[10:29am] 10/01/23
Charles: I owe you an explanation
Eric: you don't owe me anything
Eric: you don't have to tell me
Charles: I do
Charles: you're my fiancé
Charles: I don't like keeping things from you
Eric: Can I ask a question then?
Charles: of course
Eric: how fucked up was your childhood?
[10:34]
Charles: pretty fucked up
Charles: it was worse for Els though
Eric: What happened?
[10:41am]
Charles: By the time Els was 3, my parents had given up with her, they didn't want a sick child
Charles: I raised her myself
Charles: I took her to her hospital appointments from the age of 9. I skipped school so I could go on a train and take her to the hospital
Charles: I held her as she cried in my arms about not wanting to be alive because of her medical condition. She was fucking 12. And she didn't want to be alive
Charles: I took her out of that house, I couldn't bear for her to live there any longer, especially without me
Charles: and our so called parents didn't give a shit
Charles: which is why I vowed to do something, anything, to lead to a development in the treatment for people with cystic fibrosis
Charles: she was quite healthy compared to other people with CF
Charles: but that didn't mean she didn't have it
Charles: when she told me how she felt that day when she was 12, it broke my heart. I didn't want her to have to go through that. I broke down as I don't know what I would have done if she was gone
Charles: she was scared that I'd give up on her
Charles: something I'd never do
Charles: when things got bad, she told me that she wasn't fighting for herself, she was fighting for me she said "I will fight. I will fight for you. I always do until my lungs are black and blue. And I will stay. I will stay with you. We'll make it to the other side like the best siblings do."
Charles: that girl really is too stubborn for her own good sometimes
Charles: I vividly remember it, she said the words that changed everything for me "I'm not giving up yet, even when I'm down to my last breath. Even when I don't have anything left. So don't give up on me. I'm not giving up. Not me, I don't give up. Even when no one else believes. I'm not going down that easily. So don't give up on me"
Charles: I never gave up on her.
Charles: And I never will. She's my Els, my Stubborn bastard, my princess, my best friend, my minion, my sweetheart, my life.
[11:30am]
Eric: I am so sorry you had to go through that but I'm so proud of you both
Charles: thank you
Eric: you really are inspirational
[11:48am]
Charles: it was hard, I struggled to deal with everything. But I did it for her.
Eric: what about your other siblings?
Charles: Lily helped cover for me when I took her to appointments
Charles: The twins were too young to understand
Charles: when they were old enough, they didn't really know how to handle the situation
Charles: Logan publicly broke just about every rule so the attention was drawn away from the two of us. Which allowed me to get away with taking her to hospital appointments.
Charles: James sat in my classes and took notes for me so I could catch up. My parents expected me to get above 90% in everything and he said he didn't want me to have to deal with even more of their bullshit. I didn't want him too but he did it anyway, in return I tutored him so he didn't fall behind.
Charles: they boys made sure to make Els laugh in any way possible (which when you know the right buttons to press, is very easy). We spoilt her rotten to make up for the fact that our parents wanted to forget her existence
Charles: We did the silliest things ever, Lily painted her posters of her favourite film characters, James played football with her, Logan took her out on his motorbike and I read with her and talked about genetics.
[12:10pm]
Eric: you're a miracle Charles
Charles: Am I?
Eric: yes, you raised your sister when your parents didn't want to, you managed to keep amazing grades and tutored your siblings
Eric: I'm so proud of you
Charles: I just did what I needed to do
Eric: you know, you'd make a great dad one day
Charles: Me? A dad? You must be mental
Eric: Charles, you raised your sister, you've already raised one child
Charles: huh
Charles: perhaps you have a point
Charles: you want kids then?
Eric: with you, yes
Charles: I'd love to raise kids with you
[12:21pm]
Eric: Did you...perhaps...
Charles: what?
Eric: nevermind it's probably the wrong time to ask
Charles: you can ask Darling
Eric: are you sure?
Charles: absolutely
[12:30pm]
Eric:Didyouwanttoperhapslookaroundfor anadoptionagency?
[12:31pm]
Charles: I can't think of anything I'd like to do more
YOU ARE READING
The Unknown Number
RomanceWhen Charles accidentally sent a message to a wrong number, a friendship is formed. Little did he know, that friendship would turn into being something much more.
