Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:30:12 -0800 (PST)
From: AMANDA PLOGGER <love4fun4life@yahoo.com>
Subject: upside-umop-insideout-25

First and fore most this is a love story. It is a story that does contain
sexual acts between two females. If this offends you then don't read it. If
you are not 18, or whatever the age maybe where you're from, then please
don't read it. If you just don't like the idea of love between two ladies,
go somewhere else. Don't read it. The characters are not real. Any
similarities are just that.

As you all might have noticed, Upside Down is coming to an end shortly. I
want to thank everyone who has written and want to encourage you to support
your writers. We are here for your enjoyment. If you've liked what we have
wrote, please let us know. For those who have written me- I thank you. And
now, the final chapter of Upside Down Inside Out.

As always, enjoy.

  Amanda

  upside_umop_insideout


  Chapter 25
        Until Next Time


"People change, love, sometimes for the worse."

Emily shook her head. She knew that better than anyone. She had experienced
more than her share of heart ache due to it. "It still doesn't make any
sense. Why would he hurt you?"

"He was angry with himself for not being able to raise a good, "Christian"
family. He was angry at me for still wanting to be part of your lives
regardless of what path that you all choose. The last time, he hurt me
pretty bad. I had never raised my voice to him. I couldn't stop my self. I
was so angry and so bitter towards him from keeping me from my kids, when I
yelled, he back handed me, broke my jaw in two places." Barbra motioned to
the scar that was now barely noticeable on her cheek.

"Oh my God mom!" Emily gasped. "Why didn't you leave him?" Emily asked as
she ran her hand across the scar.


"I couldn't.  Emily you have to understand. I had been with your father for
twenty-five years before all of that happened. I couldn't turn my back on
all that we had. And it wasn't always bad. There were times that I would
catch glimpses of the old him.  It was times like that that I thought that
there might be some hope that one day things could return to how they once
were. If only he could be here to see you now, the woman you've grown to
be. He would be so proud."

"I'm not so sure mom. I mean, look what happened to our family when I came
out. I destroyed everything he had worked so hard for."

Barbra stopped walking and turned towards her daughter. "You didn't destroy
anything.  We may have a few cracks that need repaired but we are still
here. We can be pieced back together. Hatred is what broke us apart and I
hope and pray love can bring us back together."

"How can we be put back together mom? We already lost a big part of our
family. Now we are about to lose another. How can we ever be whole again?"

Barbra smiled softly at her daughter before she turned and looked out over
the choppy, murky water. "It's easy Emily. Those holes will never
completely be filled up, but we have a whole handful of new pieces to
help. They have beautiful names like Brant, Piper, and Sora. Names like Rae
and AJ." Barbra turned her eyes, glistening with tears to her daughter and
her partner. "Names like Alexis and Collin. We may not have your father,
and soon we won't have Bobby but we have all these new faces to fill the
gaps. We can't just give up because we lose someone." As she spoke the
tears silently fell down her cheeks.

"It's not been easy for me. First I lost you and now that I finally have
you back in my life I am losing my baby boy. A mother is not meant to out
live their children." Emily dropped Alexis' hand to pull her mother into
her arms. She was so wrapped up in the past that she hadn't taken the time
to think about what her mother was going through. She couldn't imagine
losing one of her kids.

Emily held her mother as she cried into her shoulder. She could feel her
tears soaking through her shirt and ached to ease her mother's pain. Emily
almost lost it herself when her mother reached out and pulled Alexis into
their embrace. Emily smiled as she felt the warmth of her lover's arms
surround both her and her mother.

"Mom!" The three woman turned to see an out of breath Piper running towards
them. "He's taken a turn for the worse. You have to come now!"  Before
Piper had even come to a complete stop they all turned and ran towards the
hospital.

"Do we want to wait for the elevator?" Alexis asked looking over at Emily
as they jogged down the hall.

"I can't make it up the stairs. The three of you can go. I will meet you up
there." Barbra answered.


