A/N: I try to find different ways to say this every time, but I can't, so I'll just say thank you for reading and reviewing this story. This is probably one of my favorite stories I've ever written, and I'm so sad it's coming to an end. For now, please enjoy the latest chapter.
Chapter Fourteen
"Francis can you hear me?" Claire asks her husband. She stands up and inches closer to his hospital bed. "Francis?" She's waiting for a response that isn't coming.
Claire reaches out to touch Frank but is interrupted by a Secret Service agent knocking on the door. She backs away, turning her full attention to the agent.
"I just spoke to Eddie's parents, ma'am. You said you wanted to call them?" The agent asks her. She has no idea how she's going to explain what Meechum meant to her family. He became the Underwoods' most loyal friend since joining Frank's detail nearly three years ago. Frank is going to be devastated when he wakes up and discovers Meechum was killed. If he wakes up, Claire reminds herself.
"Yes, thank you. Is my daughter still asleep?" Claire asks. She thought she left that agent in charge of watching Emily.
"As far as I know ma'am. I will go check on her." The agent leaves Claire alone in Frank's room again. Claire steps outside and grabs her phone, dialing Meechum's mother.
"He treated my husband, daughter and I with great respect and we will miss him terribly. I'm so sorry for your loss," Claire says sincerely. She sees Doug approach out of the corner of her eye and holds up a hand to delay him for a moment. Doug steps in front of her when she hangs up the call.
"Lucas Goodwin?" Claire asks Doug. Lucas Goodwin is the identified perpetrator of the shooting. He developed a vendetta against Frank after he was sent to prison for cyberterrorism.
"We didn't know he was out," Doug tells her. Claire scoffs at the excuse Doug provides. It's his job to keep a watch on any threat to their family and he failed. Frank could die because of it.
"How can that happen? He's released, and you didn't know…" Claire stops when she sees Emily run towards Frank's room. "Emily, wait!"
The toddler isn't listening and ducks into her father's hospital room. Claire sidesteps Doug and joins her daughter in the room, shutting the door behind them. This is not how she wanted her daughter to see her father. She was hoping she could hold the three-year-old off until Frank's condition improved.
"When I say wait, you wait. This is not the place for you to be running around." Claire scolds her daughter. Emily doesn't register her mother's admonishment, she's too busy staring at her father.
"Is Daddy sweepin'?" Emily asks quietly and points to Frank. Claire lets out a sigh as she bends down to Emily's eye-level.
"Yes. The doctor's fixed him and we are just waiting for him to wake up." What Claire is relaying to Emily isn't exactly true. She is providing her daughter with the best-case-scenario, which is unlikely. Emily takes a cautionary step towards Frank's bed and looks at her mother for permission to move closer. "You can walk up to his bed, Emily. Just be very careful."
Emily walks up to the railing with Claire following close behind. The toddler gently puts her hand on her father's arm.
"I miss you, Daddy," Emily whispers to her father. Claire picks Emily up, so she can get a better vantage point. "Why is Daddy lellow?" The three-year-old points to Frank's face, which is a golden hue.
"It's the medicine the doctor gave him. Come on, let's let Daddy sleep." Any attempt to explain the side effects of liver failure will go over Emily's head. She wants to keep things as simple and as positive as possible. If Frank's condition changes, then she will prepare Emily for that.
When Claire and Emily step out, Doug is still waiting outside the room. He encourages Claire to return to the White House, telling her that Donald Blythe, Frank's vice president, is unfit for the job. The country's best hope at this point is for Claire to act as an adviser to Donald.
"Fine, we need to get our things. We will meet you there," Claire tells Doug while holding Emily's hand.
"Doug, Daddy is sweepin'" Emily informs her father's chief of staff. Doug doesn't acknowledge Emily and steps away from Claire.
Back at the White House, Claire feeds herself and Emily dinner before giving her daughter an abbreviated bedtime routine.
"Mommy, are we stayin' here?" Emily asks as Claire is tucking her into her old bed.
"Yes, Emily, until Daddy gets better, we are staying here." The toddler smiles and holds her rabbit close to her chest. Claire brushes a kiss to her daughter's head.
"Mommy?" Claire stops halfway to the door to face her daughter.
"What Emily?" Emily holds her precious rabbit up, so her mother can see.
