A/N: This chapter took a little longer to finish, but it is also the longest chapter of the story so far.
It was Saturday morning on Groundhog Day when Chuck arrived back home in Burbank, California. Gabriel was 130 days old and Chuck hadn't been inside the four walls of Casa Bartowski for 257 days.
Knowing that Chuck would be arriving via Beckman's private plane that morning Sarah had sent her kids to the movies with their grandmother. She didn't want them to see what had happened to their father. Not without trying to prepare them for it first.
As she waited for the doorbell to ring Sarah paced the floor nervously. At last word Chuck wasn't doing well. Chuck had been in a catatonic state when she saw him, unmoving and unresponsive. If he was supposed to be worse off than that Sarah didn't know what condition Chuck was going to come home in. Was he dying and being sent home so that he could spend his last remaining days or hours surrounded by family, rather than dying alone in a government hospital?
Lost in thought and mindless pacing Sarah nearly jumped out of her shoes when she heard the chime of her doorbell. Taking a deep breath and swallowing her fear Sarah crossed the room to open the door.
As she opened the door Sarah was pushed into the background and forced to watch everything from afar. From her ignored corner Sarah watched as Chuck was 'deposited' inside the house by men in white suits that she had never seen before. Sarah didn't know who these people were, but she knew they were making her angry. They weren't letting her near her husband and they clearly didn't care about him the way she did.
The fifteen minutes it took from the time Sarah answered the door until the time she was left alone with the shell that was once her husband seemed infinitely longer. The moment they were gone from her house Sarah raced to his side. She had to know. She had to know what was meant when she was told that Chuck was no longer doing well and that neither the doctors nor the scientists could do anything else for him.
Sarah didn't even have to reach Chuck before she saw it. Before, Chuck could sit and hold himself up. Now he just lie limp and lifeless, and though his eyes were still glassed over Sarah saw something in them that told her that he had just given up. It seemed that he was just waiting to die and it shattered Sarah's heart.
While tears rolled down her cheeks and fell from her face Sarah sat with him on the bed. It was the first time they had both been in this bed since early May and even if Chuck wasn't really here, just having him on their bed had a profound effect on her. She started crying harder and a tear splashed onto his cheek.
Sarah moved to wipe the tear from his face, but instead of going to his cheek her hand found his hair and she stroked her fingers through the messy locks. While the tear dried on his skin Sarah continued to brush her fingers through Chuck's hair and made a heartfelt plea. "Please don't give up Chuck. Please keep fighting. I need you to come back to me. I love you and the world is a better place with you in it. So please don't die on me."
Wiping the tears from her eyes Sarah settled down next to Chuck, laying her body against his. It wasn't the same as it used to be, but she did feel a small amount of comfort lying in bed with her husband for the first time in nine months. She remained with him on the bed until she heard the doorbell.
Mary was back with the kids and now Sarah had to figure out how to explain their father's condition to them. They were so young that Sarah didn't know how she would make them understand his catatonic state. When their father couldn't give them hugs and kisses or say 'I love you' it would break their little hearts.
Coming back from the movie Abigail and Felicity were excitedly chattering about it the moment they walked through the door. As they continued to talk about how much they liked the movie and how much fun they'd had Sarah found her resolve to tell them about Chuck diminishing with each smile. She couldn't crush their hearts now and watch those precious little smiles disappear.
For now Chuck was tucked safely out of sight in the master bedroom. She could wait a little while before breaking the news to them because she knew that once she did there would be no turning back. Once it was out there their world was going to turn upside down again. The Bartowski family would have to adjust to yet another whole new reality.
Silently signaling to Mary Chuck's location Sarah sat down with her girls to hear all about the movie they saw and the candy they got to eat. Sarah sat listening to her girls until she heard Gabriel wake up and start crying. Getting up Sarah walked down the hall toward the nursery, taking a quick peek into her room where she saw Mary kneeling beside the bed with her hand laid over Chuck's still frail-looking hand.
Blinking away tears Sarah continued on to the nursery and gathered her infant son into her arms. Settling into the rocking chair Sarah began talking to him with a soothing voice as she readied to begin feeding him. Even after Gabriel stopped crying she continued to talk to him, even if only to stop herself from thinking about Chuck lying catatonic just across the hall. It was easier to put out of her mind when Chuck was still at the hospital. Now that he was home the image of him was burned into her mind.
