|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:23:46 GMT
Chapter 28
"Dad, is everything ready to go?" Amelia asked him, rubbing her lower back. Nine months had passed and she was due any day. Every month she would go visit her dad and let him know everything that was going on with her pregnancy. She even spent most of her 17th birthday with her dad. Joel had been dating Emily and he couldn't remember the last time he was so happy. Drew was out of his cast and back to his usual self. "Yeah. Your suitcase is by the door." He replied. "Oh." She nodded. "Well, can you grab it on the way out?" "What?" He asked, confused. "My water just broke." She calmly said. "Are you sure?" He asked. "I'm sure. I'm in immense pain right now." She said, still being very calm. "Drew!" Joel yelled up the stairs. "Call the hospital and tell them we're coming!" "OK!" He yelled from his bedroom. Joel slowly led her to the couch and helped her sit. "We should start timing your contractions. Let me know when you start to get one." He told her. "I just got done calling them." Drew said as he came down the stairs. "We'll time them in the car." He said, helping her up off the couch. He stood there for a moment and looked at her. "Are you ready?" "I'm scared." She replied. "I know. I am too." He said. He grabbed her suitcase on the way out the door. He helped her get into the car and he headed for the hospital. "Drew, can you call people and tell them we're going to the hospital?" "Yes, sir." He said, taking his dad's phone and he started dialing numbers. They got to the hospital and they checked her in. She got hooked up to a few different machines and all she could do was wait. Joel sat by the bed and held her hand.
"I don't want this baby." She said, starting to cry. "Once you see it you won't say that." He said, rubbing her hand. He paused. "I remember the first time I got to hold you. You were only 20 minutes old." "Were in the room when I was born?" She asked. "No. A nurse came down into the waiting room and got me so I could go in and see you. I was the first person besides your mom to hold you." He told her. "My dad didn't get to hold me before you did?" She asked. "Your mom never really trusted him." He looked away. "We shouldn't be talking about this right now." "OK." She sighed. He always said that when she asked him about her mom. He never liked talking about her. "I'm getting a contraction. Tell me when it's over!" "Just keep breathing. You're doing great." He said as he looked at the machine that would print out her contractions. "It's over." "This is so painful." She said, crying. "It's going to get a lot worse." Paul said, coming into the room. He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Do you have any names picked out?" "Yeah. Her name is Hannah Elise." She replied, smiling. "That's pretty." He said. He looked over at Joel. "Well, grandpa, how are you doing?" "Better now that you're here." He teased. There was a quiet knock on the door. Paul went over and opened it.
"Sorry it took me so long to get here, but I couldn't find the room." Emily said, smiling shyly. She gave Joel a kiss and then put her hand on Amelia's stomach. "How are you doing so far?" "It's painful." She replied as she started to have another contraction. "Well you're being very brave." She smiled sweetly. She pulled something out of a bag. "I wasn't sure if you'd want it now, but I knitted a baby blanket for you." "Thank you!" She said, taking it. "It's so soft!" "I'm glad you like it." She smiled. "Do you need anything right now?" "No, thanks." She said. A doctor came into the room. "I'm just going to check on your progress." He said. Paul left the room. Emily started to leave too. "You can stay." Amelia said to her. She went back by the side of the bed. The doctor lifted her hospital gown and looked for a few moments. "You're five centimeters dialated." He informed her. "As soon as you reach ten we'll start pushing." "Thank you." Joel said, as the doctor left. A few minutes later Paul came back in the room carrying a cup of ice. He set it on the table with all of the equipment on it. "I called the prison and told them to let Benji know you're in labor." He said. "I wish he could be here." She said after she had another contraction. "As soon as you're able to we can visit him." Joel said. She nodded and closed her eyes. She felt another contraction coming on. She wished the whole thing was over.
A few hours later the doctor came back in. He checked to see how much more she was dialated than the last time. "You're very lucky. You're at ten already. I'll be back soon so we can start pushing." He said as he left. "I'm scared!" She said, starting to sob. "It's OK to be scared." Joel said, stroking her hair. "You're going to be fine." "In a little while you're going to have a beautiful and healthy baby girl." Emily tried comforting her. "Do you want me to leave when the doctor comes back?" "You can stay." She told her. Minutes later the doctor and a few nurses came back in. They lifted the stirrups on the bed and placed her legs on them. Everybody who was there to see her were standing outside the room in the hallway trying to listen to what was going on. The doctor explained what he was going to be doing and then he had her push once. As she continued to push time moved slower. She was in so much pain she just wanted the baby out as soon as possible. After what seemed like an eternity she heard a baby crying. She started to cry too. The doctor lifted the baby up so she could see. A sense of overwhelming love washed over her. Her dad was right, she did change her mind.
