Thanks to all the people who reviewed my last chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Many of you said it was emotional, and it will be like that for the next few chapters…
I hope you enjoy my latest update, please review… I really appreciate it. Xx
Chapter 26
Heath had woken up that morning to a crying baby at 4am, Cooper had been pretty restless since coming home from the hospital and Heath was struggling. Last night had been no difference. It was the day of April's funeral and the Braxton household was getting ready to attend, well everyone except Heath.
Brax made his way out to the pool house to see how Heath was going, and to make sure he was up and ready to go. He got a rude shock when he opened the front door to the pool house. "Heath, Man come on you have to get ready for the funeral", Brax said to Heath who was laying on the lounge with the baby. "I'm not going, but you can take Cooper to it if you want", Heath replied in a I don't care tone. Brax just shook his head, and moved some stuff around so he could find somewhere to sit.
"I understand your hurting man, but you need to say goodbye. Cooper needs you to be strong, and you can't live in this mess with a new baby", Brax simply said. Heath just looked at him; he couldn't face the funeral, the realisation that he is a single father. At least when Tegan died, Darcy went and lived with her grandparents full time and Heath only had her every second weekend. He had never been responsible for anything in his life, and now he was responsible of a baby.
Brax knew he couldn't push the issue with Heath; it would just make things harder. He got up off the lounge and headed up to the main house to find his wife and children so they could take off. "Where are Heath and Copper?" Charlie asked once Brax turned up back in the house. Brax shook his head and went and put his strong arms around him wife and pulled her close "He's not coming, he isn't ready to face the truth yet", Brax replied. Charlie understood how Heath was feeling, but was angry at him for not attending the funeral, she couldn't believe he was doing this. "He needs help, the pool house is in a bad way, I don't know what we can do. I don't want to be his maid or you to be his maid for that matter but he needs to get pass this", Brax said to his wife. Charlie just nodded her head in agreement, before rounding up the kids and getting them in the car to head to the funeral.
-
Heath was sitting down watching TV, he had finally got Cooper to sleep after feeding him. He headed into the kitchen and pulled down a bottle of scotch and went back to his seat and started drinking. About 30 minutes later, he realised he didn't have any scotch left and headed up to the main house to swipe some of Brax's but that when he had a thought, and sat back down with a piece of paper and a pen and started to write a small note.
Once he had finished a note he headed into Cooper room and gave him a hug and kiss "Daddy loves you Coop, but dad needs to get a way I promise you'll be safe though", he whispered into his child's ear. After he had Cooper in his arms, he headed up to the main house to leave the note for Charlie and Brax before making way to his car and hopping in and driving off.
-
The funeral had finally finished, and Charlie and Brax had decided to skip out on the wake because Heath was at home a mess, and the kids were getting restless. "That was a beautiful service", Charlie said to Ruby as she was getting Cody into the car. "It's just a shame we have had to go to funerals for two beautiful people so close together", Ruby replied. "Are you coming back to ours, going home or to the wake?" Charlie asked Ruby. "Case and I are going to go to the wake for a bit, and then we might come around to your place if that's cool?" Ruby replied. "That's fine Rubes, I'll see you later", Charlie replied as she pulled Ruby in for a hug.
Once they had arrived home, Charlie got Thomas out of the car, while Brax got Emily. Alexis and Lucas had run up to the house and gone inside. "Daddy, can we go swimming?" Alexis yelled as her father was coming into the house. "Sure baby, just give me 10 minutes and we will head down to the pool", Brax replied. Both Lucas and Alexis headed up stairs to get their swimmers on, which they had been hassling their father all morning about going for a swim.
Charlie walked into the kitchen to warm a bottle for Thomas, when she noticed the note sitting on the kitchen bench under a half empty bottle of scotch. Charlie picked up the note and started to read, that was until she heard Brax yell "Fucken Hell, Heath". Charlie put Thomas down in the pram, and ran upstairs with the note, to tell Brax what it said. When she walked into Emily's room she looked down into the cot, and there he was Cooper.
Charlie put her arms around her husband, and said "He left a note, he's gone", Brax shook his head "Heath couldn't grow up this once, he has a baby, that he has dumped on us so he can run off because things are hard", Brax replied.