After feeding Gabriel Sarah peaked into the master bedroom again and found the room empty except for Chuck. Carrying Gabriel in her arms Sarah continued on to the living room so he could join the rest of the family and get to spend a few minutes with grandma before she went back home.
Mary didn't stay long and once she had gone Sarah knew it was time to have that difficult conversation with Abigail and Felicity about their father. She couldn't risk them discovering him on their own. That would just make everything worse, so while holding Felicity in her lap and wrapping her arm securely around Abigail Sarah took a deep breath and prepared to deliver the heartbreaking news.
"Abigail. Felicity. There is something Mommy needs to tell you about Daddy." Sarah paused for a few moments as she tried to figure out how to explain the situation to her young daughters. "Daddy is very sick. Right now he has to stay in bed and needs someone to take care of him because he can't do it himself. He's too sick to do anything by himself and has to rely on someone else to do everything for him. Just like your baby brother."
"Is Daddy at the hospital?" Felicity asked.
"Not anymore baby. The hospital sent him home so that we can take care of him."
"Daddy's here?!" Abigail asked. Where is he?!"
"He's in Mommy and Daddy's room." As soon as they heard those words Abigail and Felicity tried to jump off the couch, but Sarah held onto them. There was still something she needed to tell them. "Before we go see Daddy you need to know that you have to be very gentle with him. Do you know how gentle you have to be with Gabriel, so you don't hurt him? Well you need to be just as gentle with Daddy okay?"
Both girls nodded their head in understanding, so Sarah got off the couch with them and held their hands as they went to the bedroom to see Chuck. Just outside the bedroom door Sarah stopped to make sure her girls were prepared for what they would find on the other side of the door. "Remember Daddy is very sick and can't get out of bed. You can each give him one little kiss, but then we need to let Daddy rest, okay."
With nods of understanding the three girls stepped into the room. In the darkened room Chuck was lying in bed under the covers and other than the fact that his eyes were open, appeared to be sleeping. Quietly stepping up to the bed, each girl placed a gentle kiss on Chuck's forehead, Sarah at the insistence of both of her daughters. Sarah then ushered the girls back out of the room and closed the door.
"Mommy, when will Daddy get better?" Abigail asked, a hint of sadness reflected in her deep blue eyes.
"I don't know sweetie. We just have to take good care of Daddy until then."
"I want to help Daddy." Felicity said in her most determined voice.
"I know you do baby and you and your sister can help by letting Daddy know how much you love him. Right now Daddy needs to rest though, so go play and you can talk to him later."
Listening to their mother's words Abigail and Felicity ran off to the room they shared with each other. Once they were in their bedroom and out of earshot Sarah let the tears she had been fighting for the past fifteen minutes finally fall. While Sarah was out of Abigail and Felicity's earshot she wasn't out of earshot of everyone. When she started crying Gabriel, who was playing on a blanket in the middle of the room looked up to see what was happening.
"Hey sweet boy," Sarah said as she moved off the couch and onto the floor. "You won't tell your sisters that Mommy was crying will you?"
Gabriel's response was to smile at her and Sarah wasn't sure what that meant. Was he smiling because he planned to tattle on her or was it because he meant to keep the secret? Whatever his smile meant it did have the effect of making her smile.
Gabriel was going to be the saving grace in this shattered family. It was impossible to see that boy smile and not smile yourself. Smiles were something that this family was going to be in desperate need of in the coming days, weeks or even months.
Sarah sat on the floor and played with her youngest child until it was time for everyone to take their nap. After a bit of a struggle Sarah got her girls down and started feeding Gabriel to get his little tummy full so that she could put him down for his nap as well.
While Sarah was in the midst of feeding Gabriel she saw the door leading into her bedroom open, and then as though he were being controlled by someone else Chuck stepped out into the hallway and proceeded to walk around with no set destination. It was like whomever was controlling him didn't know the layout of his surroundings and couldn't make him go where they wanted.