"I bring Daddy Bunny 'cause he sick, okay?" Claire smiles at the gesture. Usually, her toddler won't let the rabbit out of her hands for a moment, especially when something is making her anxious.
"I'm sure your daddy would love to have Bunny. We will give it to him tomorrow. Get some sleep."
Claire leaves the residences and goes into a conference room near the Oval where Donald is waiting for her.
"Claire," Donald says when he sees her, standing up to give her a hug.
"Hello." They hug briefly and separate just as Doug joins them.
"How are you? How's Emily dealing with all of this?"
"She's fine. We are both exhausted." Claire would rather brush past all the niceties and get to the point of why she's here. She welcomes the distraction and it would benefit her politically if she can steer the country through this crisis with Russia while her husband recovers.
After her meeting and joint press conference with Donald is over, Claire retires to the residence, doing a quick check on Emily. Her clothes have been brought back from Dallas and are hanging up in Frank's room instead of hers. Claire changes into pajamas and slides under the covers of Frank's bed. She inhales the pillow case, catching the faint smell of aftershave and cigarettes lingering in the fabric.
Just as the reality of her situation hits Claire, she shakes her head, willing the thoughts out of her mind. She can't allow herself to be the grieving wife because it's not how she feels. It's how the country and people within Frank's administration expect her to feel, but it's not true.
In the morning, Claire rolls over to find Emily sleeping beside her. The toddler must've woken up in the middle of the night and snuck into Frank's room. Claire reaches out to brush a piece of wayward hair blocking Emily's face. The toddler slowly wakes up and faces her mother.
"Hi Mommy," Emily mumbles, sleep still trapped in her voice.
"Hi, Emily. Do you think Daddy would mind us sleeping in his bed?" The toddler shakes her head and presses her face into the pillow.
"Dis smells like Daddy! Smell," Emily shoves the pillow in Claire's face and waits for her mother's reaction.
"It does, you're right. I have to go see Daddy today." From what she heard from the doctor, Frank had an MRI this morning and they are going over the results. She isn't sure if she wants her daughter there.
"I come too?" Claire shakes her head,
"Not this time Emily. I have to talk Daddy's doctor, it's going to be boring." Emily relinquishes her rabbit to Claire. "Are you sure you want Daddy to have this?" Sometimes having her rabbit is the only thing that will calm Emily down during a tantrum or nightmare. She would hate to see the toddler without her security blanket amidst this trying time.
"Yup! Daddy needs Bunny now."
Claire is amazed at the calmness her daughter's exhibiting throughout Frank's shooting. She can see her husband's pragmatism in Emily. Frank would be proud of their daughter for acting well beyond her age.
"You are so brave, Em." Claire pinches her daughter's cheek, just as she's seen Frank do to her multiple times.
"Daddy say that Mommy, not you." Emily reminds Claire and hops off the bed. Claire is taken aback by the coolness in her daughter's voice.
Later that day, Claire is resting in Frank's room when she notices a subtle change in her husband's condition. Although his eyes are closed, he seems to be more alert than he has been since his surgery. He keeps opening and closing his mouth, almost as if he's gesturing for water.
Claire scoops up the water cup and carefully angles it towards Frank's mouth, watching him take a slow sip. She puts it back on the tray before facing him again. This time, Frank has his eyes open and he's staring at her. There's no recognition in his eyes, and they close again.
Donald comes into the kitchen that night while Claire and Emily are having dinner.
"Hi Emily," Donald says awkwardly and waves to the toddler. He met her briefly at the first state dinner of the Underwood administration a few months ago. Emily was too shy to acknowledge him then.
Claire slides some chicken nuggets over to Emily in her booster seat which the toddler eagerly gobbles up. Donald laughs while Claire puts some salad on a plate for herself.
"Emily, this is Donald. He is the president while Daddy is sleeping," Claire explains to her daughter and winks at Donald. She hopes he is smart enough to play along without giving away details of Frank's deteriorating condition. The toddler doesn't and will not know about the urgency to find her father a new liver.
"Hi," Emily mutters and goes back to eating her food, not bothering to initiate a conversation with this new person in the room.
"She's tired." Donald shrugs it off.
"It's scary about Frank." Claire glances over at Emily, wondering if the toddler is listening to their conversation.
