Bob could not believe it was happening again. Everything was finally getting back to something somewhat resembling normal. Only to be dealt another blow. Linda's death wasn't exactly a shock. According to Gayle she pretty much spent every waking hour drinking and popping pills until she passed out. Then her dealer introduced her to heroine. Once that started Bob knew she was gone. Alcohol and pills were bad enough, but heroine proved she would never stop searching for a new high. Nobody around her could or would help. It was just a matter of time. The way it was described to Bob. They found her on the floor of a shed in Gloria and Al's backyard. She had a needle in her arm with a bottle of pills in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other. No note had been found at least not yet, but Bob knew it was a suicide. She just couldn't carry on without Louise any longer. It killed him because he was struggling to fight without her himself. Even though he had taken the first steps. He still was far from out of the woods. Now losing Linda forever. He was kicked ten steps back and he didn't know if he could fight back this time. He had broken down bad after he got the news. It took hours for him to even be able to catch his breath. By the time he came around. Tina and Gene had already gone to school. Big Bob had sent them on their way. Deciding it was best they heard the news from their father but had one last day of semi normalcy. Before everything was shattered again.
Mort and Teddy had rushed over as soon as they got the news. Even though it was doubtful Gloria and Al would even tell Bob the funeral had taken place. Mort had still offered to officiate the service. Teddy stood stoically next to Bob. Tears were pouring down his cheeks, but he refused to breakdown. Big Bob sat in the chair by the window completely defeated. Bob was on the couch sobbing uncontrollably.
"Lin, Oh God, Linda! I am so sorry!" Bob sobbed.
"It's not your fault son. Depression and addiction are monsters. Probably there was nothing anyone could have done." Big Bob assured.
"She didn't deserve that." Bob sighed.
"Bobby, your father is right. Linda was never going to get over losing Louise. She lost her mind when Louise died. At least she's at peace now." Teddy assured.
"She shouldn't have to be at peace. She should still have Louise. We all should." Bob cried.
"None of this is right. Bob sniffed.
"No… No, it's not." Teddy agreed.
"But the worst part. The worst part is that I am happy she is dead." Bob confessed.
"What do you mean?" Big Bob asked.
"Like I knew it was coming and like you said Teddy she is at peace now." Bob clarified.
"Bob, I have been a mortician for decades. My father was one before me. I have been seeing people in grief my entire life. I know a few things about grief. Sometimes when somebody has been really sick for a long or even a very short time. Their loved ones will go through what is called anticipatory grief. Which basically means they know their loved one is dying or likely to die. So, they mourn them while they are still living. Linda abusing substances in the final months of her life coupled with the fact that she walked out on you. You were already grieving her loss. In a way you already made peace with her death and are in a later stage of grief than you were when you lost Louise suddenly." Mort explained.
Doctor Elena had been called to the Belchers' home, to be present when Bob broke the news to Tina and Gene. They were due home any minute now. Mort had to leave to officiate a funeral, but Teddy was now sitting with the Bob's on the couch. While Dr. Elena had taken Bob's seat by the window. The door opened and Tina and Gene walked up the steps. Followed by Zeke, Damon, and Alex. Alex was supposed to come over anyway as his mom had a doctor's appointment and his parents didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone just yet. Zeke and Damon had been invited over as well. Because Mort and Dr. Elena agreed it would be best the children found out in the presence of friends.
"We're home! Wait why didn't you open the restaurant?" Tina called.
"What's up, Mr. B?" Zeke called jovially.
"Why is Dr. Elena here?" Gene questioned.
"Yeah, should I see if I can go over to my aunt's or something?" Alex asked.
"No Alex but you can go downstairs if you don't want to hear the bad news." Dr. Elena replied.
"What bad news?" Tina demanded.
"Tina, Gene something has happened. Last night your mother overdosed in the shed behind your grandparents' house. They are still investigating everything but knowing about Louise. They believe it to be intentional. I am sorry." Bob explained.
"No! Oh no! No!" Tina cried before collapsing into her father's arms.
"My mommy's dead?" Gene gasped before letting out a horrible scream.
Tina was balled up on her bed shaking and weeping. Zeke sat beside her gently rubbing her back. He whispered kind and reassuring words into her ears. She had already lost her sister. Why did she have to lose her mom too? Bob was now locked up in his room again. He had just started coming around again, now he was back to square one. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was Gene who was screaming bloody murder from the living room. Damon, Alex, Teddy, Big Bob, and Dr. Elena were trying desperately to talk him down, but he continued to scream.
"It's just not fair. It's just not fair." Tina sobbed.
"I hate drugs so much." Zeke snorted.
"Me too" Tina sniffed.
"I know it doesn't mean anything, but she is at peace now." Zeke assured.
"In a way she died with Louise. I think we all did but she just completely lost her mind. It's just bad because Gene is taking this worse than Louise and dad. I mean can he really come back around again? God I could lose my entire family. All because of Jimmy Pesto! God! I hate him so much! I wish he was dead!" Tina cried.
