3:09

CHAPTER 15 - THE STORM

The following morning Aaron awoke in a fright to the sound of abysmal screams. Echoes he had never heard before, not even in worst nightmares. At first he thought the TV was left on overnight, however, the realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. This was real and there was nothing he could do about it.

He scrambled into Rose's bedroom, where he was met with an endless amount of fluctuating emotions, pulsating through his entire body.

"CARA! WHAT HAPPENED!" he shouted, cracking his voice as his heart skipped a beat.

He saw her in deep agony, and a pain he wouldn't wish upon anyone, not even his worst enemy.

"Rose... don't do this to me baby girl... please..." Cara sobbed. Aaron watched his wife leaning on the floor with her back against the bottom end of the bed. Her arms were trembling, face covered in a waterfall of tears, skin was just as pale as Rose's lifeless, cold and innocent body.

For a brief moment, Aaron didn't know where he was. He froze in place, expecting to go into cardiac arrest at any minute. The tears formed down his face as he stood there, watching her relentless anguish from the doorway, unsure how to act upon the intensity of the situation.

The thoughts came flooding to his head. It took them a while to kick back into gear, but it was only a matter of time. They remained solely at two. The contemplation to console Cara or to hold his daughter for... the last time.

To his astonishment, the stress, pain and confusion were not overwhelming him. Aaron understood how the futility, above everything else, was not going to help anyone. His self-control was imperfect, yet strong considering the circumstances. For once, quite possibly for the very first time in his life, he knew exactly what he needed to do. The answer was as clear as the love he had for his family sitting right in front of him.

"Cara..." he slowly moved towards her. "It's okay Cara... you're okay..."

Cara ignored his presence as though he wasn't even there. Her fixated eyes remained upon Rose and there was no way of hindering her trepidation. She held her, closer to her chest than ever before.

"I've got you baby...you'll be safe with me..." she silently whispered. Her tears dried, forming lines down the sides of her face. Cara's unforgiven eyes had given all they had left to give.

"Cara, please look at me. You have to. You have to do this for me... please..." he consoled.

She finally acknowledged his request and shut her eyes, draining out what was left of her tears. Cara looked at her husband with a face of utter helplessness. A face he would never forget for as long as he lived.

"Baby, I know it wasn't supposed to happen like this... but we've done all we could for her," he stated. "She had an amazing life where she was loved and treasured by everyone around her. She was lucky to have us... and you should never forget that. I know she won't..."

Her voice was raspy and strained. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this. She... she was supposed to be with her family when she went, and I let her down. I just... I wish we had more time..."

"Don't we all..." he concluded.

Aaron carefully lifted his wife off of the ground and hugged her with immense pride. He knew what the next step was, and he took the opportunity as it came.

"Honey... you have been so brave. I am so... so proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself..." he comforted.

Aaron moved his hands over to her warm face, guiding her view to look directly at him. "I think it's time to put her down..."

Cara gestured a nod of understanding and gently placed Rose into her soft bed. Together, they both raised the sheets over her body, covering their daughter's delicate face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 9TH of March would remain an indelible moment of their lives. An unforgettable day filled with endless tears, regrets and silence... above all else. They both knew this day would come, yet that didn't make it any easier for them. Nothing could prepare them for tragedy.

It was as though the world had changed around them ever since that morning. Every single day was bleaker, their home was emptier and there was nothing they could do to change that. Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps it was the lens in which they viewed the world from. Regardless, nothing would ever be the same as it once was.

In the coming days and weeks they remembered their journey and the important events in their lives that led them to where they were now. They found themselves reflecting on their path as parents and their path as individuals. On a dim and still evening, they built up the courage to go through some old photo albums.

"Hey, look at this one... her first play date" Cara said, turning the page.

"Hmm... yeah..." he mumbled.

"Aw... I always loved this one when she did her hand-print thingy. So cute..."

Cara could view from the corner of her eye that Aaron's focus was elsewhere.

"Hey..." she said, nudging him to give his attention to the photo album, "we need to do this. It's important for both of us."

Aaron sighed, breathing in deeply and looking around the room as he always did.

"Babe, can you talk to me. Use your words" she requested.

"I know, I know... it's just that... I don't think I'm ready to do this."

Aaron paused, then decided to stand up from his seated position on the couch.

"I'm sorry... I... I really am. But I can't do this right now. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression and I'm sorry for not communicating that to you... I'm sorry for everything..."

He stormed out of the living room and up the stairs. He felt a strong surge of uncontrollable emotions catch up to him at once and cloud his thoughts with anger and unease. Aaron busted through Rose's bedroom door and locked himself inside.

He couldn't help but let it all out. His emotions took control, making him a puppet once again.

"I did this... this is my fault. This is all my fault..." he cried. Aaron dried the tears from his face and clenched the teddy bear from the bedside table, holding it close to his heart. A few seconds later, he felt something strange.

*CRRSSSHH*

"What is that?" he questioned.

He removed a crumpled piece of paper from underneath the teddy bear. On it was an odd note with handwriting he had never seen before.

"IF YOU HAD A SECOND CHANCE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN... WOULD YOU TAKE IT?

YES/NO