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Chapter 19: Everything Comes Crashing Down Part 2
Hunter and Tori returned to the house to find the mess cleaned up and everyone was fast asleep. It was already early Saturday morning. Cam and Leann were asleep on the couch as Shane and Dustin were asleep on the recliners. Last night took its toll on everyone. Hunter was still holding Tori as the two looked at their friends. "Do you want to sleep in Blake's room?"
"No, I think I'll just sleep on the floor in here." Tori couldn't bring herself to sleep in Blake's room. It just would have been too much for her.
Hunter wasn't about to let Tori sleep on the floor and told her, "Then you can sleep in my room. I'll just go grab some of my things." He then led her upstairs to his room. Once they were in his room, he walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket and an extra pillow. "Do you want to change? I can borrow you some of my clothes."
Tori who was sitting on his bed just nodded her response. She was exhausted and her body was asking for some rest. She took the clothes that Hunter offered her and walked to the bathroom that connected to Hunter and Blake's room. As she finished putting on Hunter's pajama bottoms she decided not to change into his shirt since she a had tank top on underneath her light blue plaid blouse. When she was finished she just stared at the door that connected to Blake's room. She debated on whether or not she should open it. She took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob. She opened the door slowly and peered into the room. It was dark, cold and felt empty. The room mirrored what she felt in her heart. It was now dark, cold, and empty. She couldn't take it any more and fell to the bathroom floor sobbing and calling out his name, "Blake... Blake, please don't leave me here alone without you!" Her sobs became uncontrollable and she started gasping for air.
Hunter who was waiting for Tori to come out heard a loud sob. He ran to the bathroom door and put his ear against it to listen to what was going on in there. Then a thought struck him, 'Oh no, she went to go look in Blake's room.' Hunter knocked on the door and received no response. He knocked again and then let himself in. He found Tori sobbing uncontrollably on the floor with the door to Blake's room wide open. He closed it quickly and picked her up off the floor. He placed her on his bed and covered her with his crimson comforter since she was shaking. She turned over onto her side. He moved the stray hairs from her face and told her, "Shh Tor, I'm right here and we are somehow going to get through this. You are not alone." He caressed her face and wiped away her tears. He then rubbed her back to ease her sobbing. She slowly began to calm and soon fell into much needed sleep.
Hunter kept his eye on her for a moment and then decided to get up and go sleep downstairs. Tori felt him get up and stirred awake. "Hunter, please don't leave me here alone. Stay with me."
Hunter didn't know what to do. If circumstances were different he would have jumped at the opportunity, but this was different. Blake was gone and he couldn't dishonor his brother like this. "Tor, I'll stay until I know that you really are asleep and then I am going to sleep downstairs okay?" He asked.
"Okay," Tori replied as she closed her eyes again.
About five to six hours later the sun decided to show its face although the occupants inside the house were not feeling as bright as the sun had shone. Hunter stirred awake and found himself on the floor of his room. He was a little groggy and his back was sore. He ruffled his dirty blond locks and he looked around his room. He then remembered what happened last night, "Blake is really gone..." he whispered to himself. He picked himself up off the floor and started to fold the blanket he had been lying on. He had planned on sleeping on the floor in the living room, but he was too tired to go down and decided to sleep on the floor in his room. 'Atleast I didn't sleep next to Tori', he thought. Hunter checked on Tori and she was still asleep. So, he opened the door to his room and headed downstairs.
Once Hunter was downstairs he found that everyone was awake. Leann and Cam were in the kitchen making coffee and cooking up some breakfast for the group. Shane and Dustin were watching TV. All the channels kept replaying scenes of the plane crash that Blake was in. Dustin noticed Hunter staring at the TV and was about to turn it off when something caught their eyes. The anchorwoman who was on last night was talking as pictures of people from the crash were being displayed on the screen. "The medics have been out here all night and so far they have recovered most of the passengers bodies. All 120 passengers on flight 5067 have been presumed dead as they continue to search. This has gone from a 'Search and Rescue' to a 'Search and Recovery'. As you see displayed on your screen are photos of the passengers that have been released this morning. Unfortunately one of them was from Blue Bay Harbor. Blake Bradley, 18, brother of Hunter Bradley and rider for Factory Blue has died along with teammate, Andy Shields from Chicago, Illinois. These two were the new championship hopefuls for Factory Blue and have been recognized as icons at their home tracks. More news will be released throughout the day." Hunter couldn't take anymore and walked up to the television and had shut it off. He slumped down into one of the recliners and rubbed his tired eyes. He didn't look so good, but neither did any of them. "I can't believe that this is for real," Hunter stated.
"Dude, I know. We just have to take this one day at a time." Shane said as he nudged Hunter in the knee.
"We are totally here for you man." Dustin added. "So, where's Tori?"