"Well, Francis is a fighter." Donald voices his concerns about a call with Petrov the following morning and Claire offers to assist him from the White House. He agrees and bids the Underwoods' a goodnight.
At the hospital, Claire is sitting with Emily in Frank's room when Doug is requesting to speak with her. Emily is preoccupied with coloring her dad a picture and doesn't notice Claire sneaking out.
Predictably, Doug is upset with Donald about the phone call with Petrov. He is unaware that Claire was listening in, coaching the vice president on what to say. Doug isn't used to Claire being in charge and he doesn't like it. Claire has always acted as Frank's most trusted adviser, but she's shutting Doug out now that she's working with Donald.
Claire allows Doug to see her husband, ushering Emily out of the room. Emily leaves the picture with Frank and follows her mom. The pair return to the White House so Emily can be put down for a nap.
That night, Claire and Donald meet up in the kitchen of the residences. It seems to be a new nightly routine between them.
"Emily asleep?" Donald asks as he sits down in the chair across from Claire.
"Yes, we spent most of the day at the hospital. She didn't want to leave." Donald smiles at the comment while Claire lights up a cigarette. Since her and Frank pretended to quit last year, she only smokes occasionally, mostly when she needs relief.
"What was it like when Marjory died?" Claire asks out-of-the-blue. Her and Donald have become sort-of-friends and he's the only one she feels she can talk to about losing a spouse. After the briefing with the doctor today, the possibility of losing Frank has been on her mind.
"Oh, well, it was um…" Donald fumbles for words and Claire backtracks.
"I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want."
"No, it's fine. We hadn't had a real conversation in months. Her mind was gone. When she finally died, it felt like a limb had been hacked off. I felt...devastated. But I also felt relieved."
"That's what I feel about my mother."
"It hadn't even occurred to me. You and Emily have Frank and your mother."
"When my father died, it destroyed me, but when I think about Mother, I feel nothing."
"You two aren't close?"
"No. And I feel the same about Francis. Nothing."
Claire can see the poorly hidden surprise on Donald's face, but it's true. Of course, she doesn't want Frank to die, but it wouldn't break her if he did. She's more concerned about how Emily will handle it. She doesn't want their daughter to grow up without a father, especially given how close the two are. Emily might never be the same if Frank dies.
Donald doesn't know the strain on Frank and Claire's marriage that's been festering for the past several months. He sees it as Claire's too rattled that she doesn't know how to feel, but that's not the case. The love she had for Frank has diminished. She was ready to divorce him before he got shot. If he survives this, it doesn't mean their marriage is suddenly fixed.
The next day, after meeting with Remy to put the next phase of their plan in place, Claire must give a press conference to the American people about Frank's condition. Emily is on hand while Seth is going over the talking points with Claire.
"You don't want her participating right?" Seth asks Claire as he looks down at Emily.
"No. I don't want her to watch either." Claire won't tout Emily in front of the cameras, so the public can see how devastated their daughter is. She is strongly against Emily being exposed to the media in any way.
"Mommy, what you doin'?" Emily asks and tugs on her mother's skirt to get her attention.
"I'm telling people about Daddy."
"Why?"
"We want people to know Daddy is getting better," Claire lies to Emily. Seth clears his throat but is silenced by Claire's glare. She won't have their communications director contradict her statement. Until or if Frank dies, Claire would rather have Emily believe his health is improving. "I'll be right back, you stay here with Seth and Doug."
"Good afternoon everyone. I'd like to update you on my husband's recovery. The president's medical team gave me a full assessment last night and they have come to the conclusion that the president is in need of a liver transplant if he's to survive," Claire says while she reads from a prepared statement. She pauses to let the news sink in to the reporters and people watching. "I'm asking the nation to pray with me that a healthy liver makes it way to Francis soon." Her voice breaks momentarily, "I'm sorry. A moment."
From the adjoining room, Seth, Doug, Emily and LeAnn are watching Claire deliver her statement.
"Why is Mommy cryin'?" Emily asks LeAnn. LeAnn glances at Doug, silently asking for assistance on how to answer the toddler.
"She's just sad about your dad, Emily." LeAnn tells her. "She's good, isn't she?" Doug nods in agreement, knowing as much as LeAnn does how fake Claire's tears are. Claire passes the microphone over to the agent assigned to brief the press on the documents found in Goodwin's apartment. She walks back into the connecting room, frowning when she sees Emily watching the press conference alongside LeAnn, Doug and Seth.
