A/N – Okay so I have been absent for a while. I'm sorry. This story is very near an end. If there are any other stories you guys might like me to write, please let me know and I'll see what I can do. I do have another story for these two lovely ladies already mapped out in my head. Enjoy the final chapters of the story. Let me know what you think. But I will apologise now for this chapter. REGINA'S VIEW.

Chapter 28: Wake Me Up When September Ends

All my life I was taught that bad things come in three's. always have and always will. By my count we've only had two so far. When Cora came to visit us when we moved into the apartment. Me getting shot. And I am still waiting for magical number 3. And I wouldn't be able to relax until it came.

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I had never seen Father so happy. It was as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. And he was finally free. Emma on the other hand was more on edge than ever. And I really couldn't understand why.

"Emma honey. What's wrong?" We were sat on the couch working on a final project for the year. School was almost over thankfully. As were sat in the living room Emma was on the floor by the table working on her essay. I leaned forward and started stroking her hair. It seemed like the only thing that could calm her down at this point.

"Nothing I'm just… I need to get this assignment done." She was deflecting. It drove me insane when she did this. I know we didn't always say everything to each other, but Emma had been avoiding something for weeks now. Months. Ever since we moved into the house really. I wonder…

"Do you now like living in this house Emma? I mean I would understand why because…"

"What? I love it here. Your Mum may have owned the house, but we are making it our home. Anywhere I am with you is where we belong." She was up on her knees and looking me right in the eyes. Her eyes always made me feel safe.

"Then what has got you so tense. And don't tell me it's the assignment. I know there is something else that has you so wound up." She was quiet for a second. She knew I had caught her and she had the decency to feel at least a little guilty.

"Something doesn't sit right with me."

"What do you mean?" Emma got off the floor and came and sat next to me. Pulling me into her and keeping me close.

"I was taught that all bad things come in three's. Whether it's something small like breaking a nail. Or something huge like getting shot." She paused waiting for me to realise where she was going with this.

"Okay, I admit that you getting shot was a very bad thing. But that was one. What else has happened?" I sat up slightly and looked at her. I needed to be able to see her.

"When your Mum came to take you back home."

"But she didn't take me home. How is that a terrible thing?" I mean yeah Mother tried to break us apart but here we are.

"No, but she did make us have a bit of a setback. That whole week you were so distant with me. And I understand why, but that week was hell for me. And ever since then I have been so careful and cautious around you. I am so scared that if I do anything it might set you off." I could see the tears beginning to fill her eyes. "I never want to see you hurt Regina. And the last thing I want to have happen is that I am the reason that you get hurt." I literally jumped on her. Knocking Emma back into the couch. Wrapping my arms around her.

"You could never hurt me. You never have hurt me. And you never will hurt me. I trust you with my whole heart Emma. And you have to know that you could never do anything to hurt me." Emma pulled me closer to her and held me tight.

"I hope that's true." I pulled back slightly to give her a kiss. To feel her soft lips upon mine.

"So, if all bad things come in three's then what is the third bad thing going to be?"

"I don't know. And that's what scares me." We were sat on the sofa and the next thing I know is there is a loud thud coming from upstairs. We both looked up and then back at each other very quickly. When I realised where the sound had actually come from my heart stopped.

"Daddy?" I got off Emma and practically sprinted upstairs. Straight into Daddy's room. And there he was. On the floor. I thought I was going to be sick. "Daddy?" I grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled up into my lap. "Daddy?" I just started crying. I could still feel him breathing but he wouldn't wake up. I couldn't get him to wake up. I heard Emma coming behind me and she stopped in the doorway. "Emma…"

"I'm calling an ambulance." And she was gone again. But I never moved. I stayed on the floor. Holding my Daddy's body in my arms rocking him with me. This can't be happening. This isn't happening.

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I thought working in a hospital would show me how good life can be. That miracles can happen even at the worst of times. But lately I haven't seen a whole lot of that. First Emma. And now Daddy. Back in the hospital next to a bed waiting for my loved one to wake up. I held my Daddy's hand as I waited for the doctor to come in.

"Miss Mills."

"Doctor Blue." She moved over to the end of his bed and grabbed his chart.