Carefully standing so as not to interrupt Gabriel's feeding too much, Sarah quietly fell in line behind Chuck while she tried to discover what he was doing, where he was trying to go. As he walked in a robotic-like fashion Sarah stuck close to keep an eye on him. He wandered around aimlessly for two minutes before returning to the bedroom and slumping to the floor.
Sarah wanted to go to him, but until Gabriel had his fill of milk and fell asleep, she couldn't. Until that time her duty was that of a mother, not a wife or a nurse. As much as it pained her, Chuck would have to wait until later. Finding the right balance between her mothering duties and being caretaker to Chuck was going to be a challenge. All four of them needed 'round the clock' care and she was just one person.
Finally after what felt like an eternity, plus one-hundred years Gabriel had eaten all that he'd wanted and she'd gotten him to sleep. Immediately after getting Gabriel settled into his crib Sarah made a beeline for her room to check on Chuck.
In the bedroom Sarah found Chuck still on the floor by the bed, where he had dropped himself in what seemed like defeat before. Kneeling beside him Sarah reached up to touch his face and gently stroked his cheek. Nothing had changed in his condition, but he seemed able to hold himself up again and the death that seemed to be in his eyes earlier was gone.
The downhill condition he had slipped into before coming home appeared to have reversed itself since coming home, but he still hadn't improved any from the condition he had been in when he initially arrived at the hospital. Well, she had gotten him to accept food from her and that was at least a tiny thing. His condition seemed to waver like a seesaw. He couldn't go up without falling down first.
Getting up, Sarah wanted to see if she could get Chuck to eat something again. She didn't know what schedule he was on. Was his schedule based on wherever he had been held all those months, the hospital, or was it based on whatever his current location was? Not knowing the answer to this question Sarah didn't know when or if he might eat, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying.
Since Sarah would only be making food for one and since she didn't know if that one was going to eat anything she didn't want to spend a lot of time on cooking something that may end up going to waste. Instead, she searched through the kitchen for something that would better suit the situation.
In the refrigerator Sarah found the answer, leftovers from last night's dinner that she had forgotten about. Pulling the various containers out of the fridge Sarah set about reheating the food and getting it fixed onto a plate for Chuck. Now she just had to try to get Chuck to the food and hope he would eat.
Returning to the bedroom and Chuck, Sarah started talking to him, telling him of her plans to get him to the kitchen table. Sarah continued talking to Chuck as she worked to pull him to his feet. Chuck didn't help her with her efforts, but he didn't resist her either, so with a bit of exertion on her part Sarah was able to get him up off the floor. Once she had Chuck on his feet she tried to propel him forward. This turned out to be easier than getting him up off the floor and he seemed willing to go in whatever direction she guided him.
At the table Sarah gently pushed him into a seated position, putting him in the chair in which he always sat. Taking the seat next to him and pulling it close Sarah picked up the spoon, gathered a bite of food onto it and tried to make her catatonic husband eat. It took a few minutes and several attempts, but Sarah at last managed to get Chuck to take it.
Sarah had just started feeding Chuck when she heard pint-sized footsteps behind her. Turning around she saw little Felicity, who had woken from her nap early walking into the kitchen.
"Mommy, what are you doing?"
"Come here baby," Sarah said holding her arm out toward her daughter.
When Felicity reached the table Sarah lifted the child into her lap. "Do you remember that I told you Daddy was very sick and that he needed someone to take care of him?" Felicity nodded and she continued. "Well Daddy is too sick to feed himself right now so Mommy has to help him. Do you understand?"
Felicity nodded again and Sarah turned her attention back to Chuck and tried to get him to eat more. After only getting Chuck to take a few bites Sarah was interrupted again. This time by Gabriel's cries. He hadn't stayed asleep when she put him down for his nap.
Gabriel's cries grew louder and Sarah couldn't listen to him wail without going to him. Sarah had never been able to ignore one of her babies' cries, no matter what else she may be doing at the time. So setting Felicity on her feet Sarah left Chuck to respond to her son's cries.
After watching her mother disappear into the nursery Felicity turned her attention back to her father. Climbing into the chair to get a closer look Felicity spent a moment watching him sit there motionless before she started talking to him. "Are you hungry Daddy?" Chuck didn't answer of course, but the three-year-old didn't let that deter her. "I think you're hungry."
