I know we're jumping pretty far in the timeline but the chapters were getting stagnant and it felt like there was no true creativity. That's why we're at this one so soon.
This is another chapter that my heart led me to write.
The day was Thursday, January 26th, 2017 and everyone was at the O'Reilly beach house in LA for a family celebration. Perry had just won his first court case. Finian and Elena were helping Holly and Phillip with a banner to congratulate Perry on his accomplishment.
Della was sitting in her easy chair facing all of the excitement. She had been feeling rather lethargic over the course of the week, with no one attributing it to her possibly being close to passing on. She was 94, so if she went, it wouldn't be a death that came too soon.
"Excited to surprise your oldest grandchild?" Bekah asked as Della blinked as she had fallen asleep and nodded happily,
"Oh, yes. I can't believe he's all grown up. It seems like yesterday…" her voice faltered as the tears came as Bekah nodded,
"I know, Momma. I miss him too. Are you alright? Do you want to take a nap?" Bekah asked noticing Della's tiredness as Holly scooted next to her in the rather large easy chair as Della snuggled with Holly,
"I love you, Grandma Della." Holly whispered with a smile as Della shook her head as Bekah went to help Elena and Phillip.
At 19, Holly still made it a huge point in her day to show her Grandma Della how much she loved her.
"Good work, Perry! We're so proud of you." Ken congratulated as he and Paul Jr went to pick him up from the courthouse,
"Thanks, Uncle Ken." Perry said as he hugged Ken and Paul Jr tightly,
"Let's get you home. Your Mom's got your favorite dinner going." Ken said with a smile as they climbed into the car and drove to the beach house.
"Momma, Ken and Paul have got Perry and are on their way. Wake up." Bekah gently shook Della awake as Della smiled sheepishly,
"I'm sorry, sweet girl. I don't know what's gotten me so exhausted today." Bekah nodded and motioned Phillip to follow her to the balcony,
"What's wrong Mama?" Phillip asked concerned – about ready to cry as Bekah sighed,
"I think… I think… This might be Grandma Della's last evening with us. Damn it, I should've known. Your Grandpa Perry was this way too the day your big brother was born, he died the day Perry was born. I don't think I told you, Holly or Elena that." Phillip hugged his mother tightly as Bekah took him back inside and squealed when she saw Perry walk in,
"I'm so proud of you!" Perry smiled and hugged his mother tightly,
"Thanks, Mama." The twins tackled Perry as he laughed,
"Congrats!" Holly giggled and kissed Perry's cheek as he smiled,
"Thanks, Holly." Della, Ken, and Paul Jr watched from the easy chair but noticed how distant Elena was.
"Elena?" Paul Jr called as he took her out to walk along the water,
"Is something wrong Uncle Paul?" Elena asked innocently,
"Why are you so distant? I know Perry isn't your biological brother – " Elena shook her head,
"I'm worried about Grandma Della. I'm proud of my older brother, I just can't seem to get over how weak she is." Paul Jr nodded and hugged his niece tightly as Elena began to cry quietly. Finian was watching with Ken as they sighed sadly.
"I think Elena knows that Della doesn't have much time left with us." Bekah walked out and smiled sadly whispering something to Finian as he went in to help Della to her bed,
"Finian, I'm alright." Della protested,
"Bekah's worried that you're too tired for everything that's happening right now." Bekah walked in and snuggled with Della,
"Momma, please trust me on this. Daddy was this way too the day he…" Della stopped Bekah right then and there.
"No." Bekah sighed,
"Momma, you're 94. You've been this way all week." Della sighed as she felt tears come to her eyes,
"Yes, I have considered that too. At least, I'll get to see your Daddy again and I'll get to meet the baby. I love you so much my sweet girl. I want you to you know that when I go, that I'll never be more than a prayer away or a glance upwards at the sky. You've blessed my life in more ways than you could ever imagine." Bekah nodded with tears in her eyes as they began to nap together.
About 45 minutes later, Holly went into wake up her Mama and Grandma Della but when Bekah tried to wake up Della,
"Momma?" Bekah asked as she shook Della gently, but Della didn't wake up as Bekah moved to check Della's pulse, she screamed as everyone ran into the bedroom as Paul Jr and Ken broke down sobbing as Bekah shook her head.
"She's gone." Bekah sobbed as she clung to Della unwilling to allow the fact to become real in her mind.
Holly tried to pry Bekah away from Della and the prying ended up getting forceful as Holly's voice took on a tone of forcefulness, like she was Bekah's mother and not the other way around.
"Mama, let go. Please. She wouldn't want this."
