Crossfire RP

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“I won’t disturb him tonight, especially if it is his heart.” Brandon said. “I will see them in the morning. He will need all the rest he can get.”

Caleb sends him up to his room and it doesn’t take long before Brandon is asleep.

Morning comes and Brandon is up early. He gets up and can hear someone down stairs. He gets a shower in and makes his way down. Sarah is in the kitchen. “Ohhh, I thought that was you I heard last night. Though not that it matters, Melody here told me you were here this morning. I am so glad you were able to come. I hate that Jasmine and Ava weren’t able to come.” Sarah said as she hugged Brandon.

“Speaking of Jasmine, she asked me to give you this.” Brandon said as he walked over to his saddle bags. He had left them hanging over the couch during the night.

"Time I will give him. I just want him to grieve and not blame himself." Melody sighs. "I think I better go and change a little boy. He is making a stinky. Thank you for being here Brandon. I know it will help everyone."

Caleb makes it back sometime around early evening with the doctor. George had hardly anything to eat during the day and he still has no strength. Brandon feels that if anything, he has lost more of his strength and his breathing is shallow. He had talked some though the afternoon, but now George lies in the bed with little energy.

“It’s good to see you Dr. Binjo. Please, I don’t think there is much you can do for my grandfather, but could you take a look at him?” Brandon asked.

“I will see how he is, please everyone stay outside as I look him over.” The dr. asked.

Brandon stayed outside in the living room with his family. He was updating Caleb on how George was doing. “He seemed to get weaker though the day. I hope the dr. can help him, but I don’t think there is much hope.” He explained.

Caleb shook his head. “I wish he had seen the dr. sooner. There is nothing we can do now though except pray.”

Dr. Binjo walks out a few minutes later as everyone sat in the room. Everyone looked up and sat in silence almost as if afraid to speak. “He has double pneumonia, hasn’t he?” Brandon asked.

“Badly I should say. The way he sounds, he will be lucky if he makes it through the night.” The dr. explained. “I can hear the fluid in both lungs and I can’t tell for fact or not, but I’m pretty sure he has fluid built up around his heart. He has no strength and right now he can’t talk from trying to breath.”

“Thank you Dr. Binjo.” Caleb said.

Brandon hugged his grandmother as she began to cry. “Don’t worry grandma, he is a strong man.”

Sarah returns Brandon's hug. "He was a good man and lived a long life. I am going to miss him so much."

Melody goes to Caleb and hugs him one armed. Little George is in her other arm. "Thank you for letting us know Doctor."

“I know you will grandma, but we will be here for you.” Brandon said. He took a deep breath to hold his tears. Having said it himself was different, but to hear it from the doctor made it sound like the end.

Caleb hugged Melody and little George. “I can’t believe it’s going to happen. In my whole like I didn’t ever think dad could go like this. He just didn’t seem like the man to die from sickness.” He said with a blank face.

After the doctor left, they all went it the room. George looks at them with weary eyes. Sarah sits next to him holding his hand. "Now don't you be sad, any of you. I am going to watch over all of you with my little girl."

"You keep her in line up there and tell her how much we all miss her." Sarah tells him. She has to blink away the tears.

Little George does a raspberry causing everyone to laugh. "Well I guess you got his opinion about it." Melody says.

George smiles and closes his eyes. His breathing slows until it is no more. Melody leans into Caleb's shoulder. Sarah looks up at them all. "It is a wonderful way to pass, surrounded by those who love you." She leans over and kisses him one last time. "I will be seeing you later."

And thus died George Lawson.

Caleb put his arm around Melody and rubbed her shoulder. “Don’t worry; he’s in a better place now.” He said.

Brandon hugged his grandmother and rubbed her back. “He lived a long life. It will be hard to be without him.” He said. He pulled the sheet up over his grandfather and wiped away a tear. “I’m sure that he will want to be buried out beneath that big oak tree.”

“He always did like to sit out there beneath the shade in the summer time when he was lounging around.” Caleb said. “How would you like that mom?”

