No.
"He's dead Rachel."
Rachel turned around swiftly at the sound of his voice. Joe's voice. He's dead, the 3 words that Abby was trying to say, failing to say. It was the three words he never hoped to have to tell her, but always knew from the moment he'd told her "He's missing Rachel" that it was true.
A/N I read a section of OSOT today, this was the result.
Disclaimer: No.
She waited until everybody had left the room, they filed out at her fierce look, Zach tore himself away from me evidently knowing what was to be said and who he was supposed to be with now. To comfort.
Rachel look at Abby with expectant eyes, waiting for her to tell her whatever it was that was stopping her from being happy about my awakening.
"We found Mathew." Abby's words were slow and full of regret.
Rachel blinked and stuttered from her place at my bedside.
"We found Mathew." Abby repeated looking at her older sister with a sad confession in her eyes.
Rachel gasped, a tear stung her eye. She got up and moved towards her sister.
"No." Rachel shook her head.
All the hope from the last 6 years had instantaneously vanished, the hope that her husband would come home.
"No." she repeated as quietly as the first time.
Anger suddenly flashed in her eyes as she stared at her younger sister
"He's dead Rachel."
Rachel turned around swiftly at the sound of my voice. Joe's voice. 'He's dead Rachel' the 3 words that Abby was trying to say, failing to say. It was the three words I'd never hoped to have to tell her, but always knew from the moment I'd told her "He's missing Rachel" that it was true.
"You-" Rachel snarled at me.
She was angry at me. She was angry at the world. She was angry at the truth. But most importantly she was angry with me for voicing the words she never wanted to hear, that she would give the world to never have to hear. And yet I'd said them, because I loved her.
"It's true Rachel. He's gone." I said simply.
No sympathy or sadness in my eyes would make Rachel Morgan ok. I knew that, as did Abby.
"And it's your fault!" Rachel yelled.
"Rachel no-" Abby shouted over her, grabbing her arm.
Rachel tried to struggle but Abby's grasp was tight. "Get off me. It's his fault!" Rachel shouted louder.
It broke me to hear those words be uttered from her mouth, I knew it was true. It was my stupid involvement in the Circle that had led to Mathews death. Some friend I had been, letting Matt go off to fight my battles.
"No. Rachel it's not." Abby told her.
But Rachel Morgan was not listening to her young sister. She was staring angrily at me. Joseph Solomon.
"He killed Matt."
Once the words were uttered from her mouth the look of horror on her face was unbelievable. She'd admitted, he was dead. She stared at me in shock, Abby let go of her sister and stood there open mouthed.
"Abby get out." I told her.
It was selfish and it was mean, but I needed Rachel to say, to tell me she hated me and I knew she would never utter those words with her sister standing right beside her.
"No." Abby responded.
"Get out Abigail now." I replied fiercely.
But Abby shook her head. "No."
"Yes." The voice was quiet and nobody in the room quite believed the word had been uttered from Rachel, but it had. "Just go. I'll be a minute."
Abby looked at her sister, who refused to take her gaze off of me and bit her lip. She retreated out of the room with a lone tear strolling down her face. She knew she had to be strong for her sister, but dismissal was not what she'd expected.
Abby closed the door heavily behind her. For a moment we didn't speak, just stared at one another with clear eyes. She could read everything I was thinking in my eyes, and I could read everything she was feeling in her eyes.
She was angry. She was so so angry.
But she was hurt too, and that was what was heartbreaking to see.
"No." She uttered the words slowly.
"Yes." I responded without missing a beat.
"No." She shook her head
"Yes." I stared into her eyes.
"No." A tear rolled down her cheek. "No." She bit her lip. "No. She shook her head once more.
"Yes Rachel." The pain in my eyes was as evident as in my voice. "He'd dead. He died 6 years ago."
I gently, willing my weak body to comply with my thoughts, reached over and grasped her hand.
She looked up shocked at the physical contact, but that was all it took for everything to come tumbling down. She shouted and tears streamed down her porcelain face, I gently tugged her closer so she was sitting on the bed. With immense effort I moved my body to the left, leaving space for Rachel on the snow white sheets.
She cried and she sobbed and she tugged on my shirt and she hid her head in my embrace. Suddenly the door opened, and if Rachel heard (which she probably did) she didn't look up. Abigail Cameron, red eyed and tears streaming down her own face strode across the room she'd only moments ago been banished from by her own sister and knelt by my bed. She rubbed Rachel's back as I soothed her hair.
We both loved Rachel Morgan and we wanted to take her hurt away but we couldn't. We never could, and that was the most hurtful thing of all.
Rachel continued to cry, 6 years of pain came tumbling down, Abby tried to be strong for her sister, the woman who had always been there for her. I took my other hand that had wound it's way around Rachel's body in an act of protectionism (and to keep her on the bed) and reached out to take Abby's free hand. She wasn't shocked but she did look up at me. She met my gaze and I think she realised the reason why I wasn't crying, it wasn't because I felt the need to be strong for the Cameron sisters, it was because I'd grieved 6 years ago, because I'd secretly known that Mathew Morgan was dead. She looked at me and I squeezed are hands. Two people that I cared deeply about were here and it was my turn to comfort them.
Rachel's sobs took time to subdue but they did, her sobs turned to whimpers. Her body physically shook against me, she didn't uncurl from the foetal position nor did she remove her hands from my chest but at least the moisture in her eyes was gone.
The three of us lay in silence until Rachel whispered. "Abby."
Slowly uncurling her hands from the clenched material of my shirt she turned her head. Taking a hand she reached for Abby's hand, the one I'd only just let go of.
"Tell me."
Her whimpers were gone replaced by a hoarse voice, similar to toddlers who'd suddenly stopped screaming to find they could no longer speak properly.
"Rachel-" I warned squeezing her hand that was now in my grasp.
She turned to me and stared into my eyes, the anger gone, replaced only with sadness. "Yes." She told me.
"Yes."