All original characters belong to the fabulously talented Stephenie Meyer.
Once again this has not been Beta'd, My apologies for any mistakes found.
To Soon to Say Goodbye
LPOV
Gran finally arrived home well after dark. I had become very concerned waiting for her to arrive. I had been prepared to call the Cullens to search for her when I heard her stomping her feet on the front porch, presumably to remove the ever present mud. The dark look on Gran's face warned me I was not going to like what she had to say.
"What's wrong?" I stammer as I sit, preparing myself for bad news. I have never seen Gran look this bad.
"We need to get to Chicago." she barely breathes as she collapses into the couch staring sightlessly at the opposite wall.
"Why? Gran what's happened?" Gran does not answer she remains in her wakeful comatose state never moving her gaze to acknowledge that I have spoken. As I shakily stand to approach Granny my cell phone vibrates in my back pocket. Alice.
"Why do I see Bella and you flying to Chicago?" she asks angrily.
"I don't know but we have to go. Gran's bad she won't even tell me why, but if I am going to know I have to let you go now." Before Alice can reply I hang up the phone and start dialing my dad's cell.
"Hello." A strange female voice answers. "Is this Lenai?"
"Yah", I reply uncertainly, "Who's this? Can I talk to my dad please?"
"Honey you need to sit down." The strange voice replies. Oh crap no, grownups never tell you to sit down unless it's really bad. A small voice in my head tells me to just hang up and pretend I have not heard anything. "There was an accident this morning. Edmund was changing a flat on the side of the interstate today when a semi hauling metal piping jackknifed." I could feel all the blood draining from my face as my heart falters. Flashbacks of my mother's funeral played in fast forward through my mind as the rest of the woman's words faded into the background no longer intelligible. My body shakes uncontrollably as I collapse out of the chair onto the floor.
I don't know how long I stayed that way. Cold arms lift me from the floor holding me in a tight embrace. "Lenai, you have to get yourself together, your dad needs you. I've packed yours and Bella's bags, we're taking you to the airport." Alice commands gently.
Alice puts me in the backseat of her car buckling my seatbelt and shutting the door before she returns to the house and half carries Gran out to the car as well. We are about half way to the Seattle airport before I become cognizant enough to realize there is a blonde haired man in the front seat.
Finding my voice through the fog that has settled over my soul is not simple. "My dad's dead Alice." My voice breaks painfully as the words scrape across my heart cutting deeply.
"No Lenai, he's bad but he's still alive." Alice assures me.
"How do you know?" I ask barely audible.
"I saw Bella sitting by his hospital bed holding his hand, the monitors were visible." She replies simply. A deep breath I did not realize I had been holding releases from my lungs .
Peace fills me as I realize I will see my dad again. Alice pulls into the long term parking lot helping Granny who is still practically catatonic from the back seat. The blonde man from the front seat goes to the back of the car and grabs four suitcases. Alice hands him four ticket envelopes as he walks past her.
"Jasper, get us checked in, I 'll help Bella and meet you at the security checkpoint." Alice instructs him in a gentle loving voice. Of course, it dawns on me he's her husband. I am still not understanding something but I can't figure out what it is. I follow Alice and Gran into the terminal slowly still somewhat in a daze. Jasper is no where to be seen.
We sit on seats just outside the security checkpoint as we wait. I close my eyes saying a silent prayer for my dad and for Gran who has yet to say a word or look at anyone since uttering the single sentence that set all this in motion tonight. Worry floods me nearly suffocating in its strength. My eyes fly open in panic as I gasp for breath. My eyes fly around the airport wildly looking for something anything to help me breathe, constricting bands tighten around my chest increasing my panic. A cool hand squeezes my shoulder gently sending waves of serenity cascading through my stress ridden body loosening my tightened muscles allowing me to breathe again. My heart rate decreases and my vision clears. Turning slightly I nod to Jasper silently thanking him for his calming presence. He quickly removes his hand and walks over to Alice handing her two envelopes and extending the fourth to me.
"We need to get through security quickly our flight leaves in twenty minutes." His deep melodic voice pronounces.
"You're going with us?" I ask surprised.
"You are not doing this alone." Alice states matter of factly seeming somewhat offended that I would even think about them not coming with us. "You and Bella are family; families stick together."
