"I don't know what the hell you want me to say, old man. I'm good if that's what you're asking." Elijah spoke, making his father look at him like he was crazy. He knew he had been doing some off-the-wall shit lately, but it was to cover his pain. They were coming up on the third year since Melody's death. It was hard on him and hurt because it seemed they didn't care. Elijah was the one that lost a part of himself, and he felt that empty space every day.
"You're not fine, Eli— I'm not fine. In two days marks your twin... my priciness death... Three fucking years without my baby girl. You think I don't know this. It pains me to see my son hurt. It hurts to know you think we forget about these things. Son, I could never forget that day... I have lost two children, and it's never a day that goes by that I forget. The hurt never leaves, and you may never get over it. I can tell you; I still hurt from losing my mother, father, brother, sister, and grandmother every day, but I learn to cherish their memories— keep them close to my heart and move on. Melody wouldn't want this for you."
"You don't know what she would have—"
"If it was the other way around... say you died beside her. Would you want her to act as you do?" Luca spoke, making Eli look around at everyone in the room. His son, wife, mother, and sibling stared at him. "No, but Mel kept me sane."
"I beg to differ." His mother spoke as she walked over to him. Gently Adele ran her fingers threw his long curls with a small smile before kissing his forehead. "Your brother keeps you sane. He was the one you leaned on when Mel died. When you thought you had lost Xerxes, you lost your mind. Melody was the glue that kept you whole. Twins share this connection. When one dies, it makes you feel empty inside. You can never fill that hole because she was a piece of you, but your sanity is linked to your brother. You, Melody, and X have always had this connection your father and I could never understand. X is the glue that holds your sanity."
Elijah looked between his mother and brother, slowly nodding his head. There was truth to that. He had a hole in his heart Melody once filled, but he lost his mind when he thought he had lost his brother. "Then why does it hurt so fucking bad? She's gone, and the only way I can hear her voice is from short video clips." He cried as another hand touched his shoulder.
"You look at them and smile about your time with her," Valentino spoke, making Elijah turn his head to his brother-in-law with a sigh. He had been so wrapped up in his own pain he forgot about Val, King, and their other children who were suffering. "And therapy Eli. Your father has been my best friend throughout this shit. If you don't want to talk to him, talk to your brother, son, wife, one of your other siblings, or me. Stop bottling this shit up inside you. It's a recipe for disaster. You have cracked once. We can't have you do it again. Talk, that's all we are asking you to do." He said, making Elijah nod.
"I have something to add," Heaven said, making him sigh. She had been giving him one of her serious looks for the past fifteen minutes, and Elijah was scared of what she had to say. She was brutal most of the time, and none liked what she had to say. "It's nothing bad, Elijah— well, it depends on how you take it, but mixing depression meds with your new alcohol habit isn't good. Stick to your weed, please." She spoke, making him look around the room once more.
Elijah was never a drinker, but it became a thing after Melody passed. Maybe he took in her habit with a few more things he had noticed. He never looked at it like he was coping with her loss by doing the shit she normally did, but after Heaven's statement, it became clear. He was doing things he didn't even notices he was doing, and sometimes he felt like Melody was controlling him. Now that he thought about it... he was crazy.
"I didn't notice I was drinking— damn, I'm fucked up."
"You're not fucked up, Elijah; we're all a little crazy. I know I am, and it was hard for me to see it, but we have people who love us. They are willing to help. It is hard to let people in when you think the world is crashing down around you. I've been there and saw what I wanted to and believe it." Riley said, making him look at his father for some odd reasons.
