"Karen just texted me" Charlie said quickly. "She and Gerry are with mom"
"Good" Fitz sighed collapsing on the chair next to him. They both watched as Jack's small chest rose and fell again.
"How long did it last?" Charlie took a deep breath.
"How long did what last?" Fitz looked at his son.
"You and mom dating, when you were president" sometimes Charlie's maturity annoyed Fitz. He just wanted to be a regular kid. Then again. Olivia pope was his mother so, normal was out of the question.
"A few years" Fitz admitted. Charlie nodded.
"And when I happened..."
"Your mom left me out of the hook, because she knew what this would mean for you, she was a fixer after all" Charlie was fighting so hard not to cry. He remembered how Liv, who did not believe in crying had cried. She cried for all she had lost and all she couldn't have.
"You had to protect your place in history" Charlie sighed. He kept pushing the tears back "the one she had given you"
"I had told her I didn't care about any of that" Fitz told him. " I loved her and you too much"
"I was so mad" Charlie closed his eyes. "When I began school and all those kids knew things. Things my own parents had kept from me" his voice broke. "I couldn't believe it"
"It was not your place to know you were, are so young"
"And yet, I ended up in that school" he reasoned. "I guess you can't run from destiny."
"Mistakes do tend to catch up with you eventually" Fitz reached to touch his son's back. "Your mom and I learned that the hard way, but we never wanted to hurt you" Charlie looked into his eyes. He was in the verge of tears too, but most of all, he was tired. He was tired of all the lies, all the pain.
"You blamed yourself when mom lost the babies, she did too" Charlie had taken out the heavy cards. Yes, years ago they had had to miscarriages. And somehow they made it up with this unexpected pregnancy. But no, you couldn't ever replace those they had lost, all they could do was trying to heal. "I guess I blamed you for the bullying too" there he had said it. "I had this whole scheme in my head and sometimes I wished that you had never come back for me and mom, I wanted to just be Charlie, not the greatest scandal in the capital's history"
Fitz knew he was right. Back when he had been a child, they had taken all precautions, except moving to California like Fitz had suggested, Olivia wasn't a runner, she didn't want to do it. And her son had paid for her stubbornness. For their mistakes.
"I'm sorry" Charlie voice faded. "I'm sorry for being such an ungrateful brat, I'm sorry for letting what people thought of me make me forget who I really am" he collapsed against his fathers chest. "For letting me forget that I was your son, for wishing I wasn't"
"Hey" Fitz forced him to look at him. "I love you, it's okay"
"No it's not" he gulped. "I was so mad and I didn't see beyond that, I didn't see how much you and mom gave up for me"
"And I would do it again, no doubt" Fitz brushed his head and kissed his forehead. "Because I love you"
"I love you too"
Jack was released from the hospital a few weeks after his birth. The house was again, chaos. There was lack of sleep from most of them and the fact that Sally Langston had cut Fitz from the antibullying bill had him punching on things. Olivia had told him he should try another approach. And he was thinking about it.
"We just want to thank everyone for being here" Fitz spoke at the twins christening. Summer had oncer gain hit. Santa Barbara had seemed like the right place to have it. "Olivia and I are so grateful to have all of you" he scanned the room. James and Cyrus held baby Truman while David and Harrison stood, David holding baby Jack. "To celebrate what is for sure the last addition to our family" they all laughed.
"Unless of course it's grandchildren" Olivia raised her glass.
"I'll drink to that!"
There was a moment of silence. "I have been many things in my life. lets not forget I was president, but that was just a small part of who I am. I was once someone's son, someone's partner, I have lived many lives, given a second chance at it, I have been a father and a husband, and lately a grandfather" he locked eyes with Karen. "And I have to say that my family is yet to be my greatest adventure."
And because of it, he was about to throw a game changer "and because of it, Olivia and I have an announcement to make"
Crap. The look on Cyrus's face was priceless. Fitz searched for Charlie's face. He nodded. "We've decided to move back here, to start a new life"
Ok. So don't hate me guys! I decided to have an epilogue chapter. That's coming next! Yay they are moving back to California. I already have a sequel starting to cook in the back of my head, I hope you stay tuned for that.
Thank you so much for coming along on this crazy ride. You don't even know how proud I am of this story! Anyways. Share your thoughts and thank you again.