"That would be a perfect place for him. Now don't go digging it yourself. Get some help from the guys." She removes his wedding ring and gives it to Brandon. "Make sure your little girl give this to the man she marries. That way we will be there in some way at her wedding. Caleb, make sure you take my ring and give it to little George when my time comes."

~~~~

Dr Caprio comes into the waiting room several hours later. She smiles at seeing both Berenson and Daniel sleeping on the couch. She shakes Berenson's shoulder and waits as he wakes up. "She is going to be fine, physically at least. I had to do some repair work on her shoulder. Unfortunately, the injury may futher affect her range of motion. I will be like her therapy all over again.

She suffered from a skull fracture as well, which is why she was unconscious. Right now she is resting, and she may be for a while. You can see her, but keep the people limited until she wakes up. Get some rest yourselves, and not here."

Brandon takes the ring and puts it into his pocket. “We should probably wait until morning sense it is dark outside now. We will do it before breakfast.” He said looking at Caleb. “What do you think?”

“I think that works. Mom, you can sleep in the extra room upstairs tonight. I wouldn’t want to have to do this in the dark either. It wouldn’t do him justice.” Caleb said. “I will do as you say as well, but you wear that wedding band until you think it’s time to take it off.”

~~

Berenson somehow made it up right. He rubbed his eyes as he sat there and listened to the dr. “That must have been a horrible hit. I don’t think I will be able to get this young man to come home with me, but I’m certain he will be a guard here for you. Do you know how long she will be out for? For that matter, what kind of damage could have been done to her skull? Is there anything we can do to help?”

Sarah smiles at Caleb. "Don't worry this ring won't be coming off until I join George. It is going to be hard, but life goes on."

Melody hands little George to Caleb. "I will help you upstairs, Mom. Did you want some tea before bed?"

~~~~~~~

"I don't exactly know how long she is going to be out. The body works in mysterious ways sometimes. It has been through a traumatic experience. As far as her skull goes, the fracture was a slight one. It caused a concussion, but I didn't see any other damage. She does have some stitches there." Dr. Caprio explains. "I have nothing to do with the guards, but right now it looks as if he needs the sleep more. I know there are plenty of rooms in the castle. I will stay in the castle as well, just in case."

Brandon looks at Caleb. “Tomorrow will be tough, but I’m sure we can handle it.” He said. He walked over and hugged his uncle.

“There are no words to describe how I feel right now. I will be lost without him to guide me. He did a great job raising me and I will do my best to continue on in his place.” Caleb said. “Think if we talked mom into it she would go back to Moldova with you? I think she would have better care there but if she said no. I wouldn’t make her.”

“I don’t think that’s even a question to ask her. You know as well as I do, she won’t part from this land ever.” Brandon said. “I’ll be up with you in the early morning of the hours. I’m sure the men will help us.”

They then head up to go to their rooms for the night.

~~

“I’ll make sure he at least stays in a room for the night.” Berenson said. “Thank you for the information Dr. Caprio. I appreciate all of your help.” He said.

Berenson looks over at Daniel’s sleeping form. He gently shakes his shoulder. “Son…Daniel, wake up.” He said. “I want you to sleep in one of the rooms for the night. I’m not going to ask you to leave the castle tonight or at all right now.” He said.

Daniel rubbed his eyes and nodded his head. Berenson then walked over to the entrance of the infirmary and opened the door. He stops a guard and asks him to get a room ready for his son. Daniel then goes with the guard to sleep in a room while Berenson heads home. Once there, he sleeps on the couch as not to wake anyone who is asleep.

Madeline is waiting for Berenson when he got home. He relayed to her Jasmine's condition. She pulls him into the guest room. "The girls are all sleeping in our bed. They were really worried about Jasmine."

~~~~

The next morning Sarah is in the kitchen cooking some breakfast. Mallory is out milking the cows and getting some milk. Sarah seems a bit lost not needing the goats milk for George. The others never acquired the taste for it.

Berenson and Madeline never did quite make it to sleep. "It will be hard for Ava, but hopefully the message will reach Brandon soon and he can be hee as soon as possible." He said.

They dosed on and off the rest of the night. Morning came and Madeline heads upstairs before the girls wake up. Berenson makes breakfast and makes it a simple one of pancakes and fresh fruit.

~~

Brandon and Caleb get the men to help them dig the grave for George. They too are sad knowing that he is gone. Everyone helps out and before breakfast is ready the grave site is ready.

Caleb and four mean go inside to get George ready and when they are finished, Brandon joins them. "Are we ready?" He asked.

Everyone nods their heads and they put George on a stretcher. Brandon walks out and let Melody know before walking back in and helping to lift the old man up. They then walk out of the room with his body.

Daniel wakes up in a guest room because it was closer to the infirmary than the royal hall. He forgoes breakfast and requests it delivered to the infirmary. He nods at the guard and walks into the room.

Jasmine looks almost peaceful lying there. If it wasn't for the monitors and the bandage across her head, it would be normal. Her left arm is also bound to her to prevent any movement.

He sits down next to her. "Jassy, I am so sorry. Don't worry though we are going to find out who did this. You have to wake up first. I will also be protecting you as you sleep." He hopes she remembers what happened, but in a way maybe not.