"Me too" Zeke agreed.
"He's just so evil! I hate him!" Tina bellowed slamming her fists hard into her pillow.
"Tina, you need to breathe." Zeke pleaded.
"NO! I hate Jimmy Pesto! I hate him!" Tina cried.
Before she knew what she was doing Tina was off her bed. She was storming around her room kicking the air. She was grabbing things off her shelves and thrusting them across the room. She heard her dad retching down the hall and Gene continued to scream in the living room. They had enjoyed a beautiful week of normalcy before that bastard took everything from them again. Jimmy Pesto and the asshole who had gotten Linda addicted to drugs. The motherfucker who sold them to her. Tina hated every single one of those people more than she could even begin to explain. Without realizing it she grabbed another item off the shelf and threw it. It had shattered hard on the wall and slid to the floor. It was a family portrait. The last one they took. That day on the wharf when Gene got to play in the band shell.
"NO! NO! NO!" Tina cried.
"T-Bird" Zeke gasped.
"What did I do? What did I do?" Tina sobbed.
"It's OK. It's OK. I can fix it. I can fix it." Zeke whispered.
Gayle rocked back and forth in Mr. Frond's bed. How could this be? How could Linda be dead? Now her parents were trying to keep Bob from the funeral, and she didn't have the energy to fight them. Though she knew that Bob deserved the right to say goodbye to his wife. God, this was a horrid nightmare. Mr. Frond sat beside her. He had been up crying all night as well.
"What do I do? I need to help Bob and the kids, but I can't." Gayle sobbed.
"I am calling Mort. Seeing if he can do anything. Beyond that I reached out to some friends who may be able to intervene." Mr. Frond assured.
"I can't believe I let her die. How could I have been so careless?" Gayle cried.
"Gayle, you couldn't watch her twenty-four seven." Mr. Fond reminded.
"I should have checked the shed first. Then maybe. Maybe Oh no." Gayle sobbed.
"Gayle there was nothing that could be done." Mr. Frond whispered.
Though his voice was growing so hoarse he felt sick. Gene could not stop screaming. He had always been such a mama's boy. It nearly killed him when Linda walked out on the family mere days after Louise's death. Now knowing she was dead, and he really would never see her again. It was simply more than he could take. Damon was tightly hugging him and just hours ago that was a dream come true. Now his life was just a big, ugly, unending nightmare. It was getting harder and harder to form sounds. His throat was on fire and his chest was tight. His stomach was aching and churning. He managed to get out one last scream. Before he vomited and collapsed hard to the ground. He was shaking and wailing in the fetal position.
"Gene" Damon whispered.
"Mommy. Mommy." Gene whimpered.
"Oh, Gene I am so sorry." Damon apologized.
"I don't want to live anymore." Gene sobbed.
"I know Gene, but you have to fight. You will come through this." Damon assured.
"Your mom is still alive. It's not your fault she doesn't want you but that's it. She just doesn't want you. My mom is dead. She can never come back or change her mind. I will never see her again." Gene cried.
"I know Gene and I can't imagine that, but you can't just give up. This chain of death of heartbreak. It has to end eventually. You, your sister, and your dad. You guys have to stand against this. Otherwise, Jimmy Pesto will have killed an entire family." Damon whispered.
"I can't. I can't. I can't" Gene stammered.
"Gene do you need to go to the hospital?" Dr. Elena asked.
"Yes… Yes, I do. Can't go on. Need hospital." Gene confirmed before losing consciousness.
Now his only son was being rushed to the hospital suffering from a nervous breakdown. He heard Tina ragging and crying in her room, yet once again Bob Belcher was completely shattered. He lie on his bed gasping for air. His chest was growing ever tighter. He knew what was happening and it scared the hell out of him, but he did not have the strength to call for help. The only thing he could do was lie back and wait for the inevitable to happen.
Gene was taken away in an ambulance still screaming and wailing. He came too sometime before the ambulance arrived but was quickly sedated. Mort returned to his home and a shaken Alex was collected by his mom. Damon sat helplessly on the sidewalk outside of Bob's Burgers waiting for his cousin to arrive. Tina cried in her room with Zeke trying his best to hold her together. Teddy cleaned up the mess in the living room. Big Bob silently entered his son's room. The room was quiet too quiet. Bob was balled up in the center of his bed. He had Kuchi Kopi tightly gripped in one hand and one of Linda's dolls in a far gentler grip in the other hand.
"Bobby" Big Bob called approaching the bed.
He received no response. He climbed onto the bed and crawled close to where his son lay. He didn't have to touch or even get a particularly close look at his son. He knew what had happened from the second he entered the room. Hell, he knew what was coming since that morning when Bobby had tearfully informed him of Linda's overdose. Bob Belcher Junior had died from a broken heart.