Take Me Back To Paddington (SERIES)

Chapter 12 - The Death

I was running in a hospital compound at 5 in the morning, eyes following the sign board that had Mortuary and Pathology Laboratory on it. That was where Nick told me to meet him.

Being in a denial state, I slowed down my steps even though I saw him sitting on a bench that was located at the end of the corridor I just entered.

Being in a denial state, I tried to steady my breath after the run even though Chae didn't answer any of my calls anymore.

Being in a denial state, I was being so calm even though I already gave the MIT permission to break into my house to conduct the investigation hours ago. No warrant needed.

Being in a denial state, I walked until my footsteps sound woke Nick up from his long, deep thinking mode; elbows pressing on his thighs with his head down.

"Isaac?"

He called my last name out as he got up from the bench, looking at me while his lips began to tremble.

I smiled.

"Hey" I responded, opening my arms to take him in and I felt his shaky body seconds later.

He didn't say anything, so did I. We both just kept ourselves in each other's embrace that never been that long, never felt that strong before.

"I-I'm" Nick pushed out a heavy breath when he tried to talk, making me stroked his back immediately and he started to sob. "I'm so sorry, Lisa"

He finished his sentence that sounded like it was so hard to be spoken to a colleague, to a friend.

"Nick..." I tried to give him the calmness that I was already gotten used to, so fond of. Chae would always hug me like this. "That's alright. Everything's alright"

"I did everything I could-"

"I know," I smiled, patting his back when I remembered how scared and panic he was on the phone before. "You followed the procedures, you have done your best"

I loosened my hold, pulling out from the hug that we shared and he grasped my arms instead.

Keeping the same smile on my face, we connected our eyes again.

"Is her dad already here?" I asked.

"Yes. Mr. Richards is inside" Nick responded, wiping his tears off. "He's viewing the body before post mortem is carried out"

I nodded.

"Baxter?" I called with a low voice. "I need to see her"

Knowing best about the procedures for viewing an identified body after it was transfered from the scene, either set by the mortuary itself or by law for a body of suspected homicide case, and I wasn't even Chae's family member or next of kin. I had no rights to get in the room.

But I just had to try.

"Are you sure you want to?" He asked, probably concerning if that was how I wanted to remember Chae; how she looked like when she passed.

My answer would always be no and I wouldn't tell him that.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to since Chae, a woman who I remembered for almost 2 years ever since I first saw her, was a cheerful soul, never missed to give her sweet, honest smile to anyone. That was how I wanted to remember her, when she was still alive and not when she wasn't. Yet, the correct question Baxter should have asked me was if I really need to?

Then my answer would be yes.

Being in a denial state, I needed to see her with my own eyes. I just needed to, so bad.