"The Virtuoso"

Lights

As he came to, the first thing he noticed was his blurry vision and the pain in his head. Suddenly the memories came back: seeing Eleanor, the explosion, the mass chaos. The train station was lined with emergency vehicles, passengers being attended to, the horror that was unfolding before him. His phone started to ring. He managed to sit up against the car. Dembe was on the other line " Raymond, I'm watching the news right now. Are you alright? They said there was a mechanical failure with the train." Raymond stood up and looked out among the wreckage, his eyes frantically searching for Eleanor. "I have to find her, Dembe. She was walking towards me. Then it all went black. I can't lose her. I can't. Not again." His voice trailed off as he noticed a body, bloodied and broken, lying underneath a bench, seemingly to take cover from what had just happened. Raymond ran over to the bench and realized it was Eleanor. He pulled her out and saw that she was badly hurt. Her eyes looked up at him and she smiled weakly. "You found me" she whispered, holding her hand up. He grabbed it and held it against his cheek. "I knew that you would come. That you would keep me safe. I know I'll see you again. When my name is in lights." Raymond's eyes filled with tears as he nodded slowly. "Just stay with me, Eleanor.  Please" his voice shaking, "Stay with me. You're going to be alright." He placed a hand on her cheek, noticing the extent of her injuries. "You'll be there, right?" she asked, "I'll be out among the stars. Then you'll finally see me in lights." Raymond held her close to him as his body shook with sobs. The life faded from her and she was gone. He carried her body in his arms and laid her on the ground, where there were paramedics attending to other people. They started to ask him questions, but he simply shook his head, not wanting to answer. They called out her time of death as he walked away, back towards the car. He promptly made a call to Dembe. The only words he could say was "I couldn't save her." He hung up the call and immediately called Reesler. " Raymond, what is it?" Ressler asked, not expecting a call from him. " There was an incident at the Rhode Island train station. Eleanor is dead. She's gone. I tried everything in my power to ensure her safety and I couldn't save her." Reesler had his call on speaker while the rest of the team stood by in silence and shock. "She died in my arms, Donald. She is gone." As the team heard the despair in his voice, Aram spoke up and quietly said " Mr. Reddington, this isn't your fault. She didn't die alone. You did everything you could."