Chapter 42: Accidents
Cover my eyes
Cover my ears
Tell me these words are a lie
It can't be true
That I'm losing you
The sun cannot fall from the sky
Can you hear heaven cry
Tears of an angel
...RyanDan - Tears of an Angel
"What were the circumstances?" Jessie asked.
Jack seemed to steel himself for a moment and then he whispered, "Tragic."
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"I can get you out of this," I said to Miya as we entered my rooms at headquarters two weeks later, "It's for too long and it will be cutting it pretty close."
In that time, we had put on an exceptional face for Mother and Giovanni. They really had no idea that we were planning on leaving them and everyone else behind. We were just waiting on the forged passports to get us out of the country. We had bags and money packed and ready. We just had to wait for the right time.
"That's why it makes sense for me to go," Miya countered as she sat down on a the couch, "It would make sense for me to want time off in a nice warm climate after a long mission in the mountains."
"It's a ridiculous mission," I argued, pouring myself a drink, "It's based on a rumour."
"From a reputable scientist on Cinnabar Island," Miya reminded me, "Daphne overhead him say that Mew was spotted in the Andes. We have to check it out."
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All of the blood drained from Jessie's face, but Jack was too engrossed in trying to chip away at Jessie's bonds. Somehow, someway, she knew…
She stared, wide-eyed at her father and listened to his tale with trepidation.
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"It's a goose chase," I argued.
"It's a scouting mission," she corrected, "A week long scouting mission."
"I don't like it," I maintained, "Jessie's been gone for two weeks and now you're talking about taking off for a week. I don't like it. With Giovanni..."
Miya got off of the couch and walked up to me, pressing her hand to my chest as she leaned into me. Her large, aqua eyes captured my attention as always and I hung onto every word, "Would it not be better for me to be any place where Giovanni isn't?" she asked, "I would be far from him, with Catherine and Daphne, and I wouldn't get back until the day before we left."
It made sense, though every cell in my body rebelled at the thought of letting her out of my sight. That was the thing with Miya, though. She wasn't the type to let others fight her battles for her. She wasn't the type who needed or wanted a man's protection. She was fiercely independent and I did love that about her.
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"You're a lot like her," Jack stated, catching Jessie off-guard.
"R-really?" Jessie asked.
"Really," Jack confirmed, "She would be very proud of you."
"Yeah? Her runaway daughter who joined the criminal organization headed by one of her enemies and sucked so bad at it, that she got kicked out of it and got pregnant?" Jessie asked doubtfully. She knew that she wasn't exactly daughter of the year material.
To her surprise, Jack chuckled, "Yes," he said, "She would've loved you, no matter what."
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Two days later, I was saying goodbye to Miya. We were out on the helicopter pad, standing close together. Daphne was speaking to their pilot, who would drop them off in the Andes and pick them up a week later. Catherine was loading up supplies.
"You'll be safe, right? You'll come back to me?" I asked.
"Always," she promised me, "Don't worry about me, Jack."
"I can't help it," I replied, "I love you."
"I love you too," Miya told me, kissing me one last time. The pilot was entering the copter now and I knew that it would not be long before Miya would be too. I opened my mouth to say something, but I was interrupted by Amy rushing onto the helipad.
"Catherine!" she called. The blond stopped what she was doing and waited for Amy to get to her.
"Amy? What's wrong?" Catherine asked.
"Delia's on the phone," Amy panted, "Cassidy fell off of the monkey bars. She's really hurt. Can barely walk."
"Shit!" Catherine cursed, looking up to the sky, "Fred's not due back until this afternoon!"
Her husband was a contractor for a mining company and travelled a lot. They had made arrangements for Fred to pick up Cassidy from the daycare later that afternoon so Catherine could go on the mission.
"Go, Catherine," Miya urged, "She needs you."
"My, the mission," Catherine reminded her.
Miya shook her head, "Daph and I will be fine. Go to your daughter. Madame Boss will understand. Right?" she asked, looking at me.
"Right. Family emergency," I confirmed.
"Are you sure?" Catherine asked, biting her lower lip and looking at the chopper.
At this point, Daphne came bounding over, "Hey, we're getting ready for take-off. What's going on?"
"Catherine's staying behind," Miya announced in that no-nonsense way of hers. Daphne frowned.
"Why?" she asked.
"Cassidy got hurt at the daycare," Miya explained.
"I can try to call Fred," Catherine argued, "I don't want-"
"You said that Fred was working up by Cerulean all morning," Miya pointed out, "By the time he got here, Cassidy would be in all kinds of pain. Daph and I will be fine. Cassidy needs her mother," she insisted.
"Go," Daphne agreed, "It's just a scouting mission. We'll be fine."
"Okay," Catherine finally gave in, "Thanks you guys."
"No problem," Miya grinned, hugging her friend, "Give Cassie a kiss for me," she requested, pulling away from Catherine. She quickly pecked me on the lips and said, "I'll see you when I get back. Help Catherine."
"I will," I promised.
And then she ran off to the helicopter with Daphne. Catherine and I watched together as they took off and flew out of sight.
"Come on," I said to Catherine, "Let's go see about your girl."
"I can manage her on my own," she told me as we walked, "I know you probably have a million other things to do-"
"Miya asked me to help you, so I will," I reminded her.
We went to my car and drove back into the city to the daycare. We found Cassidy in my office, sobbing, with an ice pack on her leg. Butch was with her, looking close to tears himself.
"I didn't mean it!" he cried, leaping to his feet as soon as he saw us, "I thought she was big enough to go on the monkey bars!"
