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She started to cry harder and buried her face into my chest.
My shirt would be soaked by the end.
I could just feel it.
***
Turner
The funeral was awful.
Just like I thought it would be.
Unsurprisingly, it was a beautiful service, and I was very impressed with how well it went.
The slideshow of all the pictures—the ones that I hadn’t had to find, thanks to my best friend being so awesome—was by far the hardest. I hadn’t realized that I could cry any harder at that point, but I proved myself wrong.
And through it all, Castiel had been a rock at my side.
He hadn’t complained one single bit, not even when I started soaking his shirt.
Then, as the service ended, and people started to come up to me, offering their condolences, he was still at my side.
It was as we were leaving, and Jubilee was asking us what to do with the flowers, that he finally spoke up.
“The veteran’s hospital and memorial ground isn’t too far from here,” Castiel said. “You could take some of them inside the hospital, to all the patients’ rooms. And if you still have more, you can start taking them to the graves.”
Jubilee looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded. That actually sounded quite lovely.
“Okay, I’ll have Mr. Downs load them up and take them there,” she said. “We’re going to have to take multiple trips, though. Are there any that you want to take with you?”
I’d actually taken the time to go through them earlier. Looking at each and every card that there was.
There was only one that I really wanted to take.
“Yeah,” I whispered, disengaging from Castiel and walking to a beautiful spray of flowers that had caught my attention from my seat.
Bending over, I picked up the flowers by the vase and smiled when I saw the card again.
Not enough, but it’s something. -Castiel.
I turned to find Castiel staring at me knowingly.
“How’d you find those in all of the other prettier ones?” he asked me as I walked back to him.
“They’re understated but beautiful,” I murmured. “And they were right by my chair. I had a lot of time to study the closer ones.”
Castiel offered me a quick grin, and then looked at something over my shoulder.
I followed his gaze to see Easton in the back of the room, studying the crowd.
“You have to go to work?” I asked.
Castiel nodded, looking reluctant to leave, but I knew he needed to go.
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “We’ve already been here about an hour longer than scheduled. We have to pick up lunch and dive back in. Especially since tomorrow we’re short-staffed.”
I was nodding before he’d finished his explanation.
Then I was walking toward him, pausing only slightly to set my vase down on the pew Castiel was standing next to, before continuing straight into Castiel’s arms.
“Thank you for coming,” I breathed. “Once again, you saved the day.”
He squeezed me tight, then dropped a kiss onto the top of my forehead.
“I’d say it was a pleasure, but I’d rather not have had to do it at all,” he admitted. “But since I did, you’re welcome. It was my honor.”
Then he was dropping one more kiss to my forehead, and I took the hint for what it was.
He had to go.
After squeezing my hip one more time, he stopped next to Bud, said some low, quiet words, and continued on to the door.
It wasn’t until Bud was standing at my side and Castiel was walking out of the building that I realized Castiel hadn’t wanted me to be alone.
“Let’s go home,” he said. “I know Grandma made us food and dropped it off at your RV. I’m starved.”
We’d opted out of having an after-service memorial. Since Thanksgiving was so soon, we knew that people had places to be and things to do and prepare for, so we’d chosen to have a memorial service for the family about mid-way through December. There we would celebrate my mother’s life, and I’d get to split up my mother’s remains with everyone.
But today, it was just about us. Dad, Bud, and me.
But, looking at Dad, I knew that he wouldn’t be coming over.
“You want to come eat at the RV with me and Bud, Dad?” I asked.
Dad looked over at me and shook his head.
“No,” he admitted. “I think I want to be alone tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll come over around noon…but tonight? I just want to…breathe.”
I knew what he meant entirely.
I also knew that tomorrow wouldn’t be any better than today.
Yet I didn’t argue with him.
Instead, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight.
He barely hugged me back.Chapter 16As a child, I thought I’d see the Bermuda Triangle. Is it just me or are you disappointed you haven’t seen it, too?
-Text from Turner to Castiel
Turner
“Why are you calling me at seven in the morning?” Castiel grumbled, sounding half asleep.
