Charlotte POV
Bear and I had considered moving out of the bush the hauling jobs have stopped. All of the other communities were disappearing by the day. Hoonah was one of the few remaining ones left. Food was coming hard to find, and the vegetables were not growing. The grocery store in Hoonah didn't have much of anything left. Grace and Lacy were already trying to find jobs to leave the bush too. It was just our three families left. The kids were already asleep for the night and I was cleaning up the kitchen. Bear was collecting some wood from outside for the fire. He walked through the door and some snow came in with him. "Man, the snow is really coming down." "Come in and try to get warm." I folded the wet washcloth and laid it in the sink. I turned to look and see he was putting the wood in the fire. "I have an idea." He pulled something out of his pocket and laid it on the kitchen table. "Pick." "Is there any place in the world that you wanted to go and that is where we will go." "What about the bush?" "I need to provide for my family, and I can't do that here." I looked over the map and I saw a layout of the United States. I was silent for a few moments. "What is your pretty mind thinking?" I smiled at him. "I was thinking about moving to Colorado or Montana. You could study the land and become a trail guide. You love the outdoors and they are like Alaska." "I would love that but what would you do?" "I've wanted to become a librarian. That's what I was doing when you met me." "We can try it." I walked around the table and I put my arms around his neck. "I think we've got a plan Mr. Brown." I think we do too, Mrs. Brown." He kissed my forehead. "Do you think that you will be able to leave your parents?" "It won't be easy, but I know that they would want us to go where we can provide for our families." "What about Ana?"
Bear POV
"What about Ana?" That sentence stopped me in my tracks." "It would be hard to leave her too. She would want me to do what's right for Anastasia. I try to help her when I can, but I know she will never know her mother. She just has that picture in her room." "You are an amazing dad." "Thank you for saying that." "Daddy." We both turned to see Anastasia in the hallway. "Yes, sweetie." "Were leaving the bush?" "Yes, we are." "Mom is here." "I know." She started to cry. I pulled her in my arms as she cried in my chest. I kissed the top of her head. "She will always be with us. No matter what."
Bear and Charlotte worked over the next few months until they saved enough to buy a small cabin outside of Denver, Colorado. Noah and Gabe were planning on leaving within the next few weeks. They were in the process of taking down all the houses and selling the land. We would all get a cut. That would help Bear and Charlotte as they are trying to start over.
Charlotte POV
We had just arrived at our small cabin. Bear had gotten a job as a hired hand for one of the major ranches in the area. It honestly looked worse than the cabin we had in back in Alaska. I started walking up the steps when my foot went through the board. "Oh my god." Bear helped to release my ankle. "I guess we have a lot of work to do." Bear started working outside to repair anything that he could find. I walked inside to see that it hadn't been cleaned I a long time. There was furniture in the cabin but I didn't know if it could be used. I found a closet and I opened it slowly. Two big rats ran out and out the front door. I noticed some cleaning supplies as Luna and Anastasia started helping me. Ross was trying to help Bear outside. We spent the entire day trying to get the place ready just for us to sleep there tonight. He fixed as much as he could. It would take us three days to have the place ready. We cleaned all the furniture and it was starting to feel like home. Bear was starting his new job tomorrow and I was starting at the library tomorrow as well. The kids would also be starting school or going into daycare. "I was cleaning up the dinner as Anastasia was writing in her journal. She has been writing in a journal since before she was a teenager. I never asked her about her writings because I didn't think it my place to ask. I knew she loved writing.
Three Years Later
Bear finally owned his own business as a trail guide. Anastasia was going to school to keep her father's books. They were saving up money to have an actual office space. Charlotte had moved up in her job and was the head librarian.
Bear POV
The kids had already gotten in bed. Charlotte and I were sitting on our back porch of our new home. We had moved up from the small cabin to a bigger cabin. Luna had just left for college a couple of weeks ago. She had decided to study history. Ross was in high school and Dimitri was only in elementary. We were sitting on the couch outside looking up at the stars. "This view reminds me of Alaska." "It does." She had her head on my chest. "I love you." "I love you too." I gently pushed her face to look at me. I leaned down to kiss her. It became more and more when I picked her up to carry her to our room.
Ross POV
I waited until my parents went into their room and I snuck out of mine. I quietly grabbed my keys and was out the door. I started my truck and I went slowly down the hill. I had met this girl and we were meeting in town. I drove the ten miles into town and met her at a restaurant. Our friends were joining us as we had dinner together.
We drove around town and we went back to her house. When we arrived, it looked like the entire school was there. I parked my car on the street and went inside. I drank and smoked things that I didn't know what they were. It was getting close to 3 in the morning when I knew that I needed to get home. I stubbled to my truck and I struggled to put them into the ignition. I made it through town and was met by darkness. I was getting tired when I turned a corner and the lights were blinding me. I ran off the side of the road and hit a tree. The other car just kept going as I went in and out of consciousness. I wasn't far from my house and I tried to get out of the car, but I fell to the ground. It hurt when I tried to breathe. I grabbed on to lift myself up I was not strong enough.