"Come on, Emily, let's go," Claire holds out her hand for her daughter to grasp. Emily runs over to her mother and they head back to the residences.
"Mommy, if Daddy better, why you cryin'?" Emily asks her mother. Claire pauses briefly and hoists the toddler onto her hip.
"I'm just happy Daddy is getting better, Emily." She's always tried to be honest with Emily, but this situation is different. There's no need to upset the toddler until they have concrete proof Frank won't make it. Until that happens, Claire isn't approaching the subject.
"Me too." Emily says and drops her head on Claire's shoulder.
Over the next day, Claire conspires with Donald to get Remy Danton and Raymond Tusk on board with a new plan. When Doug finds out, he is furious and storms into the hospital room.
"We're trying to win an election, and you want to remind everyone that the president pardoned Raymond Tusk?" Doug asks Claire. Emily stops coloring and turns to her mother and Doug.
"It's okay, Emily." Claire says and gets up from her chair, walking into the far corner of the room. "Do not come in here and berate me in front of our daughter, Douglas."
"Our daughter? You leave him when he needs you most, you threaten him, and now that he's in here, you undermine him?" You were supposed to be…"
"Stop. That is enough. I will fill you in on everything, but not here. At the White House." They are interrupted by machines beeping. Emily drops her crayon and runs over to Claire, her eyes wide with fear.
"What's happening?" Doug asks Claire. Claire picks up Emily, holding her tightly to her body.
"His heart." Claire takes Emily out of the room, so the doctors can work. Doug follows behind them, keeping his distance while Claire tries to calm Emily down.
"Daddy not better?" Emily asks, her question coming out more as an accusation. Claire's lie was serving her well until Frank had an arrythmia in front of their daughter.
"No, Emily, it's taking longer than we thought to fix Daddy." Emily sniffs and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Why?"
"I don't know." She wishes she could say something to pacify the three-year-old, but the truth is, Frank is getting worse. He won't survive much longer without a new liver. Episodes like the one he just had will be more frequent and worse as his body continues to shut down. Claire doesn't want her daughter to witness that. It's going to be hard to tear the toddler away from her father. "Let's go home. We can see Daddy in the morning."
Emily's been at the hospital with Claire all day and skipped her usual nap. Both are exhausted and could use some time away from their vigil at Frank's bedside. The toddler doesn't put up her typical fight and reaches for Claire, twining her arms around her mother's neck. Doug elects to stay behind and bids them goodnight.
After Claire puts Emily to bed, she has a brief meeting with Catherine, who is objecting to her plan. Claire has had a long day and is tired of everyone putting in their opinion about her idea. Doug was the one who asked her to help Donald get through the crisis and now he's turned everyone in the administration against her. After Catherine leaves, Claire picks up the phone, dialing Remy.
"Remy, we need to talk about Jackie."
"I'm not going to Brandenburg," Donald announces to Claire the next day while they are visiting Frank.
"No, you have to." It could unravel all the hard work she's put in if Donald doesn't go.
"Cathy will negotiate on my behalf."
"I don't trust her on this."
"That's a risk I have to take. The risk I won't take is being overseas if the president…" Donald lowers his voice when Claire gestures to Emily watching a movie in the chaise lounge next to Frank's bed. "Dies. You shouldn't be worried about this now Claire. You should be focused on Frank."
Donald leaves Claire and Emily in the room. Frank starts having a seizure and Claire immediately takes Emily out into the waiting area. Luckily, Emily was too focused on her movie to notice a difference in her father's condition. LeAnn is waiting for them, but Claire makes sure Emily is adequately distracted before approaching the woman.
"Now is not a good time, LeAnn."
"This can't wait." LeAnn tries to explain Pollyhop to Claire, an algorithm that will threaten their stance in the election. Claire isn't having any of it.
"LeAnn, my husband just had a seizure. There may not be an election."
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to take Emily for a minute?" For the first time since finding out about Frank's shooting, LeAnn notices it's starting to affect Claire.
"That would be nice. Thank you."
Between figuring out a plan for Donald and keeping Emily preoccupied, Claire hasn't had time to process her husband's declining medical state. LeAnn nods and approaches Emily, offering to take her to the cafeteria for some ice cream.
