Chapter 15-Everette

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"Mrs white?" The doctor questions approaching river.

"Yes that's me." River responds.

"Mrs. White, there were complications during your sons surgery, and unfortunately he died on the table. We are very sorry for your loss."

Tears fill my eyes and everything goes silent for a moment.

That's until I feel Atlas drop my hand and fall to the floor, I sit down with her and she hugs me, her face buried into my chest and she emits the most gut wrenching scream I have ever heard.

She sobs into my chest and I cry into her shoulder. Zach is hugging his mother who is sobbing similarly to Atlas.

Atlas sobs don't stop as I lift her to my car. River had to stay and sign more paperwork and Zach didn't want her to be alone so he stayed with her.

I lay Atlas in the backseat of my car and she curls into a ball. I've seen her sad before. I've seen her unbelievably sad before but this different, I mean of course it is.

Her brothers dead. I don't know how to get her through this, I don't know how to help her, I don't even think I can.

She screams into my seats and every single time I hear a sob rip through her throat more tears fall down my face and my heart breaks a little more than it already had.

When we get back to her house I carry her inside and lie her on the couch. Carlos hears her sobs and run into the room, his face tear stained. He hugs his daughter and she still doesn't return his hug or reject it.

Paige comes downstairs sobbing as well and Atlas opens her arms to her and then to me. I sit and hold them both while they cry into each other and I finally let it go.

I cry, and cry, and fucking cry, until I have no more tears left. Atlas stops crying as well and Paige leaves to her room, said she needed to be alone. Atlas hasn't said a word since we left the hospital.

We sit there in silence but that silence says more than words ever could. We're drowning. Every single one of us is broken beyond repair and that's never been more clear than in this very moment. I love Atlas. I love her and that means I'd be broken with her, everyday, forever, if it meant eventually she'd heal.

She suddenly gets up and walks upstairs and after a few minutes I follow her.

"Atlas love?" I call out and Leah tells me she's in the bathroom.

I walk into her bathroom and she's sitting in her shower, fully clothed, her knees are pressed to her chest and she's just sitting there, I don't think she can cry anymore, either.

"Oh, baby." I step in the shower beside her and I immediately flinch from how hot the water is. That's got to be fucking burning her.

I turn the water down some and I gently pull Atlas to her feet and she stands in front of me.

Her eyes hold so much sadness.

"I know." Is all I can say

She stays silent after that and I pull off her clothes. I grab some shampoo and rub it into her hair, using the shower head to gently rinse it out of her hair. I apply the conditioner and let it sit while I grab a washcloth and I lather body wash into it.

She takes it from me and I keep my eyes on her face.

I listen as she scrubs every inch of her body as if it's a promise that in doing so, he'll come back.

I rinse the conditioner out of her hair and she steps out of the shower, getting dressed.

I shower myself and then pull on a pair of shorts and lay next to Atlas in her bed.

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