A/N Thomas loves Rosie in my Thomasverse after Ashima dies. The title refers to Rosie dying and references the Ashima deathfic title, which is in an earlier Tales collection.
One day, Thomas was happy. Until he wasn't that is. He found out Rosie, his love after he lost Ashima, had an accident. No other engine was available, so he had to go to Vicarstown. I hope you're okay, love, the tank engine thought.
Rosie was heavily damaged in her accident, sobbing loudly from the pain. Her crew had jumped clear, so when her driver recovered from having the wind knocked out of him, he tried to comfort his engine. Water leaked from her damaged boiler. "Driver, I'm too hot," the female tank engine said. "My boiler's about to explode, I think." After her driver got safely away, his engine's prediction came true. Her boiler exploded and her smoke-box flew off.
Thomas was steaming down the track to the Vicarstown bridge, as Rosie's accident had occurred right in front of the Sodor side. An engine from the Mainland bringing some coal to Sodor had hit Rosie. Her crew had said so when sending word on the telephone.
Thomas arrived at the scene and found Rosie no longer alive, killed by her boiler exploding. He began to cry, wailing loud as he could, his face wet with great tears falling. Why, my love? Why oh why? he thought. He sniffled, unable to speak due to heartbreak and made a sad whistle.
One of the new diesels who was mean said, "Cry-engine! You both should've been scrapped years ago, just like your siblings, Thomas."
Thomas's driver picked up on the tank engine's feelings. "There, there, Thomas," he said, taking a cloth from his pocket and drying his engine's tears. "Cry as much as you feel like. Your emotions are valid." He rubbed his engine's cheeks and pressed the cloth to his eyes, as he tuned into the tank engine to recognize his values and be attentive to his cues.
Thomas let out another wailing sob, fresh tears pouring from his eyes. He sniffled hard, coughed as he choked on his tears and hiccupped. He gasped and gulped, shaking as his tears came not once stopping, allowing his driver's comfort.
He said, as he continued to wipe the tears away, "No judgment from me, Thomas, just care and compassion as you vent. I'm here for you, not to fix your feelings, just to dry your eyes.". He wiped all his engine's tears away as best he could.
Thomas cried and wailed until he had no more tears left. His driver dried his last tears away, wiping his cheeks and eyes dry of tears, then went back to the cab with the sodden cloth. Thomas's crew gave him a drink and then they took Rosie to the Steamworks.
The engines had a meeting at the Steamworks in which they were told Rosie died. Thomas, in tears, gave a speech about Rosie.
"W-We wh-who kn-knew R-Rosie sh-shall m-miss h-her, b-but w-w m-must c-carry o-on b-being R-Really U-Useful E-Engines. I-I l-loved h-her, b-but s-she's g-gone t-to T-The B-Big R-Railway I-In th-the Sk-Sky." Every word was another wailing sob, so the tank engine's driver pressed a cloth to his eyes.
Thomas wailed himself to sleep with his driver's comfort that night. As he slept, he had a vision of her riding The Big Railway In the Sky.
The railway was closed to allow Rosie's friends to grieve and have a memorial service for her. Rosie's friends, including human ones like her crew, shed a great many tears at the outdoor service, done by the vicar. Thomas was an emotional wreck, wailing his broken heart without fear or shame and with his driver's comfort. JoJo gave his friend a buffer press and then said some inspiring words to help him see from a new perspective. During the rest of the railway's closure, JoJo and Thomas allowed anyone who needed to share their grief with someone to have him be that. At the end of the memorial service, JoJo said, "Anyone who needs empathy and seeks inspiration can look to me, if they want to cry while with a friend." and Thomas said, "If you just want more practical comfort, I'm here to give you a buffer press and listen. If JoJo's not your style, come cry with me in Knapford, if you want to be with a friend when you cry. I shall probably bawl my eyes out, which is why I said cry with me.".
The railway reopened and Thomas could work on his branch line and shunt, but he still was broken-hearted, missing Rosie and wailing off and on. He woke up the first morning the railway was open again, wailing with grief. His crew came and he said, "Dr-Driver, c-can y-you dr-dry m-my t-tears?", the words coming out through wailing sobs. Great tears poured from his eyes, leaving his face wet with tears and he sniffled loudly.
Thomas's driver climbed onto his engine's buffers. "There, there, Thomas," he said, as he took a cloth from his pocket. "Go ahead and cry. It's all right you're still broken-hearted.". He gently rubbed his engine's cheeks and wiped his eyes.
Thomas said, fresh tears pouring from his eyes, "I-I l-loved h-her. Wh-Why c- couldn't sh-she l-live?" Every word was another wailing sob. He sniffled again, hard, coughed as he choked on his tears and hiccupped. He gasped and gulped, shaking with his constant tears and allowed his driver's comfort to go on.
He said, as he continued to wipe the tears away, "Let it all out. Whenever you feel you've got to cry and I'm here, I shall dry your eyes and comfort you until you feel better, because I care.". He wiped all his engine's tears away as best he could.
Thomas's wails went on, his tears not once stopping until he could cry no more. His driver dried his engine's last tears away, patting any stray tears from his cheeks and dapping them from his eyes until they were dry. He went back to the cab with the sodden cloth and the tank engine's crew gave him a drink and got on with their day.
Later, Thomas was on a siding, his crew on break. He was so full of pain he needed a good cry again. Someone's here, he thought. His eyes teared up and he let himself go, once he knew the person was a friend.
Autumn said, "Hello, Thomas. You've got tears, so let me wipe your eyeballs. Open the floodgates and let the ocean of sorrow out.", hugging his face after climbing on his buffers. She pulled out her handkerchief, then dabbed his face and wiped his wet eyes.
Thomas wailed, "R-Rosie d-died a-and I-I l-loved h-her." More tears welled up in his eyes. He sniffled hard, coughed as he choked on his tears and hiccupped. He gasped and gulped, shaking from his wailing sobs as great tears poured from his eyes, not once stopping.
She said, as she continued to wipe his tears away, "Just cry. I'm here to wipe your pain away.". She did her best to be there for her friend, listen to him and gave her empathy as she thought of any ways to inspire him. "Your emotion's valid, so no rushing your healing.". She held her hanky to his eyes, letting him cry into it.
Thomas finished his cry, no more tears to shed. Autumn dried his last tears away, softly wiping his face and eyes dry of tears. She gave him the words of inspiration she thought of as she put her sodden handkerchief away and then went on with her visit to Sodor.
In the time to come, the engines who knew Rosie were comforted by their crew, the Hatts and their friends, human and engine, until they recovered from their grief as much as they could. A diesel shunter, Janelle, took Rosie's place. She was enthusiastic, creative, idealistic and passionate.
A/N I read a deathfic in which the dead engine was at the Steamworks. My FanFiction buddy personality typed Thomas and my OC JoJo, so their style of comfort in each case is based on that. When the railway's closed, the engines have their crew with them during the day for comfort and to help them meet up with another engine if they want.