"She's beautiful." Joel said, with tears streaming down his face. After she was cleaned off one of the nurses handed the baby to Amelia. "Hi there, Hannah." She said to her daughter and gave her a kiss. "Thank you for letting me be a part of this." Emily said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I wanted you to." Amelia replied. She really liked Emily and she hoped she'd marry her dad. Joel leaned over and kissed the baby. He gently placed his hand on her head. "We've waited a long time for you." He smiled.
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:25:06 GMT
Chapter 29
"That's my granddaughter." Joel sighed as he stared into the nursery. "She's beautiful." Emily said, putting her arm around him. "She's 17. She shouldn't have a baby." He shook his head. "I know, but it's not her fault." She told him. He nodded and went back to staring at Hannah. "Which one is she?" Drew asked, walking up to them. "She's right in the front." Joel said, pointing her out. "That's your niece." "She's cute." He said, looking at her. "She looks like Amelia." "She does." Joel nodded. He put his arm around Drew's shoulders. "This reminds me of when you were born." "Dad." Drew rolled his eyes. "Your mom started going into labor and at that time my car was getting fixed." He said. "I know I know. Then mom had me in the house. I've heard that story thousands of times." Drew teased. "Uncle Paul said he'd take me home, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow." "Goodnight." Joel said, hugging his son. "Goodnight, dad." Drew replied then walked down the hallway. He watched his son walk away and wondered where the time went. "Joel." Emily said, interrupting his thoughts. "Don't you think you should go home and get some sleep?" "I should." He nodded. "Is something bothering you?" She asked, concerned. "You seem a bit off tonight." "I'm just a bit depressed, that's all. I'm a grandfather." He said, almost shuddering at the word "grandfather." He paused and looked at the baby again. "I remember when my mom turned 40 and I never thought of myself as ever getting to be this old. It's just a bit depressing. I'll be fine." "Don't worry about it. You're only as old as you feel." She smiled. He smiled back and kissed her. "I love you." "I love you too." He replied. He discreetly took something out of his pocket. "I don't know if this is the most appropriate time to say this, but, I can't remember the last time I've been so happy. I've thought about our relationship a lot and I found out that I need you in my life. I can't imagine not being with you. I know this sounds incredibly cheesy and cliche, but it's the best I can do. This isn't exactly a romantic place, yet I couldn't think of a better time for this. Will you be my wife?" "Joel." She said with tears in her eyes as he held up the ring. "Of course I will." "I'm really sorry it wasn't very romantic-" He started to say. "It was perfect." She smiled sweetly. He smiled back and put the ring on her finger. They kissed and embraced for a few minutes. "You should go say goodnight to Amelia." "I should." He nodded. They both went into her room and she was still awake, but she looked exhausted. "Emily and I are going to leave. I just wanted to come in and say goodnight." "Thanks, dad." She said, weakly. "I'll be here first thing in the morning." He told her. He kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you. I love you so much." "I love you too." She whispered. They left the room and headed home. He didn't want to leave her there by herself, but he had no choice.
When he got home he got into bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. He kept thinking about Emily and whether or not he made the right decision by asking her to marry him. After a few hours of tossing and turning he got into his car and drove to a familiar place. The gate to the cemetery was locked, so he had to climb the fence. The smell of fresh roses hung in the air. Someone must have placed them there that day. He finally got to his wife's mauseleum and he opened the door.
"I'm really sorry I haven't visited in a little while." He said. "Amelia had her baby, but you probably knew that already. It's a beautiful little girl. I wish you could hold her. She's perfect." He paused and drew in a deep breath. "Hannah isn't why I'm here. You probably know why I am. I know what you'd say and I know you want me to be happy, but I can't be. I can be for a little while, but then it goes away when I think about you. Just because I'm engaged it doesn't mean I love you any less. I just wish I could have your blessing." He paused. "I love Emily a lot, but I love you too. I'm still worried about replacing you. I don't want to. I need Emily in my life. I think I am going to marry her, but just remember she could never take your place. You're my first true love and that will never change. I should probably go. I miss you so much. Tell the twins I love them. Rest now." He leaned over and kissed the marble. "I love you."
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:25:39 GMT
Chapter 30
"Amelia, you have to support her head." Joel said. She had been home for a few days with the baby and she had no idea how to take care of her. "I don't know this stuff! What do you want me to do?" She asked. "Listen to me." He replied. Hannah started to cry. "Dad, what do I do?" She asked. "Get up and walk around a little bit." He told her. "This sucks." She said, getting frustrated. She got up and walked around the living room. There was a knock at the door and she went over to open it.