"We will all wait.  Piper can tell us what happened while we wait." Piper
nodded at her mother, too out of breath to answer. Emily silently thanked
God that someone was just stepping off an elevator when they skidded to a
stop in front of them. The sooner they got upstairs the better she would
feel. If her brother was going to pass away, she didn't want him to be
alone.

"So what's going on?" Alexis asked, laying her hand on Piper's
shoulder. Piper was hunched over with her hands were on her knees, panting
to catch her breath.

"We heard a code over the intercom. Sarah looked at me and told me that it
meant someone needed brought back to life. A few minutes later a nurse
comes into the waiting room looking all hurried. She went to the desk and
the lady pointed to us. She came up and told us that Mr. Thompson's heart
had stopped. They were able to get it started again but he's slipped into a
coma." Piper told them between pants. She stood up as the elevator
slowed. "They are doing what they can to keep him comfortable, but it's
just a matter of time."

The elevator was silent as the doors opened. All four women stepped
off. Alexis draped her arm over Piper's shoulder while Emily held her
mother. They walked solemnly towards the room where Bobby laid. Sarah
snapped her head towards them as the door opened. Her eyes were red and her
cheeks were stained with tears.

"Mom." Sarah cried as she rushed towards her. "Mom, his heart rate is so
low. He's barely hanging on." Barbra stepped away from Emily to hug her
eldest daughter.

"It will be okay, baby. He's tired of fighting. He's done what he needed
to. He's ready to go home now." Emily looked over at Alexis and knew from
the look in her eye that she was not the only one astounded by her mother's
strength. She watched as her mother stepped back from her sister and walked
the short distance to Bobby's side. The monitor's next to his bed beeped
his slow, yet steady heart beat.

"I'm here, Bobby. It's okay. Your sister's are here. Alexis and Piper are
too. You're not alone. I know you are tired. I know the fight you've been
through. It's okay to let go. You are surrounded by people that love
you. We will always love you."  Barbra said softly as she ran her hands
through her son's thin hair., tears falling down her cheeks. She turned to
her family and they understood her silent request. One by one, they
surrounded the bed, each of them laying a hand on him. Each of them said
their good-byes. Emily watched her brother's lips turn into a slight smile
as he took a deep breath. It would be his last.


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"Piper, why is Mommy so sad?" The little boy that sat on Piper's lap asked
so sweetly.

Piper smiled.  It had been a hard few days. She had wondered more than once
why it hurt to lose someone she barely even knew, but then again she knew
the answer. She hurt because her family was hurting.

"Your mommy is sad because her little brother just went to be with Jesus
and we won't get to see him again for a very, very long time." Piper
explained.

The little boy cocked his head to the side, looking confused. "But why are
they sad? Shouldn't they be happy he is with God? Mommy told me that it is
so pretty in heaven and you can't get hurt and no one cries. It sounds so
nice." Piper smiled and hugged the boy to her chest.

"You're right AJ. We should be celebration Uncle Bobby's life. And heaven
does sound like a lot of fun doesn't it?" His grandmother asked as AJ
climbed off his cousin's lap and onto Barbra's.

"It does grandma. I can't wait to go."

"Don't go trying to leave me too fast. You are the only little boy I have
left."

"Noooo." AJ said with a laugh.

"Really?"

"You have cousin Sora too."

"That is true, but he's not a little boy any more."

"He's a big boy." AJ agreed. "Brant is a big boy, too."

"Speaking of which, have you heard from your mothers Piper?"

"Last I heard they were waiting for his plane to taxi up to the
terminal. They should be here in a little while."

"Would you please give them a call for me while I take this one to go color
with his sister?"

"Sure." Piper walked out to the front porch and pulled her cell phone out
of her pocket, only to find it was ringing. She flipped it open without
checking the caller ID.  "Hello?"

"Hey, I haven't heard from you in a while." She recognized the voice in a
heart beat.  Piper's mind filled with visions of the night she had slept
with the hotel clerk.

"Rach. How are you doing?"

"Better than you I would guess. I heard about your uncle. How are you
holding up?"

"I've been better. Trying to help out as much as I can but for the most
part I just feel in the way."