No more is said as we progress uneventfully through security. As we approach the gate Alice and Jasper lead us through an empty section of roping directly toward the head of the line where everyone lounges lazily against another row of ropes. Handing our tickets to the airline employee we walk down the gangplank toward our airplane. At the door a flight attendant addresses Alice and Jasper by name and leads us to our seats in first class closing the curtain behind her as she leaves. Soon the plane is airborne.
I lean my head against the headrest closing my eyes; I slip into a peaceful sleep. Red, yellow, blue, green, purple, and orange balloons cover the entire floor of the living room. Deep laughter fills the room as a little girl suddenly launches over the back of a brown leather couch squealing in delight. A deep growl resonates from behind the couch she has just flown over. A fairly dark haired man with a two day stubble growth on his face pounces on the little girl his hands on either side of her shoulders. His eyes alight with laughter as he brings his face into her belly blowing loud raspberries causing the little girl to laugh hysterically. He pulls away smiling brightly, "Happy birthday princess!" he sings out over her laughter. The small girl wraps her arms around his neck squeezing as tightly as she can, "I love you Daddy!" I feel my voice whispering the unconscious words of my dream. Reality tries to pull me from my sweet remembrances but I fight full heartedly clinging relentlessly to my memory filled dreams. Sun filters down through the autumn leaves casting shadows over the park. Dad holds the seat of my bike. My face a picture of concentration and fear as I clutch to the handle bars for dear life. "You promise you won't let go?" I ask in the voice of an unsure child. " I promise Lenai, I will never leg go of you unless you tell me to." I start pedaling my bike as Dad runs along side. Feeling the wind in my hair strokes my bravery urging me to take the risk. "Let go Daddy let go." Dad obeys and I pedal faster. I feel like I'm flying. Dad still runs beside me beginning to pant slightly with exertion. "Push back gently on the pedal hon, you need to slow down." he instructs me. I press back hard on the pedal causing my bike to lurch to a stop throwing me off my seat. I get scared and let go of the handle bars covering my face with my hands knowing I am going to fall. I feel Daddy's arms wrap around me just as I am about to hit the ground. "Daddy you caught me!" I exclaim. "I'll always catch you Lenai, I'll never let you fall." Tears streaking down my face bring me out of my dream. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and spend the rest of the flight looking out my darkened window.
The seatbelt light goes off letting us know we can prepare to exit the plane. I take Gran's hand helping her up out of her seat. She looks better than she did at home but her color is still slightly off. We walk out of the plane and Jasper disappears to claim our luggage. Gran and I follow Alice to a rental car agency desk. Within minutes we are escorted to a large SUV. Jasper is waiting for us with the luggage as we drive through the passenger pick up lane. Throwing the bags in the back we head directly to the hospital.
Gran comes to as we step out of the car and walk toward the main entrance. The woman at the front receptionist desk greets us as Gran approaches her. "My son was in a car wreck earlier today. I don't know what room he is in. His name is Edmund VanBorg."
"He's in room 342 bed A." she responds after typing briefly at her computer. "Take the elevators to the third floor then take a right. Someone will show you to the room when you check in at the nursing station."
Without a second glance to the receptionist we take off up the hall toward the elevators. Once at the nursing station we have to wait a few minutes for someone to return. I can see Alice is becoming impatient. A thin exhausted looking woman walks toward us wearing scrubs and a stethoscope. Alice jumps in her path stopping her in her tracks. "We're looking for Edmund VanBorg." She states.
A surprised look flashes across the woman's face. "Are you family?" she asks with authority.
"I'm his mother." Gran speaks up. "This is his daughter, and these are close family friends."
"Hello, Mrs. VanBorg I presume, I am Dr Yamcek. I am Mr. VanBorg's primary doctor." she extends her hand to Granny.
"Call me Bella please" Granny returns her hand shake. "This is Lenai, Alice, and Jasper." She finishes introducing us with gentle waves of her hand. "How is my son?"
"Right now we don't have much news to give. He is in critical condition. We had to perform emergency surgery. He was in the operating room for over twelve hours. He crashed three times during surgery but came back each time. He's a fighter. Right now he is on full life support, the next twenty four hours will be telling. His brain activity is weak but still present. We just have to wait and pray. There is still a chance that he will be able to regain vital life functions on his own."
With those words the doctor crushed my fragile hope. My dad is not coming back. I know enough to know that people don't come back from full life support. I sat where I had been standing just seconds before staring into nothing, the darkness of depression wrapping its' cold hands completely around my still heart digging its' fingers deeply into the now useless organ never to let go.