Felicity then wrapped her little fist around the spoon and gathered up a heaping mountain of mashed potatoes with it. As she lifted the spoon toward her father's mouth some of the potatoes slipped off the spoon and plopped back down onto the plate, but a significant mound remained balanced on the spoon.
Chuck didn't open his mouth when she held the spoonful of mashed potatoes in front of him, so she did the only logical thing. "Open Daddy."
Responding to his daughter's request Chuck opened his mouth and Felicity fed him the oversized bite. Felicity couldn't fit all of the food she had scooped up into her father's mouth, so he ended up having a mess of mashed potatoes all over his face. Ignoring his messy face, she went back to the plate to get more food.
Sarah returned a few minutes later having been able rock Gabriel back to sleep. Back in the kitchen Sarah noticed that over half the plate of food she had made for Chuck was now gone. It didn't take Sarah long to figure out what had happened to all the food because Felicity was still sitting in the chair, feeding her daddy.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, taking her seat back and moving Felicity into her lap.
"Daddy was hungry," was her simple response.
"I can see that," Sarah said looking at all of the food that hadn't made it into his mouth.
Reacquiring the spoon Sarah took over the job of feeding Chuck once again while Felicity sat in her lap, not wishing to leave her parents. Sarah didn't want to make Felicity leave if she didn't want to. Afterwards she would sit down with her daughter and answer any questions she had. The preschooler had already seen the condition her father was in, so she would probably be asking questions anyway.
When Sarah finished feeding Chuck what might be the only food he would eat all day, she cleared the table and set the dishes in the sink. While she was dealing with the dishes Chuck stood from the table and resumed his autopilot wandering. As before he didn't seem to know where he was going and ended up sinking to the floor in the middle of the hallway.
That's when the first question came from Felicity. "Why's Daddy on the floor?"
"I think he's lost baby and doesn't know how to get back to bed," Sarah answered as she got Chuck up and took him back to his room.
Upon returning Sarah picked her daughter up and carried her over to the couch. Holding the small child in her lap Sarah allowed Felicity to ask her questions.
"What's wrong with Daddy?"
"He's very sick and confused, baby. He doesn't know where he is right now."
"Did he forget us?" Felicity asked, tearing up.
"No sweetie. Daddy could never forget us. I want you to remember that okay? Daddy loves you very much and he would never forget you."
"Did bad guys hurt Daddy?"
"Yes they did baby. But they got caught by the good guys, so you don't have to worry about them hurting Daddy or anyone else any more. Daddy's safe now.
If Felicity had any more questions Sarah wouldn't know, because at that time Abigail woke from her nap and entered the living room. The five-year-old interrupted any more one-on-one time between the pair by running over to the couch and climbing up next to her mom and sister.
Once Abigail was on the couch Felicity didn't waste any time and started repeating what her mother had just told her and filling her in on everything that had happened while she was still asleep. Sarah knew that she wouldn't be able to keep their father's condition secret for very long after he came home, but it was all still sinking in, so she didn't know how her girls would react to the situation yet.
Sarah got her answer that night when her daughters asked to say goodnight to their father before they went to bed.
Abigail and Felicity climbed onto the large, queen-size bed and crawled over to their father, who sat up against the headboard, staring straight ahead. In turn each of the girls kissed their father's cheek then sweetly and sadly said, "I love you, Daddy." Little Felicity also wrapped her arms around his neck and asked him to do something for her. "Please get better Daddy."
Sarah meanwhile stood by watching this exchange between her daughter's and their catatonic father and felt her eyes become flooded with watery pools.
After leaving the master bedroom and entering the girls' room, Abigail, Felicity and Sarah all gathered together on one of the beds. Sarah was about to start reading tonight's story when Abigail interrupted her. With tears in her eyes she asked, "Will Daddy ever stop being a statue and play with us again? And give us hugs and tell us he loves us?"
"I wish I knew the answer baby, but I don't. I hope your father gets better, but if he doesn't..."
"Then we still love Daddy anyway because he's the best Daddy ever," Abigail chimed in before Sarah could finish her sentence.
Felicity nodded her head in agreement with her sister and said, "I love Daddy forever."