"Hi." Emily smiled. "Is your dad home?" "Yeah. I think he just went into the kitchen." She said, letting Emily in. "Oh, Hannah, what's wrong?" Emily asked. She gave the baby a light kiss and walked into the kitchen. "Joel." "I didn't hear you come in." He smiled and went to kiss her, but she turned her head away. His smile faded. "What's wrong?" "We need to talk." She said. "I did a lot of thinking last night, and I'm not sure I can marry you." "Why not?" He asked. "I just turned 31, and I don't think I'm ready to be a first time mother of two teenagers, then be a grandmother on top of that." She replied. "That doesn't make any sense." He said, trying to gather his thoughts. "It does. Dating somebody with kids is one thing, but then being a stepmom is another." She told him. "I'm still young and I don't think I'm ready for that kind of thing." "Wait wait wait. You just said you're 31. You told me you were 35." He said. "Which is it?" "I thought if you knew I was almost 10 years younger than you, you wouldn't date me." She admitted. "I'm so sorry. I thought I could marry you, but I can't." "That's................alright." He said. She took her ring off and gave it to him. "Goodbye, Joel." She said and kissed him on the cheek. She turned around and left the house. He stood there for a moment and looked at the ring in his hand. He sighed and set it down. He went up into his bedroom and sat on his bed. He looked on his nightstand and his wedding ring was still there. He sighed heavily and put it back on. "I hope you can forgive me." He said to his wedding picture. "Dad? Is everything OK?" Amelia asked, standing in his doorway. Hannah had finally stopped crying. "Yeah." He replied. "Dinner's ready, so I can take Hannah if you want to go eat." "OK." She said and handed the baby to him. She smiled at the sight of her dad holding her daughter, then she turned around and left the room. "You've got a long way to go, kid." He said to his granddaughter. "And you're just starting out."
sorry it's short, but i'm very tired..i promise the next chapter will be a long one..
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:26:21 GMT
Chapter 31
The next day Joel took Amelia to visit her dad. She couldn't wait for him to see the baby. She even thought about showing Ryan. He had a right to see Hannah. When she and Joel went into the room with the phones they saw Lisa sitting and talking with an inmate. She looked over at them and smiled. Then she turned back to the person she was talking to and told them who just showed up. Joel prayed it wasn't Benji. She didn't need to tell him about her son. After a few minutes her time was up and she got up to talk to Joel.
"Hi." She said. "I've missed you." "I bet." He replied with a hint of bitterness. "I've changed a lot in the last few months." She told him. "Maybe we could go out for coffee or something." "Sure." He nodded. "If you want." "I do want to." She said. "I was stupid before, and I've realized my mistakes. One of my mistakes was hurting you. I'm very sorry." "It's alright." He said. "You should stick around for a few minutes. I'm going to talk to my brother, then Amelia's going to spend about a half hour with him, so we can talk then." "Sounds like a plan." She said, smiling. He walked past her and sat down across from Benji. He had a distant look on his face.
"Benj?" Joel said, trying to get his attention. "What? Oh. Hey." He said, snapping back into reality. A tear went down his cheek. "I had a son." "I know." Joel said, getting angry. "Why did you cheat on her?! How many other times did you do it?!" "That was the only time." He replied. "I felt so bad after it I didn't do it again." "She loved you! She lied for you for three years, Benj!" He raised his voice. "She gave you a daughter! She did everything for you and you cheated on her! Then when her and I were finally happy you take her away from me! How can you-" "I know what I did!" Benji raised his voice back, interrupting Joel. "I think about it every day! I see it when I close my eyes! I loved her too. Just because I was stupid back then doesn't mean I'm stupid now. I knew I had a good thing. I made mistakes, but, you know what? Everybody does! Don't come in here and point all of mine out! I know what I did, and I don't need you coming in here and reminding me!" "I'm sorry." He said, calmly. "I haven't had a very good past couple of days." "It's alright. I'm sorry too." He replied. "What's been going on?" "Well, Amelia had her baby. She's here with her. Then yesterday Emily told me she couldn't marry me." He said. "Wait. I'm a grandpa?" He asked, cheering up. "Yeah. She's a beautiful baby." He replied. "I get to hold her, right?" Benji asked, smiling. Joel responded with a nod. "How was she during the delivery?" "She did pretty good. She was in a lot of pain, but she soldiered it." He replied. "You've got a tough daughter." "I do." He agreed. "I'm so glad you let her be a part of my life. Without her I don't know what I'd do." "Time's up." A guard informed them. "Go see your granddaughter." Joel said, smiling. "I'll see you soon." "Tell everybody I said hi." Benji said, then got up and was escorted out of the room. He was led into a room where Amelia was already sitting. She got up and gave him a hug.
"I've missed you." She said. "I've missed you too." He replied. Hannah was in a carrier that was set on a table. She had a blanket covering her. "Do you want to hold her?" She asked. He nodded. She took her out of the carrier and gently handed her to him. "She's beautiful." He said, staring at her. "Hi. I'm your grandpa. When I get out of here in a couple years I'm going to spoil you." "She's already spoiled." Amelia said. "She has so many outfits she won't get to wear them all." "Same thing happened with you." He told her. "People kept buying you presents. Me and your mom wound up giving a lot of stuff away before you were even born."
