Chapter Twenty One
"She's finally asleep." Scott said as he walked out of his room and sat at the kitchen table where Shelby was.
"Is she ok?" Shelby asked.
"She's sad but I think she'll fine once it's all over." Scott said and laid his head on the table, clearly exhausted. Shelby put her hand on his shoulder to show her support.
"The funeral and the wake are on the same day. I have to go with her." Scott said, not lifting his head. "Can you take care of Sam?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, no problem." Shelby said.
"I'm going to Jessica's apartment and pack some things for her. If she wakes up, please be nice to her." Scott asked and he grabbed his keys.
"I'll take care of her." Shelby said as Scott left the apartment and headed to Jessica's. Shelby sat at the table for a few minutes before getting up and walking to Scott's room. She stood in the doorway and watched Jessica sleep.
"That should be me laying in his bed. That should be my head on his pillow." Shelby thought to herself. She lowered her head only to raise to the sound of Jessica sniffling. Shelby slowly walked to the bed.
"Are you ok?" She asked. Jessica just shrugged.
"I'm not really good with things like this but Scott will be back soon, he just went to go get some things for you. If you want to talk, I'm here until he gets back." Shelby said, trying to comfort her. Jessica sat up and wrapped her arms around Shelby, scaring her a bit. Jessica laid her head on Shelby's shoulder and cried. Shelby slowly put her arms around Jessica and let her cry.
"I'm sorry!" Jessica said after a few minutes and let go of Shelby. "I was just really close to my MawMaw."
"It's fine." Shelby said. "Scott will be back soon." And she left the room. She laid her head on the kitchen table and waited for Scott to come home, relieved when she heard the doorknob jiggle.
"How is she?" Scott asked.
"Crying." Shelby answered. Scott set down the things he had gotten and walked to his room, looking in on Jessica. Jessica sat up and waited for him to come in.
"We have to leave soon." Scott said.
"We have to leave now." Jessica responded and climbed out of bed.
"Now?" Scott asked. Jessica nodded.
"Ok, let me pack real quick and we'll leave." Scott said. Jessica walked to the kitchen while Scott got his things together.
"We're about to leave." Jessica said to Shelby.
"When will you be back?" She asked. Jessica shrugged.
"This was all so unexpected, I don't really know anything." Jessica said.
"Well, I hope everything goes as best as it can." Shelby said and walked to the couch. Scott soon came out of his room with his bags, ready to go.
"We'll be back as soon as we can." Scott said.
"Yea!" Shelby said.
"Come on, let's go." Scott said and he and Jessica left.
They rode to the airport in silence and quietly boarded the plane. Scott glanced at Jessica who was trying to relieve the puffiness of her eyes and the redness of her face.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"Peachy." She said.
"I'm sorry, dumb question."
"Don't be sorry, this is just really hard for me. I kinda thought she would be around forever." Jessica said.
The rest of the plane ride was silence. Jessica and Scott were both relieved when the plane landed. They got their bags and waited for Jessica's father to pick them up.
"Hey Scott, It's good to see you again." Jessica's father said, shaking Scott's hand. He then turned and hugged Jessica. "Are you ok?" He asked. Jessica nodded. "Let's go." He said and they headed to the truck.
Once they got to the house, Jessica dad grabbed a few bags and walked ahead inside while Jessica and Scott got the rest.
"Thank you for coming." Jessica said.
"Hey, that's what I'm here for, remember?" He asked.
"Trust me when I say this is the worse part of coming here." Jessica said.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked as they headed for the door.
"Everyone is going to be all sad with puffy eyes from crying and I have to hug all of them and try to make them smile. It happens everytime." She said and opened the door.
"Everytime?" He asked as they walked into the house.
"Hey, Jessi." A woman said and walked up while wiping a few tears and hugging Jessica.
"Hey Suzanne." She said. "Um this is my boyfriend, Scott, Scott this is my Aunt, Suzanne." Jessica said.
"Nice to meet you." Scott said.
"You too!" She said and shook his hand. "Are you ok Jessica?"
"Oh I'm fine. Are you ok?" Jessica asked.
"Yea I'm fine." Suzanne said, getting upset and walking away.
It was like that the rest of the night. Everyone crying and hugging each other while Jessica stood strong, beginning to break down but always keeping a smile for everyone.
