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There was a pause while three dots appeared, then disappeared.
Tate: I mean, fuck, nothing I can say will be of any comfort to you. Except that I’m here if you ever need to talk.
More tears erupted as the irony of Tate’s words hit my heart like a sledgehammer, shattering what was left of it.
How long had I been waiting for him to say that exact thing? On top of losing my mom, it was too much. I was hysterical, sobbing and choking on air at the same time. I’m sure the driver thought I was completely off the rails.
When I finally managed to get a hold of myself, I typed out a response with trembling hands.
Reed: I’m still in shock. But thanks for reaching out.
Tate: Call me. Anytime.
I wanted so badly to make that call. Even if it was only to hear him say something sarcastic about me. It was weird, because he should’ve been the last person I wanted comfort from.
But there it was.
Suddenly, I felt incredibly alone.
Rissa had her husband, Darren, and the kids. Dad… God, I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. He was dedicated to my mom for the past thirty-five years. I looked at their marriage as the gold standard.
When I arrived at the hospital, I called Henn to thank her for the car service.
She’d warned me that the news of my mom’s death was already making the rounds and there might be reporters sniffing around the hospital.
Christ, that made me angry. It made me want to say fuck it to my Hollywood career. I couldn’t take a shit lately without it making headline news and now the press was going to circle over my mom’s passing like a pack of hungry vultures.
I texted Rissa and she instructed me to head on up to the third floor.
When I got off the elevator, I spotted her blonde ponytail and rushed over to greet her.
“Reed,” Rissa called out when she saw me.
I pulled her in for a hug, both of us shaking and crying.
“Where is she?” I managed to whisper.
Rissa leaned back and wiped her face. “They just transferred her to the morgue. They have to do an autopsy.”
“Jesus Christ.”
My voice broke and both of us held on to each other, sobbing.
Darren was suddenly beside us and put his arm around Rissa.
“Dad is awake and wants to talk to you,” he murmured.
Rissa nodded, too overcome to speak.
“Thanks Darren,” I replied and gave my brother-in-law a hug.
Rissa led me to the last room at the end of the hallway. My dad was lying in a hospital bed, his normally ruddy complexion ghostly white.
Then when he spotted us, fat tears rolled down his cheeks. “Is it true? Is she really gone?”
We reached his bed, Rissa on one side and me on the other, taking his ice-cold hands in ours.
“I’m so sorry, Dad.”
