Mermaids and Men [mlm]

Epilogue: My Love Will Carry You Home and Back into My Arms

"So," Elijah began, looking over at his dad, who had his eyes on the road, driving. "Are you... Um... D-Do you give up on your plan to bring mom back..?"

"Everything you said was right, Elijah... I... I-I don't want to risk losing you. If bringing her back will only cause more harm than good, then I won't do it. I can see now that... That you really do love him. I'm sorry I did all of this. I-I just thought I was doing what was best," Anthony said, eyes welling up with tears. "If you want to do what's best, dad... Then be a better father to me. That's all I could want. Mom would want that, too. Before she died, she told me that you love me and would go to the ends of the earth for me... She told me not to hate you and to go easy on you, due to what we were all going through. It was just as hard on you as it was on me. Start looking at me, dad, and not just looking beyond me. I-I may not forgive you for what you've done... But when Nicki wakes up, I'm willing to start over and work towards forgiveness," Elijah replied, frowning. Anthony nodded and sniffled, reaching up to wipe his eyes. "I'll be better... I promise. I'm so sorry for everything that's happened. I'm sorry I wasn't around more often, I'm sorry I've made you feel the way you have throughout the years, a-and I'm sorry I tried to take away the one thing that made you happy. I'm sorry for everything," he expressed, grip tightening on the steering wheel. Elijah glanced away, honestly really happy that he was hearing his dad say such a thing. "Thank you... W-We'll see how everything goes after Nicki wakes up, but, um... Wh-What about Jane?"

Anthony went silent for a moment, brows furrowing. "I... I'll remove the remnants of your mother in her. I'll take her back to her apartment that she still owns, remove the remnants, then wipe her memory, or at least alter it. Make her think we broke up on good terms or something," he answered, which had Elijah looking at him again. "Will you be alright with no longer having a girlfriend?" he questioned, tilting his head at his dad. Anthony chuckled lightly, reaching up and scratching at the stubble around his chin and mouth. "I never actually loved Jane. I was just using her as a vessel for your mother, so I've got no problem letting her go. I'll never love anyone like I loved your mother," he told him. Elijah gave a small nod and looked away again, sinking in his seat.

They soon made it back to their house and got out of the car, making their way inside. As soon as they were inside, Jane greeted them with a beaming smile on her face, only for it to fall when she saw the two men covered in blood. "O-Oh my goodness! What happened??" she asked, eyes wide in shock. "There was an accident, but... Everything's fine. Let's go to your apartment for a little bit, alright?" Anthony replied, causing her to tilt her head. "Okay," she said, smiling small, not bothering to question it. Anthony looked at Elijah, who was already making his way over to the stairs, bags in hand. "I'll be back, Elijah, okay? Jane's apartment isn't too far," he told him, earning a small nod from his son. "Okay... I'm going to take a shower," he muttered, walking up the stairs. As soon as Elijah got upstairs and to his room, he set his bags down somewhere. He took his phone out of his back pocket and set it on top of the dresser, making sure to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his bag before heading over towards the bathroom. Elijah sniffled and closed his bathroom door once inside, beginning to strip off his bloody clothes. He felt absolutely numb as he took his shower, washing off the blood that was on his body. He just felt so broken right now, and it was like he was moving in slow motion, doing his typical nightly routine after his shower. Once done, he left the room and got into some pajama clothes, picking up all of his dirties and tossing them into his hamper. Elijah sniffled and grabbed his phone off of his dresser, walking over towards his bed, where the stuffed dolphin Nicki got him on their date sat. Tears welled up in his eyes at the sight of the dolphin, reminding him of the man that he was missing more than anything right now. Elijah's body began to tremble as he climbed onto his bed, grabbing the stuffed dolphin and holding it close to him, then sitting back against the headboard of his bed. He clung tightly to the dolphin and buried his face into the soft, pink, fuzzy plush, his tears dripping down onto it.