"Mommy, can I go?" Emily asks Claire, smiling for the first time in days.
"Sure, Emily, but stay by LeAnn." Emily waves goodbye to her mother and lets LeAnn lead her towards the elevator. Claire sits down at a nearby chair and closes her eyes.
"Thank you for doing this," Frank tells her one night while they are in their bedroom. They are in the midst of the Justice Department investigation with Walker and things aren't looking good for them.
"All I had to do was get her alone in a hallway." Claire's been manipulating Trisha Walker into believing they are close friends and confidants. In reality, she's been quietly plotting with Frank to destroy the Walker's marriage and credibility.
"I meant with Jackie."
"Promise me something," Claire tells him as he walks closer to where she is sitting on the vanity.
"Anything."
"Emily and I can't live in this house without you." He sets his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging the tension out of them.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"You say that, but this could all backfire. I can't risk losing you, Francis. I won't, not to this." Frank glides his lips to her skin, watching their reflection in the mirror.
"I promise you, of all the sacrifices you've had to make, divorcing a convict will not be one of them." He firmly kisses her cheek. Claire spins around to face him, grabbing his hand before he walks away.
"I love you." Frank gently pulls her to her feet, pressing a kiss to her lips.
"I love you too, Claire."
By the time Claire opens her eyes, she realizes she's crying. She sniffs and wipes a stray tear with her finger. Fortunately, Emily is still getting ice cream with LeAnn and didn't see her mother in tears. Until now, Claire didn't realize how grave Frank's medical situation is. By tomorrow, he could be dead if they don't find him a new liver. She can't wait around here and watch her husband die, she needs to do something productive. Going to Brandenburg on Donald's behalf seems like the perfect solution.
By the time Emily and LeAnn return, Claire takes her daughter back to the White House. She meets with Jackie to threaten her into submission before announcing to Donald and Catherine she intends on accompanying the Secretary of State to Germany. Not surprisingly, Catherine is against it and Donald tries to play intermediary.
"What about Frank and Emily?" Donald asks, because Catherine won't.
"In Brandenburg I can be useful. I can't here. Emily will understand." Eventually, Donald gives in to Claire, despite how angry that makes Catherine feel.
Over dinner that night, Claire is given the chance to inform Emily of their travel plans.
"Emily, I have to go to Germany to help the new president out. We are leaving early tomorrow morning." Emily takes a sip of her milk and shakes her head.
"No. We stay wif Daddy." The toddler's tone leaves no room for argument, but this isn't a negotiation.
"This is important, and it will help Daddy. We are going. You can see your dad when we get back," hopefully. Emily pouts at the notion of being separated from her father. Claire can't leave Emily behind, she would if she could.
About halfway to Germany, the Secret Service informs Claire they found a new liver for Frank and he's being rushed into surgery.
"We can turn the plane around right now, ma'am," the agent tells her. "You'll be back before he's out of surgery." Claire doesn't respond right away, she's weighing her options.
"We should do that, Claire. I'll be late to the summit, but everyone will…" Catherine says, but Claire interrupts.
"No, we're almost there. We keep going."
"Honestly, Claire…"
"Inform the captain to stay on course." Claire isn't letting Catherine run this operation into the ground because she feels left out.
"Yes ma'am," the agent says and leaves. Catherine glances down at Emily playing on her iPad and back at Claire, shaking her head. She can't comprehend how selfish Claire is being.
"Think about Emily, Claire," Catherine mutters and retires to another room. Claire kneels and taps Emily on the shoulder to get her attention.
"Emily, your dad is going to be okay," Claire tells Emily softly. Hopefully, there are no complications from the liver transplant and Frank will still be the same person he was before. "The doctor is fixing him again, for good this time."
She can tell Emily is having trouble understanding what is being relayed to her. The toddler nods and goes back to playing on her iPad. Claire thinks seeing Frank awake will help soothe the three-year-old.
Germany was a success. Claire was able to convince Petrov collaborating with the Chinese and accepting a bailout is in the best interest of the Russian people. It pissed Catherine off to no end that she got shut out of negotiations but was still able to take credit for everything.
When Claire and Emily arrive back at the White House, they are still setting up a hospital bed. Frank wants to be transferred out of the hospital as quick as possible, choosing to recover at home instead.
"What's dat Mommy?" Emily asks when she sees people unloading medical equipment in Frank's room.
