Aquiver -> J. Constantine

Epilogue

Zed Martin had just woken up with a late start to the day. Glancing at her phone, she cursed before jumping out of bed and grabbing a sweatshirt.

She pulled it over her head as she walked into her kitchen. Her laptop was already on her table with random sketches and chalk around it. It only took a couple of clicks for her to start the videochat.

As she waited for it to load, she prepared herself some coffee and took her leftover banana bread. A breakfast she was more than okay with given the circumstances.

"You're late."

Zed couldn't help the smile on her face as she pulled her hair into a loose bun. "Morning to you, too, Chas."

His face stood out on her screen, but not for long as his daughter squeezed her way into sitting next to him. Her hair was loose around her shoulders as she smiled at Zed.

"Hi, Zed. I practiced some of those doodles you showed me. Do you want me to bring them here for our lesson?" Geraldine asked.

Zed had been teaching Chas's daughter how to draw. Well, introducing her to techniques her school didn't have the time for. And it gave Zed an excuse to keep in touch.

"Of course, you're gonna need them for today as references." She replied

Geraldine nodded before taking off to her room to find where she stashed them. Zed used the opportunity to pull out a mug and pour her coffee.

"How's the head?" Chas inquired.

Zed touched the place on her head where the surgeon had performed her tumor surgery. It was a decision she made right after everything went down. Jade had wanted her to live a long and healthy life.

So that's what she was going to attempt to do. For as long as she could.

"Better, just a dull ache until it's fully healed." She replied.

She took her mug and sat at the desk to see Chas better. As she set down the mug, only then did she realize which one did she subconsciously pick. The garfield mug stared back at her as she gently touched the handle.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Chas, have you heard from John?"

Silence grew between the two as he took a moment to think about his answer. He did so reluctantly. John was his friend, but he couldn't think about him and be with his family at the same time.

Finally, he spoke up. "Not for over a month."

Zed bit her lip as she fought the anxiety in her chest. Worrying about John was a common habit for her by now. She hadn't really talked to him since she told him she was going to do the surgery.

He hadn't reached out and Zed assumed that's how he liked it. It's how he always liked it, to be alone. But that didn't mean it was good for him.

"Should we-" she didn't even begin before Chas cut her off.

"You did the surgery for a reason, Zed. I went home for a reason. That life is behind us now. It has to be." He argued.

Ever since she got her tumor removed, she had no new visions. The connection she used to feel was gone. Just like Jade was. When she felt the psychic energy around her, it was almost like she could still feel remnants of Jade out there.

Now there was nothing but quiet. The realization that she would never feel her again was too much certain days. But she knew Jade would claim that it was for the better.

"Do you think he's okay?" Zed asked.

She hadn't seen him break down the way she expected to. His heartbreak was the silent type, the kind that grows with time and there's nothing you can do to fix it.