Finding Jaime

Chapter 104

"Jamie, Jamie, wake up," someone was shaking my shoulder. I groaned and rolled over onto my back.

"What?" I asked, opening my eyes into my mostly dark room. Dad was sitting on my bed. I didn't like the look in his eyes.

"It's the phone. For you," he said, holding his phone out to me. I frowned at him.

"What time is it?" I looked at my own phone on the night table. 3:30am. Who is calling me at 3:30? Frowning, I sat up and took Dad's phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hi, Jaime. It's Linda. Ethan's mom?" I could hear the tears in her voice. I knew why she was calling. I wanted to hang up. I wanted to throw the phone across the room. I wanted to scream. I didn't want to hear what she had to say because then I would have to hear what I didn't want to hear

"Hi," I replied, closing my eyes against the news I knew she was about to tell me.

"I wanted you to know. I, thought, he, I. Ethan passed away about an hour ago," she sobbed into my ear. I started shivering. I felt cold.

"I'm so, so sorry," I said around the lump in my throat.

"I knew he'd want you to know. I promised we would tell you. He went in his sleep. It was peaceful. He wasn't in any pain. He just - slipped away," Linda said.

"Thank you for letting me know," I said, trying to keep my composure.

"I'll understand if you don't want to come to the funeral," she said.

"No. I'll be there. I want to be there. For you and David and Ashley. And for Ethan."

"That's very sweet of you. I know this might be asking too much and you can absolutely say no, but would you be willing to say a little something at the funeral? Everyone asks about his 'cool older brother' that he'd tell everyone about, but no one ever met," she asked. I could almost hear a slight smile in her tone, and I was glad she had something to make her smile, in light of losing her youngest kid.

"I would be honored," I said.

"It doesn't have to be much, and you can change your mind. I know you didn't know him all that well, but he really looked up to you," Linda said.

"I want to. I will," I said, tears flowing down my face.

"Thank you. Thank you Jaime, for being so patient with him when you weren't feeling your best, either. Thanks for keeping in touch with him. Not a lot of fifteen year olds will do that for a nine year old. He was always so excited when you'd text or send him a Snapchat. He showed them off all the time to everyone."

"Mmhm," I said, because I couldn't speak anymore.

"I know I woke you up. I'm sorry. One of us will call you later with funeral details. Okay?"

"Okay," I forced out.

"Bye, Jaime. We'll talk later today," Linda said.

"Bye," I said, and hung up. Dad looked at me. I tried to hold my composure but he wrapped me in his arms and I broke down.

"I'm sorry, Jaime. I'm so, so sorry," Dad said. I felt the bed move again and another hand on my back.

"I'm sorry Jaime," Mom said.

I just wept.

After the first day I'd visited Ethan in the hospital, I'd gone back every day for a couple of hours over the past two weeks. It let his parents take a short break to do something for themselves - maybe take a shower, get something to eat or drink, or go cry so E didn't see.