Never Gonna Quit It [h.s.]

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

Harry

He'd come home early to surprise Scarlett for their anniversary only to hear soft music radiating through the house; Scarlett nowhere in sight.

Thinking nothing of it, he dropped his bag on the kitchen counter and headed to their bedroom, his ears still being adept enough to discern the music was coming from that general area.

Harry entered their room, a bright smile illuminating his features and bouquet of roses feeling perfect in his hand.

Scarlett was on the balcony which was perfect considering the fact that he could genuinely surprise her.

Only, she wasn't the one who was surprised.

Upon opening the sliding glass door, the roses nearly fell from his palm.

It wasn't that she was with someone else, that thought in and of itself had been dismissed long ago, it was the unadulterated fact that she'd gone back to smoking, a habit he'd helped her lose years ago.

His voice caught somewhere in the middle of his throat, "S-Scarlett?"

There were fresh tear tracks lining her beautiful face, accented by puffy and red rimmed eyes, a stuffy nose, and quivering rosy lips. The sight alone broke his heart.

Scarlett said nothing, only looked at him deeply, as if somehow her eyes alone could have projected everything she was thinking and feeling to him.

Harry shook his head, tears of his own threatening to fall free, "I don't understand...I thought we stopped together to keep time on our lives, not to take it away like we had been doing for so long."

The roses were precariously close to dropping to the floor.

His question only seemed to make it worse, opening a fresh wound.

Harry watched as she broke down all over again in front of his very eyes, something he hadn't seen in years, her lips quivering uncontrollably, her tears falling like rain as she struggled to find the right words.

Her words reached his ears in barely a whisper, "It doesn't matter anymore..."

The weight of the scene finally caught up with him, "Scarlett...of course it does..."

He was fumbling for words while she shook her head slowly, tears falling more rapidly, "No it doesn't Harry, the cancer is back."

The breath left his lungs, pressure never receding, "What...no..."

The roses hit the floor.

Scarlett finally lost every ounce of control and practically threw herself into his arms, sobs wracking her entire body.

"It's so much worse Harry." Her tears had already left dark wet patches on his shirt and, as he pulled her ever closer, her body began to tremble.

The weight of his world felt like a heavy boulder on his chest; she would be gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

Harry sobbed with her, only less in volume, "How long?"

Scarlett didn't answer, clinging to him like he would disappear and hiccuping between sobs.

Harry buried his head into the crook of her neck, "Please Scarlett...how long?"

"F-Four months with c-chemo if I'm lucky..." That only seemed to make it worse and her legs gave out from under her, his arms now the only thing holding her up.

His sobs increased as well, everything he'd ever wanted would be taken away from him and it decimated him to know that she'd be gone so soon.

"N-no...you can't l-leave me..."