Both girls were sniffling and had pools of tears in their eyes that matched Sarah's. They were clearly very upset about what had happened to their father, but they were handling it surprisingly well. Sarah surmised that everything the family had been through over the last nine months with Chuck's sudden disappearance and the uncertainty of his fate had made them strong and able to cope with tragedies in ways beyond their years.
Story time was forgotten and the three Bartowski girls instead reflected on Chuck. They shared memories and their hopes for the future. The at times melancholy and others heartwarming talk replaced the usual bedtime story that night and after drying her daughters' eyes she tucked them into bed and kissed them goodnight.
On Sunday Ellie arrived at Casa Bartowski with Devon and Clara. Mary had spread the word about Chuck's return and his unfortunate condition when Sarah felt she couldn't handle it. Telling her children took everything out of her and she just couldn't do it again.
Now that Chuck was no longer in a top secret government hospital and back at home Ellie was no longer barred from seeing him, not that anyone told her of the restriction that kept her from seeing her brother all that time. Ellie had arrived with all of her personal medical equipment as well as all of her own and her father's notes and research regarding the Intersect. She and Sarah both hoped that maybe she would be able find something that the doctors and scientists at the CIA hadn't.
Sarah was grateful for the extra help. Yesterday had been tough and Sarah hadn't gotten a single moment to herself. She hadn't even been able to find the time to take a quick shower. She spent all of the previous day busy with caring for her three children and husband. Sarah hadn't been able to get any sleep last night either, not with Chuck's lifeless stare into the dark.
Ellie and Devon did bring with them an additional child, but even so, having three adults caring for four children, five if you counted Chuck who needed just as much care if not more, would be much easier than having one adult trying to take care of four other very dependent people. With their help, hopefully today wouldn't be as hard as yesterday. Maybe she would even get to take a shower or if she was very fortunate, a long, soothing babble bath. A little bit of quiet relaxation would go a long way in helping to restore her strength and her sanity.
Knowing that Ellie was coming Sarah had taken Chuck out of the bedroom and into the living room where there was more room and better light. It was a far more ideal location to try to do an examination than a bedroom. So that's where he was when Clara ran into the house.
It didn't take Clara long to notice Chuck and as soon as she spotted him she raced over to the couch. She hadn't seen her uncle since her birthday last January. More than a year had passed since then and she had just celebrated another birthday three days ago, so she was ecstatic to see Chuck again after such a long time and so many missed special occasions.
As she ran toward him she excitedly exclaimed, "Uncle Chuck! Uncle Chuck!"
When he didn't respond to her the eight-year-old broke down and started crying. Apparently Ellie and Devon hadn't broken the news to her yet and she didn't understand what was wrong. Still crying she looked up at the other adults in the room and asked, "Why isn't Uncle Chuck moving or talking to me?"
Ellie and Devon sat down with their daughter and explained the situation regarding Chuck to her. When her parents finished explaining things to her, still sniffling Clara looked to them and asked, "Mom. Dad. You're doctors, are you going to make Uncle Chuck better?"
"I don't know if we can honey," Ellie answered. "But we're going to try our best to help him."
Clara managed a little smile and squeezed her mother tight. "You're awesome, Mom."
Hearing all of the commotion Abigail and Felicity had come out of their room to see what was going on. Seeing their aunt, uncle and cousin in the living room made their faces light up. The two girls excitedly ran over to greet the surprise visitors and started hugging everyone.
After doling out all the hugs, Abigail and Felicity turned their attention to their older cousin. They spent a few moments chattering away with Clara when they abruptly changed the subject. "You haven't seen our new brother yet!"
Abigail turned to her mother and asked, "Can we show Clara our baby brother?"
Sarah agreed to let everyone see Gabriel and went to the nursery to get her son so that she could introduce him to everybody. As Sarah carried a sleeping Gabriel into the living room everyone craned their necks trying to catching a glimpse of the baby.
Sitting in an unoccupied chair Sarah introduced her niece to her newest cousin. "Clara, this is your cousin Gabriel."
"He's so cute! Can I hold him?"
"Maybe later, when he's awake," Sarah answered.
Disappointed, but accepting her aunt's answer Clara left with her other cousins to go play in their room.
