Gone to soon

A day past and then another. It was two days since sunshine was last seen in Eldorado but for some it felt like an eternity. They grey clouds laid like a thick blanket over the whole planet but in the Capitol it was worse.

With rain spattering against the large window and a loud rumble could be heard every now and then, Chel laid inside her hospital room alone. Besides from the rain and the rumbling the only sound that filled the room was the beeping coming from the machine that measured her heart-beats. Only hers.

Inside her head the memories and conversations were replayed over and over again. Everything from when she found out she was expecting, her reconciliation and wedding to Paris, the pride in Teddy's voice when he said he was going to be a big brother and last the crash.

A few hours ago it had been all a big blur, but now she remembered it clearly. Every little detail was nailed stuck in her brain and she couldn't get rid of it.

And as she slowly dragged her hand over her flat stomach she re-lived the scream in her head that had escaped her when she had realised what she had done.

He had spent the last two nights into the arm-chair next to Chel's hospital bed. But Paris was forced to return home to the mansion and pick up some clothes for her home-coming. The doctors had told them that she was physically ready to go home, but emotionally there was a long way to go.

When he stepped inside their bedroom the first thing that caught his eyes was the fabric samples they had left there only a few days ago, however it seemed like years.

Slowly he walked over to the coffee table and picked up a soft blue fabric with bright yellow ducks on it and put it against his chest and squeezed it tightly. He was however snapped back to reality when he heard a loud knock onto the door.

''Come in.'' He called and dropped the fabric back onto the table. Jack's green eyes peeked inside behind the door and stepped in, closing the door behind him.

''Hey.'' He said and walked over to his best friend and gave him a gentle pat on the back. Paris stood leaned over a big black sport bag shoveling down clothes into it.

''How are you doing?'' Jack added which was a quite useless question to ask because he knew how Paris really felt.

''I'm good.'' Paris answered and shoved his hands into his pocket and kept his gaze down onto the floor. Obviously not.

''Chel's coming home today right?'' Jack asked again. Paris looked up and nodded his head.

''Yeah, I'm just cleaning up and getting her some new clothes for her cause hers were all torn up in the accident. It's all ruined.'' Paris said and even if he tried he couldn't help but sounding bitter.

Outside in to the waiting-room, Tulio paced back and forth, Amazonia sat quietly with both of her hands firmly placed onto her growing stomach and Miguel sat besides Topaz holding both of her hands in his.

''Are they going to release her?'' Tulio stopped and turned to his parents. They both looked up at him and Topaz nodded.

''Later this afternoon.'' She sighed and looked down into her lap.

''Riven and Musa are coming back tonight as well, there was some kind of delay because of the weather.'' She added. Both she and Miguel stood up as they saw Chel's doctor approaching them.

''How is she?'' Miguel asked.

''She's still not talking.'' The doctor sighed.

''I've never seen her like this. If she would just get angry or scream, breaking down in my arms, anything but this emptiness!'' Topaz said on the verge of tears.

''I understand you frustraition you highness. Our main priority now needs to get Chel better, making sure that she does not get worse. In these kind of circumstaces, it's not unusual that the patient suffers from deep depression.'' The doctor sighed.

Jack and Paris still stood into his bedroom that he shared with Chel.

''How is she doing?'' Jack asked carefully. Paris looked at him and sighed.

''She won't talk to me, she won't talk to anybody. She just stares off.'' Paris replied in frustration. Jack sighed.

''Everyone grieves differently.'' He said. Paris frowned his eyebrows and shook his head.

''I just wish I knew what she was thinking.'' Paris spat angrily as the threw a pair of pants into the sportsbag onto the bed. Jack was quiet for a few seconds.

''What about what you think?'' Jack asked. Paris looked at him and shrugged his shoulders before turning his head away again.

''I'm fine, I just my life to go back to normal.'' Paris growled as he carried on packing.

''You might be able to fool youself, but I have known you since we were seven, you can't fool me.'' Jack said and crossed his arms over his chest.

''Here is what you need to do. Pretend I'm not here, pretend it's Chel standing here.''

''Do you need to punch someone? Do you need to throw a chair? Whatever you need, I'm here for you.'' Jack said and pointed towards himself. Paris sighed and shook his head.

''Jack, I'm fine! just get out of my back!'' Paris spat again as he walked over to the dresser.

''Come on! Get out what you need to say!'' Jack yelled. Paris turned around quickly with total rage in his eyes.

''I'M FURIOUS! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THIS TO ME! WHAT IF TEDDY HAD BEEN ON THAT BLOODY BIKE'' Paris screamed and walked over towards Jack and pointed at his chest.

''I rode a motorcycle, so what?'' Jack yelled back at him.

''You made me a father! And now he's dead! He's dead because of you! That's your fault!'' Paris yelled before breaking down in tears and slide down the wall to the floor. Jack kneeled down and took Paris's face in his hands.

''You listen to me. Every time you feel the need to say that, you say it to me. I can take it, Chel can not! She can not hear that right now.'' He said. Paris looked at him and nodded.

''I... I'll try.'' He whispered and nodded his head. His body felt numb.

''No, listen to me. You can not hold this against your wife. Do you understand?'' Jack added and earned a nod from his best friend. Jack nodded back and pulled Paris in for a hug.