"She's upstairs asleep in my room. She couldn't bear to sleep in Blake's room and I don't blame her. As she was in the bathroom changing she opened the door that connected to his room and totally lost it. Man, I lost it too when I found her on the bathroom floor. I couldn't look into his room either. "I just crashed on the floor." Hunter winced at his own choice of words, "Well, you know what I mean. I'm going to call Roger." Hunter then got up, grabbed the cordless phone from the coffee table and headed for the basement for some privacy.
Shane and Dustin then got up to see what Cam and Leann were up to in the kitchen. An hour or so later Hunter finally emerged from the basement and joined the group at the dining table for some coffee, bagels and scrambled eggs. Leann was the first to break the deafening silence, "Sorry, it's not much, but it's all Cam and I could find in your fridge."
Hunter let out a small chuckle, "It's okay Leann. Thanks guys." Hunter just wasn't really in the mood to eat. He had talked to Roger Hanna and he had concurred with everything Hunter and the group had seen on the news. He also talked with Sensei Amano and Sensei Watanbe. Sensei Amano offered for Hunter to stay at the Thunder Ninja Academy if he needed to and Sensei Watanbe offered to hold Blake's memorial service at the Wind Ninja Academy. Hunter couldn't get over the fact that he was making memorial arrangements rather than ceremony arrangements for his brother and Tori's wedding. Although Hunter was not comfortable about their upcoming engagement, he would much rather have him here with Tori and suffer a broken heart than sit here and mourn. After a few moments of silence he decided to fill in the group on what he was talking about on the phone downstairs.
The group had let it all sink in and then Shane spoke, "So, are you going to take up Sensei Amano's offer and leave here?" The group now was staring intently at the last of the Thunder brothers.
Hunter rubbed his hands together nervously, "I don't know. I was thinking about it before, but it's too soon to say..." Hunter paused as him and everyone else at the table tuned around when they heard someone gasp.
Tori had been silently standing there the whole time. She couldn't bear to think that Hunter would leave Blue Bay Harbor. "Hunter, you can't leave me here alone. You promised me last night that we would get through this together."
Hunter felt bad. He did promise her that they would get through this together. He did not only promise her, but he promised Blake that he would watch over her. He got up from his seat at the table and placed his arms around Tori, "We don't have to talk about that right now, but I will always be here for you no matter what." He looked down at her as she buried her face into his chest. He could see the tears starting to stream down her face again. "Come on we have to discuss arrangements for Blake's memorial service..." he finished as Tori and him sat at the table with everyone else.
"If we have to," Tori replied sadly.
Chapter 19: Everything Comes Crashing Down Part 2
Hunter and Tori returned to the house to find the mess cleaned up and everyone was fast asleep. It was already early Saturday morning. Cam and Leann were asleep on the couch as Shane and Dustin were asleep on the recliners. Last night took its toll on everyone. Hunter was still holding Tori as the two looked at their friends. "Do you want to sleep in Blake's room?"
"No, I think I'll just sleep on the floor in here." Tori couldn't bring herself to sleep in Blake's room. It just would have been too much for her.
Hunter wasn't about to let Tori sleep on the floor and told her, "Then you can sleep in my room. I'll just go grab some of my things." He then led her upstairs to his room. Once they were in his room, he walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket and an extra pillow. "Do you want to change? I can borrow you some of my clothes."
Tori who was sitting on his bed just nodded her response. She was exhausted and her body was asking for some rest. She took the clothes that Hunter offered her and walked to the bathroom that connected to Hunter and Blake's room. As she finished putting on Hunter's pajama bottoms she decided not to change into his shirt since she a had tank top on underneath her light blue plaid blouse. When she was finished she just stared at the door that connected to Blake's room. She debated on whether or not she should open it. She took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob. She opened the door slowly and peered into the room. It was dark, cold and felt empty. The room mirrored what she felt in her heart. It was now dark, cold, and empty. She couldn't take it any more and fell to the bathroom floor sobbing and calling out his name, "Blake... Blake, please don't leave me here alone without you!" Her sobs became uncontrollable and she started gasping for air.
Hunter who was waiting for Tori to come out heard a loud sob. He ran to the bathroom door and put his ear against it to listen to what was going on in there. Then a thought struck him, 'Oh no, she went to go look in Blake's room.' Hunter knocked on the door and received no response. He knocked again and then let himself in. He found Tori sobbing uncontrollably on the floor with the door to Blake's room wide open. He closed it quickly and picked her up off the floor. He placed her on his bed and covered her with his crimson comforter since she was shaking. She turned over onto her side. He moved the stray hairs from her face and told her, "Shh Tor, I'm right here and we are somehow going to get through this. You are not alone." He caressed her face and wiped away her tears. He then rubbed her back to ease her sobbing. She slowly began to calm and soon fell into much needed sleep.
Hunter kept his eye on her for a moment and then decided to get up and go sleep downstairs. Tori felt him get up and stirred awake. "Hunter, please don't leave me here alone. Stay with me."