"Miss Mills it appears as though your Father's condition has progressed." I looked up at the doctor and could barely see her through my tears.

"What condition?" Emma was sat next to me. She placed her hand on my back. I just needed to know she was there. "What is wrong with my Father?"

"Miss Mills are you telling me he hasn't told you?" I just sat there and shook my head getting more and more frustrated by the second. "Miss Mills your father has coronary heart disease."

"What?" There was nothing to say. I couldn't think of anything.

"Miss Mills your father is in the final stages of coronary heart disease. Even with all the medication we have given him, his condition has continued to deteriorate. And I'm afraid there is nothing more we can do." I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't do anything. Thankfully Emma could.

"Are you telling us that we just have to sit here and watch him die?" Doctor blue didn't seem to know how to respond to that.

"We can make him as comfortable as possible but I'm afraid…"

"Get out." I finally found my voice. And I had heard enough. "You are not going to stand there and tell me there is nothing you can do. Now get out. And leave us alone." She didn't say another word as she left the room. I turned back to Daddy as he lay in his bed. He was beginning to stir. He turned his head and looked straight at me.

"I'm sorry Mija." And I let go. Everything I had felt for so long came flooding out in my tears.

"Why didn't you tell me Daddy?" He was so weak. He could barely hold my hand. How had I not seen anything? How has he hidden this from me for so long?

"I couldn't. You have been through so much. I didn't want to be another burden on your life." I moved closer to him and stroked his cheek with my hand.

"You could never be a burden to me Daddy. I love you. I just wish I could help you. What can I do?" He placed his hand free hand over our joined ones.

"Just live a happy life. And never do things you will regret." He started coughing and I felt my heart breaking with each one. "Just be happy darling." He gave my hand a squeeze. It was gentle, but it was there. The next thing I knew the door opened. And when I looked I nearly yelled.

"Hello Darling."

"Mother." We stared at each other. Neither one of us willing to back down from the other.

"Regina darling could I possibly speak to you for a second." I looked back at Daddy. I didn't want to leave him, but I wanted to hear what Mother had to say about any of this.

"Go. It's okay. I'll stay with him." Emma said from beside me. I was so thankful for her. She had been my rock through everything. And even now she would never leave my side. "Just give me a shout if you need anything." She finished by looking up at my Mother and I knew what she meant. And I didn't even realise that I might need her. I did not trust myself alone with my Mother. Not even the slightest. But knowing Emma was there the second I'd need her was all I needed.

"Shall we?" Mother opened the door and waited for me to leave first. And so, I did. When I looked back I saw Emma grabbing Daddy's hand and moving over to be closer to him.

"What do you want Mother?" All I wanted was to go back and sit with Daddy. The least I could do though was hear her out.

"Despite what you may think darling, I do care for your Father. And I would like to do anything I can to help." She sounded sincere in her words, but to me they made no sense.

"Why now? After all this time and after everything you have done to him. Why would you try and help him now when there is nothing more to do but wait?" I had very little patience left in me. If she was really going to stand here and try and be all miss sweet and innocent, I wasn't buying it.

"Well darling, there is far more to deal with than just waiting. There are papers that need to be signed. Arrangements that must be made. Your Father passing is more of an inconvenience than you may realize." She said it all with a stone face I couldn't actually believe she was saying it at all. I felt as though I was going to be sick. I had no way of reacting to that. I heard the door open behind me and I turned around to see Emma popping her head through. She glared up at Mother before focusing back on me.

"Regina, I think you might want to come back inside for a moment." She stepped back and held the door open for me. My head was spinning a million miles an hour right now. And none of what was going through it was actually making any sense. I just needed one thing to make sense. One thing to be okay and maybe everything else would fall into place with it. I walked past Emma and back over to the seat next to Daddy's bed. I grabbed his hand and noticed all the papers on the bed with him.

"What's all this?" I could see a lot of different papers but none of them had any indicators of what they were. Not that I could see. Daddy started moving them, but he was clearly struggling to speak.

"They are the organisations for his funeral." Emma said very quietly from the back of the room. I could hear the lump at the back of her throat and I could feel the one rising from my stomach.