The next day was the wake and funeral. Jessica was still strong. Scott stayed by her side and that helped her a lot. At one point she walked to the bathroom. Scott, scared she might be breaking down, followed and cautiously walked into the lady's room. He saw Jessica looking the mirror with a pair of scissors.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"She always loved my hair. She would always touch and tell me it was the most beautiful hair in the world." Jessica took a piece of her hair and wrapped a ribbon around it. She then took the scissors and cut out a lock of her hair. "I'm giving this to her. So she can touch it, and remember my hair until I get to heaven with her. Until she can touch all of my hair again." Jessica said, her voice slightly cracking.
Scott walked towards her and held onto her hand.
"Walk with me, to the coffin, so I can give her my hair." Jessica said, half asking at the same time.
"Ok." He said, and they walked out the bathroom, and heading for the coffin.
Halfway up there, Jessica paused.
"I don't think I can do it Scott." She whispered.
"It's ok, I'm here for you." Scott said. "Just take your time."
"But, she was everything, and now…"
"I'm sure she wants that lock of hair more than anything right now." Scott said. Jessica took a deep breath, squeezed Scott's hand, held the lock of hair in her hand and over her heart and continued towards her grandmother. Once she had gotten there, Jessica placed it in the pocket of her shirt. She touched her hand, shocked at how cold it was. It was colder than anything she's ever felt before.
"Come on Scott." She whispered and walked to a seat.
After everything was over, the funeral, the burial, visiting with the family and laughing at the good old time, Jessica and Scott were home. Jessica was at her place and Scott was at his, with Shelby.
"How did everything go?" Shelby asked.
"It was nice, I mean as nice as a funeral could be. Jessica still hasn't cried, I mean not since we left for it. This is taking so much out of her." Scott sighed.
"I'm sure with time, it'll all pass and everything will be back normal."
"I don't know Shelby, I mean something's gone, missing from her. I look into her beautiful brown eyes and that fire that I've always seen; her passion for life is just gone. When her grandmother died the fire died with it and I don't how to get it back. I don't know if it will ever come back.
Authors Note~ I'm sorry, I'm so sorry but when I started this chapter, my MawMaw had died and I was adding it because I was so torn up inside I didn't know what else to do. I had nothing when I lost her and that was my inspiration to write. But then I started listening to Good Charlotte and for those of you who don't know or listen to them, they have really good songs that are made for helping people through hard times and that's what it did. It helped me so much that I'm not ever sad that she's gone. I mean I miss her so much but she's in heaven and she's watching over me and she loves me. Anyway I'm sorry it took so long.
"She's finally asleep." Scott said as he walked out of his room and sat at the kitchen table where Shelby was.
"Is she ok?" Shelby asked.
"She's sad but I think she'll fine once it's all over." Scott said and laid his head on the table, clearly exhausted. Shelby put her hand on his shoulder to show her support.
"The funeral and the wake are on the same day. I have to go with her." Scott said, not lifting his head. "Can you take care of Sam?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, no problem." Shelby said.
"I'm going to Jessica's apartment and pack some things for her. If she wakes up, please be nice to her." Scott asked and he grabbed his keys.
"I'll take care of her." Shelby said as Scott left the apartment and headed to Jessica's. Shelby sat at the table for a few minutes before getting up and walking to Scott's room. She stood in the doorway and watched Jessica sleep.
"That should be me laying in his bed. That should be my head on his pillow." Shelby thought to herself. She lowered her head only to raise to the sound of Jessica sniffling. Shelby slowly walked to the bed.
"Are you ok?" She asked. Jessica just shrugged.
"I'm not really good with things like this but Scott will be back soon, he just went to go get some things for you. If you want to talk, I'm here until he gets back." Shelby said, trying to comfort her. Jessica sat up and wrapped her arms around Shelby, scaring her a bit. Jessica laid her head on Shelby's shoulder and cried. Shelby slowly put her arms around Jessica and let her cry.
"I'm sorry!" Jessica said after a few minutes and let go of Shelby. "I was just really close to my MawMaw."
"It's fine." Shelby said. "Scott will be back soon." And she left the room. She laid her head on the kitchen table and waited for Scott to come home, relieved when she heard the doorknob jiggle.
"How is she?" Scott asked.
"Crying." Shelby answered. Scott set down the things he had gotten and walked to his room, looking in on Jessica. Jessica sat up and waited for him to come in.
"We have to leave soon." Scott said.
"We have to leave now." Jessica responded and climbed out of bed.
"Now?" Scott asked. Jessica nodded.
"Ok, let me pack real quick and we'll leave." Scott said. Jessica walked to the kitchen while Scott got his things together.
"We're about to leave." Jessica said to Shelby.
"When will you be back?" She asked. Jessica shrugged.
"This was all so unexpected, I don't really know anything." Jessica said.
