More Time (ONC 2021)

Chapter 2 - Mitch's Arrival

The next morning, Mitch's truck sped down the dirt road between the homes, kicking up a cloud of dust, and swung into the driveway. Shawn ambled over with his hands tucked into his pockets and met his friend as he slammed the driver's door shut. The passenger seat was empty, which was odd, because Mitch's fiancée, Lisa, was supposed to be with him.

"Hey, man," Shawn called out, unsure what else to say.

Mitch's eyes were bloodshot and rimmed in red. He had a slight red mark on his cheek. "Tell me it's not true."

Shawn shook his head. "I wish." He'd checked his phone all night for a text or call from the Fosters saying she'd had a science-defying recovery or that the machines and doctors had somehow erred and she was alive.

Mitch slid down the side of the red vehicle and slammed his skull into the door panel hard enough to dent it. "I wasn't there." The truck rocked with another slam. "I wasn't fucking there." The vehicle rattled again with a third smack.

Shawn had never seen his other best friend like this. Mitch had been the leader of their trio: confident, optimistic, and loved to the point Shawn and Em would tease him about it almost daily. Mitch always had the answers or a positive spin. But now, he buried his head in his crossed arms, resting on his knees.

Shawn sat in the gravel driveway beside him. "She knew you were coming."

"It's not the same thing. I can't believe I listened to that bitch," Mitch muttered the second part under his breath. His curled lip and balled-up fists concerned Shawn, but he kept those thoughts to himself.

"Lisa couldn't come?"

"Lisa and I are done."

"Since when?"

"Since last night."

"Mitch, you can't make life-altering decisions right now." He and Lisa had set a date and had booked a venue for their wedding this summer. Their relationship had been stable since freshman year of college, and Mitch had never shared any doubts.

His eyes narrowed, and he fisted a handful of gravel. "Lisa is the reason I wasn't there. There is no circle of hell where I'd forgive her for destroying my chance to say goodbye to Emily." There was a certainty to his stare that urged Shawn not to push the matter further.

Emily would have had the perfect snarky line, or she'd have proposed a far too dangerous adventure that they'd go on full-well knowing it'd lead to trouble. But Em was gone, and Shawn's tongue sat limply in his mouth as he fought tears.

"Mitch is that you," Darla called from the front porch.

Mitch groaned and ran a hand through his short blond hair. "What am I supposed to say to her?"

Shawn studied his friend's expression and frowned. The Fosters were the most easy-going and welcoming people he knew. They'd practically taken him in as a second son. "Give her a hug and tell her you'll get through this together."

"I don't want to get through this. She's gone, Shawn. How the fuck is she gone?" Mitch's gaze bore into Shawn before his head shot back.

Shawn caught Mitch with his arm before he could smash his skull into the truck again.

"I don't know. It happened so fast. They said they found it early, then she was supposed to have a year, then days, and somehow she couldn't survive the night." Shawn sighed. His body and mind felt like they had gone through a meat grinder.

Darla called out Mitch's name again

"This can't be real," he muttered and buried his head again.