Gran and I take turns sitting beside Dad's bed for the following day and a half. The doctor has encouraged us to talk to him telling us that even patients in comas can hear loved ones. That night the doctor tells us that Dad's prognosis does not look good. His brain activity had decreased dramatically. There is now no hope of him regaining vital functions again. She leaves so Gran and I can discuss the inevitable. It is time to say Goodbye to Dad.
I sit in the darkened room holding tightly to Dad's hand throughout the night reliving all my happy memories of him. I speak every memory aloud imagining that Dad can hear me. I need him to know how much I love him. I'm not ready to let him go as the sun streams in through the open curtains. Gran and Dr. Yamcek walk through the door. Gran's face is a mask of pain and sorrow. It is time to let him go. I nod silently to Gran and the Dr. as I walk out the door. I do not want to be in the room to hear the monitors go silent. That is more than I could bear. As I sit with my head in Alice's lap in the waiting room, the curtains close behind the glass doors into Dad's room. Quiet sobs wrack my body as I mourn the loss of yet another parent.
Hours later Gran returns from Dad's room. "It's time to go."
The three day stay in a hotel between Dad's death and his funeral blur together. My heart is numb and it seems I am witnessing life from afar, disconnected from any feeling. It is as if my heart has died with Dad.
I dress in black and join Gran, Alice, and Jasper in the main room of our suite. In silence we make our way to the lobby where a chauffeur waits to take us to the cemetery for Dad's grave side service.
APOV
Bella and Lenai have both existed in a state of utter despair, and depression these last few days. Neither have eaten enough to keep a bird alive. I have to do something. When I look into the future for either of them now all I can see is darkness. Never before have I experienced such blindness, it is as if they are completely unthinking, as if they are absolutely disconnected from their own futures.
Picking up my phone I do the only thing I can think of.
"Carlisle." I speak softly as soon as I hear the phone pick up. "I need you to bring Esme and Edward and meet us. There's no time to spare." I give him the information about where to meet us. I hear him telling Edward to pack.
"Alice," Edward asks concerned, "Why do we need to meet you in Chicago?" I had not let him know where we were going; we had not even told him about Bella being in Forks how could I have explained why we were accompanying her to Chicago.
"Edward, Bella needs you." A disturbing silence sits for a moment while I let him digest that. "I don't care whether you want to come or not, she needs you and you will be here for her."
"We're on our way." He replies his voice strained, the pain is obvious even from a thousand miles away.
BPOV
Black umbrellas create a dismal canopy over us as we stand among strangers at my son's grave. The pastor is speaking about my son in words I can not relate to. My son is gone. His life ripped away far to soon. He will never see his daughter graduate high school. He'll never chase away over eager boyfriends. He will never hold his grandchildren and kiss their brow as he tucks them into bed. I try to listen to the words of encouragement for the bereaved that the pastor is sharing but I just can not focus. My dry yet clouded eyes gaze above the head of the pastor away into the distance. I can not watch as I feel Lenai let go of my hand. I know she is to throw the first handful of dirt onto her father's casket, but I can not make myself move. I will not witness him being lowered into the earth, never to see the sunlight again. My joy, my love, my reason for life being lowered into the dark, damp ground.
"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..." Empty words filter through the fog of my mind. Cold hands wrap around my shoulders as I am led away.
We walk further into the cemetery away from the other mourners. I look around to see where we are going, I can't go to far. I can't leave Lenai alone there with strangers. My eyes widen filling with tears as my angel of mercy walks toward me. Water dripping from his messy bronze hair. His golden eyes brimming with concern. As he approaches he holds his arms wide. I breathe deeply as I settle against his chest burying my face in his shoulder finally letting my tears break free.
Wrapped tightly in his arms I feel my heart beat once again. I can finally let myself go, all the pent up sorrow spilling forth as he gently strokes my hair making quiet shushing noises.
I glance back to the scene of my sons funeral. Everyone is walking away towards their waiting cars. Lenai is walking toward Edward and I. Esme and Carlisle are on either side of her wrapping her protectively in their loving arms. Alice and Jasper wait for them a few yards away.
For many minutes Lenai and I stand in the rain clutching desperately to the only family we have left.
The wind picks up ferociously whipping at our hair. "It's time to go home." Carlisle whispers.
Nodding in agreement I turn away from Edward's comforting embrace, taking Lenai's hand. We walk back toward the limo making sure to take a path that leads us out of sight of Edmund's grave.