Once the kids were gone Ellie was ready to take her nephew off Sarah's hands. He was the only boy in the family and unless Chuck and Sarah had another baby, assuming Chuck ever recovered, he would probably remain the only boy in the Bartowski-Woodcomb clan. Ellie and Devon had decided years ago that with their jobs they could only really handle one child, so little Clara was it for them.
Holding the baby in her arms Ellie and Devon both fawned all over him. It didn't take Devon long to proclaim that Gabriel was, "Awesome."
After a very long trip and meeting Gabriel for the first time, Ellie decided to wait until tomorrow to begin examining Chuck. They would be in Burbank all week and today Ellie just want to visit with her family, which included spending time with her long-lost brother as his sister, and not his doctor.
Despite not examining Chuck today that didn't mean that Ellie did nothing. Ellie did prepare for tomorrow by gathering as much information from Sarah as she could. She asked her sister-in-law to tell her as much as she could about what happened to Chuck. What if any treatments he had received previously and she inquired about all of her observations and asked if she had noticed any changes or anything else that might be pertinent for her to know.
Reliving the tragic story brought all of Sarah's pain back to the surface and tears streamed down her face. For Ellie and Devon who were hearing the story for the first time it was overwhelming. Ellie collapsed into Devon's arms, who despite his own pain, had to do his best to be strong for his wife.
That evening as it started to get late Ellie and Devon called Clara and told her that it was time to go to their hotel. Clara protested, wanting to stay with her cousins and asked if she could spend the night with them. Ellie's response was that Aunt Sarah already had her hands full, but seeing the sadness in her face Sarah told Ellie that Clara could stay if it was alright with her.
So Clara was staying the night and now Sarah was once more the sole adult caring for four children and a husband who needed full-time care. At least it was just about bedtime though, so all she really needed to do was get everyone into bed and get them to go to sleep. Not that it would be an easy job. The girls were essentially having a slumber party, so getting everyone to actually go to sleep would be a challenge.
It was nearly two hours past their regular bedtime when Sarah managed to get Abigail, Felicity and Clara to sleep. Before that they sat up, talking and giggling. She was beginning to think she'd never get them to sleep and was second guessing her decision to let her niece spend the night. But they were finally asleep now and as long as they stayed that way it would be okay.
It was another long night for Sarah. Thoughts of Chuck disturbed her quest for sleep. His lifeless stare as he sat unmoving remained a hindrance to her slumber, but because she'd decided to sleep on the couch, rather than being forced to try to sleep on the bedroom floor like she was last night, it was less of a bother. What really kept her awake were contemplations of the exam Ellie would give him tomorrow.
Sarah woke about an hour before the sun, just as she usually did and looked for ways to busy herself so that the wait wouldn't seem so long. Ellie and Devon would not show up for hours yet, so she needed something to do if she was going to keep from going crazy. Her sister-in-law may have the answer she had been hoping for these past few weeks ever since Chuck was rescued.
With four kids under her roof, in addition to her very sick husband, Sarah was sure that she would have plenty to keep her occupied. If she ever found a moment where she wasn't doing anything she could always find some chore around the house that needed to be done. As long as she didn't let her mind wander she would be okay.
While trying not to think about what was going to take place today, Sarah fed all of the children and got everyone dressed. She cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed the living room. Sarah combed Chuck's hair and shaved the stubble from his face. She even played two games of Candy Land with her daughters and her niece.
Finally after what seemed like forever the doorbell rang. Sarah was at the door before the chime could fade away. She had been waiting for this all morning, so she had been ready to answer the door the moment Ellie and Devon arrived.
While Ellie and Devon greeted their daughter and began setting up, Sarah went to the bedroom to get Chuck and bring him out to the living room. It took her several minutes to get Chuck up out of the bed and into the living room, so by the time Sarah got him sitting on the couch the doctors were ready and waiting for him.
The exam began with a basic evaluation. Ellie and Devon listened to his heart, checked out his eyes, even though he couldn't follow the light and preformed a few other basic tests. They recorded their findings, which for the most part were normal.
