𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍━︎━︎P. Carter ✓︎

𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

CHAPTER EIGHT
SHE'S GONE

WHEN THE NEWS HAD COME, it had been only a few weeks. The two had went to visit their mother, doctors claiming she was too critical to be sent home without endangering that of her two children. Steve had gotten better a few days after he had gotten sick, much to Evelyn's relief. The twins had been getting ready to go see their mother, just like they did everyday, when a knock came on her door.

"I'll get it." She assured her brother, offering him a small smile before she walked out of the room. She walked up to the door, pulling it open to see an officer standing there. And immediately she knew what they were going to tell her that their mother had died. Sarah Rogers had been a beautiful woman who could've live up to seventy, had she not caught the disease that seemed to kill everyone she saw. She had tuned out what he said, listening to her heart rate in her ears.

When he stopped talking, she numbly thanked him before closing the door after he had walked away. She felt numb. She couldn't find the will to cry. Or be sad. She was in shock. Yes, that's what it was. Though, she should've seen this coming. Everyone who got tuberculosis always died. There seemed to be no chance of survival. Steve walked into the room, frowning slightly at the blank look covering his sibling's face.

"Eve?"

"She's gone." She whispered, finally removing her eyes from the floor to look up towards her brother. She cleared her throat, shoving herself away from the door and walking closer to him. "Steve, mom's passed away."

"What?" He furrowed his eyebrows, and scoffed as if it were a joke. But it wasn't. The desperate look that Evelyn held in her eyes told him everything. And tears filled his eyes. They were all alone. No parents. Just two teenagers, now orphans, that were going to have to learn how to take care of themselves. Evelyn quickly pulled her brother into a tight hug as he started to cry, a tear slipping down Evelyn's cheek, though a sound not once escaping her mouth.

━︎━︎━︎━︎━︎

It seemed like half the town had come to Sarah Rogers funeral. The funeral went by slow, and Evelyn had barely payed attention. She couldn't feel everything. She barely blinked at the condolences that were sent her way. She and Steve had both decided they would walk home, neither being able to deal with the condolences that only continued to be sent towards them. They walked in silence, not a word being uttered between them. Evelyn had yet to cry over her mother, Steve believing that she was in the stage of denial.

Just as the two had made it towards the home, Bucky had caught up with them, giving both of them a hug before following them up the steps that lead towards their home.

"We looked for you both after." Bucky told the twins. "My folks wanted to give you a ride to the cemetery."

"I know, I'm sorry. We just kind of wanted to be alone." Steve answered, glancing towards his sister before turning his attention back towards his friend. Evelyn stared blankly at the door as the two continued to talk.

"How was it?" Bucky carefully asked, his eyes glancing towards Evelyn to see if she would react, only to get nothing.

"It was okay. She's next to Dad." Steve answered for him.

"I was gonna ask. . ." Bucky started, only to be cut of by Steve.

"I know what you're going to say, Buck." Steve told him. "We just. . ."

"We can put the couch cushions on the floor like when we were kids. It'll be fun. All you gotta do is shine my shoes, maybe take out the trash." Bucky tried to joke, trying his best to lighten the sullen mood. Steve started to look for his key, before Bucky kicked the spare key from its hidden spot, holding it up and giving it to the boy. "Come on." Bucky tried once again as Evelyn took a step back in order for Steve to unlock the door.

"Thank you, Bucky," Evelyn was the one to speak up this time, making them both glance towards her. "but we can get by on our own."

"The thing is, you don't have to." Bucky told them. He placed a hand on Steve's shoulder, glancing between the two. "I'm with you till the end of the line, pal. Both of you." Steve offered him a small smile before going inside. However, Evelyn stayed in her spot. "Eve?"

"I need your help looking for an apartment." She spoke up. "I don't know if I can stay here any more." She glanced to the male who nodded his head.

"Whatever you need." He gave the girl another hug to which she gladly accepted before she pulled away from him and went inside. She closed the door behind her before entering her room and just sitting on her bed. There were so many memories running through her head that the longer she sat there, the more the tears started to fill her eyes before she let everything out. She sobbed so hard that it hurt to breathe. She didn't know what she was going to do. She had to be the parent know, and she had to take care of her brother.

Steve watched his sister from the doorway, frowning as she clenched her bedsheets between her fist desperately as she sat there crying. He walked away, quickly making his sibling a cup of tea, something she had always like way more than he had. He carefully walked back to her room, knocking twice on the door before entering. Evelyn looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from the tears she had shed.

"Here." He offered. He held the cup out towards her and she carefully took it, the warmth filling her hands before she carefully sipped it. She closed her eyes as it helped her raw throat. Steve sat down on the bed beside her, looking at her and offering her a small smile. "We'll be okay." He assured his sister. "We made it past dad, we can do it with mom too. Besides, we have each other. So, we aren't exactly going through it alone."

"But this is different." She whispered. "Dad was already dead."

"But we still mourned him." He told her. "And we'll mourn mom. And we'll find a way to get through it. We always do."

Evelyn leaned her head on her brothers shoulder. "I love you, Steve."

"I love you too, Evelyn."