"Then she decided she couldn't marry me." Joel said, finishing the story of his relationship with Emily. He and Lisa were sitting on a bench outside the room that Amelia was in. "I'm so sorry." She said, rubbing his back. "You don't deserve that kind of thing." "No one does." He said. "If you want to try, we could have another relationship." She said. "I'd like that." He smiled. "I should probably wait a couple days, but, I'd like that very much." "You're still as charming as ever." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. It comforted him. It felt familiar. "I've missed you so much." "I missed you too." He told her. "You should come over to my place for dinner this weekend." She said. "Alright." He accepted her offer. "I can get a fire going, and I can make a chocolate mousse." She said slowly and inching closer to him. They leaned in to kiss, but they were interrupted by Amelia coming out of the room.
"Did you let him hold her?" He asked. "Of course." She nodded. "We should get home fast. She's going to be hungry soon." "I'll call you later." He said to Lisa. He kissed her on the cheek and walked away with Amelia. "What are you doing with her?" She asked as soon as they got in the car. "We were talking." He replied, backing out of the parking space. "She's just going to hurt you again." She told him. "It's none of your business anyway." He said. "It is when you get hurt." She said. "No it isn't. My life is never your business." He said, flatly. They didn't speak the rest of the way home. She hoped that when her dad got out of prison she'd be able to live with him. She knew Joel has done more for her, but she liked her dad better.
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:26:50 GMT
Chapter 32
The next afternoon there was a knock on the front door. Amelia set Hannah down in a bassenet that was near the couch. She walked over to the door and opened it.
"What are you doing here?" She asked Ryan. "You're not supposed to be out for another three months." "They let me out early for good behavior." He replied. "Why are you here?" She asked. She wanted to slam the door in his face. "I heard your dad talking about you having a baby." He said. "I just came by to see it." "I don't want you seeing her. I don't want her knowing you." She said, starting to close the door. He held it open. "It's my baby right?" He asked. She nodded. "Then I have a right to see her." "Fine." She sighed. She let him in and led him to the bassenet. "Her name is Hannah Elise." "Hannah Braden. I like it." He said, looking at the baby. "It's Hannah Madden." She told him. "You didn't sign a birth certificate. She has my name." "What are you doing here?" Joel asked, coming down the stairs. "I'm here to see my daughter." He replied. "No. Get out." Joel said, pushing him to the door. "Dad! It's his daughter! He can see her!" Amelia stopped him. "I want to take care of her." Ryan said. "Then go get your parents and we'll talk this out." Joel told him. "That's bullshit!" Ryan yelled. "You know what else is bullshit? You getting out of prison!" Joel yelled back. "Get out!" "Dad!" Amelia raised her voice. Hannah started crying. "Can you lower your voices? You're upsetting Hannah!" "Sorry." Joel said and turned to her. "Amelia, do you really want him to be a part of your daughter's life?" "No, but he has a right to see her." She replied. Joel shook his head in disbelief. "This is insane." He sighed. He turned to Ryan. "Why aren't you gone yet?" "I want to spend time with her!" He yelled. "You think I'd let you see my granddaughter? You of all people? It's because of you that Hannah's even here right now! I'd thank you, but, you raped my little girl. You took away my little girl's innocense! You had your friends beat up my son! So, yeah, I'm going to let you see my granddaughter." He said, angrily. He turned back to Amelia and was about to say something. Ryan pulled a gun out of his pocket and aimed it at Joel. "Dad!" Amelia screamed and Ryan fired. Joel cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor. "Shit! It wasn't supposed to be loaded!" Ryan said in a panic. "I-I-I didn't mean to! Oh shit!" He stood there for a few moments and then ran out of the house. Amelia dropped to her knees by her dad. "Dad?" She asked in quiet horror. "What was that noise?" Drew asked, coming down the stairs. He saw his dad lying on the floor and he ran to him. "Dad! Don't die. Please don't die." "Is he dead?" Amelia asked. Drew checked Joel's pulse. "Call an ambulance! He's still alive!" He told her. Amelia got up and called an ambulance. Drew rolled his dad over onto his back. "Dad, can you hear me?" He asked. Joel slowly opened his eyes and looked at his son. "An ambulance is on the way." "Is he still alive?" Amelia asked, coming back into the room. She sat on the floor by her dad and held his hand. "Look out for each other." Joel slowly whispered. "I love you both." "Don't talk like that. You're going to be fine." Amelia told him. "I wish I could've been your real dad." He told her. "You are." She said with tears streaming down her face. "Thank you." He weakly smiled. He looked over at Drew. "You're such a blessing. I love you so much." "I love you too, dad." He said, crying. Joel looked passed them both up towards the ceiling. He slowly took in a breath and exhaled it. It was his last. They both sat in silence for a few minutes. "I'm an orphan." "Dad." She whispered and started to sob. Her and Drew held each other and cried.