Ellie then consulted her notes and research and pored over every little detail. As she studied the information she would periodically preform various tests and record the results. Occasionally Devon offered his assistance and suggestions. They spent most of the day examining Chuck, only stopping to eat or to take a few minutes to reflect on what they had learned so far.
Day one didn't provide much insight into the problem, but Ellie wasn't giving up. She continued to work every day to figure out what had happened to her brother and to find a way to help him. However being limited to the few medical tools she personally owned and not having an actual hospital to work in severely restricted what she could do.
The rest of the week wasn't much better. With Sarah at work and baby Gabriel and Clara spending the day with their grandmother the doctors had no distractions, but even having no concerns other than trying to find a solution to Chuck's condition hadn't helped. For all her knowledge, research and notes Ellie hadn't been able to find a way to help Chuck any more than any of his previous doctors or the scientists who had studied him.
The answer proved to be elusive or maybe there just was no answer. Maybe Chuck was gone forever and the empty shell he had become was all that he would ever be.
At the end of the week the Woodcomb family had to return home. Ellie and Devon had patients to get back to and Clara couldn't miss any more school. So as much as they hated to leave they couldn't stay any longer.
As they were preparing to leave, Ellie apologized for not being able to do anything to help. There was nothing she could do for him. For now all they could do was to take a 'wait and see' approach. Sarah would just have to observe Chuck and see if she noticed any change in him. The only advice Ellie could give was to involve him with the family as much as possible. She suggested that Sarah bring him out of the bedroom during the day, at least that way he wouldn't be left alone or forgotten.
Now that Ellie and Devon had gone back home Sarah needed someone else to watch and care for Chuck while she was at work. The obvious choice was Mary who was already taking care of Gabriel for her during the day and watching her girls after school. But since Chuck couldn't travel Mary would have to come to him. She would still be watching the kids, only now she would be doing that at Casa Bartowski rather than at her own residence.
When Monday morning arrived Mary was at Casa Bartowski bright and early, ready to take care of both her catatonic son and her tiny grandson. It would be a big job providing the care Chuck needed while also watching an infant, but she loved Chuck, so all the sacrifice, pain and stress would be overshadowed by those feelings.
Mary already knew everything she needed to know for watching Gabriel so Sarah didn't bother with giving her any instructions for him. Instead Sarah filled her in on everything she needed to know about taking care of Chuck's specific needs, including the strict schedule he followed. Sarah warned her that if she missed the feeding window for instance, that no amount of trying would make him eat, so she needed to keep a close watch on the time and stick to the schedule she provided.
The job turned out to be a lot harder than Mary realized and she didn't know how Sarah had handled it. Of course during the past week she had Ellie and Devon to help, but on the weekends she was on her own, plus she also had Abigail and Felicity on her hands as well. Sarah was a strong woman, but until today Mary hadn't realized just how strong she was. Her son had made an excellent choice when he chose Sarah as his wife. Now when he needed her the most she was really coming through for him.
The job never got any easier for Mary and at the end of the day she was always grateful to see Sarah return. Sarah also looked forward to getting back home. Despite how tough the job was she just wanted to be with her family. Even if the condition of a part of that family meant he wasn't truly present, having all the members of her family under one roof was good for her soul. Despite how painful it was things were better this way.
Sarah spent her evenings playing with her kids, teaching them and reading to them, all while Chuck sat in the midst of it all. Once they went to bed Sarah turned her full attention to her husband. She talked to him, watched TV and movies with him, despite the fact that he couldn't actually participate in any of those things. Even if he was catatonic, he was her husband and she had promised to love him for better or for worse. Whether worse was temporary or permanent, she loved him.
At night she gave Chuck the bedroom while she continued to take the couch. She wished she could share the bed with him, but as long as he remained in his current condition that was impossible. So instead, after escorting him back into the bedroom Sarah would sit with him on the bed for a while. She would just sit with him in silence and hold his hand in hers. Before she left for the night she would kiss his cheek and whisper, I love you in his ear.
One night late into the week as she was stepping out of the room to go set up her bed on the couch something stopped her. Standing in the doorway she turned to look back into the bedroom. She thought she heard Chuck say something. She thought she heard him say her name.
A/N: I don't know how many of you are still reading this story, but those of you who are reading, I hope you continue to enjoy it.