You're Gone (Finding Solid Ground)
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“Charging,” Doctor Emerson screamed, touching the paddles together and then to Charleigh.
It caused her body to vibrate. Charleigh’s head involuntarily wobbled back. Doctor Emerson stopped to look at one of the nurses, who was watching the heart monitor. She shook her head, and then the doctor went through the process again. Twice more, and then the monitor began to sound off with one loud, long beep.
“She’s gone?” Kevin asked. Tears had soaked the mask that covered his mouth. “No. No, she can’t be.”
Epilogue
September 11, 2008
“Charleigh.”
The sound of her name called the woman away from her thoughts about back to the present moment. She turned to her right and saw a man standing a few yards away. Her eyes met his, and he realized that she was still stuck somewhere else. She didn’t speak to Kevin, at least not at first.
“What time is it?” Charleigh asked finally, clearing her throat.
“A little after one,” Kevin replied. “We were worried about you. Didn’t think you would come.”
I almost didn’t, she thought to herself. Charleigh sighed, shrugged. The crowd had already passed by, and it occurred to her that she’d been standing there for quite a while.
“I’ve been here. Just kinda watching everything from up here. Thinking about some things.” Charleigh turned back toward the fence.
The man only nodded as they stood together, looking down through the chain-links.
Being in this place reminded her of the time her father had taken her to see the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. Just as she was now, Charleigh had been overcome with the most exhilarating feeling of peace, even though so many people had lost their lives in this place. It was hallowed ground.
It was a deafeningly silent. Even in the middle of New York City. All across the city, horns were honking. People were rushing from point A to Point B, but everything seemed to slow down once you stepped foot onto this place.
At first, she’d thought that it would be heart wrenching to come to Ground Zero. More than two thousand men and women had lost their lives here, and that included three men whom she had known personally: Jamie, Greg, and Daniel. Charleigh was surprised that it wasn’t. Looking down at the crowd that had gathered, she realized that it was actually very healing.
It was funny that after all of these years, it didn’t get any easier to think of him. Jamie. The sound of his name still caused goose bumps. Chills ran down her spine. Even in this heat.
“Jenna and Brian are down there with Gram, Aunt Linda, and Aunt Lenore.” Kevin told her. “Where are the boys?”
“Taking a nap back at the apartment,” she replied and brushed her hair back over one shoulder. “We’re flying back home tonight.”
“They’ll want to see you before you do.”
Charleigh nodded. She’d spoken with Madie earlier, and they’d agreed to have a late lunch together with the boys. Just in case she couldn’t bring herself to come. Now that she was here, Charleigh knew what the next step was. To go down and place the white roses that she held in her hands along with the rest. There were three. One each for Jamie, Greg, and Daniel. She had tied yellow ribbons around each of the stems, and wrote their names.
Kevin reached out and touched Charleigh on the shoulder. With her fingers still twisted around the metal, she turned to look up at him. He noticed the ring on her left hand. The ring his brother had given to Charleigh more than seven years ago. She’d put it on her finger all those years ago and never taken it off. The yellow stone sparkled in the sunlight.
So many things had happened in seven years. Life had happened. Things had changed. Time kept marching on toward another minute, another hour, adding up to another day, and on to another year, yet Kevin was certain that one thing hadn’t changed. Charleigh’s love for Jamie.
The world was a better place with Charleigh Randall in it, in Kevin’s opinion.
Yes, she had died on that table the day Jacob and Caleb were born. For five whole agonizing minutes, Kevin stood, staring at her lifeless body, unable to move or speak. He couldn’t bring himself to look away from her face.
Then, her heart began to beat again, all by itself. Just like that. It had been nothing short of a miracle. She was an angel on earth, given a second chance to make a difference. This was something that Charleigh was more than aware of, and she never took a single day from then on out for granted.
“Are you ready to go down?” His question was answered with a simple nod.
Charleigh took a step away from the fence and then stopped.
“You don’t have to, if you don’t want, Char,” Kevin assured.
“Yes, I do,” she replied, putting a hand to her heart, and took deep breath. “I’m okay.”
She looked up at him with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. There was only one other person who had eyes like that. A six year old boy by the name of Caleb James Randall— also known affectionately as Cal or C.J. He looked just like his father— acted like him on most days, too, which was when Charleigh called him by his full name— but had the eyes of his mother.
Kevin smiled. “Okay.” He put an arm around Charleigh’s shoulders, and they walked down together.