Ch.5
"God, why are you doing this to us?" Teresa sat in the first pew of the hospital chapel. "My mother is a good woman," she said with her head bowed. "She doesn't deserve his."
She ran her fingers through her hair as she thought of earlier, when she arrived at the hospital
. After dropping Fox off, she quickly drove to her mother's part of the hospital, parking her car and running into the building. Luis was there by the door. Eve had called him earlier that day telling him to come back to town. He should say goodbye.
"It's not good sis," he said sadly, wiping his tired eyes. "Eve said she'd be surprised if she made it through the night."
Teresa slowly walked to her mother's room, knowing time was running out, but not wanting to believe it. Pilar was in her bed, her eyes closed, her chest slowly moving up and down. A silence filled the room except for the steady beat of the heart monitor by her bed, the numbers slowly dropping.
120...118... 117...
Her mother's heart was slowing down, weakening by the second. She pulled up a chair and sat by her, carefully grabbing her hand, stroking it, holding it up to her cheek, desperate to feel her mother's warmth, her touch.
"Mama," she whispered. "Mama, it's me."
Pilar didn't move.
"Mama, it's ok. I know you're tired."
She looked up at the monitor next to her. 1
15...112...105...
Teresa let her tears fall.
"You've been so great," she said. "None of us could have survived without you mama...I hope you know that."
She wiped away a stray tear that had fallen onto Pilar's pale cheek.
"I am so grateful that I had you. You were my strength, my friend, my rock...my mother.
102...99...96...
"You can go now mama...go be with papa...go be with Antonio...they're waiting for you. You're tired...it's ok."
She leaned in and kissed her softly.
"Sleep now Mama."
She gave her one last look and walked out of the room. Before she knew it, she stumbled upon the chapel. She put her face in her hands.
"God, please just let her go...don't let her suffer anymore. She doesn't deserve it." She stayed in there for hours and eventually, cried herself to sleep.
Fox was released after an hour. A few stitches were all it took to cure the cut on his head.
"The broken heart," the receptionist had said," can only be fixed by you."
He walked down the long corridors of the hospital, headed towards where Teresa was. When he got there, he saw Luis and Sheridan in the lobby.
"How is she?" he asked.
"What happened to you?" Sheridan asked concerned. "Did you get stitches?"
"It's a long story," he said. "How's Pilar?"
"Not good," Luis said. "Teresa's with her now, saying her goodbye."
Fox sighed. "Aw man."
"You know, actually, she's been in there for awhile. I'm going to go check on her." Luis said standing up.
"I'll go," Fox said stopping him.
He walked through the doors and into the dimly lit hall towards her room. When he got there he looked in. Teresa was there, crying. He didn't want to interrupt. He watched her, his heart breaking with every tear he saw fall, with every sob that escaped her lips. When she stood up to leave, Fox hid. He followed her as she made her way blindly down the halls and to the chapel. He watched her pray.
"Why are you hurting our family like this?" she had cried. "First little Ethan, then Antonio...now mama...it's not fair."
"It isn't fair," Fox said to himself as he watched her. "Nothing's fair."
When she had fallen asleep, Fox silently walked into the room, a feeling of anger coming over him.
"Who needs prayer," he thought to himself. "Pray all you want, and bad stuff still happens."
He walked to the pew where she was laying. He sat down next to her. Gently, he lifted her head and cradled it in his lap, gently stroking her hair. She stirred a few times during the night, but Fox soothingly calmed her down and she eventually fell asleep. Fox did too. When she woke up the next morning and looked up at a sleeping Fox, she sat up.
"Hey," he said groggily, rubbing his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I thought you might like some company." He smiled.
She looked away.
"How's your head?"
"It's fine...nothing a few stitches couldn't heal."
She nodded.
"Teresa, I-"Fox began.
"Teresa." They turned around to see Luis, his eyes watering. She stood up and walked over to her brother. He didn't look at her.
"She's gone."
A/N: I know I know, a lot of bad has happened so far...but don't worry...I have plenty up my sleeve! Good times will eventually come I promise! Keep reading!