"Well, I hope everything goes as best as it can." Shelby said and walked to the couch. Scott soon came out of his room with his bags, ready to go.
"We'll be back as soon as we can." Scott said.
"Yea!" Shelby said.
"Come on, let's go." Scott said and he and Jessica left.
They rode to the airport in silence and quietly boarded the plane. Scott glanced at Jessica who was trying to relieve the puffiness of her eyes and the redness of her face.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"Peachy." She said.
"I'm sorry, dumb question."
"Don't be sorry, this is just really hard for me. I kinda thought she would be around forever." Jessica said.
The rest of the plane ride was silence. Jessica and Scott were both relieved when the plane landed. They got their bags and waited for Jessica's father to pick them up.
"Hey Scott, It's good to see you again." Jessica's father said, shaking Scott's hand. He then turned and hugged Jessica. "Are you ok?" He asked. Jessica nodded. "Let's go." He said and they headed to the truck.
Once they got to the house, Jessica dad grabbed a few bags and walked ahead inside while Jessica and Scott got the rest.
"Thank you for coming." Jessica said.
"Hey, that's what I'm here for, remember?" He asked.
"Trust me when I say this is the worse part of coming here." Jessica said.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked as they headed for the door.
"Everyone is going to be all sad with puffy eyes from crying and I have to hug all of them and try to make them smile. It happens everytime." She said and opened the door.
"Everytime?" He asked as they walked into the house.
"Hey, Jessi." A woman said and walked up while wiping a few tears and hugging Jessica.
"Hey Suzanne." She said. "Um this is my boyfriend, Scott, Scott this is my Aunt, Suzanne." Jessica said.
"Nice to meet you." Scott said.
"You too!" She said and shook his hand. "Are you ok Jessica?"
"Oh I'm fine. Are you ok?" Jessica asked.
"Yea I'm fine." Suzanne said, getting upset and walking away.
It was like that the rest of the night. Everyone crying and hugging each other while Jessica stood strong, beginning to break down but always keeping a smile for everyone.
The next day was the wake and funeral. Jessica was still strong. Scott stayed by her side and that helped her a lot. At one point she walked to the bathroom. Scott, scared she might be breaking down, followed and cautiously walked into the lady's room. He saw Jessica looking the mirror with a pair of scissors.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"She always loved my hair. She would always touch and tell me it was the most beautiful hair in the world." Jessica took a piece of her hair and wrapped a ribbon around it. She then took the scissors and cut out a lock of her hair. "I'm giving this to her. So she can touch it, and remember my hair until I get to heaven with her. Until she can touch all of my hair again." Jessica said, her voice slightly cracking.
Scott walked towards her and held onto her hand.
"Walk with me, to the coffin, so I can give her my hair." Jessica said, half asking at the same time.
"Ok." He said, and they walked out the bathroom, and heading for the coffin.
Halfway up there, Jessica paused.
"I don't think I can do it Scott." She whispered.
"It's ok, I'm here for you." Scott said. "Just take your time."
"But, she was everything, and now…"
"I'm sure she wants that lock of hair more than anything right now." Scott said. Jessica took a deep breath, squeezed Scott's hand, held the lock of hair in her hand and over her heart and continued towards her grandmother. Once she had gotten there, Jessica placed it in the pocket of her shirt. She touched her hand, shocked at how cold it was. It was colder than anything she's ever felt before.
"Come on Scott." She whispered and walked to a seat.
After everything was over, the funeral, the burial, visiting with the family and laughing at the good old time, Jessica and Scott were home. Jessica was at her place and Scott was at his, with Shelby.
"How did everything go?" Shelby asked.
"It was nice, I mean as nice as a funeral could be. Jessica still hasn't cried, I mean not since we left for it. This is taking so much out of her." Scott sighed.
"I'm sure with time, it'll all pass and everything will be back normal."
"I don't know Shelby, I mean something's gone, missing from her. I look into her beautiful brown eyes and that fire that I've always seen; her passion for life is just gone. When her grandmother died the fire died with it and I don't how to get it back. I don't know if it will ever come back.
Authors Note~ I'm sorry, I'm so sorry but when I started this chapter, my MawMaw had died and I was adding it because I was so torn up inside I didn't know what else to do. I had nothing when I lost her and that was my inspiration to write. But then I started listening to Good Charlotte and for those of you who don't know or listen to them, they have really good songs that are made for helping people through hard times and that's what it did. It helped me so much that I'm not ever sad that she's gone. I mean I miss her so much but she's in heaven and she's watching over me and she loves me. Anyway I'm sorry it took so long.