Learning Curve

Chapter 2.2-Stranger and Godfather

It was too bad that it didn't really matter what she did to try and diffuse the situation. Emile had been close to losing his shit since he got the phone call. You could try to sugar coat the situation as much as you wanted, but Emile was still aware that a tragedy had occurred and he'll never see one of his best friends again.

However, he took ahold of his temper and grief and swallowed it down. He wouldn't react in full until he had complete privacy.

"And Marley? How is she doing? You said she was still alive?" He asked, preferring to get all the gritty, unfavorable details over with.

"She's alive, but not unscathed. Cuts, bruises, broken arm, severe gash in her thigh, and a mild concussion. She's also still unaware about the truth of her parents."

"What are we waiting for? She's going to find out sooner or later." Emile grumbled, suddenly hating that he had to be here to witness what he knew was going to be heartbreaking for Marley.

"She's been in and out of consciousness since she got here. We haven't gotten the chance to quite yet. And...we've been hoping that you'd be the one to tell her." She admitted. She watched the expressions on his face change and she knew he was unhappy with what she had to say.

"Excuse me? What makes you think that me telling her will make anything better? I barely see the girl for God sakes! We're practically strangers!"

"But she knows who you are, right?" Dr. Cruz confirmed, hoping that much was at least the case. Emile snorted, unamused, but nodded nonetheless.

"As well as a distant relative, I guess."

"Then it will be fine, Mr. Ramos. Any familiar face at this point will be a comfort to her. You've got to understand how traumatic all of this is going to be, she'll need the support that family and friends can provide for her." Emile slid a very dramatic hand down his face and sighed, the weariness of the world weighing down on him. He really didn't want to do this. He hadn't seen Marley since she was 10 and before then, he hadn't seen her since she was 6. Their interactions were far and few in between and he doubted that the two of them shared any meaningful memories together. He was convinced that whether she heard the news from him, or from a doctor it wouldn't matter. Marley was not going to take the news well.

Resigned to the task, he tried one last time to deflect. There had to be someone else that Marley trusted to tell her what happened.

"What of her other relatives? Grandparents? Aunts, Uncles, older cousins maybe?" Dr. Cruz just shook her head. We're still trying, but the list is limited. Amelia's only emergency contact was  Nicolás, and his list includes his parents and you and we keep getting their answering machine." Emile sighed and nodded. He knew about Amelia's family problems and figured she had cut herself off from them completely. Still, having Nicolás as her only emergency contact was admittedly stupid and he wished he could tell her that.

But now that didn't matter.

Seeing no other option, Emile finally agreed. Someone had to do it and it looked like he was the only person that could.

"If she's still sleeping though, is it possible I could pay my respects to Nicolás and Amelia first?"

Dr. Cruz looked hesitant. The deceased couple weren't exactly in top condition for visitors. Whatever Emile saw wouldn't be pretty. But she saw the determined look in his eye. This was something he really wanted to do. She decided to try to compromise.

"I can take you to them, but I highly recommend we keep the sheets over their bodies. I think it would be best to remember them as they were." Emile thought over this carefully. He really would like to see his friend's face one final time, but he also didn't know what was hiding under that sheet. Emile was by no means a squeamish person, but he still knew regardless that he wouldn't be able to see his friend in any form of injury, disease, or death. If he demanded the covers be pulled back, he'd be subjected to 2 of those conditions. Even if it ended up not being as gruesome as he might think, it would still be unbearable. Amelia and Nicolás would still be dead, and there was no coming back from that.