rebel | leah clearwater

♱ Ending 2 ♱

Leah wipes a cloth gently over Arlo's face as he sleeps in the hospital bed beside her; all he has to do is make it through the week. All he has to do is fight for 4 more days and he will be at the very top of the donor list, he will have made it to a year sober and he will be eligible for a new liver. He has to make it.

Leah slips out of the room as the phone rings, running a hand through her hair as she answers. "Hi, hey, I'm so sorry I forgot to call you back."

"That's alright hon, is my kid there?" Charlie says cheerfully - clueless.

Leah looks through the slits of the blinds to her husbands room. "He's uh he's out on a walk at the moment, I can get him to call back?"

"Na it's okay... Is he doing okay? He never tells me fully what's going on, just says what I say. Still dancing." He asks quietly.

Leah tears and rests a hand on her aching heart. She clears her throat and takes a deep breath. "No no, he's all good. Couple days and things should go the way we want. He'll hit the year mark and docs reckon a liver will be ready within the week. He just has to hit that year." She hastily wipes her cheeks and looks away, facing the other wall.

Charlie smiles proudly. "Atta boy." He mutters, speaking louder to Leah, "Tell him we'll be there Friday morning, ready and waiting."

"You betcha, chief. Love to mom." Leah quickly hangs up and let's out a sob, covering her face. She can't do this... But she can't tell anyone. Arlo doesn't want anyone to know he's dying until he's either dead or got the new liver.

"Leah." Arlo croaks, half asleep.

She wipes her cheeks and goes back in, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey baby." She strokes his hair back.

He smiles tiredly; aside from being so weak from his condition, morphine tends to make him drowsy which, in a way, is good for him - he needs rest. "You was gone." He mumbles, closing her eyes.

Leah leans over and kisses his head. "I'm right here, silly. Like I promised I would be."

He hums and his head rolls to the side as he falls back to sleep. Leah hangs her head and closes her own eyes for a moment before she composes herself, the knock at the door forcing her to do so. She turns and looks over to the doctor, following her out of the room.

The doctor doesn't even get the words out of her mouth; Leah can tell. Just from the look on her young face. Leah gives a shaky nod. "How... How long." She whispers, her voice barely audible.

"His organs are shutting down... I'd say a day or two, no more. If you'd like his family here, I'd call them right now. I'm so-"

"Yeah you're sorry, got it." Leah walks away quickly, rushing down the long hallway and out onto the balcony area that's usually a cafe in nicer weather. The wind blows and rain falls as she struggles to take a breath, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces, then a thousand more, all breaking again and again as it sinks in. She has less than 48 hours with the love of her life and she can't do anything about it.

-

Charlie states at the hole in the ground containing the casket that holds his son. Sue rubs his arm but it does nothing to comfort him. It does nothing to soothe the hole burned into his heart forever.

This moment is the hardest moment of her life, to Bella. The hunger has never been so bad. The will to give up has never been so strong. After everything she's faced, everything she's been through physically, emotionally, she'd be able to rationalise this pain. But she can't. Edward has to rush her away the moment the service is over so she can hunt.