~~~~~~

Sarah knows they are preparing George for burial. Melody helped her put him into his burial clothes. The word spread fast and there is a small group there. Some of the ladies were helping her prepare more food. She is thankful to see that George was so liked. She puts on a nice dress and joins the group outside.

At least a few of the men had been kind enough to put their money together to get a coffin for George. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. Brandon and Caleb along with a few others had managed to get the box in the ground without dropping it or breaking it. When they are ready, Caleb stands at the front as everyone gathered around.

Caleb cleared his throat as he gets ready to talk. “Good morning everyone, I see it takes little for word to travel around here. In this case we are glad for it. Many of you knew my father and that he was a good man. He never met a stranger and he loved a good laugh. I know there was a many winters eve he sat there by fires and talked of old times with some of you and the memories that you shared with one another will always be there. My father was a strong man and a firm believer that hard work paid off. We are sad to see him off, but we are thankful that he is no longer in pain. May the goddess watch over him, and may he be with his daughter as they watch over us from where they are.” He said. Caleb then said a prayer and the men began to help him burry George.

Brandon walked over and hugged his grandma. “Don’t worry grandma, everything will work out.” He said.

Sarah hugs her grandson. There are tears in her eyes, but she will be alright. She is glad that Caleb and Melody will be here to take care of her and the farm. "Everyone there is some food in the house. Come on, let's warm up and remember the good times."

~~~~~~

Madeline gets the girls ready and they go downstairs. Gwynn helps set the table with Sakura. "Are you sure you want to bring them to the infirmary, we will be happy to watch them." Mallory tell them.

"Mom, I think it would be better if they were there. Ava should know that Jasmine is alright. Nathaniel should be waking up anytime now and I know he will want to see his kids." Madeline answers. "You are welcome to come up for at least a little while."

Brandon helps his grandmother into the house and helps her with the people. They laugh and cry all at the same time, but he is glad they had all brought something with them. It made the burden on his family easier to deal with. He walks over to Melody and looks at her. “The people here are nice. They will all be kind to you still.” He said. He sighed. “Do you know if grandpa had a will?”

~~

“Ava doesn’t know what happened and will want to see her mom. Who knows, maybe it will help bring Jasmine out of it.” Berenson said as they ate breakfast. “Gwyn and Sawyer will want to be there when Nathaniel wake up as well. I know Levi is still there from last night. He never did leave Nathaniel’s side.” He explained.

"Everything as far as property is left to Sarah. However if there is item you want, I think all you needo to ask her for it." Melody tells him. "I do think he kept some things for you though."

~~~~~

They eat breakfast and got the kids packed up. Jacobi and Berenson gets the carriage set up. "We will be up there later. Take care of her for me Berenson."

They arrive and head to the infirmary. Madeline sees Daniel in uniform standing guard. She looks at Berenson then back at him. "Hey Daniel, how is she doing?"

Gwynn tugs on Berenson. "I want to see Daddy."

Brandon shook his head. “I didn’t know how he wanted it to be, but that sounds about right. I’m sure once everything starts to get back around to being normal here, grandma will have a will written out.” He said. He looked around as the others talked around the room. “I need some space right now. This hasn’t been an easy time for me.”

~~

Berenson looked at Madeline. “I didn’t know he would be in uniform, but I don’t expect anything less from him. He feels bad about what happened.” He whispered to Madeline.

Daniel gets down on one knee and looks at Gwynn. “Your daddy is in the next room with your father. But you have to be good, he might still be asleep.” He said. He stands back up as Gwyn timidly walks back into the room that he had pointed out. “She is still asleep. The Dr. came in earlier to check her out, but there weren’t any changes from last night.” Daniel said. “Levi mentioned that Nathaniel was stirring a little earlier but he was still passed out. They think he will wake up sometime today.”

