Trigger warning: Talk of suicide/character death.
A 15-year-old boy took his life tonight. I was friends with his sister back in the day, going all through school with her. Even though you dont know someone personally, sometimes you sort of expect them to be there. I am not mourning for myself, its not my place. I am mourning for the family that lost their brother, their son. I'd like to dedicate this one-shot to Connor, because I hope it's nice where you are. I hope that you have found peace.
All those who have lost someone can relate to this. I apologize for the sloppy work, but it was rather emotional writing it. I just needed to get pain onto paper and I think thats what was done.
Please know that each and every one of you are special and unique and there is not a single person on this earth that will not be missed by someone. I promise you life is worth fighting for, that you are worth fighting for.
I do not own Life With Derek.
The house was dead silent. Only the clocks ticking painfully loudly could be heard. The ticking reminding everyone of how time was still passing, time without him, and how fast the world could really change.
The only other sound was the soft whispers of conversation from the kitchen. Nora was calling those that needed to know first. Letting them know that they had suffered a great loss that night. And, even worse, that the loss had been at his own hand.
Edwin Venturi had committed suicide that night.
George was still upstairs, struggling to explain it to his youngest. She didn't understand, or didn't want to. She kept arguing with him, her shouts turning to screams, refusing to believe her older brother was gone. He couldn't be. He promised to let her play Monopoly with him and Lizzie next time. Said he'd take her to the park that weekend. Why would he make all these future plans with her if he had no intention of fulfilling them? It was wrong. They were wrong. Everything was all wrong.
Lizzie lay alone in his dark room, wrapping herself in the blankets that still smelled of him, holding Mr. Fuzzy to her stomach as she scrunched her body into the fetal position. She was holding herself together as silent tears graced her young, moonlit face. Why had her best friend left her? Why had he done this? Not said anything to her of all people? Why did she have no idea he was hurting this much? Could she have stopped him?
A hole was ripping apart inside of her. A hole she knew would never fill in again. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back.
Casey got off the phone with Emily and Sam, tears stinging her eyes. Her eyes were red and puffy, agitated from all the mourning she had done so far that night. She knew it was only the beginning.
But she had to be strong for the family. Just like her mom was. Nora was doing the calls because George could barely breathe. A part of him was, and forever would be, missing. A part of all of them would be missing.
Casey slunk out into the hallway, wiping her face furiously with the back of her hand, stopping outside of Derek's room. No one had seen Derek since Edwin's, oh god, body left on the stretcher a couple hours ago. She knocked but received no answer.
Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she cautiously opened his door. He was staring at the ceiling, and Casey felt a flash of fear course through her at his lifelessness. But then he blinked and looked up at her, before turning back to the ceiling, uninterested.
His eyes began swimming with tears though and Casey closed the door, rushing to his side and cuddling into him. He let his arm wrap around her shoulder as she buried her tears in his chest. He continued his staring match with the chipped paint above.
"I'm sorry, Derek." she whispered, apologizing for much more than the tears that were soaking his t-shirt.
Those three simple words were his undoing. His blank expression crumpled, his body curling up in pain and Casey threw her arms around his middle, hugging him to her tightly.
Sobs racked his body, shaking both of them with their force. She clutched him to her, her hand in his soft hair, letting the hollow on her throat serve as a bowl for his tears.
"God Case, my baby brother…" he choked out, his words hardly tangible.
Casey nodded into him, crying too. "I know, Derek, I know…"
Edwin and she may not have been particularly close, but she had grown to love him as a brother. After all the family had overcome, it felt like this was some sort of cruel joke.
Exhaustion eventually began to take over, and their tears ran out, for now. Casey stayed intertwined in his arms, holding him closely so she could hear his heartbeat. She needed to know he was there, alive, with her and that he knew they were in this together.
Edwin had always been so upbeat, so jovial and funny. A brightener to the room, an ice breaker, a character. How could someone so young and so full of life want to rob themselves of living? They could go over the what ifs a million times but the truth was, he was gone and he wasn't coming back. They had to move forward without him now. He was in a better place, rid of the darkness and pain he had unknowingly possessed.
Casey cast one final look upwards. "I hope it's nice where you are." she whispered with a watery smile, before resting her head on the shared pillow and trying to find enough peace to sleep.
It was going to be a long journey to recovery. Time may heal all wounds, but the scars would be there forever.
Rest in peace.