"I am sure no one else sees it like that."

"How did you hear about Bobby anyway?" Piper wondered out loud.

"I talked to your brother.  I had tried calling your phone but it wouldn't
go through for some reason."


Piper sighed.  She cared for Rachel but she wasn't sure how to broach the
subject of her cheating. She was still beating her self up over that stupid
mistake. "Listen, I really need to talk to you, but I don't know when I
will be able to. There's a lot I have to tell you. I have to call and find
out where my mom and brother are right now. Can we talk when we get home?"

"Sure, sweetie. Just... be sure to call if you need anything."

"I will. And Rach? Thanks for everything you've done for our family."

"No problem.  I'll talk to you soon."

"Definitely."  Piper flipped her phone and sagged against the railing.

"Everything okay?" The sound of her aunt's voice made her jump and Piper
almost fell off of the porch.

"Whoa! I didn't mean to frighten you." Sarah said, grabbing Piper's arm.


"It's fine. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Come sit and talk to me. What's going on? I know that it can't all be
about Bobby."

Piper sighed heavily as she sat down on the porch swing next to her
aunt. "It's a lot of everything."

"Any of it have to do with a pretty little red head running from your room
half naked?" Piper's eyes shot up to her aunt's in fear. "Don't worry, I
won't tell your mothers. You want to tell me what that was about?"

"I... how did you know?"

Sarah smiled at Piper. "I came back up to try to talk to you one more
time. I saw the girl leave and could hear Brant yelling."

Piper dropped her eyes from her aunt's. "I don't know what happened. I was
getting ready to come down to talk with you and there she was. I don't know
who stared it. I guess it was me. I stopped thinking and went with what
felt good." Piper huffed at herself. "Only, what felt good at the time has
hurt ever since."

"That happens more often than not."

"I can't even talk to Rachel about it. I mean, how do you tell someone you
love that you royally screwed up?"

"You do just that. You can't just pull away from her because you messed
up. That's not fair to her. You have to give her a chance."

"I know I do.  I'm just... I feel so overwhelmed. There is that. Then mom
is so upset about losing Bobby. And this whole big family thing is so new."

"I am sure that this hasn't been the easiest on you."

Piper shrugged. "I'm used to responsibility. I'm used to crisis. It's
just... there has been so much in such a little time period that I'm having
some problems coping."

"That's normal. Give it a month or so, let things calm down a little. It
should help.  And I am going to suggest to your mom that all of you get
into some kind of counseling. I think it would do you some good."

Piper nodded.  "It couldn't hurt." Piper's words were cut off by the sound
of a horn honking. "That's probably mom and Lex."

Sarah and Piper stood and walked around the house.

"Brant!  Brant!" The door of the house flew open as to little kids came
running out.

The next few days went slowly. Piper made the time to talk to Rachel on the
phone at least once a day. The families came together, finally getting to
know each other. Brant, Piper, and Sora spoiled their cousins with love and
attention.  Barbra enjoyed getting to know her daughter's partner.

With all the love and excitement, the day of the funeral came as a big
change. A lot had happened in the years before and Emily still had problems
completely forgiving her family, but at least now, she understood more. The
funeral was small. A few friends from N.A. and a local AIDS program
came. Barbra stood and cried as she gave a short speech. Before they knew
it, it was over.


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"Are you going to come see us soon?" Alexis asked as she gave the woman she
once again considered her sister a hug.

"We will as soon as we can. Believe me it will be much sooner than before."
Sarah promised.

"It better be." Emily said as she rounded the corner of the house with a
bag in each hand.

"Babe, let me take that for you." Alex said as she rushed to her
rescue. "You say good-bye to your sister and Collin and I will finish
packing the van."

"What if I don't want to say good-bye?" Emily asked after Alex had walked
away.

"Then we won't. We will just say," Sarah hesitated as she thought. "Until
next time."

"I can do that." Emily said with a smile as she leaned in to hug her
sister. "I love you sis."

"I love you too. You guys take care."

"We will and you do the same."

"Until next time."

"Until next time." Emily repeated.