Charlotte POV
My alarm started going off and reached over to turn it off. We had fallen asleep naked, but I rolled over to cold sheets. Bear must have been already up. I got out of bed to get dressed and wake the kids up. I knew Ross would be the hardest to get up. I went to the kitchen first to start the pot of coffee. I could hear it brewing when I looked in Bear's office. "Do you want any coffee?" "Sure." I closed the door behind me when I opened Dimitri's door. I turned on the light and he started to wake up. "It's time to get up." He opened his eyes and rubbed them. "Meet me in the kitchen in a few minutes." I kissed the top of his head. I left the door open to make sure he was getting up. I walked to Ross's door and knocked. "Ross. It's time to get up. I opened the door and walked upstairs. We had given him aloft to have for his room. I opened the other door and the room was empty. "Ross?" I walked over to his bathroom and noticed that it was empty. "Did he have practice this morning that I didn't remember?" I walked back downstairs and went to Bear's office. "Get up Dimitri!" "Did Ross have football practice this morning?" He looked on the calendar on his desk. "Yes, it started an hour ago." "Okay. It worried me for a minute." I walked back into the kitchen and went on to my normal routine. Bear took Dimitri to school as I went to work. I went on with my day and it was a great day. I left work around 5 to be home to cook dinner. I arrived home and walked inside to fix dinner.
Bear left a note for me and said that Dimitri was in his room. He booked a last-minute trail and he wouldn't be home until tomorrow. I wondered where Ross was. Practice should already be over, and he would already be home. I was started to worry when my phone rang. It was Ross's school. "Hello." It was a recording. "Your son, Ross Brown, was not in school today. We will need an excuse by Monday on why he was absent." I hung up the phone and started to panic. Bear wouldn't have his phone when he was on a trail. I walked to Dimitri's room and I saw him at his desk. He was working on his homework. "Do you know where your brother is?" "No." I picked up my phone and called his football coach. "Coach Murray, this is Charlotte Brown, I'm Ross Brown's mother. I've been trying to find Ross all day. Did he show up for either practice today?" "No ma'am he didn't." "Thank you for letting me know." I hung up the phone before he could say anything else. Then my phone rang again to an unknown number. "Hello?" "Yes, is this Charlotte Brown? Yes, it is. May I ask who is calling?" "Yes. I'm Dr. Jones from Denver Hospital. Your son, Ross was just brought in." "What?" "He was found on the side of the road and it looked like he had hit his car with a tree." "I'll be there shortly." I hung up the phone. "Dimitri! Get ready to leave now." I left a note for Bear and we were out the door.
I raced to the hospital and I was surprised that I didn't receive a ticket. I was trying to keep my cool, but I can't believe that I didn't notice something earlier. I finally found a parking spot when and I got out quickly. I took Dimitri's hand as we walked across the parking lot. I entered the building and the rest became a blur. I was led to a room that housed my son and he was connected to every machine. It felt like time had stopped when I approached the bed. I came out of it when I heard someone call my name. "Mrs. Brown, I'm Dr. Jones, we spoke on the phone." "Yes." "Your son had traces of alcohol and marijuana in his system. He did suffer a concussion and has a few cracked ribs. We had to stitch the cut on his forehead. He had been on the side of the room for a few hours before they found him. He was dehydrated as well. He is incredibly lucky that he wasn't worse. We haven't given him any medication because we are waiting for everything to leave his system. Now we are just waiting for him to wake up." "Thank you, doctor." He nodded his head and left the room. I took the phone out of my purse and called both of his sisters. Both lived far away but they needed to know about their brother. Dimitri was sitting the chair next to me. He was asleep. I looked over at the clock and it was only midnight. We've been sitting here for the last five hours. My body was tired, but my mind was wide awake. I didn't want to fall asleep knowing that Ross could wake up any minute. I closed my eyes as they needed to rest. Then I was asleep.
Bear POV
I pulled into the driveway and Charlotte's car wasn't there. I got out of the car and went straight for my shower. I was in the middle of taking a shower when my phone started ringing. I let it ring as I rinsed the rest of my body. I grabbed the towel hanging on the rake and wrapped it around my waist. I picked up my phone and noticed the missed call from Charlotte. I called her back. "Hello?" "Hey, I was calling you back. What's up?" "Ross is in the hospital." "What?" He was in a car accident and someone found him on the side of the road. "I'm on my way." I hung up and raced into our room to get dressed.
I ran into the hospital trying to reach his room. I decided to take the stairs and I reached it quicker. I opened the door to the fifth floor. I raced down the hall and entered the room that Charlotte had texted me. I opened the door and my entire family was standing around Ross. Anastasia and Luna made the long journey to see their brother. I walked over on Charlotte's side and looked down at him. "He just woke up." "I'm sorry mom and dad. I'm sorry that I went out without asking." "You are totally grounded for the next month. You will work a job to buy you a new car." "Understood." I put my arm around Charlotte to comfort her. I couldn't lose a son and wife before I died. I didn't know if I could bear it.
Ross would go on to make a full recovery. He would go on to be a major league football player. Anastasia would come home to help her father with the business. Luna would become a history professor and Dimitri would become a fireman. Bear and Charlotte would live out the rest of their lives together. Bear would be mauled by a bear and his body would never be recovered. Charlotte would live out the rest of her life as a widow but to die in a nursing home. None of their children married or had children.