Hunter didn't know what to do. If circumstances were different he would have jumped at the opportunity, but this was different. Blake was gone and he couldn't dishonor his brother like this. "Tor, I'll stay until I know that you really are asleep and then I am going to sleep downstairs okay?" He asked.
"Okay," Tori replied as she closed her eyes again.
About five to six hours later the sun decided to show its face although the occupants inside the house were not feeling as bright as the sun had shone. Hunter stirred awake and found himself on the floor of his room. He was a little groggy and his back was sore. He ruffled his dirty blond locks and he looked around his room. He then remembered what happened last night, "Blake is really gone..." he whispered to himself. He picked himself up off the floor and started to fold the blanket he had been lying on. He had planned on sleeping on the floor in the living room, but he was too tired to go down and decided to sleep on the floor in his room. 'Atleast I didn't sleep next to Tori', he thought. Hunter checked on Tori and she was still asleep. So, he opened the door to his room and headed downstairs.
Once Hunter was downstairs he found that everyone was awake. Leann and Cam were in the kitchen making coffee and cooking up some breakfast for the group. Shane and Dustin were watching TV. All the channels kept replaying scenes of the plane crash that Blake was in. Dustin noticed Hunter staring at the TV and was about to turn it off when something caught their eyes. The anchorwoman who was on last night was talking as pictures of people from the crash were being displayed on the screen. "The medics have been out here all night and so far they have recovered most of the passengers bodies. All 120 passengers on flight 5067 have been presumed dead as they continue to search. This has gone from a 'Search and Rescue' to a 'Search and Recovery'. As you see displayed on your screen are photos of the passengers that have been released this morning. Unfortunately one of them was from Blue Bay Harbor. Blake Bradley, 18, brother of Hunter Bradley and rider for Factory Blue has died along with teammate, Andy Shields from Chicago, Illinois. These two were the new championship hopefuls for Factory Blue and have been recognized as icons at their home tracks. More news will be released throughout the day." Hunter couldn't take anymore and walked up to the television and had shut it off. He slumped down into one of the recliners and rubbed his tired eyes. He didn't look so good, but neither did any of them. "I can't believe that this is for real," Hunter stated.
"Dude, I know. We just have to take this one day at a time." Shane said as he nudged Hunter in the knee.
"We are totally here for you man." Dustin added. "So, where's Tori?"
"She's upstairs asleep in my room. She couldn't bear to sleep in Blake's room and I don't blame her. As she was in the bathroom changing she opened the door that connected to his room and totally lost it. Man, I lost it too when I found her on the bathroom floor. I couldn't look into his room either. "I just crashed on the floor." Hunter winced at his own choice of words, "Well, you know what I mean. I'm going to call Roger." Hunter then got up, grabbed the cordless phone from the coffee table and headed for the basement for some privacy.
Shane and Dustin then got up to see what Cam and Leann were up to in the kitchen. An hour or so later Hunter finally emerged from the basement and joined the group at the dining table for some coffee, bagels and scrambled eggs. Leann was the first to break the deafening silence, "Sorry, it's not much, but it's all Cam and I could find in your fridge."
Hunter let out a small chuckle, "It's okay Leann. Thanks guys." Hunter just wasn't really in the mood to eat. He had talked to Roger Hanna and he had concurred with everything Hunter and the group had seen on the news. He also talked with Sensei Amano and Sensei Watanbe. Sensei Amano offered for Hunter to stay at the Thunder Ninja Academy if he needed to and Sensei Watanbe offered to hold Blake's memorial service at the Wind Ninja Academy. Hunter couldn't get over the fact that he was making memorial arrangements rather than ceremony arrangements for his brother and Tori's wedding. Although Hunter was not comfortable about their upcoming engagement, he would much rather have him here with Tori and suffer a broken heart than sit here and mourn. After a few moments of silence he decided to fill in the group on what he was talking about on the phone downstairs.
The group had let it all sink in and then Shane spoke, "So, are you going to take up Sensei Amano's offer and leave here?" The group now was staring intently at the last of the Thunder brothers.
Hunter rubbed his hands together nervously, "I don't know. I was thinking about it before, but it's too soon to say..." Hunter paused as him and everyone else at the table tuned around when they heard someone gasp.
Tori had been silently standing there the whole time. She couldn't bear to think that Hunter would leave Blue Bay Harbor. "Hunter, you can't leave me here alone. You promised me last night that we would get through this together."
Hunter felt bad. He did promise her that they would get through this together. He did not only promise her, but he promised Blake that he would watch over her. He got up from his seat at the table and placed his arms around Tori, "We don't have to talk about that right now, but I will always be here for you no matter what." He looked down at her as she buried her face into his chest. He could see the tears starting to stream down her face again. "Come on we have to discuss arrangements for Blake's memorial service..." he finished as Tori and him sat at the table with everyone else.
"If we have to," Tori replied sadly.