So, this was death. Louise was still struggling to accept that she was really dead. When she ran in front of that car, she was not thinking about dying. She was thinking about saving her siblings. She just couldn't stand the idea of growing up without Tina or Gene or seeing them suffer. She had loved Tina and Gene so much. They were always better kids than her and they deserved to live. They probably deserved peace and freedom from constantly having to worry about her. Louise had already met God. He wasn't like she expected. Not that she thought about religion much. He was a blur of every color, but he shone white and with flicks of green. He had told her that he was proud of her for saving her siblings. She had begged to go back. She did not want to leave. Especially after seeing how bad, Bob had broken down. She had tried so hard to comfort him, but her body was useless. She just didn't understand. Why couldn't she go back? She had saved two lives. Surely that had to be good for a wish. Her only wish was to go back to her family. God, she wished they would stop crying.
"Louise?" A voice called.
"Yeah. Hey wait? Grandma? Yeah, I've only seen one or two pictures of you, but I know you. You are the reason I had my hat." Louise explained.
"It's nice to meet you. Though I have seen you often. I stayed with you when you were in the hospital as a baby." Grandma Tina explained.
"It's nice to meet you too, but why am I here? Why couldn't I go back? I could have gotten used to being disabled and my family would have taken care of me." Louise questioned.
"None of us get to pick when we go." Grandma Tina replied.
"But I was only ten and everybody is devastated. Look at my dad." Louise replied.
"Yeah, he took it hard when I died too, but Louise this is how it has to be." Grandma Tina replied.
"Why?" Louise demanded.
"Because" Grandma Tina replied.
"Well, that's helpful." Louise snorted.
"Come on we have to go." Grandma Tina insisted.
"Yeah, we only have eternity." Louise sighed.
"They will be here in their own time but before you know it. In the meantime, you can watch as much as you want." Grandma Tina assured.
"So, I can watch my dad poop? Freak him out." Louise asked.
"Yeah" Grandma Tina smirked.
"And I could see every embarrassing thing that happens to Chloe Barbash?" Louise asked.
"Barbash? I knew a Hellen Barbash. She dumped your grandpa just before he proposed and was always so mean to us. Until the hearse carrying my body backed into her new Porsche." Grandma Tina laughed.
"And I have a new best friend." Louise replied finally taking her grandmother's hand.
The Belchers, along with Gloria, Al, Gayle, and Teddy left the hospital around four in the morning. The Genarros and Teddy returned to their hotel. While the Belchers now including both Bob's returned to Ronald McDonald House Gene was taking pain killers for their broken arm, so they managed to fall into a fitful sleep after taking a pill. Tina just lay awake, like her dad and Louise. She was used to insomnia. Usually, she would write erotic friend fiction or get the family laptop and look at horses for sale or adoption. On this night however she just stared up at the ceiling. Had that really just happened? Had her baby sister really just died? Linda buried her face in her pillow and sobbed hysterically. Her baby was dead. Bob sat on the small loveseat that was placed in the corner of the room. He stared blankly out the window. Tears were falling from his eyes, and he was fighting the urge to simultaneously scream and vomit. Eventually he lost the battle on vomiting. He lunged for the trashcan but missed and ended up instead emptying the meager contents of his stomach onto Big Bob who was tossing and turning on the couch.
It took a moment for Big Bob to register what happened. Confused he pulled himself upright and quickly noticed his son wiping his mouth. Sighing he walked into the bathroom, shook his dirty shirt into the toilet and then rinsed what remained in the bathtub. He stuck the clothes in a plastic bag which he tied shut. After changing into his last remaining pair of fresh clothes. He returned to the room. By the time he returned Bob was on his knees retching all over the floor. Bob hadn't eaten anything except that cup of soup in at least thirty-six hours. This was worrisome. Big Bob knelt down beside his son who was now punching the ground and sobbing.
"Bobby?" Big Bob asked.
"It's not fair. It's just not fair. She was my baby. She was my best friend. It's not supposed to be this way." Bob cried.
"I know" Big Bob whispered.
