That North Carolina Summer

The Hardest Goodbye

The next three hours pass agonizingly slow. My anxiety for Chester, Amber and the baby only grows with each minute that passes. I take Harvey outside a couple of times so he can stretch his legs and go to the bathroom. He's not as energetic as normal, and I wonder if he can tell that something is wrong. It wouldn't surprise me, Harvey is a lot smarter than most dogs.

When we get back inside and sit down, a nurse finds us a moment later. She's got a young doctor by her side, and Levi follows slowly behind. The moment I see their faces, I can't breathe.

He's gone.

"Hey, Aspen." Levi says softly, running a hand over his tired face.

"I am so sorry." The doctor says to me. "We did everything we could, but his heart couldn't handle much more. He passed away a few minutes ago."

Time seems to stand still. The look of sympathy and pity on the doctors face makes me feel sick. The nurse holds the same look. Levi's face is different, though. His eyes are rimmed with red, and tears threaten to fall. No sympathy sits on his face, though. Instead, I see pain, love for his father, and understanding.

He understands my pain even though his has to be much worse.

Levi steps forward, pulling me into his arms as I break. I hardly knew him, but it felt right to be there with him in that moment. Tears stream down my face and onto his shirt, but he doesn't bring it up. He just holds me.

I don't know how long we stand there before Levi helps me into my chair. Harvey, who was sleeping on the next chair, climbs right into my lap once I'm seated.

"I'm so sorry, Levi. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. He was your father, after all."

"Aspen, just because you're not related by blood doesn't mean you're not allowed to hurt, too. We're in this together, okay?"

"Thank you."

"It does hurt, but I have to remember that he lived an amazing life, and he was so loved. And," Levi says, wiping a tear from my cheek. "He gets to see Nellie again. That makes everything okay." He finishes, his eyes shining.

I feel a warmth spread through me at his words and smile, knowing he's right. Chester is okay now.

"Oh!" I gasp, suddenly remembering. "Is Amber okay?" Levi's smile grows, and I see pride fill his face.

"She is. So is the baby. They're both sleeping." He pauses, and a thoughtful look fills his eyes. "We named him Chester."

I smile, tears filling my eyes once again. This time they're happy tears. "That's perfect. He's got a name to live up to."

"It is for sure. It's definitely not a common baby name anymore, but we love it."

"I'm so happy for you two. Little Chester has a lot of people looking out for him already."

"He sure does. Listen, I should get back to them. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. I've got a friend coming to pick me up. Will you keep me updated on the funeral plans?" I ask, managing to keep my voice steady as Levi nods. I look down at my lap, suddenly remembering Harvey. "Oh, and Harvey...?"

"Oh." Levi says. Apparently he hadn't thought that far ahead, either. "We made plans to stay at Chester's house for a while after the baby was born. Since Harvey is familiar with that, we'll keep him until we can figure out a new home for him."

I feel my heart squeeze.

A new home? They don't want to keep him?"

The more I thought about it, the more I understood. They did have a brand new baby to care for.