The Last Battle

Chapter 10: Gone forever.

Three friends sat in a small and cold waiting room that night, for now twenty minutes, as they waited for news about their friend. Chloe sat between her two best friends in the world, since Gwen worked at another hospital, she wasn't there for support. Aubrey kept the ginger hugged to her with an arm, and Jesse nervously stared at the door of the room. Like summoned, a doctor came into the room and the three adults stood up.

"Family of Rebeca Mitchell?" the doctor asked.

"She has no one," Chloe replied "her parents died and she's an only child. But" she quickly added "she was my wife, and we have a son, and we are starting to go back together, so I guess, you could consider me her family, since our son is just seven and as no age to take decisions about his mom…" she rambled, and Aubrey glanced at her to let her know she should shut up. The doctor nodded "I'm Chloe. Beale, Chloe Beale." Chloe added nervously.

"Miss Beale, miss Mitchell suffered a shot on her sternum, that broke and its fragments went to her lungs, that between that and her asthma, collapsed. It also influenced that the bullet ruptured her abdominal aorta, and she lost too much blood. Miss Beale, what I meant to say is that there is nothing we could've done to save her." Chloe's eyes and Aubrey's started tearing. Jesse covered his mouth with his hand, his own eyes wet "Miss Beale, Rebeca Mitchell passed away in the ambulance. She's dead, and there's nothing anybody could've done to help her, she bleed out too fast, and her lungs had completely collapsed."

"No" Chloe shook her head "She's a soldier! She didn't survive wars to die from something so stupid. She's thirty six, her birthday is in four months, she has a son, she was just giving a colleague his stupid handcuffs, what am I gonna tell our Noah? What am I gonna tell him?!" her voice started elevating as her tears flew more easily.

"I'm so sorry Ms. Beale. Mr. Swanson, I believe you are?" Jesse nodded, and Aubrey tried to comfort Chloe kissing her check and rubbing her back "Ms. Mitchell designated you as her emergency contact, you need to come with me and do the paperwork so we can send your friend to the funeral home." Jesse nodded numbly, tears in his eyes that he rubbed easily. She patted Aubrey's back softly.

"Take her home, I'll take care of everything and be back before morning. Don't tell the children yet." Aubrey nodded, rubbing her own face angrily before kissing Jesse.

"No! I have to see her, I need to see her, please, please, just thirty seconds with her, please" Chloe cried grabbing the doctor's hand when he was about to leave the room with Jesse. The doctor stared helplessly at Jesse, who shook her head and gently pulled Chloe's hand away, giving his friend a tight hug.

"You can't see her honey, it won't be pretty." Jesse said, Chloe crying heavily on his chest.

"I don't care" Chloe managed to say between heavy sobs "I just need to see her. Please."

"You'll get to see her tomorrow at the funeral home. I promise." Jesse said "We'll even manage so you and Noah can be with her alone for a bit. I'm just going to make sure she has the nicest funeral and you go home and try to rest, you are going to need that. Beca wouldn't want you to be like this."

"Don't you get it? I need to see her or my mind won't assimilate this. It's unbelievable Jesse, one second we were kissing and the next… it's so unexpected, even for her, how is she supposed to know what to do, her soul…" Chloe managed to keep her sobs at bay to talk "Please Jesse… I'm begging… I'm begging."

"I need you to wait until tomorrow" Jesse said firmly, and kissed her forehead taking cupping her face gently between his hands "Chloe, she wouldn't want to be seen so broken. Let the surgeons do their best to fix her a bit, give her the chance to be seen presentable, like she always managed herself. She's gone Chloe, Beca is dead. And trust me… seen her won't make it easier. It will traumatize you, and it can wait until tomorrow. Just until morning."