Lastly (L.T.)

Chapter 65

For a little better effect, try listening to Love You Goodbye while reading this.

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It took several more minutes of people pouring out the back door of headquarters before the trickle finally stopped.

There were people standing all around Louis and I while we stood clinging to one another while we waited for whatever Jay had planned.

"Kestrel."

I let go of Louis slowly, trying to find the voice that had spoken somewhere in the crowd.

Dallas was standing a ways in front of me, waving both Louis and I over.

We wove through the crowds towards him, most people parted for me as soon as they saw my face, but I had to walk around those that didn't notice me. The parking lot was so painfully crowded it was difficult to get anywhere.

As soon as we got close enough to Dallas, he turned and led the way towards what I assumed was the front of the crowd.

Once we got close enough, I could see that Jay was sitting on a raised platform, which was why I couldn't see him above the heads of the crowd.

The platform looked like a small stage and there was a black coffin sitting on the stage as well with five chairs around.

Jay motioned for us to hop up with him when he saw us, and I clambered up onto the platform with Louis and Dallas behind me.

I was unsure whether he wanted me to sit down on the platform around Andrea with him, or if he had other instructions, so I approached slowly.

"Kestrel, come sit down." He pointed to the chairs, "you two as well." He gestured to Louis and Dallas.

Louis looked uncomfortable all of a sudden with Jay's order.

"But I didn't know her that well."

"You were impressed to her because you were important to Kestrel and therefore you're important to me."

Jay was on a roll of saying things in the last few days that shocked me, and I never expected him to outright admit that Louis was important to him too.

Clearly Louis wasn't expecting it either because both he and I stared at Jay in shock after he spoke, but he followed his command and sat down in the folding chair next to me.

This wasn't an extravagant or expensive wake and to anyone else it would seem incredibly strange, but for her and for this gang it seemed just perfect.

There was a rustling on the side of the stage as Ducky shoved through several people, giggling when he stepped on their toes.

It was good to see him smiling again, even if it was only because he was hurting peoples feet.

He seemed to have also forgotten the memo about casual dress for her funeral, as he was in a black leather vest that strained against his stomach. His pants were also leather and too tight for him.

He climbed up on the stage as well, taking the last chair around Andrea, and it was then that he realized what Jay had done. He had put the people that were the closest things to her family all around her.

It was a strangely beautiful sentiment and I felt Louis squeeze my hand when he saw how much this was affecting me.

As soon as the five of us were sat down in our respective seats, Jay clapped his hands twice, two short sounds that radiated through the quiet darkness.

He stood up slowly while hundreds of people faced him in total silence.

The only sounds that interrupted our silence were the distant sounds of traffic and honks, and Jay looked over the crowd with pride in his bright eyes.