Timeless || All Stories

5 || Ohana

"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. These past few months have been hectic" Aurora says, slowly lowering herself onto the ground. "I'm now seven months pregnant. And the walk up here was a pain in the ass, so you best be glad I love you."

The twenty-one year old smiles weakly, refusing to look up as she pulls at the grass by her side.

"There's not a doubt in my mind that Jonah will be an amazing dad. You should see how excited he gets when we're buying baby clothes. But," Aurora furrows her eyebrows together. "I just know I'm gonna end up doing something that'll mess this parenting thing up.  Maybe I'm worrying too much. All new moms do that, right?"

Thunder rumbles off in the distance as the sun disappears behind a stormy cloud.

She hesitates, trying to think of what to say next. A lot had happened in tike since she last visited.

Addilyn is three months pregnant. Jack and Callie are finally engaged. Daniel and Adrian are now married. She and Jonah had learned their baby is a boy. Not to mention all of the new places she had managed to get kicked out of.

"We finally decided on a name for the baby," she continues. "Of course, Calie is disappointed we're not naming him Samuel Dean. But, I think you'll like what Jonah and I chose."

Aurora pauses, gathering her strength. No matter how many times she visited, the pain she felt every time she looked up never dulled. You would think it would, especially after four years of doing this. Yet, if anything, the ache only intensified every year.

After a long stretch of silence, she finally raises her head, staring directly at the gray tombstone and reading the same words she had long since memorized.

Mark Lewis Woods
Beloved Son & Brother
March 16, 1998 - September 13, 2017

After a few months had passed since the crash, the number of Mark's regular visitors dropped down to Aurora and his little brother, James. His parents obligatedly visited once a year, but they couldn't handle any more than that.

For reasons Aurora didn't know, Elle wasn't buried next to Mark. She wasn't even in the same cemetery. Her parents had chosen to have her placed in one on the other side of LA.

"His name is Mark." A few tears escape despite her attempts to hold them back, trickling down her cheek. "We're still working on a middle name, though."

Sniffling loudly, Aurora fiercely swipes at her eyes as the trickle turns into a flood.

"I know I promised you I wouldn't cry the next time I visited," she laughs wetly. "But I'm pregnant, dammit. Don't judge me."

For a moment, Aurora is glad to be alone in the cemetery as a strangled sob escapes her. She had convinced Jonah to wait for her in the car, having wanted to be alone while speaking to her best friend.

Now, as more sobs and tears fell, she wanted nothing more than to be held in Jonah's warm embrace, and to hear his soothing voice as he comforted her.

Mark and Elle are gone. And, although she managed to push it to the back of her mind, Aurora still harboured guilt over their untimely deaths.

She had sent the text. It was her own fault she was sobbing in front of a gravestone right now. Mark could have still been by her side for many more years.

There were so many things he had missed out on. His 21st birthday. Her wedding. Meeting Addilyn and Adrian. Watching James grow up. Hearing James announce that he was dating his best friend, Harry. His parents' 20th wedding anniversary. He should have been there for all of this.

If she just hadn't sent that stupid text.

A pair of familiar arms wrap around her waist, bringing Aurora to instantly melt into them. She turns her head, sobbing into Jonah's shoulder.

"It's going to be okay," Jonah murmurs, running his fingers through her hair, knowing that often helped to soothe her. "I promise."

"I ju-" Aurora hiccups, continuing to soak his shirt. "I really miss him."

It had been a long four years for the girl. Having to learn how to adjust to a life that her best friend was no longer a part of was excruciating.

Mark had been by her side since she was eight. He was the first person she went to when things got bad, and the first person she went out to celebrate with when things were going great.

He kept a smile on her face and let her know she was loved, which was something her parents couldn't bother themselves to do. He took her in when they kicked her out.

Mark was just always there, even when no one else was.

But, although it took Aurora a while to realize, she had more family by her side even before Mark was gone.

There was Corbyn, who dropped everything to fly out to Minnesota when he knew she was upset, and who walked her down the aisle. The blond had quickly became her brother.

She had Carmen, who knew what it felt like to lose a best friend, and supported all of her crazy schemes, and managed to make her laugh through her tears - no matter how difficult the Grey's Anatomy episode had been.

Not to mention all of the others - Daniel, Adrian, Addilyn, Zach, Callie, and even Jack - who she knew would always be there for her when she needs them to be.

And Jonah, her husband. He loves her unconditionally and never once questioned it. He had stuck around after seeing her wild side, and after learning about the monsters of her past. He still managed to make butterflies erupt in her stomach with only a glance, and caused sparks to fly with every kiss.

"Come on," Jonah stands up when her sobs start to slow, supporting Aurora's weight against him as thunder rumbles again, sounding closer. "Let's go home."

Aurora may have lost one member of her family, but she still had so many more.