"Daddy…no." I couldn't stop the tears. I started brushing the papers away. I didn't want to see any of them. I didn't want to think of any of that. I saw as Emma moved forward and sat across from me on the bed. She grabbed my hand holding Daddy's, but it didn't stop me from crying still. I don't think anything ever would.

"Regina. There is more. He organised everything for the funeral and he's organised everything for you." I looked up at Emma, but I could barely see through my tears.

"What are you talking about?" Emma picked up some of the papers and shuffled through them.

"Regina, all these years your mother has been setting up private accounts," I looked over to Mother who suddenly had gone very tense. "But she was setting them up in your Dad's name." I scrunched my brows together. None of this was making sense.

"Okay I am far to emotional right now for any sort of cryptic crap, so someone tell me right now what the hell you are talking about." I was beyond pissed. At everyone and everything now. Daddy tightened his grip on my hand and slowly explained.

"Your Mother didn't want the accounts to lead to her if she ever got caught. She had all sorts of schemes going on, but all the money was sorted and went through me. If anything, ever went wrong, I would end up taking the fall." He coughed and turned to look at Mother. "What your Mother didn't realise was that I was transferring all the money into a single account. One account where all the funds went." I looked up and saw Mother's face beginning to grow furious. And I think I finally knew where this was going. "I set up an account, separate from your Mother and from our marriage. This account was made in your name Regina." He turned back to me and I could see the pain all this was causing him. But he needed to finish explaining. I needed him to. "And recently I made it into a joint account between yourself and Emma. The account is supposed to be handed over to you when I pass. I knew that day was arriving sooner rather than later, so I have been having the bank prepare all the paperwork for you both to sign. And your Mother can't touch a penny of it." And finally, one thing made sense.

"Why you spineless, ungrateful little vermin." I watched as Mother lunged at Daddy and continued to watch as Emma turned and pinned Mother down to the floor. It was certainly a sight to watch. A nurse must have heard the commotion and came to check on us. The nurse looked rather shocked. However, seeing Mother on the floor the way she was gave me a sense of power I had never felt around her.

"Would you be so kind as to find some security and have my Mother removed from the premises?" The nurse nodded and slowly backed out of the room. Emma made sure my Mother didn't move until the security came at which point she got off the floor and came and sat next to me again.

"You two have no idea what you are doing."

"Actually, Mother we do. We are making sure that you can not harm us or anyone else again. You should have been put in prison after you had Emma shot." I turned and looked at the camera in the corner of the room. "I'm sure the video evidence should be enough to have you charged with Assault. You don't have to inflict zany physical damage, but simply show the threat and intent to cause it. You may not be put away forever, but it certainly is a start." She was silent as she was dragged from the room. And there was peace once again. I looked back to Daddy, and there were no more words that needed to be said. Anything else that needed to be sorted I could figure out later. I wanted to just spend time with my Daddy.

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The next few days were long. I had told Emma that it was okay. She could leave for work and stuff. One of us needed to earn some money. But she came back every second she was free. And I was so thankful she did. But I never left Daddy's side. I just sat and watched as he quickly got worse and worse. The doctors had said it would be any day now. And I didn't know what to do. All I could do was wait around with Daddy. He had moments where he would be able to talk to me. But those moments were becoming fewer and far between.

It had been almost 2 weeks since we had him admitted to the hospital. And I knew that today was the day. Something about today felt different. Daddy had barely moved. Emma hadn't left my side. The Doctors hadn't been in to do any checks. Nothing about this was right. None of this should have been happening. But it was. And I needed to be able to deal with it. And I could.

I kept hold of Daddy's hand. He started fidgeting. He turned his head to look over at Emma and I. He smiled and looked straight at me.

"I love you Mija."

"I love you too Daddy." His eyes shut closed again…and then the long beep came. And I couldn't cope anymore. "Daddy?" I lost it. "No!" I felt Emma wrap her arms around me. I remember feeling numb. I remember screaming. And crying. I remember Emma holding me. The feeling of her keeping me close and the sound of her crying with me. Everything seemed to go by in slow motion. The doctors came in. They turned off the machine. I couldn't really hear what they were saying. I didn't need to. I watched as they pulled the sheet up and over his head. And my entire world stopped.

"No!" I screamed one last time.

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A/N – Okay. I don't really want to say a lot after that. So just let me know what you think in the reviews.