''I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.'' He whispered.

Even back at the ranch the atmosphere was anything but cheerful. Zandra felt like every last bit of energy and motivation to work was gone. Like it had been sucked out by a huge bottom-less vortex.

Oliver sat onto the other side of the desk and peeked up at her every then and now.

''Since there is nothing left to do here that can't wait until tomorrow, can I take rest of the day off?'' He asked. Zandra was brought back to reality and seemed slightly thrown back by his request. It wasn't like Oliver to ask for a day of, not like him at all.

''Eh, sure I guess.'' Zandra said before even thinking it through properly. Oliver earned her with a nod and a smile and Zandra couldn't help but feeling curious.

''Anything special you had in mind?'' She asked once again before really thinking. Okay now he was just going to wonder why she was being so nosy. Oliver looked at her before down into his lap as he smirked slightly.

''I'm taking Dawn out actually. She's been through a rough time lately and… well, we have gotten closer.'' He replied her and now Zandra really wished she had shut her mouth. However, it was too late to take it back now wasn't it? Everything she could do now was forcing the largest smile she ever had to force.

''Great.'' She added trying really hard not to sound bitter.

Paris worked his way up to the fifth floor and stopped outside the door leading into Chel's hospital room. The last couple of days had by no doubt the hardest of his entire life, but still this was the moment he was dreading the most.

He was suppose to be able to comfort and be a stable pillar for his wife, but he wasn't sure that he was doing a good job. He let out a deep long sigh before grabbing the handle and opened the door.

She just laid there with the empty expression in her face that she had since she realise the horrible true what just had torned their life apart. But she seemed to acknowledge his presence when he closed the door behind him, because she tilted her head and looked straight at him.

''Hi.'' He said softly and smiled slightly as he put the sportsbag onto the floor before shoving his hand into his pockets.

''I brought you some clothes, nothing special. Just to get you back home comfortably.'' He added as he picked the bag back up and placed it onto the bed by her feet.

Chel looked at the bag up at Paris before opening her mouth and weak squeaking noises escaped as she tried to say something.

''Don't! If you're not ready to speak, you don't have to.'' He said and shook his head. But a small part of him knew that it wasn't for her that he asked her not to say anything.

He wasn't sure that he was ready to hear her voice again, despite of what he said to Jack before. Instead he unzipped the bag and started to take out clothes piece by piece.

''I- I'm sorry.'' She sobbed weakly. Paris looked at her and saw the tears streaming down from her red puffy exchausted eyes.

He dropped the clothes back onto the bed and sat down besides her, carefully pulling her up to a sitting posistion. They looked at each other for a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to cry out onto his shoulder.

After that days chaos there was an invisible, but noticeable thick fog all over the palace. Tulio walked together with his mother inside the throne-room.

''I still think it would have been good for her to come back home for a few days.'' Topaz said as she walked over to sit down onto her throne.

''Don't you understand that Chel wants to be with her family?'' Tulio replied his mother. Topaz gave away a sophisticated snort, she was the queen after all.

''We are her family too.'' She added. Tulio decided to drop the subject, he wouldn't win this one anyway.

Even if he would, he didn't have the time to reply anyway. The big doors opened and a man was let inside and bowed before approaching them.

''It's about a damaged vertical your highness.'' He said and reached over a clip-board over to Tulio. He took a quick look down at the papers and sighed.

''Riven's bike.'' He said and put his signature onto the paper. Topaz stood up and walked over to her son and the man.

''We don't want that thing here.'' She hissed. Tulio reached the clip-board back to the man.

''Just, put it into the garage out of sight.'' He said and the man nodded before disappeared. Tulio and Topaz walked over to the windows and saw the damaged leva-bike down onto a trailer.

''It doesn't look so bad that I thought it would.'' Tulio said. Topaz looked at him with burning eyes.

''Don't encourage him to get it repaired or to get another one.'' She spat angrily. Tulio sighed.

''Mom, you know how Riven is.'' He replied her.

''Doesn't matter. I've lost one grandchild and I almost lost my daughter, I'm not going to lose anyone else because of that murder machine.'' She hissed angrily as she turned around.

''This family has been through enough tragedy.'' She added and walked away.

Chel sat quietly inside her and Paris's bedroom, starring outside the windows. Outside in a tree not to far away was a small bird in her nest watching her eggs. The tears started to well up again and she could hear the door opened.

She turned her head and saw Paris standing into the doorway, but he wasn't alone. In front of him stood Teddy. Her violet eyes meet his large brown ones and she saw the sadness in his eyes. Not for his sake, but for hers.

Chel slowly kneeled down onto the floor and reached her arms out for him. Slowly he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Then she cracked again. She burried her hand into his brown hair and pressed him closer to her. She didn't care that every bone in her body hurt like hell. She was never going to let go of him again.

I'm so sorry for the time this chapter has taken! I've been swamped with school, going through a rough time due to smaller depression and more. But I think I have got my spark to write back and I'll try to get better.

So what do you think of this chapter? Do you think that Paris ever could forgive Chel, and could she ever forgive herself? Is there jealousy that I can sense from Zandra?

Next time, Zandra visits Nick in prison and he leaves when things get uncomfortable, Dawn wants to throw Zandra a surprise, Chel packs down the baby's things, Jack and Breanna's first time together.