Melody watches Brandon leave. He goes over to Caleb. "He may need some man time." She nudges him and he goes and follows Brandon.

"I know it's been rough for you. Pop was happy to see you. I think he was waiting on you." Caleb tells him.

~~~~~~~

Gwynn grins and runs into the room. "Daddy!!" She hugs Levi. "How is Daddy doing?"

"He is doing fine. I think he may wake up now that you are here. Where is your brother?" Levi asks.

"Papa has him. Is Daddy really alright? No one is telling me anything." Gwynn pouts.

~~~~~

"I am going to bring Ava to see her. You may want to bring Sawyer to see Levi." Madeline kisses him and walks into the room.

She hugs Ava close seeing the monitors. "Mommy?" Ava says looking at her. "Nana, she looks hurt."

"Mommy is going to be just fine. She is a little hurt, and she will need your help when she wakes up." Madeline tells her. She then points at the machines and tells Ava what they do.

Brandon looked up as his Uncle walked over. “He probably was, but I feel like it came too soon. I just lost Junaluska and Lawrence to murder, and now I just lost grandpa to sickness. I never thought he would go out like that.” He said.

~~

Berenson gave Madeline a kiss and then took Sawyer with him to check on Nathaniel. “I bought your little man for you. I figured you would want to have him here when Nathaniel woke up.” He said. “How is Nathaniel?” He asked.

"He is doing well. There is nothing physically wrong with him, we are just waiting for him to wake up." Levi stands up and takes Sawyer from him. "No go and check on Jasmine. I have not been told anything about her condition."

~~

"Actually, it was how I did expect him to go. Either that or a heart attack out on the field. Both him and mom don't know how to slow down. Having Melody is helping Mom, but she is still stubborn." Caleb claps his back. "I cannot imagine what you are going through in Moldova. I know you were close to the majesties."

Berenson hugged Levi. "Daniel said not much has changed from last night, but I haven't been in to see her yet this morning. We will let you know after we check in on her." Berenson said.

He walked out of the room and to the door of Jasmine's room.he could hear Madeline explaining to her what each cored was for. He walked in and over to where she was sitting. "Any changes?" He asked.

~~

Brandon looked at his uncle and shrugged his shoulders. "I had learned a lot from them and they had accepted me for whom I was. For that I was thankful. I hated to leave Jasmine now of all times, but I'm glad I came. Had I not I wouldn't have been able to seen him before he passed." He explained. After things begin to calm down I will need to get back. I should probably let her know he has passed."

"If you want we can send a telegram from town later. I am sure she is worried about you. Women are expert worriers." Caleb laughs. "They are good for keeping us grounded though aren't they. I never thought I would love again before I met Melody. Maybe what we both needed was a little Moldova in our lives."

~~~~~~~~

Ava looks at Berenson. "Make Mommy feel better Papa." She points at Jasmine.

"We are working on it Little Ava, but now her body needs to rest." Madeline tells her.

Ava leans over and kisses Jasmine. "Mommy get better soon."

~~~~~~

Nathaniel begins to stir. "Oh man what happened. Where am I? the last thing I remember is being in the kitchen."

"That would probably be best. She will want to know that I'm OK." Brandon said. "I never knew I would be a king someday though. I'm glad that Melody is happy here with you. I didn't know if she would get used to the cold or not."

~~

Berenson walked over and hugged Ava. "I wish I could Ava, but your mommy needs lots of rest" he explained. "That way she can get better." His heart was breaking.

~~

Levi looked up at Nathaniel. "Oh goddess...you're awake." He said in a hopeful manner. "You passed out yesterday at the restaurant. Something happened to Jasmine but she is still passed out as far as I know. How are you feeling?" He asked.

Gwynn was jumping up and down. "Daddy!!! You're awake!" She said.

Caleb smirks. "The cold doesn't bother her too much at night. I am proud of you King Brandon. I know that you and Jasmine will rule Moldova well."

~~~~

"I am feeling better now. All I remember is a strong sense of fear and pain...such horrible pain. Where is Jasmine? I must see her." Nathaniel sits up and motions Gwynn to come to his arms. She jumps into them and he gives her a hug. "I missed you so much. I am sorry for worrying you, all of you. You experienced the freaky twin sense at its worse."