"Sweetie, it's not your fault," Catherine assured him, giving him a quick hug before going to her own daughter. Butch didn't look convinced so I stepped in.
"Butch, accidents happen sometimes," I told him, "It's no one's fault. I need you to go back to playing with the other kids, so Cassidy's mom and I can take Cassidy to the doctors."
"But-"
"Go," I said firmly.
I carried Cassidy out of the office and then we drove down to the hospital, where I carried her inside. Thankfully, nothing was broken. She had sprained her ankle really bad, though, and was told to stay off of it. I offered to drive Catherine and Cassidy back to headquarters so that Catherine could take Cassidy home.
"Thank you, Jack," Catherine said on our way back, "It was a lot easier with your help."
"I was glad to do it," I shrugged, "Anything to keep my mind off it all."
"Only another week and you'll all be gone," she said sadly. She and Miya were close, practically sisters.
"You should consider moving on too," I told her, "I can put in a word with my mother."
She thought about it for a moment and then she shrugged, "I might have to take you up on that. Things just wouldn't be the same without Miya and while I love Daphne, sometimes I feel that we're holding her back with the girls and all."
"Then I'll talk to my mother."
"Wouldn't it look suspicious, though?" Catherine wondered, "I ask to leave and then you and Miya suddenly disappear?"
I thought about it and she was right.
"It might be better," Catherine said, after a moment, "If I wait until after you're gone. I'll transfer to something lowkey. Admin, maybe? The medical wing? Daycare? All of it would be good."
"That might be the best course of action," I conceded. She nodded her head. She seemed to bit her lower lip for a moment before deciding to speak.
"You'll take care of them, won't you Jack? Miya and Jessie?" she asked. sounding almost vulnerable.
"They're my life," I stated simply.
"You're Jessie's real father, aren't you?" she then asked, "Miya was always evasive whenever I asked."
"Yes," I admitted, mostly because it felt good to say it out loud, "Yes, I am. We kept it as quiet as we could. My mother…"
"I get it," Catherine said with a smile, "You must miss her right now."
"I do," I replied, "I can't wait for all of this to be over...for all three of us to be together, far from anything. Someplace where we can finally be a proper family. No more hiding."
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"That's all I ever wanted," Jack said hollowly, slumping a little. He had stopped chipping away at the cabin and was instead just staring at the wall. Jessie didn't know what to say to that. That was all she had ever wanted as well: a family.
"I threw myself into work that week," Jack continued, "I thought that if I could keep busy enough, I wouldn't miss you and your mother as bad as I did…"
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I was exhausted. All I wanted was to collapse in my bed and forget about the day. I had spent the last two days in Mahogany Town, dealing with one crisis after another at the new base. Now I was back at headquarters after a long flight, walking towards my room. I turned the corner and stopped in my tracks, staring at the woman who was waiting for me.
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Somehow, Jessie knew that it would not be Miya waiting for him at the door this time.
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"Catherine?" I questioned, looking at the blond woman who was leaning against the wall across from my door. She looked up at me, tear-stains on her cheeks. My heart missed a beat. I willed myself to keep moving.
"Are you alright? What's happened?" I asked. She looked at me, complete misery in her violet eyes.
"It's Miya, Jack," she said. I froze. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. No.
"What…" I couldn't form the words.
"There was an accident."
"Where is she?" I demanded, even though on some level, I knew.
"Jack…"
"Where is she, Catherine?" I growled, panic making my voice harsher, meaner.
"She didn't make it, Jack," Catherine said thickly, "There was an avalanche and-"
"NO!" I gasped, leaping away from her as if she had struck me. My back hit the other side of the hallway.
"Daphne barely made it out. She was in the infirmary. She said she saw Miya get buried. She said-"
"NO!" I cried, putting my hands over my ears, not wanting to hear. I sank down the wall and rocked back and forth. She knelt down infront of me and touched my knee in a consoling gesture.
"Jack, I'm sorry-"
"She's not…she can't be…no…" I mumbled over and over. Then I was up on my feet, flinging the door open into the room. I expected to see Miya sitting on my couch, wearing a satisfied smirk. It had to be a prank. A joke. It couldn't be true. Miya couldn't be dead. It just wasn't possible. There wasn't an avalanche. It wasn't real.
But she wasn't there.
Then I looked at the woman standing in the doorway. Tears were falling down Catherine's pale cheeks as she watched me deny the truth, that my lover, her best friend, was dead. And then my eyes began to well up. All I could think of was how I would never see Miya again or hear her voice or feel her touch. We had been so close...
"N-no!" my voice cracked and then I was sobbing, howling in misery.
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Jessie stared at him as he paused to look down at his hands. She had seen his lower lip quiver. She felt a pang in her own chest. Her mother hadn't abandoned her. Miya had died on a mountain…this mountain. Suddenly Jessie felt guilty for ever questioning her love. She knew that Miya had done it for her. Finding Mew would have given Miya the leverage to leave Team Rocket and start a new life with Jack and Jessie. If she hadn't died, Jessie would have grown up with parents that loved her. She would have had a mother and a father. Jack wouldn't be here.
"I was broken," Jack managed, "You mother...she meant the world to me…"
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Catherine tried to console me, but her touch only reminded me that Miya was gone. Dead, buried beneath the snow in an avalanche.
Avalanche.
I paused for a moment as my sluggish brain made a connection.
Someone else I had cared about had died in a similar manner only months before.
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"Jade," Jessie whispered. Jack nodded.
TBC
AN: Sorry for the delay. Things got hectic again, but hopefully the rest of the story will be up before the month's end.