Ch. 31

Here for the one we loved

It was a rainy day outside, and the sun hide behind the clouds that hung too low, so low that it seemed like you could almost touch them. The cloudy day reflected everybody's somber mood. Umbrella's covered heads from the downpour threatening to drown the whole city. Not many people surrounded the brown casket and the Priest as he talked about Babe and how she lived her life. JR, Krystal, David, Jamie, Tad, Adam, Winifred, Little A, Josh Madden and a few others were in attendance of Babe Carey's funeral.

Winifred stood closer to the back holding a sleeping baby boy, holding an umbrella with her other hand. Josh stood a little closer up, but not within the circle of Babe's closest friends and family. Tad and Jamie both held umbrellas over their heads, while David held one over a shaking Krystal who was leaning on him for support. She could barely stand, and any minute the ground would fall out beneath her and she would fall and never get up. She was trying not to cry, but her body was shaking severely from the effort. She could barely breathe as she stared at the casket occupying her daughter's body.

JR had no umbrella, just a soaking wet coat. He stood away from everyone else, but closer to the casket than anyone. His blonde hair fell into his eyes and his feet sunk into the ground as he stood there, listening to the Priest. He didn't try to push the hair out of his face or try and lift his feet from the sodden ground; he just stood there and felt the rain mix with the tears on his face. He couldn't help but being angry at the Priest. He didn't know who Babe was, or why everyone around her loved her so much.

The whole world was gray, because Babe was now not in it. JR didn't know if the color would ever return. He couldn't look at the people around him for the fear of seeing the looks on their faces. Despair, worry, loss. All reminders of the woman that now wouldn't take another breath, or smile again, or brush her hair and drink orange juice.

JR lost track of time while thinking about Babe, and every single memory that contained her. From the minute he laid eyes on her, to their baby being born, to their wedding, to her sleeping soundlessly in her bed… and finally until her death in the hospital only minutes after they had arrived.

The Priest raised his hands and made the sign of the cross over Babe's casket, and it was slowly lowered into the ground. He then heard Krystal's heart wrenching sobs that had been held in during the whole service being let loose. He couldn't help himself either, and started to cry. His whole body shook with the power of his sobs. He fell to the ground on his knees and looked up at the sky, trying not to think about how Babe was being lowered into the dark cold ground, never to be seen again.

Adam made a motion to walk to JR, but Tad beat him and walked up to JR and kneeled down right next to him, grabbing him and pulling him close.

"She's gone, she's gone!" JR wailed, grasping onto Tad.

"I know…" Tad said quietly, rocking with JR back and forth.

By that time Winifred had already taken Little A back to the car and was driving back home. She could stand there anymore, and watch JR lose it. She was going to let him hold Little A, maybe to get some comfort, but when she had looked at him she knew he was in no condition to hold his son. His eyes were broken; they held no joy or laughter like they did when Babe was around. His face had twisted in pain and she knew that was when she had to leave. She had to leave before she also started crying.

Jamie felt his own tears fall and the most unlikely person was there to comfort him, Adam. Jamie felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced back, seeing Adam. He was watching his son break down and wasn't looking at Jamie, but Jamie knew Adam was trying to help, even if it was only by a comforting hand.

Krystal was leaning against David, still crying but not as hard, and she and David both watched JR. They didn't know his love for Babe went so deep. His breakdown was proof of the love her felt for her.

JR sat on the ground and cried into Tad's coat. He cried for the woman who he loved, the most important woman in his life, and he cried for the child that he had lost.

Babe watched from the trees. Her family was falling apart, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was dead, and she was here as a ghost. She slowly walked… if you could call it that, towards her family in the graveyard. She stood behind the Priest, and her heart ached for JR. She didn't know he would have been this hurt when she left.

While she watched JR, the Priest had turned around and walked right through her. It felt like a shockwave passing through her body.

"Ow, that didn't feel that good." Babe said, placing a hand over her chest.

Josh had turned around and was walking towards Babe, and when he walked right through her she felt another shock.

…..

"1, 2, 3 Clear!" was said before Babe was shocked in the emergency room.

She was lying on bloody sheets in the hospital, with doctors swarming around her, trying to revive her. JR, Jamie, and an injured Tad waited outside for news of Babe.

"Still a flat line, again!" A female nurse shouted, and spread the gel over again, "Clear!"

Babe's body flew into the air because of the shock that entered her body. Her lungs filled with air and her heart started pumping again.

"We got a pulse!" A male doctor shouted.

"Its about time, you got some strength in ya, Babe Carey." The female nurse said, and nodded, letting the doctors finish their work which was not yet completed.

…..

The nurse walked outside the room and immediately was almost run over by JR and Jamie. Tad couldn't run because of his injuries.

"How is she?" JR asked.

"What's going on?" Jamie followed JR's question with his own.

The nurse held up her hands, "She's fine. She flat lined for a minute and it didn't look good, but she came back to us. She was fighting awful hard to get back." The nurse said, and JR smiled.

"Now she's not out of the woods yet, but if she keeps fighting like she has, she's going to be fine." The nurse told them her happy news and then walked up to Tad, "Why aren't you in your room?" She asked.

"They made me do it!" Tad pointed his finger at JR and Jamie, and they both rolled their eyes.

"Come on, time to go back." The nurse said, and helped Tad up and helped him back to his hospital room.

JR leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. She was safe, Babe was safe and soon she would be back in his arms.