The Tragedy

family is family

We're back in Manhattan after a day at Brad's house and let me tell you, it's more hectic than a zoo of animals roaming the streets. Everyone is confused on where to go, there's people on their phones, the traffic is backed up, and the buildings are either empty or full; there is no in-between. Now this might sound like a normal day in the city, but trust me, it's a lot more crazy than it seems.

Right now we're heading to the hospital to see if my family is there (and alive) and I'm really nervous. I've been trying to take my mind off of everything for these two days, and just when I'm mentally stable enough to say that I'm in the right place to go see my family, I'm about to break down again. There's so much turmoil involved in this whole situation and yes, it has gotten better, but not enough.

"Are you okay, babe?" I hear Ally ask, snapping me out of my trance. I nod timidly, not looking at her. The car is quiet in comparison to how the streets probably are and I like it. I'd rather not ruin the comfortable silence by talking about this heartbreaking time in our lives. We still have time to kill until that; we've been stuck in the same place on the road for 5 minutes. It's ridiculous, but it's giving me time to prepare myself for the hospital visit.

They might not even be in there, though. That's what makes me uneasy; the thought of not knowing if my family is okay. I don't wanna wonder that my whole life.

__________

20 minutes later, we're parking the car in the VERY packed hospital parking lot. Yesterday was tough, I'll tell you, but I feel like today's gonna have the same level of emotion. Everything is getting way too overwhelming and the more overwhelming, the more I'm going to react. Which will not be good.

We get out of the car and I immediately cover my nose. All I can smell is gas fumes and dust. Ew.

I feel someone intertwining fingers with me and I look down to see Ally smiling brightly up at me. "Hey," she says calmly. "Hey," I respond in the same tone. Those are the only words we exchange as we walk into the hospital. Her parents are behind us, just making sure we don't get lost in the huge crowd of people.

I reluctantly walk to the reception desk and gulp, squeezing Ally's hand tighter.

"Hi, I'm here for Mike, Mimi, and Nathan Moon?" I say. She smiles at me and types something into the computer. I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst.

The smile from her face disappears and she looks up to me with a sad smile.

Here it comes.

"Yes, they're here. But I'm sorry to say that they didn't make it." My heart drops. "Well, if they're here..can I still see them?" I ask politely, holding back the urge to break down. She nods, picking up a piece of paper and writing something down.

My heart aches, but I try not to show it. She's probably had to deliver this news to a bunch of people and I don't want to make her feel bad about it. I mean, it's not her fault.

She hands me the paper and I take it before forcing a smile her way and turning back to Ally's parents.

Ally rubs my back as I read the note paper.

'I'm sorry for your loss. They are all in floor 3: room 374, bless you.'

I stick it in my back pocket and look to her parents, who are gazing at me expectantly. "Uhm...do you guys have any extra room in your house, or..?" I ask, in lieu of straightforwardly telling them. They glance at each other before looking back at me and nodding, almost in unison. I exhale.

"I have their room number, though. Can I just go up..?" I inquire. They nod and I grasp Ally's hand even tighter before nodding and turning around again, pulling her with me.