"And then what? She saved Tina and Gene from that car. If she hadn't been there, they would have been hit. Part of me wonders if that would have been better. They were bigger and there were two of them. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad for them. God that is so wrong? What am I saying that I would rather lose two children than one?" Bob sobbed.
"Were you angry with Tina and Gene at the time of the accident?" Big Bob asked.
"No" Bob replied,
"But you were angry with Louise?" Big Bob recalled.
"Yes" Bob admitted.
"You are feeling guilty the last words she heard before she entered the end of her life. Were hurtful, you don't really wish it had been Tina and Gene. You would just have rather it have been the children who you had showered with praise before the accident." Big Bob explained.
"She died thinking I hated her." Bob sniffed.
"No, she didn't son." Big Bob assured.
Little did the two Bob's know Tina and Linda were both wide awake and had heard everything. Tina heard her dad say he kind of wished it had been her. At least somebody else felt the same way. It kind of hurt, but it was true. Death was far more desirable than the life she was living now. Knowing that her baby sister was gone, and it was entirely her fault. Even if it hadn't of been. If this was how it was going to be now. Everybody afraid and crying for Louise. Never seeing Louise again. Knowing already the nightmares would never go away. She definitely wished she had been the one to die. Louise was always so much stronger than her. She wouldn't be suffering this much.
Linda heard everything as well, but her reaction was far different. She was absolutely livid that Bob freely stated he would have rather lost Tina and Gene. She knew he had always favored Louise but to say it aloud and in such a cruel manor. All while crying tears of regret over the last words, he had spoken to Louise. He was such a hypocrite!
"I want her back! I would give anything to have her back!" Bob cried.
"Even your other two children?" Linda spat.
"You heard that?" Bob gasped.
"Yes, I did! You hypocritical little snake!" Linda snapped.
"Lin, I didn't mean it." Bob sniffed.
"Oh really?! Just like you didn't mean your last words to Louise. Do you really want all your children dead? Would you rather me dead as well? Are you that selfish? That sick of us? Well, the door was always open! Oh, wait it was your restaurant! Well, we would have gone! My parents begged us to move to Florida with them! They wanted Gayle to stay close and knew she would have followed me! Well, we all remember how that went! We had to stay in New Jersey! Because all Bobby loves is Bob's Burgers!" Linda screamed.
"Lin" Bob wretched.
"Linda! I want you to take a deep breath and get back into bed. We are all hurting. We haven't slept a wink in two nights. We are going to say things we don't mean and get angry for no reason. It is just how it goes. Just take a deep breath and go lie down. We can start fresh in the morning." Big Bob instructed.
"Except for Louise! And no, I will not just let this go! And you are the worst person to give advice on this subject! You were a selfish asshole when Bob's mom died and now you turned Bob into one as well! God! I bet you are just an asshole! You never loved her! You just want to make everybody feel bad! Like father! Like son!" Linda shouted.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry" Bob cried rocking back and forth.
"Linda please" Big Bob pleaded.
"Shut up!" Linda snapped before storming out of the room.
Bob had done it this time. First his words had cost him his youngest child and now they may have cost him his marriage. He knew Linda was just hurting probably even more than he was. Why did he have to be so cruel to everybody? Was he just determined to lose everybody he loved? Big Bob helped him to the bathroom where he bathed and changed into clean clothes. Afterwards he stumbled to the empty bed and collapsed. It wasn't a restful sleep by any means. Every dream was a nightmare, but his life had become a nightmare.
Big Bob watched his only child sleep. He had prayed for years that Bobby would never face anything like this. He was never a religious man but went along with it to satisfy his parents. After losing his wife he knew without a doubt there was no God. If there was, he was a colossal asshole for taking her from him. Still, he had prayed to whatever was out there. Just for his son to be spared some pain. Now Big Bob knew for sure. There was nothing. The universe was just pure evil and devoted to destroying anything that was good and beautiful. Bob cried out in his sleep and Big Bob curled up beside him. He wished he had done this more when Bob was a boy. Maybe Linda was right. If he had cared for his own son at all none of this would have happened.
"I'm sorry, son." Big Bob whispered.
