Forlot: Thunder Will Come Down - Book Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Caleb was dead.

There is no need to sugarcoat it or reveal such devastating news at the end of the chapter because you readers would put it together sooner. Caleb lost so much blood that the doctors and nurses were too late to save him. Blood soaked through his eyes and ears, and his skin was pale. The worst part was that my kids and I watched him die. The heart monitor had a flatline and made the infamous noise when the hospital loses a patient.

The town of Forlot would never be the same. All the heroes, even the mayor and the leaders, were saddened by the recent death and grieved. But they did not grieve as much as I did. Caleb was the love of my life. Now that he was unfairly taken from this world, I could never love again. I would continue loving our children and friends and family, however, I would never love a man like that I love my husband. Knowing Caleb, he would want to see me move on with another guy and be happy. That could be possible for him, but not for me.

It was the day after my husband's death. I was lying in bed, a bed that was half empty, and resting. I remained in my leopard dress because I did not have the strength yet to change into a fresh set of clothes. I did not get any sleep last night because I could not stop myself from sobbing. It was the first night without my husband. The first night that I would not feel him or hear him tell me that he loves me.

The kids did not take it well either. They could not wrap it around their heads that Caleb was never coming back. They would never feel their daddy's kisses or play monster with him. This is the second difficult process to go through. It is awful enough that a close family member or friend passed away. Try telling that to four young children, let alone one. Sooner or later, I would have to sit down with them and explain what death is and why their father was gone.

"Cindy?"

There was Destiny. She stood by my bed and was holding Baby Tamara. Tamara was awake and sucking on her little fingers. Destiny's belly was huge, and I smiled weakly and put a hand on it. The baby that Caleb and I made kicked.

"Oh my gosh," I said. "It kicked."

"I felt it early this morning and wanted you to feel your baby later in the day," Destiny declared. "I did not want to wake you up until you were good and ready."

I will admit to you readers that my cousin and I drew close since that Caleb died. She had been stepping up and helping me with the kids. She cooked all our meals and played with them and tucked them in. I guess that was one positive thing to take from this tragedy.

Destiny placed my daughter on the bed, and Tamara crawled to me and hugged me. I hugged her back and kissed her forehead. She glanced at the empty side of the bed.

"Daddy?"

I was unsure how to respond and looked at Destiny for assistance.

"Tamara really wants to see Caleb, Cindy. I kept telling her that she cannot, but she will not take no for an answer."

"That is Tamara," I said. "The word 'no' is her least favorite word."

At that moment, we heard the doorbell ring. No doubt that it was somebody who was checking on me. I asked Destiny to answer the door and added that I would be down after I changed and brushed my hair, but she wrapped her arm around mine and said that I had every right to be a mess because I just lost a person near and dear to me.

"You want me to look like an insane girl?"

"Absolutely not. I desire for you to look like a single mother who is going to need help from your friends and family. You cannot handle this alone."

About two minutes later, we were in the living room. I was leaning back on the couch, and Destiny opened the front door.

"Hello," Amanda greeted. "Is Cindy here? Jorgie and I would like to have a chat with her."

"Okay, but she is a complete mess."

"That does not surprise me any," Jorgie confessed.

The princesses stepped inside. Amanda was clutching a folder, and Jorgie hurried to me and embraced me in a hug. I let out the waterworks, and she did as well. We pulled away from each other when we could cry no more, and Jorgie sat next to me. Amanda joined us.

"Jorgie told me about your loss," Amanda said. "I am awfully sorry."

I sniffed. "Caleb did not deserve to die," I stated my opinion.

"No, he did not," Jorgie agreed.

Amanda set the folder on the table. "You will be happy to know that the leaders passed a proposition that allows the family of Caleb Night to choose how to honor him."

I was slightly confused. "Is this about the funeral?"

Jorgie patted my knee. "You and any member of his family can offer an idea how you want him to be remembered. For example, you might like a statue of him in the middle of town. He is considered a hero, so he can have a statue or anything named after him."

I clasped my hands in my lap. "A statue would be fantastic."

Amanda opened the folder and took out a piece of paper. "Excellent choice. We will begin working on the statue after the funeral. Until then, you can skim this paper and think about the type of statue that you wish to see." She handed it to me.

"I will use my best judgment. Thank you."

An hour after they left, I got a call from the police.