omg i have been basicly balling these last few chapters you are such a good writer I love that you didn't just put bella and Edward straight in bed and i also love how you have put in the complication of Emment. I repeat I love your story

charlie's funneral  i think i will deffinitly will cry thanks for making such a good story

Author's Response:

Thank you for such a wonderful review.  I'm glad that you understand the pacing of my story and hope that you continue to read as I take you through the rest.  There will be a much more uplifting side to this story as soon as we get through the funeral.  Thank you for the rating!

Once again, beautifully written.

My heart ached for Bella in this chapter and for Edward, too, moreso than anyone else. I think it's because you've allowed me, as a reader, to get to know their characters so well that I truly empathise with their situation.

Sigh ...I love your version of Edward.

As much as it was nice for Emmett to be there, I hope he soon gets the message that Bella's heart belongs to Edward.

Thank you for always responding to my reviews. I know the amount of time you must put in simply responding to reviews.

I look forward to the next chapter,

Karry.

Author's Response:

Karry,

I'm so glad you love my Edward (I adore him myself).  It's not the easiest to fully develop a character when the story is told in first person from another character's POV, so I'm glad it's coming through.  Emmett is going to be out of the picture soon but he does have justifiable feelings towards Bella considering their history.  I just don't think he really understands that the ship really sailed for them when they divorced.

Thank you for leaving me reviews that are such a pleasure to respond to!

xoxo

Jules

No need to miss each other...just a need to ADMIT that you want to see each other!  Come on, you two....go for it!  Charlie's up there rooting for you two.

Author's Response:

I do believe that Charlie is up there rooting for them.  How's this for a mini-teaser...I don't think you are going to have to wait much longer!  Thanks for reading adn reviewing!

This chapter is heart-breaking...I'm sorry for your loss.

Author's Response:

I know and thank you.  I grew very much in experience from what happened with my father.  It helped me appreciate the smaller joys in life.  Though it was difficult, I'm very thankful for what it taught me..  Thanks for reading/reviewing/rating.

What a heartwrenching chapter. I am so glad that Charlie planned his own funeral because it would be awful for Bella to have to do it, it is so very hard. Thank goodness she has so many friends to support her and Edward to be there when they all leave. Another wonderful chapter and I can't wait for the next...although I'm sure I'll need the tissues!

Author's Response:

The need for tissues will be coming to an end (at least I hope) very, very soon.  In the meantime, I just want to say thank you for your readership and your consistently humbling reviews.  It means so much to me, I'm running out of ways to say thanks!

Ah, that was gut wrenching.

Author's Response:

For me too. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

great chapter...

Author's Response:

Thanks!

Damn it! you made me cry again!  So good, though.

Author's Response:

I flove you sweetishbubble.  Thank you for readign and reviewing.  The tear-worthy chapters are going to be done soon...

So sad but wonderfully written

Author's Response:

Thank you very, very much.  It means the world.

For me, I think the worst thing about ALS is its unpredictability.  It's not an orderly disease -- there's no sequence.  You can't ever know what's going to come next.  My mama was diagnosed with it nearly 3 years ago; she's already on a feeding tube and a bi-pap, but she could stay this way for years or leave us tomorrow.  My daddy is a rock star.  They've been married for 46 years and the care he gives her is the very definition of love. 

Your story is beautifully written, and touches my heart so deeply.  Thank you so much for writing it, and for sharing it with us.

Love,
Rachel

Author's Response:

I'm so glad to have you here with me and I agree wholeheartedly about the disease itself.  You can't count on any sort of order or timeline.  My father did live with it for 11 years and thanks to my mother (a large part of the character of Bella in this story) he had an amazing quality of life considering his circumstance.  I'm glad your Mom has your dad.  I know this must not be easy to ready so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing in this journey with me.

ugh that was painful.  beautiful but painful.

Author's Response:

Thank you.  I know this story is difficult to read, I'm glad you find beauty in it as well.

I've never had to go through this but I think that you have done a beautiful job of describing not only the mechanics but the emotions involved. Thank you.

Author's Response:

Thank you! For reading, reviewing, rating and your kind words.  It makes it all the more rewarding having readers like you!

Hey hun,

I'm sorry that it took me a while to read this chapter. As I've said many times before, it's always open in a tab, ready to be read. I didn't read it this time because the Friday it was updated, was the day that my Grandma was going to die. Mom, one of her brothers, and her sister and her husband were standing watch over Grandma from Thursday afternoon. I'd only gotten my last call from her Thursday night, so I didn't yet know if she were alive still, or not, since my mom never made it home... I went to the ending of the chapter when I was sent the notification, and saw it was going to be that one, right on the day my Gran was dying... It didn't exactly feel right to read fanfiction about death on that day, especially since I didn't get too emotional about Granma, in a way, because she was suffering, she was dement among other things, and her quality in life was gone. She was alone for 27 years, so it was enough for her. I'm fine, but I thought it would just be odd to read this fic at that point. Now we're over a week further, so we had the funeral, and things have settled down.

So we move on to poor Charlie.

We sat there, eating in quiet.  Instead of focusing on the company, I kept my focus on Charlie.  I had been listening to his heart all night, and I could hear that its tempo was slowing on the monitor.

That happened to Gran as well. Morphine for all the pain she was in, and staying up all night to hear her heart beat, and hear it slowing down bit by bit. Maybe it sounds odd for me to say things like this, but in a way I'm happy about that death. I mean, what I did not want Gran to go through was a heart attack, but just a heart that stopped beating out of its own was the gentler way to go. Less pain. Perhaps a bit stretched, but then we'd be talking mere hours, or minutes.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. I hope by writing about it like this, it helps with healing. Lots of people seem to be writing things from their own life experience, some needing it for them to heal.

I hope you enjoy your mini-break after what must have been one tough chapter to write.

Oh boy... Funeral arrangements now, right? I was actually surprised to find out that an undertaker over here deals with so much, with everything, really.

I hope Bella will have a ton of support. I'm happy Alice and Emmett were able to make it, and that even Carlisle showed up at the end.

The handshake between Edward and Emmett: was that seizing each other up? One of the translations my dictionary has for 'trepidation' is more like 'agitation', or else it's more like 'trembling' or 'shaking'? Just wanted to find the proper word for it to be sure I knew what was going on.

Hope you're okay after writing this. I'm okay after reading this.

Now, on with some more heavy things, and then the future.

See you soon, and enjoy that vac of yours!

Spikey

Author's Response:

Oh, hun - so sorry to hear that, truly.  Despite the suffering, saying goodbye is never easy.  And please don't even spare an ounce of energy on remorse about taking your time to get to my chapter.  I more than understand, in fact, I am stupified that you have given it your attention this week. 

Edward and Emmett were somewhat sizing each other up - despite the situation, I think it was a knee-jerk reaction for both of them.

Writing this chapter was very difficult and relieving at the same time, does that make any sense?  Things are going to get a little crazy but then there will be some happier times on the way.  Thank you, as always, for being here for me and supporting my story.  {{{{{HUGS}}}}}