Meanwhile, Benji was out in the courtyard playing basketball with some inmates. He suddenly stopped and stood perfectly still. He looked as though he were listening for something. "Benji, you alright?" An inmate asked. "He's gone." He whispered. "What?" Another inmate asked. "He's gone." He said, louder. "What are you talking about?" The inmate asked. "He's dead!" He sobbed and fell to his knees.
"I'll get it." Amelia said, after hearing a knock on the door. She opened it and it was the paramedics. They did all they could to revive Joel, but they couldn't. They finally put him onto the gourney and covered him with a sheet. "Is there anywhere for you kids to go?" One of the paramedics asked. "We have an uncle who lives nearby." Amelia answered, cradling Hannah in her arms. She went to call Paul while Drew watched them take his dad out of the house and into the back of the ambulance. He started to sob again. His best friend was gone. A few minutes later Amelia came back. "You know what I just thought of?" She said. "He's with mom again." "He is." Drew nodded and smiled. "I bet they're both happy." "Probably." She said, hugging him. "I'm going to miss him." "Me too." Drew replied. "I feel a bit better knowing he's happy right now. He gets to see mom again."
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:27:38 GMT
Chapter 33
"Do either of you need anything?" Paul asked Drew and Amelia. They were sitting on the couch in his living room. "No thanks." Drew said without any emotion. Amelia didn't respond. She couldn't do anything but stare blankly. "If you guys need anything let me know. I'll be upstairs." He told them. He slowly started to walk up the stairs. "Uncle Paul?" Amelia said, getting his attention. He turned and looked at her. "What's going to happen to Drew and I?" "I don't know." He quietly replied. "Don't worry about it right now. Everything will be taken care of." "I don't want us to be split up." She said with tears in her eyes. "You won't be." He assured her. After no one replied he went up the stairs. "I just thought of something else." Drew said, looking over at his sister. "Besides him being really happy right now, he saved you. You never know what could've happened if he wasn't there. He couldn't save mom, but he was there for you." "You're right." She smiled. "Do you think he can hear us right now?" "You know he heard everything all the time. What makes you think he can't right now?" Drew asked, smiling back. "He was such a great person. He didn't deserve that at all." Amelia said, sobbing. "He didn't, but I'm sure if he had to choose if it would've been him or you, you know what he would've picked." He hugged her. "I'm going to miss him so much." "Everybody will." She said, quietly. "We were kind of lucky. We got to tell him we loved him." Drew said. He paused. "Do you think we'll be split up?" "I don't know. I have no idea what's going to happen. It really scares me." She replied. "Do you think we could ask Paul to take us in?" He asked. "Maybe, but we shouldn't ask right now." She replied. She started sobbing again. They both held each other and mourned.
A few hours later Amelia was lying awake in bed. She couldn't sleep because all she could think about was Joel. She thought about the night she went into labor and how he was there for her the entire time. She thought about all the times they laughed together. She started to cry again. She lost someone that loved her unconditionally. She realized that he treated her like his own daughter. The person that supported her more than her own father did was really gone.
The next morning she went downstairs and saw Drew sitting at the kitchen table and Paul was making breakfast. Both of them looked like they hadn't slept.
"Good morning." Paul said to her. "Good morning." She replied. "Just so you know, Hannah's in the living room. Chris has her." He said. She went out into the living room and saw him holding the baby. "Congratulations. She's beautiful." He said, trying to sound happy. "Thank you." She nodded. She went over to him and hugged him. "I really hate to ask this, but I have to know." He said. He took in a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Did he suffer?" "I don't think so." She said, getting tears in her eyes. "He seemed really peaceful." "That makes me feel a bit better." He said, wiping a tear from his cheek. "He said he never wanted to die alone and suffering. I'm glad he didn't." "Breakfast is ready if you want something to eat." Paul said, walking into the living room. Amelia followed him and put some scrambled eggs on a plate and started eating. "So what's going on today?" Chris asked, leaning against the refrigerator. "We have to look around at some funeral parlors, and I figure someone should go tell Benji." Paul said in a monotone voice. He covered his face with his hands. "Oh God. What do we tell Benj? He's going to be devastated." "Which one of us should tell him?" Chris asked. "I think I should." Amelia said. "Who's paying for the funeral?" "I called Chris and Billy last night and the three of us are all chipping in." Paul replied. "I don't want to plan this funeral." "We shouldn't have to, but I think it's the least we can do." Chris said. He paused. "Let's get the game plan going. What's the top priority?" "May I add something?" Drew asked. Everybody nodded. "We have to put him in the mauseleum with my mom." "No doubt about it." Paul nodded. "But, anyway, my top priority is Benji. This is going to be the hardest thing for him." "Here's the plan. Paul and Amelia, you guys go tell Benji, and Billy, Drew, and I can go look at a couple funeral parlors." Chris said, finalizing everything. Everybody left the house. Chris and Drew went to get Billy and they went to look at funeral parlors. They planned on letting Drew make a lot of the decisions.