Rudy woke up to the sound of the front door closing. At first, he thought it was just his mom going to work but no it was a Sunday. Wasn't it? Tiredly he rolled over and peaked at the calendar that hung beside his bed. Yeah, it was a Sunday. Why was his mom leaving? On that note why hadn't she woken him? Normally she would wake him and drive him over to his dad's if she had to work early and nobody could babysit? Was it later than he thought? He looked at the clock 6:34AM was displayed in bright red numbers. What on Earth? Now he heard whispering. It was his dad. Why was he here? Except for when they exchanged Rudy, Sylvester never came over to his moms? Wait now both his parents were crying. What was going on? Tiredly Rudy pulled himself out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. His mom and Sylvester sat at the table. They were both crying and a box of tissues along with the emergency inhaler were placed on the table.
"Rudy! We weren't expecting you up so soon." His mom gasped.
"I heard the door close. What is going on? Why is dad here? Why are you crying? Why do you think I will need my rescue inhaler?" Rudy demanded.
"Rudy, Louise Belcher died this morning. We just got the call from the school. We decided it would be best if we told you together. I am so sorry." Sylvester explained.
Rudy felt his chest tightening. He grabbed his inhaler and took several frantic puffs. This wasn't happening. Louise wasn't dead. His chest was still tight. He saw his parents frantically run around searching for another inhaler. More puffs the tightness was different now. It wasn't like any asthma attack he had before. It was more in his heart. Sylvester tried to get him to a chair, but Rudy refused instead throwing himself on the floor. He kicked the empty chair that was in front of him.
"It should have been me! Not Louise! Not Louise!" Rudy cried.
Calvin Fishodor stood in front of his television. It was still early in the morning. He raised his coffee cup to his mouth and took a swig, another. He switched to the morning news. Louise's picture was on the screen. Something was written underneath. He rubbed his eye and prayed he was wrong. Those God-Awful words were still there and now the newscaster was speaking. Louise was dead. The girl who saved his life was dead. She had saved him, but he was powerless to save her. At least the bastard who hit her was in jail. Though the identity had not yet been released. Calvin placed the cup on the table and retrieved a bottle from the cabinet. He unscrewed the cap and fell onto the couch.
All there was to do was drive home. Mort would oversee the funeral; he had made arrangements for her body to be brought home. Linda was still furious and refused to allow Bob into the car. Gene climbed into the front seat beside her. Big Bob drove his son home, Tina joined them wordlessly. Teddy opted to ride home with Tina and the Bob's. The drive was short with only one or two bathroom stops for each car. Nobody felt much like eating. Bob was still struggling to keep water down. The two cars parked at the end of Ocean Avenue. Bob muttered an empty "Welcome home" to Linda. Linda ignored him. Tina and Gene reunited and held hands as they approached the apartment. The Genearros had arrived by then too. Gloria kept glaring at Bob and muttering under her breath. Big Bob shot her a dirty look, and she flipped him off. It was Tina who found the note on the door. The note from the sheriff's department. It took a moment to register. When she understood she fell to the sidewalk crying.
"Tina? What is it?" Bob asked.
"We… We need to get to the police station." Tina stammered.
"Why?" Linda demanded.
"They caught the son of a bitch." Tina hissed.
Tina and Gene insisted on going with Bob and Linda to the police station. Maybe it was because of the children the pair managed to keep it civil on the drive. The receptionist gave a sympathetic look as he buzzed them into the station. A young-looking female officer ushered them into a small windowless room. A folder containing the statements the family had given the day before, along with several other witness statements sat on the table.
"Mr. and Ms. Belcher, Tina and Gene I am Detective Feldman. My partner and I are handling your daughter's case. We are both terribly sorry for your loss." Detective Feldman greeted.
"Enough pleasantries! Just tell us the name of the son of a bitch who killed my sister!" Tina ordered.
"Tina" Linda hissed.
"She's not normally like this. It's just been hard on her. Knowing that the person who hit her is or was still out there." Bob explained.
"I understand. Here is the information." Detective Feldman replied sliding a folder to Bob and Linda.
"What?! NO! NO!" Linda cried.
"That fucking asshole! Fuck him! Fuck that human piece of shit! Blow him to hell! NO! Hell is too good for that fucking bastard!" Bob shouted smacking the files off of the table.
