(A/N: As a pre-warning this chapter contains themes of parental loss and cancer. If these themes make you uncomfortable I will include a brief summary in the next chapter)
Fred glanced over at his girlfriend and couldn't help but grin fondly as she chatted animatedly with her cousins. They were chatting about sports once more, this time about some chap named Micheal something or other. Apparently a fan favourite if their heated arguments were anything to go by.
"There's no topping Jordan, John! He averaged 17.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 1.8 apg during his three years as a TarHeel!" Odile cried, voice full of irritation, marred by the giant smile overtaking her face.
"I get that! All I'm saying is you can't count out Ford or Worthy, Ode!" And on and on it went, the booming voices and the smell of Budweiser soon became the backing track to their trip. Although Fred didn't understand a majority of what was said, he didn't care much. He hadn't seen Odile this happy in months, her eyes full of a light he'd dearly missed. As the conversation eventually drew from sports, and the sun began to fade, the jet lag really began to hit Fred. He tried to stifle his yawns, but Odile could read him like a book. She shot him a wink before making the most outrageous yawn, and standing as she stretched.
"Well, I'm beat. Think I'll head to bed," she turned to her boyfriend with an evil glint in her eyes, "Coming, Fred?" The tips of his ears burned as the attention of the room fell to him. He cleared his throat and stood, quickly following her to the staircase, keeping his head ducked.
"I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANY FUNNY BUSINESS, Y'ALL HEAR ME?" John shrieked from his position on the couch, causing Fred to flush an even deeper red. He quickly ascended the stairs, Odile following him. Before she quite left view, she leant back to give John the finger, giggling as the entire room exploded into jeers and laughter. It was good to be home.
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The following days were equally as lazy, spending time with family, catching up on their lives. Telling her family what had happened over the past few months wasn't a very pleasant conversation. She'd known her cousin John her entire life, and had somehow never heard him curse so much over all that time, than when he was listening to Odile's story.
"I'm going to kill them. I'm going to get in my truck, drive across the damn Atlantic Ocean, and straight up kill them." She chuckled morosely at his furied statement, giving him a side hug to show her appreciation.
Odile knew reopening that wound would not be easy, especially with her mind still being fragile. She was having more and more flashbacks everyday, and certainly not pleasant ones. Odile knew it had something to do with Bellatrix intruding her mind, playing with her memories. They were always centered around a painful moment of her past, and it was quite emotionally straining.
Fred's hand tightened over hers as she briefly brushed the topic of their breakup. She didn't linger on the topic very long; she knew how heartbroken he'd been, how much he blamed himself for the entire ordeal. She herself had to be comforted, especially when Buxtley came up, how she'd left him to potentially die saving her. Her Grandmother wrapped her in a soft embrace, gently rocking her as tears welled in her eyes. The silence in the room was deafening, the only sound being Odile's sniffles and her Grandmother's soothing hushing. Odile shut her eyes tightly, the familiar noise bringing back a rush of unwarranted memories. The memory of the last day her mother was on this Earth. The day she said goodbye to the most important person in her life.
Odile's eyes burned, the tears dripping down her face piercing her mother's forearm. All she could hear were the shallow breaths, the pained wheezing in each rise and fall of her chest. Odile's hands clutched her Mum's tightly, too afraid to loosen her grip. Cancer is an ugly disease, one that takes too many too young. She couldn't keep it straight in her mind. Why her mum? She had so much life before her, so much left to do. Her Mum had done everything right; never smoked, never drank, always put on sun cream. Yet here she was, dying in a bed that they used to cuddle on while watching Scooby Doo. It didn't make sense. Her Mum was kind to everyone, looked after Odile's friends like they were her own, spent her weekends volunteering. She never stopped smiling, even after her husband had kicked her to the dirt, packed up and left with nothing but pre-signed divorce papers to say goodbye. Odile's Mum had raised her by herself, put all Michael's "child support" money in a box for Odile when she old enough to spend it wisely. She was hardly ever cross, and was never cruel. She deserved everything beautiful in life, and her she was. Frail and tired and dying.
Her mind kept racing, never knowing which slow exhale would be the last. Odile's eyes snapped to her mother when she heard her cough. It was a dry cough, one that reminded her of the smokers that hung around the back of the diner down the street; the diner her mother brought her to every Saturday for a shared plate of fries and a malt shake. She began to stand to bring her mother a glass of water, but the weak pull on her hand brought her back to Charlotte. Odile was terrified to look, the weight in her chest kept her eyes on the off-white blanket over her mother's legs.
"Darling," her voice was soft, and cracked from the suffering she endured, "look at me, please." Odile inhaled deeply, the knot in her throat making breathing ever so difficult. Odile's eyes locked in with her mother's, the peace in them shaking her to the core. She knew that look. She knew where that look came from, from one who was soon to be reunited with all their lost loves. Charlotte smiled coyly as if she held all the answers to the universe. Odile looked her over once more, memorising every single detail—her lips, once a bright pink, now cracked and red from the lack of moisture. The scarf covering her head was a shimmering silver, the colour of wisdom and light. Her once full cheeks now appeared sunken, and her skin had taken on a pale tint. It was her eyes though, the pale green that hadn't changed one bit.
"You know I'll see you again, my darling." Odile choked back a sob and nodded quickly, flexing her hands around her mum's, pushing every emotion she could into her next words. "I know. I'm going to miss you, mum. Every single day of my life." She smiled wider at that, tears running down her cheeks as her breaths became more shallow; as if she was at the ending stretch of a marathon.
"This is not goodbye angel. This is only hello. Hello to the next stage of your life, hello to a whole new chapter. You're going to do great things birdy, I just know it. You'll find love and joy, and I'll watch you the whole way. You just won't see me. But I'll always be here, watching over you. I love you my perfect, perfect girl." Odile nodded, squeezing her hand even tighter as her eyes closed, the beeps of the heart monitor slowing as each second moved past. Odile stood, kissing her mother on the forehead and whispering, "I love you mom. I will never forget you. Thank you for being mine." Her mother's lips upturned once more, and her eyes reopened to stare into Odile's one last time. Odile felt the sobs wrack her body as the life left them, the flatline over the monitor, confirming her worst fears. She knew there would be no hurry from the nurses; the 'do not resuscitate' order giving them the ease of time. The time she no longer had, the time that had been ripped from her arms.
"Odile? Baby what's- oh. Oh no, no. No please, please-" Odile felt her grandfather's arms wrap around hers, lifting the sobbing child, clutching her tightly. Her grandmother's broken cries heavy in her ears, Odile was swiftly pulled from the room, heart already freezing itself off from any future pain.
A/N: And there it is, the most painful moment of Odile Reisinger's life… so far, dun dun dun. No, only joking… or am I? Little tidbit, the death scene was actually originally a writing exercise for myself. I wrote it during a period of my life when I was working 3 jobs, and I had no energy to write. I knew I had to finish the book, but I was just stuck. I also wanted to work on sad scenes, given I really haven't tried before. I actually wrote it based on a One Direction song funnily enough, pulling from real life experiences. I've known friend's who have lost friend's and known a few who have lost their battles as well. I also pulled from my Grandad, and the awful way he had to go. He was the kindness, most gentle man to ever walk planet Earth, and he passed last May from ALS. Death is never fair, nor is life. Just take minute to think about the ones you love, and whether you've sent the a message lately. Go ahead and send a text, because you never know which goodbye will be your last.
A/N Pt 2: So sorry for the late update! As per usual, time got away from me. Special thanks to Lizzy Anne89 and baguettte for following! See y'all on the next one.