Inferno Part 3

~33~ Charlotte

Possible Trigger Warning. It's Charlotte's heart surgery chapter❤️

Ellie's POV

"Eleanor, you have to hurry or we will be late," Taylor says, trying hard not to be grumpy.

We've been dreading this day for months...Charlotte's heart surgery.

I say nothing as I finish getting ready and we get in the car with Nolan. The majority of the family is coming and waiting in the waiting room. The older teen girls are not coming. Savannah wanted to come, but Nora REALLY wanted her with the little kids. Especially Lizzie. When Charlotte is not next to her, she cries inconsolably. Charlotte is the only thing that calms Lizzie down.

Having Charlie and Lizzie separated for days is going to be awful. Nora wants Savannah with Elizabeth, since she's comfortable around Savvy. Josie and Izzy are staying behind to help her. Drew is also staying behind to play with Jax.

We get in the hospital and go to the waiting room we need. Alex and Lilah are already there.

"Has it started yet?" I ask. Taylor would actually be mad at me for running so late if he didn't understand how upset and stressed I've been. He just silently grabs my hand and kisses my hair.

"No. They're still with her. They will come out once they take her back," Alex says, kissing my forehead.

"Is Liam mad I was running late?"

"Nah, he's fine. That's the last thing on his mind right now."

I nod as I sit next to Mason, and kiss his cheek.

Sasha couldn't make it. With her student teaching, she's not allowed to take days off. She felt absolutely awful about it. She felt so bad, I made Liam go over to their house and talk to her about it last night. She's coming over as soon as school gets out.

Nolan goes over and sits next to Ethan. I see Gabby from her seat, staring at him. She has a huge crush on Nolan. I don't think Nolan knows, though.

We wait about 45 minutes, when Liam and Nora come out. Nora is crying. I go over to her and pull her into me. She folds into me and sobs.

"She's just a baby" she cries.

That makes Liam start crying. Mason walks over and pulls Liam into a hug, and Liam sobs, holding Mason tight.

"This is so much harder," he cries. "We know her now. We know everything about her. This is so much harder."

Mason wipes away his own tears as he continues to hold Liam.

Nora pulls away from me and wipes her own eyes. "She was smiling and cooing at me right before they took her. Now she's alone with people she doesn't know. She's going to wake up in pain, and I won't be there when she wakes up," she sobs.

Alex comes and over holds her tight. "She will be groggy when she wakes up. You will see her before she even registers anything."

"She's just a baby," she sobs again in Alex's chest.

Alex leads her to a chair and sets her down, bringing her into him. She rests her head on his shoulder and cries. He silently holds her and traces his finger lightly up and down her arm, trying to bring her comfort.

Liam comes over to me and I hug him tight. "Want me to get you a soda or something?"

He shakes his head. "If I eat or drink anything, I'm going to throw up."

I nod.

"I'm going to walk the halls for a minute," he says as he leaves quickly.

We all just leave him be. This is definitely harder than when they were born. He's right. We know her now.

After four hours, they come back and get Liam and Nora, saying the surgery was over and successful. A few hours after that, we get to see her.

It's hard. She's back to where she was when we first met her. In a bed with tubes. She's sleeping, her little chest bared and covered with bandages. It's heartbreaking.

We leave once visiting hours are over. We're actually super nervous for tomorrow. They are running a test, that will determine if this surgery has corrected everything, or if she will need a heart transplant one day.

Tomorrow is a big deal.

We ride home with Alex and Lilah. They went with Liam and Nora this morning.

Lilah and I are in the back with Colton, Nolan, and Gabby.

"Dad, can I skip school tomorrow so I can be there when the results get back?" Colton asks quietly.

"Yeah, buddy," Alex says simply.

"You can too if you want, kid," Taylor says to Nolan.

"Thanks" Nolan says.

"So I'm the only one that has to go?" Gabby snaps.

Alex sighs. "How about you change your tone and ask me a different way, Gabby."

"Can I skip school tomorrow too?" She asks, with a small attitude still.

"Yeah," Alex says.

I look behind me and grab Nolan's hand. "You ok? You've been quiet today."

He nods and squeezes my hand. "It's just hard seeing a tiny baby with tubes sticking out of her and hearing her cry."

I nod and wipe a tear. Lilah wipes a tear too. It's been awful today.

The next day we get there when visiting hours start, and Nora is holding Charlotte.

"How are my girls?" I ask, stroking Nora's cheek.

"They just did the test. We will get the results in a couple hours."

We spend the morning doing what we can. The room isn't huge, but the nurses are allowing us all in here.

Mason took today off too, so he's here, trying to keep Liam from going crazy.

Alex and Colton are in the corner, Alex is holding Charlie. She and Alex have this beautiful bond already. She's only 4 months old, but she just loves her grandpa. She stares at him and smiles all the time. He is completely captivated by her.

He loves Lizzie too, don't misunderstand. There's just a gravitational pull between Alex and Charlie.

Around 2, some doctors come in.

"We have the test results. Would you like to talk about it in private?"

"We are in private," Nora says.

"I mean, with just you and your husband."

"No. They're all apart of this too. Just tell us," she snaps.

Liam comes over and holds her hand, kissing it gently.

Alex kisses Charlotte's head and continues to hold her.

"The results aren't what we hoped for. The surgery has done what it needed to, as far as keeping her alive and repairing what was needed. However, it did nothing for her long-term quality of life. She's going to need a heart transplant by the time she's two."

Liam and Nora immediately start crying. Taylor starts crying.

Alex silently nods and holds Charlotte even tighter.

"So what does this mean? What's the plan?" Liam finally asks.

"She's already on the list, thankfully. It's crucial that she gets a new heart by the time she's two."

"And if she turns two and a heart still isn't available?" Liam asks.

The doctor looks at them hard. "Then your daughter will not make it."

Nora starts crying harder, and Liam puts his head down and closes his eyes. Mason silently stands up and goes behind them, putting his hand on Liam and Nora's shoulders.

We're all quiet for a moment as we process.

Finally Alex speaks from the corner, grabbing Charlotte's hand in his and staring at her hard.

"You're just going to have to stay strong like your grandma, mommy, and daddy until we get you a heart, little one."