"Who was it?" Tina asked.
"Jimmy Fucking Pesto! Jimmy Pesto murdered your baby sister and if you know what's good for you! You will dump his son's sorry ass! FUCK HIM! FUCK JIMMY PESTO! FUCK HIM! FUCK JIMMY PESTO!" Bob screamed.
"Jimmy Junior already dumped me! He knew his dad did it! And he didn't confess! That jerk! That jerk!" Tina sobbed.
"Mr. Pesto killed, Louise?" Gene gasped fresh tears forming in his eyes.
The drive home from the police station was far more intense than the drive over had been. Bob kept cussing Jimmy Pesto and Linda was crying. Tina watched out the window and Gene whimpered in the back seat. Before they knew it, they were home. Again, they parked at the end of the street. They walked towards the apartment. Linda and the kids headed upstairs. Linda went straight for the kitchen. She grabbed two large bottles of wine and stumbled towards the bedroom. She didn't even look down the hall.
Tina on the other hand felt the need to be in Louise's room. She took Louise's collectables from the shelf and held them close. They still smelled like her. Tina buried her face in her sister's pillow and began to sob uncontrollably.
Gene went to his room. His eyes surveyed his instruments. He finally reached for her guitar. He only knew a couple of the chords. Alex's cousin had stayed with them over the summer, and he was obsessed with the "Foo Fighters" he had taken Taylor Hawkins' death hard and had tried to teach Gene to play "My Hero" Gene got frustrated too easily and gave up. Now he wished he had tried harder. He tried the chords he knew but it still didn't feel right. He set the guitar down and grabbed the keyboard. He began gently stroking the keys it was softer than he usually played and there were no sound effects. It still wasn't right but at least he had an idea.
Bob remained outside on the sidewalk glaring angrily at Jimmy's place. His customers and dignity weren't enough. Did Jimmy really have to take his baby too? He knew Jimmy had been struggling with substance abuse since his actions in DC had been made known. The restaurant had all but closed. Ms. Pesto was still trying to decide what to do but Jimmy Pesto's had been empty for months. Served him right. Still that name. that horrid, evil name was posted on the marque. Bob grabbed a rock and hurled it at the sign. It missed and narrowly avoided a man passing by.
"Watch it you jackass!" The man snapped.
"Bastard killed my daughter!" Bob shouted.
"Well, you almost killed me!" The man retorted.
"Bob inside now!" Big Bob demanded.
"Dad" Bob whispered.
"Bobby, Louise would not like what she is seeing." Big Bob reminded.
"God, dad it hurts so much!" Bob cried.
"I know" Big Bob whispered pulling his son into a hug.
Cars and anything that vented out were terrifying to Zeke, but he heard they were home. He was sick and scared but he knew Tina was going to need him. He grabbed his sunglasses and told his dad and Cheryl that he was going out. He was too careful in crosswalks but ran through the streets. He got the Ocean Avenue and to the Belcher's apartment. He pounded on the door until a man Zeke guessed to be Bob's father.
"Yes" Big Bob greeted.
"Mr. Belcher? It's Zeke. We talked on the phone the other day." Zeke reminded.
"I remember. May I help you?" Big Bob asked.
"Is Tina home?" Zeke asked.
"Yes, but she may not want to see you. I will take you up though." Big Bob replied.
Tina lay in the fetal position on Louise's bed. Now that she had started crying, she didn't know if she would ever stop. Louise had only been gone for fifteen hours but it already felt like and eternity. She hated how empty the apartment seemed. She hated the sad song she heard coming from Gene's room when she had attempted to eat lunch. She hated hearing Linda slur her words and cry while drinking wine straight from the bottle. She hated that Bob was on the floor of the hallway shaking and crying. She hated that her grandparents were practically at war. She hated how Gayle and Teddy just sat there.
"T Bird" A familiar voice called.
"Zeke" Tina whispered.
"How you are holding up, girl?" Zeke asked.
"My sister is dead. My boyfriend broke up with me. His dad killed my sister. My family is falling apart." Tina sobbed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Zeke offered.
"I need to get out of here. I need to." Tina sobbed.
"If the adults will allow you. I know a place." Zeke offered.