Life Within Crystalfort [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Three

I was at the Wolf house, sitting on the couch with Clawd sleeping on one side, Clawdeen on the other. Howleen was asleep in the chair, curled up like a little dog. My phone rang.

"It's kinda late, don't ya think?" I asked. The person on the other line sighed. I looked at the time, it was now 6:47. Yah, it was a little late to be calling.

"You're number was the first on the call list for Clawrk Wolf. Are you Draculaura?" He was out of surgery.

"Yes, I am. He's ok, right?" The other line was silent for a couple of seconds.

"We just ask that you all come down here to see him. The sooner the better. Alright?" I nodded, even though the receptionist couldn't see me. I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my pocket. I nudged Clawd in the side.

"What? Was that the hospital?" I nodded. "We gotta go, then," he stood up and headed for the door. I slowly eased Clawdeen off of my shoulder. If I didn't have to wake her up, I wasn't going to.

"We have to tell your mom," he shook his head and pulled me out the door and to his truck. "That's her husband sitting in that hospital and you're gunna leave without her?" He put the key in the ignition and started it up, stepping on the gas to warm the truck up a little faster. January thirty-first and still no snow. Even without snow, it was still below zero.

"Then text her. She can drive down there herself. I'm not waiting around for any girls to get ready to leave. You and I are heading over there now," I saw the tears twinkle in his eyes as he pulled out of the driveway. I took out my phone and sent a text to Clawdeen and another to Harriet. Out of the two of them, one of them was bound to get the message.

"I.... I don't wanna be with 'em when they see him," I looked at Clawd. "I wanna remember him the way he was. You know, healthy and..... And just him being who he was. I don't want to remember him as the guy that's lying in a hospital bed not knowing what's gunna happen next. And..... And I know that the rest of my family feels the same way. I just don't wanna see my mom cry again.," I leaned forward in my seat and placed my hand on his.

"It'll all be ok. You gotta believe that," he nodded. Clawd parked the truck in the parking lot and took the key out of the ignition.

"What're you thinking?" I asked. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked at the window. He took Ina deep breath and let it out as a sigh.

"I just don't want to face what might have happened. The whole way over here, I felt...... Something. I don't even know how to explain what I felt, exactly, Laura. I just know it wasn't good. You ever known when something went wrong. Like, you knew about the bad thing before anyone else told you about it?" I nodded. "That's what I felt. That feeling that sits at the bottom of your gut and makes you feel sick until you confirm the bad thing that happened. And I feel that..... I feel that walking into the hospital right now is going to confirm that bad thing," I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. After that, I couldn't promise Clad that everything would be ok. I couldn't just make things better. There was nothing I could do but hope that Clawrk was ok. And I couldn't even tell myself that he was ok, anymore. I couldn't know for sure what had happened to him. So, why lie to myself about him?

"Let's go reject that bad feeling, then," it was the best I could come up with without giving either of us false hope. I opened the truck door and jumped out. I wrapped my coat a little tighter around myself against the cold. Clawd walked slowly beside me, up to the hospital door. I pushed it open and took a deep breath, walking up to the receptionist.

"We're here to see Clawrk Wolf."

"Are you family?" Clawd rubbed at his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, again. I nodded. The receptionist raised an eyebrow out of confusion.

"This is his son. So, yes, we're family," she clicked the mouse a couple of times and typed some things into the computer.

"Wait here, please. A nurse will be with you shortly," she said, pointing to the chairs in the waiting room. Clawd and I walked over to the waiting room and sat in the chairs in the corner. He rested his head on the wall and sighed.

"They wouldn't let us see him. You know what that means, right?" I brushed my bangs out of my face and shook my head. "Something went wrong, Laura. That's what that means," I groaned and rested my head on my hand.

"Can we not do this right now? Could you just... I don't know, look on the bright side."

"What bright side is there to my father being in the hospital?" He had a good point. I just didn't want to be surrounded by negativity at seven in the morning.

"I don't know, Clawd. Maybe he's still in surgery."

"They called you, Laura. That means one of two things. He's either out of surgery or something went wrong. And I'm thinking its the latter. And whether or not you want to admit it, that's what you're thinking, too," the doctor came into the waiting room and outstretched his hand. I shook it, as did Clawd.

"What I'm going to tell you is going to be hard to hear," at that moment, even though it wasn't physically possible, I felt my heart stop. "Clawrk didn't pull through surgery. One of the bone fragments punctured one of his main arteries. He bled out before we could do anything. We tried to sew it back up, but.... Well, we couldn't get it done quick enough. I'm very sorry for your loss," he placed his hand on my shoulder and then walked away. Clawd just stood there, not moving, not blinking, barely even breathing. Harriet walked through the hospital doors and over to us.

In the movies.... Those scenes where something really sad happened and the whole family or anyone who cared about what happened meet up... Everything always slows down. It all goes into a slow motion shot where everyone hugs and cries. For what it was worth, the movies weren't so far off about real life after a tragedy. And that was the first time I had ever seen Clawd actually cry; cry without trying to hide his feelings from other people.

***

I sat there in the front row of pews with Clawd and his family, looking at the coffin in front of us. I wasn't used to it; seeing coffins. My dad had one, but he slept in it. He always woke up the next morning. He wasn't in a coffin that was going into the ground. But, Clawrk wasn't going to wake up the next morning. Clawrk was gone forever.

"Clawrk Wolf.... Where does a person even start when talking about someone as amazing as him? Well, Clawrk was someone that anyone could easily get along with. He was a good man; a good friend. I know he was an amazing family man; a husband, a father.... The kids he managed to raise grew up to be the most respectful, well-raised children I've ever met. I didn't expect to see him go so soon. And, I know I'll miss him. And, among all of us, he will be missed. But, Clawrk isn't gone. He's still here with us. If you ever feel like you're missing him, just look in you're heart, because, beating or not, and you'll find the good memories you have with him. Because Clawrk was the kind of guy that could leave his imprint on your life forever. And I know he did that for many of us. No matter what, we won't forget you down here, Clawrk..... You'll..... You'll always be remembered among the people down here on our little Earth. Someday... Someday I'll see you again," I walked away from the microphone at the front of the church and went back to the pew, sitting back down. My dad wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him, kissing the top of my head.

After people said there goodbyes, Clawrk's coffin lid was shut and four men carried the coffin out of the church and out to the cemetery. It was then, standing out in the snow storm that was forming, the cold of February nipping at my ears, as I watched Clawrk's coffin slowly descend into the ground..... It was then that I realized Clawd wouldn't live forever.

BOOK ONE - END