Christmas was a somber affair. We celebrated in the hospital, Ransom and his parents joining us in the afternoon. I was on edge most of the day, being in such close quarters with Richard. Dad was in good spirits though, serenading us all with his out-of-tune Christmas carols. Christmas dinner consisted of whatever leftovers Mom had found in the fridge, but it didn't matter cause we were together.
The morning after Christmas dawned early for me as I stretched awkwardly, trying not to hit Archer who was laying on the other side of the couch, snoring away. I got up, checking on my dad, surprised to see him awake already. "Morning Daddy." I whisper.
His breathing was shallow and it looked like he took a turn for the worse overnight. "It's almost time sweet pea." He says lowly, trying not to wake up Mom.
I start crying. "I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet."
"Yes you are. I've given you everything you're going to need. You just need to tell him yes." I place one last kiss on his cheek.
"I love you Daddy." I say as I watch his eyes close one last time and the machines monitoring him start going off. Mom and Archer wake up and nurses and doctors rush in but there's nothing they can do. He's gone and a DNR is in place.
Mom starts crying and I hold her, doing my best to comfort her as my own world comes crashing down too. Archer joins us, pulling us both into his arms. I feel his tears where they fall on my shoulder.
Mom breaks away first, furiously wiping her tears away. "I need to make some calls. They're going to need to take him soon."
"Mom, Bentley and I can take care of that." Archer offers.
"No, it's ok. Your dad and I spent a lot of time preparing for this moment. Everything is already laid out, it just needs to be set in motion. Bentley, can you call Linda please? I'm going to need her today."
"Of course Mom." I say before stepping outside. I go to call Ransom first but just before I press call, the elevator doors open and he steps out.
He looks at me and I shake my head, a fresh wave of tears racking my body as my knees give out and I'm falling to the floor. He drops the coffees he's brought, spilling it over the floor but catching me in the process, holding me as I break down.
"Come on Benny. Let's go get some fresh air." He says, leading me back to the elevators, stopping shortly to apologize to the nurses for the spill. They wave him off, assuring him that maintenance is already on the way to clean it up.
He takes me outside, stopping at the coffee cart to get two hot chocolates before sitting us down on a bench. I space out, staring at my breath as it fogs around me. "I can't feel the cold. Is that normal? I can see my breath, so obviously it's cold, but I can't feel it. I can't feel right now Ransom. Why can't I feel?"
He looks at me sadly. "You are feeling right now sweetheart. You're feeling everything right now, so much so that you can't discern one from the others. And that's ok." I nod, barely listening to what he's said. Nothing is sticking in my brain.
I start to shake and he takes his signature caramel brown pea coat off, placing it around me, enveloping me in his heat and the smell of his cologne. There's a safety in this warmth and smell that calms me down long enough to come back to myself. "You must be freezing." I say to him.
"Nah. I'm fine. I have this super cozy sweater on. You're the one in a thin t-shirt on."
"It was hot in Dad's room last night. Plus Archer creates enough heat that he could power a sauna at the club our parents forced us to go to when we were younger." He chuckles at that but then stops short. And I'm reminded why we're here. "I need to call your mom. It was my mom's only request. I need to call her." I mumble and struggle to find my phone, forgetting that I placed it in my back pocket. I become frantic as I can't find it.
"Hey. Hey!" Ransom says a little more forceful the second time, halting my search. "I'll call Mom. Ok?" I can only nod in response.
He takes out his phone and calls his mom. "Hey, it's happened. Eliza needs you... Yeah... Yeah, just get here soon, please."
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A week later and we're getting ready for the funeral. I was standing in my room, staring out the window at the town cars that are waiting to take us and the Drysdales to the funeral home.
There's a knock on my door and Ransom enters. He looks good in his black suit. Very debonair. "Hey." He says quietly. I just give him a small smile. "I'd ask how you're doing but that's a pretty stupid question today."
"I'll be ok. Eventually." I say, wrapping my arms around his middle. He wraps his arm around me, placing his chin on the top of my head.
We stand like this for awhile before Archer appears in my doorway. "They're ready to go." He says quietly.
We head downstairs and go outside, my mom riding with Linda and Richard in one car and Archer, Ransom and I in the other. I sigh as we settle in for the ride. Today was going to be a long day.
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We have the viewing first and I stand beside my mom in the receiving line, barely listening as people I hadn't seen in years offer their condolences. I barely pay attention, my body going through the motions as my brain tries to make sense of these events.
Eventually we get through the line and the service starts. Ransom and his parents are sitting in the front with us, the rest of the Thrombey's filling in the rows directly behind.
I don't listen to the words the minister says in an attempt to provide comfort. There wouldn't be any, not for a while.
I was brought back to reality by Ransom squeezing my hand. He nods his head towards the minister. Oh shit. I missed my cue. I slowly get up and take my place at the podium. Taking a deep breath, I unfolded the speech I had prepared yesterday.
"When I was told that Dad wanted me to give his eulogy I laughed. The man knew my deep fear of public speaking and his last laugh to me was getting me to do just that. But that was who Dad was. Some of you knew him as Baker Reynolds, a serious lawyer who had a knack for taking on some of the toughest cases. Others knew him from the charities he always made sure were given what they needed. But the luckiest of us knew him as the husband of Eliza and the father of Archer and myself. Out of all the titles he had in his life, the last two were his favorite. Many of you know I've spent many years away from home for work. The moments I was home were always filled with family but most specifically Dad. While Archer has been, and always will be, a momma's boy," everyone chuckled at that, "I was a daddy's girl from the moment I was born. Dad and I had our own special way of communicating, one that drove Mom and Archer absolutely crazy. He was a fantastic story teller and my favorite, from a young age, was the story of how he met Mom. Dad met Mom when he was in law school and she was waitressing her way to her Bachelors. He would describe the moment he met her as a earth-stopping, heavens opening kind of moment where he said all the right things and she was swept up in a whirlwind romance. When I asked her if this was true, Mom would say things didn't quite go as Dad described and would tell a tale of a stuttering mess, a broken coffee cup (that came out of her paycheck she would always add) and a thousand apologies. Given Dad's flare for the dramatics, I'm inclined to believe Mom but one thing that both of their stories had in common was that it was love at first sight. Growing up I was in love with that story and would wish upon stars that I would find a love as pure and true and lasting as Mom and Dad's." I pause for a moment and give Ransom a small smile.
"Dad reminded me a few months ago why I would always go to him to pick up the pieces when I was broken. He was so wide, something you wouldn't guess upon an initial meeting with him as he was a giant goofball. He told me that life is too short to hold onto anger because in the end, the only one we end up hurting is ourself. I've thought about that a lot over the last two weeks, whenever I get too angry of all the things he's going to now miss. So I guess, if you get nothing else from the life Dad lived, get this, love your family with all you have and learn to let go of your anger." I say before getting down and returning to my seat.
YOU ARE READING
Falling Apart, Together✓
Fanfiction~Completed~ Ransom Dryesdale had been best friends with Bentley Reynolds's older twin brother Archer since they were babies. Their moms have been friends since childhood and their dads since college. They were always close, all three of them. Ransom...