"People are setting up for when Daddy comes home." Claire brings Emily away from her father's room, so the toddler doesn't get in the way.
"Daddy's comin' home?" Emily asks, her whole face brightening.
"Yes. He should be home when you get up from your nap." Emily climbs into her bed and Claire sits down next to her. "Emily, your dad is still sick. It's going to take him some time to get better. We need to help Daddy and be careful around him, okay?"
"Okay, I do that for Daddy," Emily says seriously. Claire smiles and tucks the toddler in her bed. She goes into her own room to catch up on some much-needed sleep.
A few hours later, Emily is the first one to wake up. The toddler climbs out of her bed and walks into the living room. Her dad is laying in bed, speaking to Doug.
"Daddy! Hi! It's me, Emily!" Emily runs into her father's room and then comes to a screeching halt in front of Frank's bed, remembering what her mother told her about being careful in front of her father. "Escue me Doug." Doug moves out of the way to allow the toddler closer access to her dad.
"Hi Em," Frank mutters softly and moves his hand closer to Emily.
"I'll leave you to it," Doug says to Frank and exits the room.
"Where's your mother?" Frank asks Emily.
"She sweepin' I pfink. I stay wif you, Daddy." Emily hops in the chair next to Frank's bed. "You sweep too." Frank smiles and closes his eyes.
When Claire wakes up, she goes into Frank's room. Emily is telling Frank her version of what happened while he was in the hospital.
"And den we left, but we come back. Mommy, Daddy here!" Emily exclaims and points to her father.
"I see that. Emily, can you give me and Daddy a few minutes?" Claire isn't sure if Frank knows about Meechum and would rather not have Emily in the room when she tells him. Emily is reluctant to leave her father and will only go if she has his permission.
"It's okay, Em. We will be out in a little bit." Frank tells his daughter. Emily hops off the chair and walks out of the room, holding her rabbit she stole back from her father.
"Are you in a lot of pain?" Claire asks.
"Nothing I can't handle. Meechum?"
"I spoke to his mother." Sadness washes over Frank's features at the thought of never seeing his friend again. Frank grips the IV pole standing next to his bed and tries to push himself up.
"Francis, don't…"
"Help me up." Claire rounds the corner of the bed and grips the crook of her husband's arm with both hands.
"Are you sure?" She doesn't want to do anything that will set back his recovery even further.
"Yes. It's good for the recovery. Doctor's orders." With Claire's help, Frank stands up, one hand holding his wife's and the other gripping the IV pole. "They want me on my feet at least once a day." Slowly, Frank takes a few tentative steps, with Claire a step behind him. "Let's take a walk. Now let me see if I can do it."
"Francis be careful Emily doesn't see you fall." Claire reminds him. They've already traumatized their daughter enough lately. Frank nods and begins walking on his own. Claire hovers close, wondering if he is overestimating his condition at the moment. Sure enough, when Frank reaches the threshold of the door, his body starts to give out on him. Claire rushes to his side, glancing around the corner to make sure their daughter is busy playing.
Frank manages to get to an end table down the hall with Claire's assistance.
"I need a minute," Frank says, and Claire helps him sit down. Claire sits across from him and they watch Emily play with her toys. "Did she do okay with all of this?"
"Emily did better than me at times with everything that's happened." Frank was worried his daughter would be scared to go near him after he got home, or her personality would be altered permanently. Awkward silence passes between them briefly.
"Stay with me," Frank mutters, glancing over at Claire. "It's us against them. Always. Otherwise, what's the goddamn point?"
"I can't do it Francis. I can't come back and be the First Lady." Claire didn't do all of this for nothing to change.
"Not that. Not that." Frank hopes Claire understands what he's trying to convey. "I said you were nothing, in the Oval, without me. It's the other way around."
"It would have to be different. I can't uproot Emily's life again, Francis."
"I know. That's what I'm saying. I want you and Emily back, for good. You two are the only family I've got." Frank reaches across the table and holds out his hand. Claire is momentarily surprised by the gesture and meets him halfway, so he doesn't strain himself. She holds her husband's hand tightly, quickly squeezing it before letting go.
"Come on, let's see if we can get Emily to race you to the end of the hall."
The End?
A/N 2: Is this it? Or do you guys want an epilogue? Let me know and thank you always for reading and reviewing!