"You can go in." The usual guard told Amelia. She went into the room she normally saw her dad in. He was sitting at a table and he looked like he hadn't slept either. "Hi dad." She hugged him and sat down. He didn't respond or even move. "He's dead, isn't he?" He asked after a long silence. "How did you know?" She asked in reply. "I could just................feel it." He told her. He looked over at her with tears streaming down his face. "What happened to him?" "Ummm." She said, trying to think of how to put it gently. "He was accidentally shot." "What?!" He asked, standing up. "By who?!" "Ryan." She quietly answered. He clenched his fists and slammed them down on the table. He fell to his knees and started sobbing. Amelia got down on the floor to comfort him. "He didn't suffer or die alone, if that makes you feel any better." She told him. He hugged her and they cried together. She was so sick of crying, but it was all she could do.
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:28:21 GMT
Chapter 34
A few days later Amelia was getting ready to go to her dad's funeral. This was something she never expected she'd have to go to so soon. After she was ready she dressed Hannah in an outfit Joel had bought for her. There was a quiet knock on the door.
"Come in." She said. Paul came into the room and stood near the doorway. "We should leave now." He told her. She nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "How's Drew?" She asked, picking Hannah up. "He hasn't said a word." He replied. The three of them left the house and went to the funeral parlor. There were a few cars there already. They went inside and saw Billy and Chris standing and talking.
"Hey." Paul said as they walked up to them. "Is everything all set?" "Yeah." Chris nodded. Billy started to cry and Paul hugged him. Drew sat down in a nearby chair and stared at the casket. He hadn't walked up to it yet. Not even at the wake. He couldn't look. Paul sat down by him. "Do you want to go up there?" He asked. "No." Drew replied. "I think you should." He said. "I know it's not easy, but you need to say goodbye. You'll regret it if you don't. Why are you afraid to see him?" "I'm afraid that's how I'll remember him." He said, starting to cry. "You won't." He assured him. "You'll remember the good times instead. Come on, let's go up there." "OK." He nodded. Him and Paul got up and walked toward the casket. There were a lot of flowers on both sides of it. He noticed there were framed pictures on the inside that were propped up against the open lid. When they got closer he finally saw his dad. "He looks like he's at peace." "He is." Paul said. "Yeah." He nodded and looked at the pictures. He started to cry when he saw his favorite one of him and his dad. It was taken a few months before Amelia came back. Joel had his arms around Drew's neck and they were both smiling. "Are the pictures staying in here forever?" "No. They'll be taken out before they close the lid." He replied. "Can we keep that one in there?" He asked, pointing to the picture of him and Joel. "I don't see why not." Paul shrugged. He turned around and saw a lot of people starting to file in. "We should go to the back and greet people when they come in." "OK." Drew said. He leaned over and kissed Joel's forehead. "I love you dad." "He was always so proud of you." Paul told him, as he led him away from the casket. They stood next to Amelia, who was greeting everybody that came in. She didn't know half of the people coming in. A lot of them were covered in tattoos. She assumed they were in bands that her dad used to be play with. "How are you holding up?" She asked Drew. "I'm fine." He quietly replied. "Where's Hannah?" "Chris has her." She answered. She looked away and saw her dad come in through the door, followed by a police officer. For once he wasn't handcuffed, or in a prison uniform.
"Hi, sweetheart." He said, hugging her. She hugged him back and started to cry. "Where's the baby?" "Chris has her." She replied. She took a step back and looked at him. "How are you?" "Numb." He told her. He took a step over and stood in front of Drew. He hugged his nephew. "I'm so sorry." "Hi, Uncle Benji." He said. He couldn't look at his uncle because he looked like his dad. "I'm glad you could make it." Paul said as Benji hugged him. He only nodded in response. He looked at the casket and started to cry. "Want me to go up there with you?" "No thanks." He replied. He turned back to Amelia and held out his hand. She took it and started slowly walking with him. As they got closer his heart sank. Reality set in that he really was gone. When he finally got up to the casket he started to cry. His lifelong best friend was in it. He started sobbing and he dropped to his knees. Other people started crying because it broke their heart to see Benji sob like that. After sitting on the floor and crying for a while he stood up and took off a necklace he was wearing. He gently placed it on his brother's hand. He kissed his forehead. "I know I didn't tell you often enough, but, I love you. Now I won't be able to tell you anymore." "Please take your seats, the service will be starting shortly." A priest gently told Benji and Amelia. They both sat in the front row of seats. "What was it that you put in there?" Amelia whispered. "It was a necklace that my mom gave me a long time ago. It has a cross on the end of it and he always liked it. I thought he should have it." He replied. The priest stood in front of the podium and read a few Bible verses and talked about grief for a little while. "Now Joel's brother, Benji, will come up to give a eulogy." The priest said. Benji got behind the podium and looked around the room. There were so many people there for his brother. He took in a slow, deep breath and exhaled it.
