Ashes in the Heart (Editing)

After the storm

After the last rather bittersweet encounter that left more to be desired than resolved, I dedicated my life to sharing with my family, keeping the reason for my disappearance in the dark. My wife was not happy at all and the children were still worried about the absence of her father, however, everything was forgotten as the days went by and with the arrival of a new job offer. My life was stable for a few days, but beyond my daily life I felt the need to know how everything would have ended with the boys that had completely changed my way of living life.

It was difficult at first to get to the hospital door, but after seeing Amy's face lying on a bed, that uncomfortable situation that my mind had created completely disappeared. I didn't even know what to feel at the time, I wish I had done a lot more when I had the opportunity in my hands. The uncertainty of Amy's current situation had been very clear to me that day, Nurse Jones was very kind, but she kept asking me about the location and mental health of the Vuitton boy, who seemed to have been absent from home for a long time. A few hours passed in silence while I observed the redhead's sleepy face in detail until I felt a bang open the door and find myself with the illuminated eyes of Miss Anna Philippe, Amy's sister. I tried to keep my composure not knowing how the girl would react to my presence, it was unpredictable how she would feel in a situation like this, the last thing I wanted was to bother.

She exchanged some harsh words to break the silence between them and then after knowing my name her jaw relaxed letting me see her sweet and captivating face full of gratitude, I could even say that a discreet smile appeared on her lips for a few seconds, something very flashy. We talked for a few minutes about matters related to what had happened before ending up in the hospital and then we went down to the cafeteria to eat something while Amy was doing some tests, she was able to honestly express to me her frustration and sadness at seeing her sister in a place like that and I just kept quiet the whole time giving him my full attention as a symbol of moral support.

The minutes kept passing between tears, laughter, confessions and the biggest fears that could come true at any moment. I continued for a few more hours keeping him company and when we touched the point where Sebastian was, I was able to remember the reason why he had come to this place in the first place. Of course, we wanted to give him the space and enough time to vent his pain, he needed it more than anyone, but his posture continued to disturb us to the point of making our hair stand on end, he could not allow his mental health to remain in doubt after a court case like that.

That afternoon I did not have much luck finding his whereabouts so I returned home to finish my day with my family, I loved my little naughty ones with great intensity, there was no way to even describe the love of a father towards a son, no there were limits, much less after everything that had happened. To be with them was to live again, day after day.

(...)

The next day, very early, I returned to the hospital to speak with Sebastián, I knew that looking for him at home was wasted time and the only place with a high percentage of success would be there. When I was getting to Amy's room, I stopped when I saw the door open, it's one of those few moments where your heart races, your body paralyzes and you imagine the worst. I walked to the entrance and that fear turned into relief when I saw the doctors making their daily visit to Amy to check if everything is okay. Walk in with a smile from ear to ear and say hello to the doctor.

—Good morning, doc.

—Good morning, Charlie.

¿How do you see it?

Doctor Fitsweater hardened his face to take his time answering the question, he had been handling Amy's case since she had been admitted to the hospital and he was very meticulous in what he did.