Still Breathing

Chapter 36. Youth

"If you're still breathing, you're the lucky one's." ~ Daughter

Slowly, Erica came to. Her head was pounding as her ears rang. Her vision was blurry as she smelt smoke, seeing fire all around her. She could hear screams of pain echoing in the distance as she could see a Sky Person run in front of her, his entire body on fire.

That's when she remembered everything, the battle, Quaritch, Sierra. 

Her mother.

That's when she felt her mother's arm around her torso, still holding on tight to her. As Erica's ears stopped ringing, she could hear painful gasps and grunts coming from behind her. Quickly, she sat up and looked behind her at her mother.

Her eyes began to fill with tears at the sight that awaited her.

"Mom." Erica's voice was shaky as she placed a hand on her mothers chest, trying to stop the bleeding. There was a large piece of metal that had gone straight through her sternum. She winced slightly at the pain as her daughter attempted to help her.

Erica felt herself panicking as her hands were being covered in blood, her tears blurring her vision. "No, no. Mom, you're gonna be okay. You have to be okay." She managed to choke out as she removed her hands from her mother and attempted to flip her mother over to see if she could get the metal piece out of her chest.

With what little strength Neytiri had left, she grabbed her daughter's hand with one of her own while placing the other on her daughter's cheek. "Erica, it's okay." Tears were spilling onto Neytiri cheeks as she smiled up at her daughter.

Erica's ears fell as she cupped her mothers cheek with her free hand. Her mother was dying, and there was nothing she could do to save her. She pursed her lips together, trying to stop the sobs that threatened to escape her mouth.

"I'm so glad that I got to be your mother. I love you, so much." Neytiri gasped out as she squeezed her daughters hand even tighter.

"I love you too, mom." And at those words, Neytiri smiled one last time as she took her last breath, her eyes becoming lifeless orbs as she stared into her daughters.

At this point, Erica could no longer hold in her sobs as she broke down, hugging her mothers lifeless body as she begged the Great Mother to bring her back. What was she supposed to do now? How would she tell her father? Her siblings?

What would Mo'at think? Neytiri was the only child she had left and now she was gone. 

Neytiri was gone.

The realization just made everything hurt so much more as Erica kissed her mothers forehead, her skin already starting to feel slightly cold.

"Erica! Erica where are you?" The sound of her father's voice echoing in her surroundings. 

She sat up, looking over her shoulder as she spotted her father sprinting our from behind a fallen tree. As soon as the two made eye contact, he could see the pain in his daughters eyes as he rushed to her side, pulling her in for a hug.

She quickly returned the hug, sobbing into her father's chest as he held her head against him. "It's okay, baby girl. I got you."

He squeezed his eyes shut, basking in the presence of his oldest, feeling relieved that she was still alive, not wanting to face the reality of losing another child just yet. As soon as he opened his eyes, they wandered over to the lifeless body that was right in front of him.

His lips turned into a frown, tears instantly falling as he saw his wife's dead body right in front of him.

He pulled away from the hug, slowly making his way as he sat beside the love of his life. Erica noticed and wrapped herself up into a ball, not wanting to deal with the reality that her mother was gone.