Hawaii 5-O: A Breath Of Life | #2

epilogue

“They say there was ones a guy that was walking Down the street and he fell down a hole. The walls were so steep he couldn’t get out no matter how hard he tried. A doctor passed by him one day and the guy shouted at him for help, the doctor threw down a prescription and moved on. Then a priest came alone, the guy asked for help again, the priest threw a prayer at him and left. Then a friend walked by and the man called and cried for help again, you know what the friend did?”

“what?” asked Grace sitting better on her bed
“he jumped in the hole.”
“that’s stupid.” She said quickly.
“funnily enough that’s what the guy in the story said” laughed Amelia “he said, are you stupid? Now we're both down here. To which the friend who had jumped said, I know but I’ve been down here before and I know a way out.” She smiled “sometimes all you need is someone to show you the way out. That’s why I’m going with uncle Steve.”
“and when will you be back?”
She shook her head “I don’t know a kiddo.”

Grace looked down at her hands, there were words in her lips she was afraid to say “and is it possible-" she cleared her throat “that you’ll never come back?”

Amelia was surprised by her question, she thought about it and realized the little girl she loved wasn't as little anymore “you’re not a kid anymore, are you?” Grace nodded but kept her eyes on the floor. Amelia struggled trying to find the right words to help her understand the situation. She decided to be honest with her “you’re right unfortunately. Listen me and uncle Steve we will be away for a long time and yes there’s a chance one of us might not come back which is why I need you to do something from me. You see, your father when he didn’t have me, he had uncle Steve, always. They’ve always been together, taking care of each other. So, while I am away, I need you to give him some extra love and take care of him. He'll need you more than ever Gracie.”

Grace looked up at Amelia, nodding “but I don’t want you and uncle Steve to go.”
“oh.” she sighed, moving closer to grace “well I have an idea. When I was a little younger than you, my mother, she’d travel sometimes because of her job and she'd be gone for months and I had no idea where she was and I wasn’t allowed to contact her either. I missed her terribly.” Amelia began to realize her eyes were teary, she felt the teardrop stroke her cheekbone the same way her mother used to. “so, every time she'd go away I’d do this thing and write her letters. I’d write to her almost every day, sometimes the same thing over and over again, sometimes twice a day. Of course, she never got the letters because I didn’t know her address but- writing to her, it used to ease the pain of having her away for so long. It felt like she was there and I was talking to her. So I’d write the letters and then I’d keep them in my drawer and when she came I’d give them all to her and she’d respond to all of them, sometimes hundreds of them…” a smile made its way to her lips, the memory felt like listening to an old song that caused her to cry. She sniffed in the tears and continued “and when she died, I’d do the same thing. To her and to my father. I still write to them sometimes and it always helps you know why?”

Grace shook her head, her beautiful eyes had turned red.

“because they’re right here.” She said, patting her heart and smiling “to lose someone is an awful thing Grace. You lose their hugs. You lose their touch. Their kisses. You lose all physical contact but- as long as you don’t let yourself forget them you never lose them completely. You never lose their voice; you can play it in old videos. You never lose their face because you can always see it in pictures. You never lose the memory and let me tell you this- death is so tiny and so small in comparison to love and memory. Death steals only what you let him to. Ok?”

Grace fell on her arms, holding her so tight as if they'd never see each other again. She cried, both of them and trembled in each other’s arms. Maybe they would have stayed like this for hours but there was a light knock on the door. It was Steve.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but we have to get going.”
Amelia smiled, she glanced at grace and they both stood up and walked in the leaving room. There was one last surprise waiting for her there.
“Kono?”
“you were really going to leave without saying goodbye? Both of you?”
“I was- you were supposed to be on your honeymoon.”
“is that supposed to be an excuse?”
Amelia looked at Steve “don’t look at me she already yelled at me before you came out here.”
“do you blame her?” asked Adam.
“I hate to be the one to do this but you guys really have to go.” Said Grover.
“he's right.” Whispered Steve.

Amelia looked at Kono and walked up to her, hugging her. There wasn’t a single person in that room whose eyes hadn’t turn red, not one person that hadn’t shed a tear. “come back” begged Kono but Amelia didn’t answer. They all said their goodbyes, they all asked for their return but there was no guarantee for either of them all they could do was have high hopes for the future and what was hope without reasoning?

♤

5 MONTHS LATER

Waiting and waiting it seemed like that’s all he ever did in his life wait. Wait in the office or in this case in the hospital. He kept tapping his foot on the floor like it would somehow make time go faster but time seemed to remain still. After all these years, all the pain he had to go through, there he was again, praying, waiting and dying inside for an answer. Holding on to hope without reason. He had a talent for it now. All the people he had lost, some just a few months, all that he had sacrificed “…and it’s still not enough to buy me out of the dog house?” he asked, his voice low but loud enough for chin to hear.
“what?” he asked

Steve didn’t answer, he stood up and walked to chapel of the church, the same way Amelia had when he was in the hospital. He rushed in, ready to yell but when he got there, he simply couldn’t find it in himself to do it. He kept going back and forth, he pointed at pictures, words were hanging from his lips, angry words, despicable words were burning his tongue so much he started sweating. If a stranger walked by, he'd think he was a crazy man by the way he trembled and moved around the chapel.

Suddenly he stopped, took a few breaths and looked at His painting. Pointed at him “enough” he said. Of all the other words that were torturing him that’s all he said. Enough. He had enough.

“Steve?”

Chin’s voice echoed behind him. He looked at the floor, he didn’t want to turn around. He didn’t want to face what could possibly be the worst news of his life “yeah?” he asked.
“doctor is looking for you.”

He gulped and nodded, took a few deep breaths “I’ll be upstairs in a second.”
“you want me to wait for you?”
“no.” he answered simply and Chin left. Steve looked at God again, he stared at Him, his heart beating in agony, like he was expecting him to speak but all he could hear were sirens from outside. For the first time he realized why she hated sirens so much.