Chapter 7: The Regrets
Lieutenant Parker and Jim have already left. Stacy accompanied John to see Dawn Marie since she wasn't allowed to see Randy's body. She was so bummed about it but there's nothing she could do. Bob Orton made it clear that no one is allowed to see the body except them. They went inside the room where the woman at information said. There they saw a figure covered in white blanket on top of a stretcher at the far end of the room. John cautiously made his way towards the covered figure with Stacy slowly following him from behind. And after like eternity of walking towards it, they reached the stretcher. And with a trembling hand John slowly reached for the cover and pulled it open. There they saw the body of Dawn Marie, cold as ice, hard as rock, lying in the middle of the stretcher. John himself felt it as he slowly caressed the young woman's cheek. Stacy saw John's shoulder shook. He was crying though controllably. Stacy made her way next to him. It was a first time she saw him that way. All those times when they found out about the deaths of their loved ones, he had been so strong, he had been the one who comforted her. She started to comfort him in return. She stroked his back.
"John?" was all she could say. She can't think of any other thing to say. He studied her face one last time before he covered the body with the white sheet again.
"This all my fault!" he said suddenly as he walked away from the stretcher and headed to the wall nearby.
"No, John. It's no one's fault except the criminal!" she said, her eyes firing with anger.
"You don't understand Stace! You know how much I detest the word 'should have'?" he turned his gaze towards her and asked the question.
"John…" Stacy pleading for him to stop blaming himself.
"Now I found myself saying it over and over again! I shouldn't have left them there. I should have insisted that we go home together. I should have taken care of Randy! I'm his best friend! I should have not let Dawn be angry with me!" John let his emotions out.
"John, c'mon. Stop it!" came Stacy's reply as she started to cry again.
"I should have showed Dawn I loved her so much! I should have…" John continued and punched the wall in front of him and again and again.
"John! Stop it! You're scaring me! We should both be strong! The two of us! We just lost the most important person in our lives. Regretting things is not the way to solve this problem!" she exclaimed to him as she wiped the tears streaking down her cheeks away. 'I should be strong! Crying my eyes out will never bring Randy back! He's gone and that's that!' she said to herself as she watch John resenting in front of her.
John slumped down against the wall crying silently. Stacy knelt down next to him and took his hand. She found out it was now bleeding. John didn't seem to feel any pain. He became numb due to the other heart breaking pain. Stacy took out her handkerchief and tied it to his left hand to stop the bleeding.
"C'mon let's go back to the hotel." Stacy said to John as she pulled him up by the hand. John stood up and followed Stacy out of the room and looked at Dawn Marie's covered body one last time.
They headed back outside the structure after saying thank you to the woman at information. They were riding in John's car. Stacy was still holding the bouquet of flowers Randy has left for her. She fiddled with the engagement ring that was attached to the card. Randy never get to slid the ring into her finger. He never got to ask Stacy the question he's been meaning to ask her for so long. She'd never see him again. Stacy delved into those thoughts over and over. If she just came along with him at the party.
"I want to know who the killer is." John said firmly, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly that his knuckles turned white. Stacy saw the muscles of his neck moving with anger. It was as if John's rage was contagious because she was feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline to kill the criminal that had caused her boyfriend's death.
"Same here John." She sighed as she tried to control the anger boiling up inside of her. "I wish I could have seen Randy one last time though. Why would Mr. Orton do such thing?" she wondered out loud.
"He has his reasons Stace. And that I don't know. All I want to know who the killer is." He repeated his declaration earlier. Stacy looked at him with a curious and scared gaze. She has never seen John this angry. But then if your girlfriend was killed brutally you'd probably go psycho.
this is just a short one. i run out of ideas:( sorry. but please review. thanks.
