Everything Happens For a Reason

Nobody Said That It Would Last Forever

Until that night. April 5th 2022. I won't ever forget it. Fate had left all the bad things until last. He left us with a beautiful child, a house, amazing friends and then this. Ricky had been acting incredibly strange that day. Even Rory picked up on it. We had tried to get it out of him all day but he never said I word. We watched the TV and Ricky was on his phone all that time. I tried to take a look but I couldn't see anything.
"Who are you texting daddy?" Whispered Rory as we giggled to each other.
"Nobody kid, just work." He replied, a very fake grin on his face.
I was worried. Since when had he ever acted like this. I decided to let Georgia have Rory for the night whilst I figured out what was happening. She understood and took him back to her house.
"That wasn't work was it..."
"Uh, no it was.."
"What do they want?"
"Oh they were asking me to go to work tomorrow, short staffed and all that."
The night went on and because of the stupid person that I was, I trusted him... Until he said he was going to do some late night shopping. I didn't ask to come with him, but instead I followed him, in the other car. I could tell he wasn't shopping, especially dressed in all black.

I'd followed him for miles until we finally came to a stop in an alleyway. I parked just around the corner, with a good view of what was going on. It seemed that he was waiting, waiting for someone. I don't think he ever knew I was watching. But I was incredibly suspicious. That's when I hooded figure came running across the road. As he saw Ricky, he took his hood down. He was a man of around 50 years, accompanied with a young boy, around 20 also in black. I could hear they were talking about something, and they didn't look happy at all. All of a sudden Ricky was pushed up against a wall by this man. My anxiety was kicking in but I had to get out with some type of weapon. There was nothing. All I had was myself.
"You better put him down before I call the police." I say.
"Ryan you should've stayed home." Ricky shouts.
"Whose this then?" The older man asks. He has a deep voice.
"Ryan go home I can deal with this."
Both men have knives now and I just want answers.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"You didn't even think to introduce your dad and brother to your husband? Are we  not good enough for your standards?"
"Okay but why are you here?" I remember Ricky told me he had ran away from home when we first met, but I thought if I said that then the situation would escalate.
"We're here for the money he owes us."
His dad has a stern look on his face, almost as if he wanted revenge.
"Okay how much? I'm sure we can sort this out-"
"£50,000, but it he doesn't have it. He's a lying, cheating scum who killed his own mother."
"What?" I ask in disgust, I don't know how to take it in.
"I didn't kill her, she died because of complications with childbirth."
I can see he's struggling to breathe with his brothers hand wrapped around his neck. As he says those words, I see the knife of his brother is up against his chest and I react suddenly.
"Don't you dare!"
I try to get around his dad who stabs me in the arm, but that didn't bother me right now. As I got around him, it was too late. Time stopped still almost as his brother walked backwards with the blood of his own kind on his hands. His dad and brother run off as I watch Ricky fall to the ground in pain.

I can't call an ambulance now, I need to be with him. I hold him in my arms and scream for help. He is wounded in the chest, blood pouring down his sweater.
"I love you, I'm so sorry." He whispers.
"It's not your fault, stay with me please Rick." I say, tears rolling down my face.
"Tell Rory and Georgia that I love them too, I've never - I've never loved anyone as much as - as I have loved you all."
He tries to hold out his hand whilst I still scream for help, he shows me his wedding ring.
"Forever." He whispers, running out of breath.
"And we can be forever I promise." I'm finding it difficult to speak now but a man from the building next to me hears my screams and begins to phone an ambulance.
"We will be okay I promise, I promise!" I reassure him.
His breathing gets slower by the minute and all I can do is hold him.
"You've been stabbed and I swear I'll- I'll kill them." He says.
"I don't care about that, I care about what they did to you." I'm still crying now.
"Rory needs you please don't give up now." I say, my hand under his head.
"He has you, and I will always love him. I'll protect you from anything like that."
"He will have you Rick. He will! Just keep breathing."
"I love you, and I always will."
He's loosing blood fast and he need this ambulance.
"I love you too baby." I say to him.
He reaches his hand out to me and touches my face.
"Forever." And those are his final words.
His hand slips away from my face and I scream "no" in pain and anger. The last memory I have off that night was the ambulance men taking him away, me in the back with him, holding his hand.

That was it. I prayed for a miracle, a hope, the part where it all gets better. When the darkness turns to light. But there was nothing.
"There was nothing we could do."
Those famous last words struck me harder than lightning. Pain, grief, despair, anger. All the emotions building up inside. Justice for Ricky I hear outside. It's all over the news. Bianca and Penny helped Georgia look after Rory. Everyone felt the same. When explaining to Rory that his dad had gone to heaven, I couldn't help but cry. Rory didn't really understand, but he took it better than I ever did. We did get justice for Ricky in the end. Both men were sentenced to life in prison but I still don't think I will ever forgive them. They left a child without a father, a husband without a husband. It wasn't fair and it never was.

It was hard. The years after his death. Coping with love and death. Getting your life back together. Rory started school and it was heartbreaking not having his dad by his side, but I knew he did really. Ricky definitely protects us up there. Georgia moved in with us recently also which was nice to have extra help where we needed it the most. A week after his death Drew came to my house. He apologised for everything and I did accept it. Sarah never did. Instead she posted how much she was grieving but everyone knew she wasn't actually sad. Instead everyone just hated on her for it. Oscar and Holly got married and they had a baby boy. They named him Richard which was the most beautiful tribute I could have imagined. Penny and Bianca are happy together too, their love is beautiful and they come over every week to check we are okay. There's still a piece of my heart missing that I won't ever get back, but Ricky will always be with me, I know he protects us from up there. We really were forever.