"I didn't write anything because I couldn't express myself the way I wanted to. I came to the conclusion that I'd come up here and just talk." He paused. "The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Joel is his capacity to love. Any time anybody was cruel he would give back love. He was the most kind, caring, compassionate, and warm person I've ever met. He was always there for me when I needed him. He was the most loyal friend I ever had. Even after I would so something horrible he'd always forgive me because he loved me." He started to get choked up. "I'll never forget the feeling I got when he died. I could feel that he was in pain, but all of a sudden it stopped and I didn't feel anything. I felt empty. I felt like half of me died. I kept waiting for the other half of my heart to beat again, but it didn't, and it won't." He paused again. "Joel, if you can hear me right now I know I speak for everybody here when I say we'll all miss you and we love you very much. You were a good brother, friend, and most importantly a good father. You will never be forgotten. I'm just sorry I never got to say goodbye and tell you how much I love you. Rest in peace." He said. He walked away from the podium and stood in front of the casket and placed his hand on Joel's. "Goodbye." "Thank you, Benji." The preist said, getting back behind the podium. After the rest of the service everybody went to the cemetery. They stood outside the mauseleum where he was to be placed. The priest said a few more words and then invited everybody to a banquet hall on behalf of the family. People paid their last respects and would go to their cars to go to the hall. Benji, Paul, Chris, Billy, Amelia, and Drew stayed behind for a little while. Some workers came out of the mauseleum after sealing the marble his casket was placed in. They locked it and handed the key to Benji.
"Come on." Paul said, putting his arm around Benji. "Let's go to the hall." "I didn't want to have to say goodbye." He said, looking at the mauseleum. "At least he's probably really happy now." Drew said. "He could probably hear everything. He talked about how much he loved you." "Thanks, Drew." He said. They all walked to their separate cars and headed for the banquet hall.
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:29:16 GMT
Chapter 35
"Ryan William Braden, you have been found guilty of the murder of Joel Madden. I sentence you to life in prison without parole." A judge said at Ryan's trial. It had been several weeks since the funeral. "Thank you, God." Amelia whispered and started to cry. She was happy Ryan would never get out of jail, but it was another reminder that her dad was gone. "Come on. Let's go." Paul said to her and Drew. They had been staying at his house since Joel's death. They started to walk to the parking lot. "Do you think dad's happy right now?" Drew asked. "Definitly." Amelia smiled.
When they got to Paul's house a police car was in the driveway. Amelia got worried thinking something happened to her dad.
"Stay here." Paul said and got out of the car. He walked to the police car and talked to the officer. "What are they saying?" Drew asked. "I don't know." Amelia shrugged. Paul looked back over at them. He looked upset. He walked back over to the car and opened the door. "Amelia, I don't know how to tell you this." "What is it?" She asked with tears in her eyes. "It's your dad." He said, looking away from her. He sighed heavily. "What?!" She asked impatiently. "He got let out on parole early." He said with a grin on his face. "That was not funny!" Amelia said, crying. "I'm sorry. It was mean of me." He said, trying to hold back laughter. For the first time in weeks, Drew laughed too. They got out of the car and went inside. "Where's my dad?" She asked. "The cop said he was going to go pick him up and bring him here." He replied. "I'm going to change Hannah and feed her, so when he gets here can you come get me?" She asked. Paul nodded. She took her daughter upstairs. Drew sighed and sat on the couch. "She's going to live with him, isn't she?" He asked Paul. "I would imagine so. You don't want her to?" He asked in reply. "I do, but, what about me?" He asked. "What about you? You're not going with her?" He wondered. "He wouldn't want me." He said, playing with a pillow. "You're his nephew, of course he'd want to take you in." Paul reassured him. "I wish my dad could come back." He quietly said. "I know it's selfish because he's happy, but I'm not. I miss him." "That's not selfish at all. I wish he could come back too. He was my best friend. He was practically my brother." Paul told him. He paused for a while. "Do you want to go TP Billy's house?" "Maybe later." He smiled. He wished he could live with Paul. A few minutes later someone rang the doorbell. Paul got up and opened it.
"Do my eyes deceive me, or do I see a free man?" He asked. "You see a free man." Benji answered. "What was the verdict?" "Guilty." Paul replied. "He's got a life sentence with no parole." "Good enough for me." He said, shrugging. "Where's Meelers?" "She's upstairs with the baby." Paul replied. "I'll go get her." "Thanks." Benji said as Paul went up the stairs. He sat down next to Drew. "I owe you an apology." "What for?" He asked, looking at his uncle. "For taking your mom from you. I didn't mean for it to happen, and it shouldn't have." He replied. "You don't need to apologize." Drew said, quietly. He got up and walked away. Amelia came downstairs.
