'Jules' mind went back under the moonlight and night air of Baldwin's Fine Arts Center Garden, where intense anger shifted into an intimate moment of curiosity with a blow of the wind.
Maybe two flames weren't supposed to be that close when raging...
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"Everybody dies, but not everybody lives"
- Drake
THE RAIN CAME that night. It cleansed the earth and wiped the ground clean of the blood that had been spilled within its soil.
Jules was thankful for it. She found solace in the fact that her eyes weren't the only thing that could drown her.
The wind held a low moan while thunder clapped the sides of the earth. It smelled of clay and the rivers near East Amador Medical.
Jules watched from the window of the hospital waiting room as Ayden rubbed her back.
She offered her a warm cup of something that smelled of chamomile and lavender.
"Tea?" Ayden asked while holding out the vessel of paper and herbs.
She gave Ayden a nod before taking the warm cup in her hands. Yet, the feeling of bringing it to her mouth felt impossible. So, she kept it at her side.
"You can go in and talk to him whenever you're ready, Jules. I know you're hurting over your uncle, and that you want to make sure he's okay too."
Even though Jules always thought of Vinny as an uncle, they were far from related. He was just always there along with Sean.
They protected her, kept her safe — and often times kept her company throughout the holidays in addition to her parents. He was a constant in her life that was now gone.
She thought of all the black she had in her closet to wear, and how none of it seemed appropriate for his memorial.
"I can't go in there now," Jules explained, "I — I don't even know what to say. I've been nothing but distant for the past couple of days."
"And rightfully so," Ayden added, "Don't ever feel wrong for sticking up for yourself. You never could've expected this Julie."
"You don't have to say anything at all," Ayden explained, "You can just be there — present."
Jules gave Ayden a look of gratitude, her eyes held the smile that hurt to show.
As she looked over her best-friend, she realized that she'd been in a place much tougher than her years ago.
"Shit Ayden, I didn't even ask if you're okay with all this. I know hospitals make you anxious."
Jules recalled the way Ayden described hospitals after rushing to her dying father on a warm September night. His corvette had gone head-on into a large SUV, and Ayden had found it a miracle that she'd gotten a few seconds to hold his hand before his soul passed on.
