Wren's P. O. V.
The guard led Jack and I down a long hallway to a room at the end. It was like every scene in a movie when someone visits a prisoner. The tables with dividers on each side and glass that separated us from them. I sat down on the chair that the guard pointed to and Jack stood behind me until the guard pulled up another.
My heart beat quickened when my dad walked out. I hated to admit that I was scared. Jack took my hand in his, letting me know I was safe. I took a breathe before picking up the phone that connected me to my dad.
"I never thought I'd see you again," he said.
"I wouldn't have come if it weren't under these circumstances," I said with no emotion.
"What circumstances?"
"Charlie was involved in a shooting... He didn't make it," I said trying to keep my breathing steady.
My dad sat there silently. As if Charlie's death meant nothing. He knew how much Em loved him, I thought he'd show some emotion.
"Em didn't take it very well. He had proposed to her the night that it happened, the night before he died. She was a mess and...she decided to...to take her own life," I slowly breathed in and out trying not to burst into tears.
Again my dad sat there with no emotion. He just stared at me. And it wasn't the blank stare like he was empty, like how I felt. It was as if everything that just came out of my mouth was irrelevant.
"Emma was your daughter and she killed herself! Do you not care at all?!" He shrugged. He just shrugged his fucking shoulders. "You fucking asshole!" I slammed the phone down and jumped up from my seat, running past the guards outside to the car.
I ran past the car and into the woods behind the jail. I tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. I gasped for air, my sobs overcoming me. I cried so hard it hurt to move. I wasn't sure if I was sad about Em or my dad or if I was angry from my dads response. More like lack of response. I knew I was crying from anger now. Why didn't he care? I wonder if Em saw this. Saw her own father betray her just like he did to me. He wasn't worthy of being called our father anymore.
As I sat there, time slowly ticking by, I noticed the rain falling from the dark clouds. It had been raining a lot lately. I thought maybe it was from all the shit I had gone through and the weather matched my mood. But my mom always loved rain. She loved sitting on the porch watching it rain and thunder and lightning. Maybe the rain was my mom telling me everything would be alright. Maybe it was her saying sorry. Sorry that I ever had to talk to the man. Sorry that he ever did that to me. She'd blame herself even though it was all his fault. Sorry that she couldn't have been there to help me.
My tears switched from anger to sadness as I thought about my mom. I looked up into the sky and screamed. Why did I have to go through all of this? Why couldn't she just be here with me? Why did they all have to leave me? The only family I had is all gone. I guess now it had actually hit me, that everyone was gone. I had known it and head about it before now, but I guess I never felt it until now.
The excruciating pain I felt in my heart spread through my whole body. It was like someone took a knife and stabbed me in every inch of my body, twisting the knife to make it so much worse. Eventually I was numb. I couldn't feel or move any part of me.
The last thing that I remember is laying on the wet ground, looking up to the sky through the break of trees. All that I could think about was how much I wished I could be with them.
***
I opened my eyes,covering them with my hand from the bright light. Once my eyes adjusted, I looked around. Everything was white. I saw a figure in the distance and it was walking closer.
"Mom?" I asked. When the silhouette finally got close enough, I could see who it was. "Mom!" I shouted, a smile forming on my face.
She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around me. She kissed my cheek, then tried to pull away, but I brought her back in.
"I've missed you so much sweetie," she whispered.
"Me too." I hugged her for longer until realization hit me. "Mom, am I dead?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're dead...so either I'm dreaming or I did. But it feels so real," I looked down at my body and moved my arms and legs. Everything felt real.
"This is what you want, isn't it? To be here with me? And Em? She's with Charlie right now but I'm sure she'll be happy to see you!"
"But what about Jack?"
"What about him? I mean you said we were the only family you had. I thought that meant that he didn't mean anything."
"No, of course not! Jack is my everything. I can't die. I can't leave him. Not like Em did. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die!" I drifted back into my unconscious state.
I heard voices, but it was like they were at the end of a tunnel. They were mostly voices I didn't recognize.
"One, two clear!"
"Come on!"
"We're losing her!"
I heard someone crying and talking to themselves. I recognized the voice as Jack and I immediately woke up.
"Jack!" I shouted, my eyes snapping open. I looked around and saw I was in an ambulance.
The doctors started messing with all these wires and stuff, checking everything, but all I wanted was Jack. He stood up and took my hand in his, bringing it to his lips.
"You're alive. Holy shit you're alive," he whispered.
"I'm right here Jack," I said turning my head towards him. He leaned over me and kissed my head before pressing his forehead to mine. I could feel him crying.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," I whispered, weakly holding onto his wrist. We soon got to the hospital and they took me into a room.
"I'm fine Jack," I said as Jack repeatedly asked if I was okay.
"You were dead, Wren. Your heart stopped!" He cried.
"I'm okay now Jack, I promise. I'm perfectly fine," I said pulling him closer to the bed. I leaned over and put my lips on his.
"I thought I lost you," he whispered against my lips.
"You'll never lose me," I said kissing him again. The doctor came in and started talking to us. Basically they think I passed out from extreme emotional stress, which makes sense, and that my heart may have stopped from hypothermia from the rain. He told us that I'd say for a few more hours just to get me back up to speed, then I could go home.
Jack never let go of my hand, the whole night. Even when the guys showed up and were talking to me, too. He would hold my hand and kiss my skin over and over again.
*****
