The Alternate Journey

Chapter 36

The next week of Bishop and Maddie's life seemed to all mush together in one long drawn out collection of days, of grief and emotion. From the moment the phone call came through to the funeral, it all seemed to drift together in this horrible, tear-stained memory.

There was no discussion as to what would happen next. They simply began packing; Bishop with tears in his eyes and Maddie with a lump in her throat. As they moved around each other, around their room, they barely spoke but for a few mumbled words, a handful of nods. Maddie called for a car, called for the pilot. She had learned how to do these things over the course of their relationship; never imagining she would really be the one to do it.

But he needed her now; needed her to take care of things, to take care of him. Because Bishop, her light, warm, exuberant boyfriend—Bishop was shattered. The light in his eyes had dimmed and his smile had faded and she couldn't help but wonder if it would ever return the same again.

Because as much as Bishop bantered with his mother, as much as they had called the other out on their actions—he loved her. He adored her; worshipped her. And, as with all that he loved, he loved her fully. And watching as this monumental woman, this absolute fixture in his life was taken from him—it made Maddie's entire body ache for him; for what he was going through.

So she made the phone calls, she made sure he packed his shaving kit, his toothbrush. She made phone calls to his assistant, to the front desk manager and then she pulled him from their home.

Bishop would never find a way to truly tell Maddie just how thankful he was for those first few days, those first few hours. He could never really quantify just how much he had leaned on her; how much he would have to. Literally and figuratively.

She moved him from their home, shouldered his weight in the elevator, kept hold of his arm from the door to the car to the plane to the air.

And when he bent over his own lap, when the tears came at 30,000 feet, she wrapped her arms around him and brought him over to her own lap, where he cried and cried and cried until his throat hurt as much as his heart and his eyes puffed red. And when they descended into Heathrow, Maddie pulled his face from her lap, wiped at his tears and held his cheeks in the palms of her hands as she kissed him.

"I'm so sorry," she shook her head as she hugged him close. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm..."

And he knew.

He held onto her hand, held onto her as the de-boarded, as they slipped into the waiting car, as they sat together on the long drive to the Bishop Estate. He held onto her knowing that she had taken care of everything, that she had pulled him from that crumbled mess in their kitchen and brought them here; where they needed to be.

And even amongst the grief that seemed to be overwhelming, that seemed ready to take him over at any moment, even amongst all that, he knew. Without her; he would be lost.

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Stepping into the Bishop Estate that day was a stark contrast to the last time they were there. The staff who greeted them were melancholy; taking their items with small, sympathetic smiles. And when Ian Bishop stepped into the entry way, his face matched his son's; well cried and full of grief. He hugged them both, holding onto his son for a long while; wishing he could take this away from him and hating that he couldn't. He kissed Maddie's cheeks, holding her face in his hands with tears in his eyes before he pulled them both into the house. Though there was time to get settled, time to unpack and let this sit—it wasn't for long.

There were plans to be sorted out, decisions to be made. And the family attorney was on his way over; with sympathies and a will. As they all sat around Ian's office, Maddie's hand rested on Bishop's leg. His fingers laid over hers, stroking the soft skin of the back of her hand, occasionally squeezing her tightly as though he was making sure she was still there, still tangible and sitting next to him.