Only Child

Chapter 3: The Next Day

Valentine tosses her body over to face Maximilian. He sees worry in her eyes. "What is it that is wrong?" he asks sitting up in bed. Without a word, she rolls back over, gets up out of bed, and goes downstairs. Maximilian follows moments later, worried what she is doing and what the matter was. He sees a note that reads:

"No need to worry, but do you remember hearing Haydee or anyone as a matter of fact to have spoken about grandfather? It was that he did not reappear to our wedding whenever Haydee did. I am heading over to go and find out how he is and what is going on with the issue of him. I will be back in a couple of hours.
Signed: Your loving wife, Valentine"

Maximilian stays at home sorting everything from the wedding and cleaning up the house.  When the messenger come to say that Valentine has called for him, he finishes what he is doing and heads over with the messenger.  He sees the door is open so walks in with Haydee and Valentine crying together on the couch. "It is Noiter," Haydee says between sniffles and tears. Confused and scared Maximilian searches for Edmond. He runs upstairs and finds him in his room searching through the closet.

"What have I walked in on? What has happened to Noiter? Be honest, how bad is it?" Maximillian asks Edmond as he still searches. Edmond, not knowing he was behind him was startled and turns around displaying his reddened eyes. 

"You have to sit down and prepare yourself for this. Noiter had hit his head and flipped himself the impact had snapped his little old neck. He had no air flow and no responses left." Edmond says keeping his head down and voice shaky. 

"No, this can not be true, how could it? He can not really be gone." Maximilian says getting up and starts to pace. "Can it?" he said eyes watery voice trembling. "Please, no, Edmond."

Edmond looks up, for it is the first time since he has discovered that he was the same person as the Count of Monte Cristo, Maximilian has called him Edmond. Maximilian collapses on the floor, cannot believe the news.

"Would you like to go and accompany the girls downstairs with me?" Edmond finally asks after Edmond cried and screamed until he passed out from exhaustion. "You know Valentine reacted the same way, and had more retching involved." The Count said trying to conform Maximilian, while Maximilian follows him down the steps. Valentine and Haydee are nowhere to been found. "Let's check the basement," suggests Edmond. 

The two men go down the steps with a sour smell that would soak into their clothes. They find Haydee and Valentine down there around Notier's decaying body. "We should get him out of here, before the smell worsens." Maximilian says with his eyes looked as though he was punched. His skin lightened from dehydration, same as Valentine's skin. With that said Valentine sniffles and shakes her head in agreement. 

When they got the body to the undertaker down the road, the Dantéses insisted them to come back home with them, but Valentine disagreeing insists on going back home. When they got home, they sat in the waiting room, in silence for a while. "I...I...I killed him,"

Valentine says blankly interrupting the silence. "Maximilian, I killed my grandfather," she says again without a breath in between staring at him." 

"No, you did not kill him; do not say that, Valentine."

"But, I did, it was I who had pushed him over a rock that caused him to flip over."

"Stop it, you didn't kill him, don't be so hard on yourself."

"Max, I..." she started when Maximilian stopped her.

"Val he is safe now, he isn't suffering, and he is watching over us, and he was already paralyzed and was getting older with worsening breathing problems."

"Yes, but."

"Come here." He said pulling her into a hug. "Everything will be okay, and get better," he whispers into her ear.

"But...will it ever get easier?" She asks looking up into his eyes.

"No," he replies truthfully.