"Hi dad!" She smiled and hugged him. "How are you?" He asked, kissing her forehead. "I'm a bit better." She replied. "I'm so happy you're out." "I am too." He said. "I came over here to get you, Hannah, and Drew. I rented a townhouse and I want you guys to live with me." "That's great!" She smiled and hugged him again. "Later on I'll get a house for us, but for right now that's all I could get." He explained. "That's fine." She said, getting tears in her eyes. "All of my stuff is still packed up, so it shouldn't take long to move. I'll go get my stuff!" "While you're up there can you tell Drew I want to talk to him?" He asked. "Sure!" She said, and went upstairs. Drew came down several minutes later.
"Have a seat." He said, gesturing next to him on the couch. Drew sat down, but on the far end of the couch. "I rented a townhouse and I was thinking maybe you could move in with Amelia, Hannah, and I." "I don't want to live with you." Drew said, not looking at him. "Why not?" Benji asked. "It's your fault my dad's dead! If you hadn't killed my mom we all would've been happy! You should be dead! It shouldn't be my dad! He didn't deserve it!" He sobbed and ran up the stairs. "Oh God." Benji sighed. "What now?"
sorry it's short and it sucks, but i'm really tired..
|
|
|
Post by laura. on Feb 25, 2005 19:30:00 GMT
Chapter 36
"I think my work here is done." Paul said after setting a box down. He helped Amelia and Drew move into the townhouse with Benji. "I don't want to live here." Drew said with tears in his eyes. "Can't I live with you?" "You can't. In your dad's will it says if something should happen to him the next of kin is supposed to take you guys in. That happened to be Benji." Paul told him. "You can visit me whenever you want." "Promise?" He asked. "I promise." Paul replied. "I've got to get going, so, be a good munchkin and hug your Uncle Paul." "Thanks for helping." Drew said, hugging him. "You're welcome, pumpkin." He said, walking out the door. "He left already?" Amelia asked, coming down the stairs. She sat down on the couch and sighed heavily. "I'm exhausted. Hannah got me up four times last night, and she's just now taking a nap." "Then why don't you go take one?" Benji suggested, coming up from the basement. "I don't want to." She said. "Oh, somebody's grumpy!" He joked, talking to her like she was a little kid. "Shut up." She laughed. "You should sleep. You look tired." He told her. "You're right. I should." Amelia said, getting up off the couch. "Wake me up for dinner." "I will." He nodded. She hugged him and he kissed her forehead. "I love you." "I love you too." She said, and went upstairs. He smiled because he finally had his daughter back. He looked at Drew and then looked away. He knew Drew didn't like him. He started to walk into the kitchen.
"Uncle Benji?" Drew said, getting his attention. He turned around and looked at his nephew. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" "Sure." He shrugged and sat down by him. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it. I was just angry and needed to blame somebody." Drew said, kneading his hands. "It's OK. I understand." Benji quietly said. "I'm just mad that my dad isn't here anymore. He was my best friend." Drew said. "Then you look a lot like him, and it's hard to look at you." "Maybe that's because he's my identical twin." Benji teased. "You look exactly like him. You look just like he did when he was your age." "Is that bad?" He asked. "No." Benji shook his head. "So you're not going to send me away?" Drew asked. "Why would I?" He asked in reply. "My dad sent Amelia away because she looked like you." Drew told him. "I know, but, these circumstances are a bit different." Benji assured him. There was an uncomfortable silence. "You're not afraid of me, are you?" "Not really. Honestly, I am a little bit, but not much." He admitted. "What are you afraid of?" He asked. "I don't know. I don't think you'll kill me or anything, but, just knowing you have killed makes me a little uneasy. I'm sure I'll get over it." He said, feeling a bit more comfortable with his uncle. "I'd only kill you if you.........inherited a lot of money." He said, in a monotone voice. He paused. "Let me go make you some tea...............It'll relax you." "Lucky for you I don't drink tea." He laughed. He paused for a moment. "Do you think you could tell me about my mom sometime?" "Yeah." He said, a little surprised by the question. "You don't know anything about her?" "Not really. My dad never liked to talk about her." He shrugged. "Any time you want to know something about her you can ask." He told him. Drew's facial expression changed and he looked very serious. "Were you ever anybody's bitch in prison?" He asked. Benji laughed. "No way, I had the bitches." He joked. He sighed. "You're a lot like you're dad." "I was just thinking the same thing." He smiled. "Maybe living here won't be so bad after all." "I'm glad you said that." He smiled back. "Do you drink coffee?" "Yeah." He nodded. "Let me go make you a cup." Benji said in his monotone voice. He slowly got up and started walking out of the room. "It will make you feel better." "Like you could hurt me, grandpa." Drew laughed. He realized he was probably going to be happy after all. "Don't make me try, punk." Benji teased.
THE END
|
|