Lost Souls (Agent Severide Serie Book 5)

Chapter 24

Holy Trinity Chapel, Huston Texas

Zoey got discharged from Med and packed her go back and took off to Jen's funeral. Mostly because Kelly asked her to be there and meet him down in Texas and she couldn't say no, especially to her brother that was grieving their mom. 

The blonde sighed taking a sip out of the metal water bottle she was carrying around containing tequila. Zoey sat at the back of the church sipping on the water bottle with a pair of her husband's Ray band's over her eyes. Jay was at the front of the church talking to Kelly and Jen's husband who was the pastor of this church. Standing at the front giving him their deepest sympathies, well Jay's more than Zoey's. 

So this is what Jen ran away from her family for, a life full of lies and attempted redemption. Zoey's eyes scanned the massive church. After all the things she had seen and lived through, not to mention the cases her team worked on. In her mind God didn't exist, the world and especially humanity had shown her through years of working case after case that God gave up on humanity a long time ago. 

The blonde stood up walked out of the church and walked outside to a court yard where a small garden was. Zoey sighed taking a seat under a large willow tree before she took a sip of her water bottle almost halfway through the bottle of tequila she arrived with. "There you are, I didn't see you inside with Jay," Zoey didn't look up to know it was Reid's voice. "Jay's giving Jen's husband and my brother our deepest condolences," the blonde said taking a sip of the bottle while rolling her eyes. 

"You can't keep blaming yourself for people close to you dying," Reid said walking over and taking a seat next to Zoey instantly noticing the smell of tequila on her breath as he neared her. "You think I blame myself for what happened to Jen?" Zoey said more than asked looking at the incredibly intelligent doctor with an IQ higher than Einstein himself. "Do you?" he asked as Zoey shook her head. "I haven't talked to Jen since my dad's funeral last year. I don't blame myself for what happened to Jen and I don't really blame myself for what happened to Shay or my dad." The blonde said turning her focus to the Lilacs in the nearby garden. 

"When I got shot I saw my dad and Shay, I know it wasn't real; probably just my brain creating something more comforting because it couldn't process the shock... Shay told me that I can't keep living my life blaming myself for what happened to them and my dad's words... Don't let the fear stop you from doing what you love." Zoey said chugging back the rest of the bottle in her hands fighting the urge to cry. "I'm still working on the last part, but I'll get there... eventually," the blonde said with a sigh. 

"There you are Boy Wonder and Superwoman, everyone's heading over to the cemetery and Kelly and lover boy are looking for you," Morgan said appearing in the courtyard surprising Zoey. "What are you-You really think we'd let you do this alone kid?" Rossi asked walking up behind Morgan. 

Zoey stood up walked over and hugged Morgan and then Rossi, "I appreciate you all being here but, You didn't have to" the blonde said as Morgan took her water bottle and opened the top instantly smelling the liquor, "Tequila?" he said more than asked. Zoey held her fingers up holding them apart. "Just a little bit," she replied shrugging again. "Did you mix it?" Rossi asked earning a look from Zoey who silently smirked. "I don't use mix," she replied with a light laugh. "We should probably go get this over with though," Zoey said getting serious again before taking her water bottle from Morgan and walking through the church and outside where everyone was starting to climb into their vehicles and getting in a funeral line. 

Kelly, Jay and Jen's husband stood beside a limo looking around as the blonde walked over. "Where have you been?" her brother asked. "Around," she replied before climbing into the limo along with Jay, Kelly and the pastor she still hadn't said a word to. "So Zoey, your mom spoke a lot about you," the pastor said after the vehicle started moving. 

Zoey paused looking at him for a moment before she leaned over to the mini bar and took the bottle of tequila. "Is that so? may I?" The blonde asked the pastor holding the bottle as the man shrugged. "Go ahead, Jen was more critical about temptations than I was," the man said causing Zoey to laugh a bit more than she meant to as she poured half the bottle into her water bottle. "You have no idea," the blonde remarked taking a few chugs of the clear hard liquor, "She was really proud of you." the pastor said nearly causing Zoey to choke on the drink as the car came to a stop. 

The blonde coughed a few times before sending a glare in the pastor's direction. "Pastor she's not here anymore, I know she wasn't proud of my career or 99% of my choices. You don't have to tell me what you think I need to hear. She was disappointed and I know that and accepted it a long time ago, so whatever BS she spewed to you out of guilt to make herself feel better was all her attempt at redemption, not to mention I don't care," Zoey said the words before she could stop herself before she climbed out of the vehicle leaving their faces full of shock. 

Zoey sighed walking away from the funeral line walking through the cemetery looking over all the stones with different names and years across them while she took occasional sips from her water bottle. The blonde kept walking down the row of stones wondering what each of their stories were. Zoey kept on wandering and eventually made her way back to Jen's burial staying in the back of the crowd not wanting to go up. "Did you say goodbye?" Reid asked walking over to the blonde who shook her head no taking a sip from her water bottle. 

Reid took the bottle and handed it to Morgan before she could protest and led her through the crowd with a hand on her back and up to the hole in the ground that the casket was already lowered into along with a couple of handfuls of dirt. The blonde took a handful of dirt and tossed it on the casket and stood to her feet before walking back through the crowd taking her water bottle from Morgan who moved the container out of her reach. "I think you're good superwoman," he said before dumping the clear liquid out.