No More Mistakes

Chapter 47

TW: The following chapter includes death

The events of the prior day had been utterly exhausting for FP and Alice, and the two of them had made the joint decision to sleep in.

Charlie's first birthday had tired them both as they had been up from the crack of dawn that day making everything perfect but all in all the day was a success, and they had never seen the tot so happy.

The day was packed full of laughter and tears and great memories were made; from Charlie smushing cake in Forsythe's face, to Alice crying over how much he'd grown to FP gleefully helping the tot open his presents and appearing to be more excited than Charlie was.

So much had happened within the past year with their little family from financial hardships to constant rowing to almost losing Charles to struggles at school, but seeing Charlie light up throughout the whole day, and the pride and joy it filled them with, made it was all worth it.

Forsythe awoke early that morning, almost as if he knew something huge was going to happen. He heard the sounds of Charlie's babbles coming from the bedroom and he didn't want Alice and FP to be awoken, they needed their sleep, it was the least he could do.

Slowly creeping into the bedroom, he approached the child's crib, reaching in as Charlie rolled himself over and pulled him out. The tot immediately grinned at the sight of his grandfather.

"Let's let Mommy and Daddy sleep in huh?" He coos in a quiet tone as he positions Charles onto his hip and walks through to the kitchen.

As he gleefully placed Charlie into his high chair, listening as he babbled his usual nonsense, he was struck with crippling chest pains out of nowhere, physically feeling his beating heart slow down and shrivel up.

His eyes gaped in panic as he struggled to breathe, grabbing onto his chest as he fell to the floor, taking what he didn't know, was his last breath.

•••

Alice's eyes flutter open at around 10am to the sounds of Charlie's frail cries.

She sits up and wipes the mutter out of her eyes before fully registering Charlie's cries.

She groans, swinging her legs over the bed before rising up and strolling into the kitchen to tend to her crying son, coming to an immediate halt as she say Forsythe's lifeless body lying on the ground.

Her eyes form with tears as she releases a small horror filled gasp, reaching up a hand to lightly cover mouth.

"Forsythe?!" She cries in pants as her chest heart rate increases, completely blocking out Charlie's cries as she runs to Forsythe's side and resting her small hands on his chest for comfort.

"What's going on-" FP had awoken upon hearing Alice's brief scream, still in a sleepy state. He had calmly rubbed his tired eyes before setting them upon a tear filled Alice, sat on the cold tile floor with his lifeless father in her arms.

His small mouth trembled as his eyes widened in fear, his body and muscles stiffening impulsively as a sudden coldness hit his core.

"Dad?! DAD?!" He yelped out, running to his side, shaking his father in fear, hoping any jerky move would force him to wake up.

His chest tightened as he looked down on the weakened and lifeless man, feeling more and helpless by the second.

"I-I don't know." Alice stammered in a blinking tone as a tear fell down her cheek. "I just found him like this. He wasn't moving."

FP hadn't been focused on a word she said, he was simply too occupied on forcing his father to wake up. Her eyes darted up to a screaming Charlie as the tot looked down on his three elders from his high chair, panic and uncertainty all over his little face. Babies picked up on this sort of stress and hurt, and Charlie was making sure his parents knew it.

Alice quickly arose from the floor, wiping her tears and snot away before sniffling and curling her lips into a tight faux smile. "Hey baby." She whispered to Charlie as she reached out to him, pulling him out of his high chair. "It's okay, it's okay. Mommy's here." She cooed trying to suppress her fear as she quickly carried him into the bedroom. She didn't want him to witness any of this.

"We have to call an ambulance." She informed him as she exit the bedroom and practically ran to house phone, her trembling hand struggling to dial 911 once she picked up the device.

The ambulance arrived at the trailer in record time, bursting through the front door and immediately coming to Forsythe's aid. FP was still at his fathers, refusing to let go until the parade mics practically pulled him away and up in his feet.

"Baby, let them do their job." She tearfully advised, softly pulling him back to give them the space they needed to help Forsythe.

He watched on anxiously clutching Alice's hands tight as the paramedics pulled out equipment, checking his pulse and mumbling random medical jargon including cardiac arrest and hypovolemic shock as they desperately tried to bring the life back into his fathers lungs, hoping and praying for a late reaction.

They vigorously pressed onto chest, breathing into his mouth and lungs before realising there would be no response, and they had done everything they could. They both glanced each other's way in worry as the presses slowed down.

"I'm calling it." The male paramedic grumbled in regret.

Upon hearing those three words, FP's shallow breath hitched in his throat as he claps at his neck nervously. His glistening chestnut eyes dilated as he slowly released Alice's hand from his own, a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach as a sudden wave of rage and disbelief hit him.

"No." He says sternly to them, narrowing his shock filled eyes and slowly shaking his head, a hint of disbelief in his frail voice as Alice's suppressed sobs are heard in the background. "You're lying, just- just try again." He growls before storming back over to his lifeless father and attempting to cradle him in his arms, hoping for one last wake up call, but he's pulled away by the Male paramedic.

"I'm so sorry." The female paramedic says sadly in a whisper.

"NO!" He cries out in a rage, fighting his way out of the paramedics arms with all his might. "He's not dead, he can't be dead, he isn't-"

He doesn't finish that final sentence, the shock has hit him enough and he can barely speak a sentence. He backs up against the wall as his chest tightens, sinking to the floor as the pending sobs he had tried his hardest to control finally get the better of him.

He holds his head in his shaky hands, still struggling to come to terms with this harrowing event before feeling Alice rush over to him and pull him into her arms, holding onto him tight and refusing to let go as he sobbed into her shirt, grateful for the comfort, but devastated by the circumstances.

His father, the only family he had left in the world, was gone forever.

•••

A/N: So, as heartbreaking as this was to write, it was always my intention, from the very start of writing this story to kill off Forsythe Senior.

I know many of you grew attached to him and appreciated seeing the canon abusive monster in a brighter and more positive light but in order for my plans for this story's ending to work, he had to go.