"No, let me go! Momma, wake up! Please!" Bekah sobbed as Ken and Paul Jr quickly pried her away as Ken held her close as the three of them sobbed as they sat on the couch together while Finian made the dreaded phone calls.
"At least she's reunited with Daddy and the baby." Bekah whispered three long hours later as her brothers nodded,
"She's no longer in pain either. I'm glad she passed peacefully." Ken whispered as Bekah let go as she felt Perry tap her shoulder as she stood up and let her son cry in her arms after they went to his room,
"Let it out, honey. Let it out." Bekah whispered as Perry's sobs grew louder as his body shook harder as Bekah's sobs joined his as they lied on his bed,
"Uncle Paul?" Elena asked voice shaking as Paul Jr pulled Elena in for a hug on the couch as Elena began to sob loudly as well. Finian was with the twins as Ken sat on the balcony looking up at the night sky,
"I know you both can hear me up there. I promise to watch over everyone and keep them from harm. We miss you. Both of you. I hope you're having a good time up there together with the baby." Ken finished with a smile as he began to cry softly as Phillip walked out as Ken hugged Phillip letting them both cry.
When the next morning broke,
Bekah sat up and was a little disoriented but relaxed seeing that she was in Perry's room as she got up to see Ken and Phillip in the kitchen making breakfast after kissing Perry's forehead as he moaned in his sleep before leaving his room,
"I love you so much Mama." Phillip whimpered as he hugged Bekah tightly as Bekah cried softly,
"I love you, too Phillip. So, so much."
After a few moments,
"Did you both sleep well?" Bekah asked gently as both men nodded,
"Once we got to sleep." Bekah smiled softly as she chuckled,
"Same." Elena heard her mother's voice and walked into the kitchen,
"'Lena, come here." Bekah said with open arms as Elena hugged her tightly as Ken smiled gently but sadly. These next few months were going to be tough, and he knew that they all needed to stay together as Perry sat with him at the kitchen table.
Holly woke up last and when she sat on the two – seater couch next to Bekah. Bekah took Holly's hand and tugged it as Holly melted into her Mama's embrace as she sobbed quietly,
"I'm sorry for last night with how I acted." Bekah's heart shattered,
"No, Holly Marie. You had all the right to act the way you did. I would've been surprised if you didn't act the way you did last night." Holly clung to her mother as Paul Jr walked in and Elena snuggled against him as Ken, Phillip and Perry went for a walk on the beach.
"I'm surprised that she lasted to yesterday." Perry said as the others looked to him,
"What do you mean by that?" Phillip asked as Perry nodded,
"Mama told me that Grandpa Perry was the way Grandma Della was the week I was born and the day he died." Ken blanched as Phillip hugged his brother as Bekah called Morgan and Gabby,
"Gabby here." Bekah heard on the other end as she sighed deeply,
"Momma's dead, Gabby. She died last night." She heard Gabby's strangled cry,
"Oh, god Bekah. I'm coming over right now." Bekah hung up and dialed Morgan's number,
"Morgan here." Bekah sighed deeply as she spoke,
"Momma's dead, Morgan. She died last night. Gabby's on her way over." Morgan gave the same strangled cry and proclamation that she was on her way over as Gabby made it there first as Gabby clung to Bekah as Ken let her in as both girls sobbed and Morgan joined the sobbing when she got to the beach house.
"At least your parents are reunited. I know how hard it's been for Della since Perry passed on 24 years ago." Morgan commented as Bekah smiled softly,
"I can only imagine how happy they are right now." The three women smiled and laughed.
"I remember looking at them and seeing what true love was." Gabby commented as Bekah smiled,
"Daddy loved Momma so much, and they're with the baby now."
While the three women were sitting there, Ken had gone to where he had kept Della's letters locked away until she finally passed.
(Flashback)
It was a few months prior, around October.
"Ken, could you come here please?" Della called as Ken walked into her office as he blanched seeing the stack of envelops,
"Take these and place them where only you have access to for when I go. These are letters for everyone, including you. I want you to hand them out when I go see Perry again." Ken sighed,
"I… I promise but you're not going anytime soon."
(End flashback)
"Guys, can you come into the kitchen for a moment?" Ken called gathering the courage to hand out the letters. Everyone gathered around the kitchen island as Ken looked down at the stack of letters as Bekah gasped,
"What are those?" Ken sighed as he handed the letters to their respective recipients.
"Della wrote all of us letters, for when she died, late last October. She gave them to me while making me swear that I would hand them out when she died." Everyone nodded and scattered to read their letters, either sitting in pairs or by themselves.
I know this one's got another cliffhanger but the letters deserve their own chapter with an explanation as to why the letters are a thing.