*Sam's POV*
It's been a week since we lost her. Today is the day we bury her. Today I have to spend another day with her family and friends who loved her so much, and cry with them again as we watch them put her in the ground.
Johnson has been watching Bella for me so that I didn't have to worry about bringing her to the wake or to this funeral. Jack has been off doing god knows what, who knows where. He lost it the second he saw her parents when we walked through the door to her house. They tried to console him but nothing was helping, other than the booze. Every night he's come home smelling like puke and weed and any type of alcohol you can imagine. The old Jack is back. I tried to talk some sense into him, especially since now he has Bella to look out for, but he told me to "handle it" without him. I haven't seen him since the wake yesterday. I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later.
*Jack's POV*
I haven't felt a single thing since she died. Not one. Not even when I hold our baby. I don't even want to go near her. I can't. She reminds me too much of her mother. Sam can handle it. He doesn't need me in his life anyways. Neither one of them do. All I do is cause problems. I've decided to try and grieve in my own way. Every night I pick a different bar to get drunk at. Once I'm drunk enough I pick the biggest guy in the bar and start a fight with him. This way while he's smacking me around at least I can feel something, even if it is only for a few seconds. I just want to feel something again. She's all I think about. It hurts to even breathe without her.
Today is the day we have to bury her and I don't even want to go, but I know I have to.
*Sam's POV*
I get why Jack is acting the way he is. I do. I just hope for Bella's sake and his own, that he gets his shit together soon because she needs her father. It's bad enough she's going to have to grow up without a mother, she doesn't need to lose her father too.
Jack stumbles in the door 20 minutes before we're supposed to leave. He's covered in cuts and bruises and reeks of booze and weed. He walks right past Johnson and Bella, runs upstairs and slams the door. 15 minutes later he walks down looking like a new man. He walks up to Johnson and Bella and kisses Bella on the forehead, she flashes a little smile at him.
"You ready?" he asks.
"Uh, yeah. I guess. As ready as I'll ever be" I respond.
"Let's get this over with" he replies.
We head out the door and make our way to the funeral home.
Once we get there the procession begins and we follow the line of cars to the cemetery.
We get to the cemetery and form a large group around a casket-sized hole in the ground. A group of men help carry her casket to the hole, including myself and Jack. No one is wearing a tuxedo at this wake, or even a suit and tie for that matter. It's 85 and sunny out today, and Alyssa would've wanted it this way.
Everyone takes turns saying our final goodbyes before they close the casket for the last time.
Jack walks up to the casket and pulls something out of his pocket, and he begins to speak.
"The night she died, I told her I hoped to make her my wife someday soon. The day after she died I went out and bought this ring" he says as he holds up a small, square shaped box with a beautiful diamond ring in it. "I never got the chance to ask her, but I want her to know that I was serious about it. I loved this woman with all of my heart, and she loved me with all of hers, and unfortunately that cost her her life. I promised her that I would change, I would be a better man, for her and for our beautiful daughter Isabella. Alyssa was my better half, the love of my life, and today I'm going to bury her with this ring so that she knows I have every intent of keeping my promises".
He stops talking and pulls the ring out of the box. He places the ring on her ring finger and kisses her forehead. He walks back over to her parents and hugs them both. I had no idea this was going to happen but at this point, it was the right thing to do, for Isabella.
He looked over at me, and I looked over at him and nodded in approval. Everyone then took turns placing a rose on top of her coffin after they closed it and lowered it into the ground. This was it. This was our final goodbye.
