Between Now and Goodbye by Hannah Harvey Page A

but I don't see it that way. His world is shattering with him still standing on it, and there's nothing he can do to stop it from breaking apart. So I do what I can to help.
    I lean forwards and throw my arms around him. The metal arms of our chairs are digging into my stomach, but I don't care. I just hug him.
    'Hugs I can do.' I say quietly.
    'Thanks for coming Libs.'
    'Sure.' I hold him for just a second longer, and then pull away and tuck myself back up onto my seat.
    'My mom drew up a will the other day.' He says, and the sudden announcement of this sends a chill running through my entire body. It's so final. Almost like she's giving up, even though I know that's not why she did it. She wouldn't ever give up on living for her children. She'll fight this. She just needs to be prepared. I get that. Still, hearing that she's made a will stings a little. I can't imagine how it must feel for Charles.
    'She did?'
    'Yeah,' he nods, 'she had me call her lawyer and get her to come over to the house. Then she sat down, and made up a will...the basic gist of it is, that since the house is fully paid for, and belongs to her because her mom signed it over to her when she died, the house isn't in any way, legally I mean, my dad's. So she doesn't have to leave it to him if... well anyway.' He sort of half shrugs and keeps his eyes on the floor, 'She's leaving it for me and... and if something,' he takes a breath and forces out the words, 'if something happene s then she's naming me legal guardian of the kids. I won't be able to properly take them into my charge until I'm eighteen next April, so if...' His eyes fill with tears. I drop my hand onto his forearm. It's the tiniest gesture of comfort. Not enough. Nothing will be.
    'Char you don't have to tell me all this. Not if it's too much.'
    'No, it's ok, it's... sometimes I just need to talk about it, about what will happen if the worst happens. I don't like to, but I know my mom will want me to be prepared, just in case. I just... I can't talk to my mom about it, because she's just so practical about everything, wanting to get it all into place, and it kills me to hear her talk like that. I've tried talking to Julie and she just changes the subject whenever I bring it up, and I don't want to throw it onto the kids, because they're all so young. Sometimes I just need to talk about the reality of all this, you know? Everyone, all my other friends from school, and my Aunt and Uncle, everyone just keeps saying not to worry, that things will get better, but if they don't...I'm sorry. I shouldn't be unloading this on you. If my girlfriend doesn't want to talk about it, then I'm sure you don't.'
    'It's fine. Honestly Char, I'm your best friend so if you need to talk, then I'll listen for as long as you need me to.' I angle my body in the chair, legs still under me and metal arm now stabbing into my back. But I ignore the painful position, because now I can see him properly. I keep my hand on his forearm. 'So,' I keep my voice calm, 'you can't take charge of them legally until next April, so if anything happens before you're eighteen, what then?' I ask.
    'If anything happens, then my Aunt Gina has agreed to move in until I turn eighteen. She'll become a temporary guardian to all of us until she hands over custody to me when I'm eighteen. She can't take on the kids full time, because she's got four kids of her own, and my mom doesn't want us all to be uprooted to Montana even if my Aunt did have the room for us. So, I'll be taking them on.'
    'Are you ok with that?'
    'Yeah.' He nods, 'It's really the most sensible option. We don't have any other family who could take us in. Grandparents all dead, mom's sister is our only Aunt, we don't have any Uncles.'
    'Char,' I don't want to ask, but he wanted reality and I need to give him that, 'what about your dad?'
    'That's the tricky part. Technically, since he's our father, he has legal custody of us, so what my mom's lawyer wants to do is track him