Everything I've Wanted (ellie the whale x fem oc)

Chapter 2- The Harsh Beauty

Eve soon wakes up to the sound of Charlie coughing. When her eyes focus she sees an orange post it note on the armrest of her chair. "I'm sorry but I have my early classes today. I'll be home at around 9 AM and I don't have work today so I was planning to make lunch for Charlie. -Heather" She smiled at the little heart that was drawn next to her sister's name.

Her mind then travels back to Charlie, who was hacking like an old man. She turns her body to look at him and he eventually calms down, "You ok, Charlie?" He flinches slightly, not knowing Eve was awake, "Uh, yes. I'm ok. Sorry for waking you." She shrugs, "It's alright. No need to apologize." She had repeated that phrase nonstop this past year. Charlie would apologize for the slightest things and Eve wanted Charlie to know that there was no need for the man to apologize.

Charlie turns off the TV and takes a deep breath. Eve turns her body back towards the TV but looks over her shoulder as she hears rustling from Charlie. She sees the man reach for the Moby Dick essay and treat it with such caring tenderness as he gently places it back into the blue folder. She turns back around and quietly hears Charlie read the essay to himself.

Eve never stopped him when he did, for some unknown reason the essay seemed to be one of the only things that was able to calm Charlie down after Alan's passing. "In the first part of his book, the author, calling himself Ishmael, is in a small seaside town" she hears Charlie start to close the folder, Charlie had read the essay so many times that it was burned into his mind and he could easily recite it from memory. "and he is sharing a bed with a man named Queequeg."

Eve hears Charlie take a deep breath, "The author and Queequeg go to church," Charlie's voice sounded more strained so Eve turned around to see if he was ok. When she sees that Charlie was simply taking off his shirt she turns back around to give the man privacy.

"And later they set out on a ship captained by the pirate named," he takes a pause and he pulls the shirt over his head, "Ahab," He continues to pull his shirt off of the rest of his body, "who is missing a leg, and very much wants to kill the whale," She hears the couch creak, worry embodies Eve as she looks to see Charlie reaching for his walker, which was too far away for him to reach. As she notices he keeps reaching to the point where he could fall, Eve swiftly stands up and brings it closer to Charlie.

Much like earlier in the day Charlie puts some of his weight onto her shoulder so he can stand up and he puts the rest into himself and the walker. Eventually she's able to get him to stand up silently and walks into the hallway, still whispering the essay to himself. "Which is named Mody Dick, and which is white." Charlie uses his walker to keep himself from falling as he takes small steps to his room. "In the course of the book, the pirate Ahab encounters many hardships."

The next part was obviously one of Charlie's favorites, everytime he recited it he put much more emotion into it, as if he was the one writing the essay. "His entire life is set around trying to kill a certain whale. I think this is sad because the whale doesn't have any emotions." At this point Charlie's at the entrance of his room and his voice could barely be heard by Eve. "He's just a poor, big animal."

Eve hears the chain and handle that allows Charlie to get into bed rattle slightly. "And I feel bad for Ahab as well. Because he thinks that his life will be better if he can just kill this whale. But in reality, it won't help him at all. This book made me think," she sees Charlie's light turn off, "about my own life."

Eve always found herself reflecting on that line. This book made me think about my own life. Who's life could relate to such a depressing story? Charlie had only let Eve read the essay once and by the end of it all she wanted to do was give the author a hug. Eve has never been the biggest fan of physical touch but in that moment she knew that person needed it more than anything. When she no longer heard Charlie talking she yawned and walked back over to her couch. She grabbed one of the non-decorative blankets out of the closet and wrapped herself in it. Once again she cuddled into herself, liking the warmth it gave her, and fell asleep.