Kate's POV
I lay down in the bed silently waiting for Rick to come out of the shower. He spent a long time in there but eventually did come out. By then I was under the covers and waiting for him with tears in my eyes. Rick didn't say anything once he came back. I don't think he even put anything on. He just turned out the light and then crawled in bed next to me. We both faced opposite directions as we lay back to back. Rick sniffled a bit as he laid down, by then though I was completely out of things to say, even the obvious shit. I just kept picturing it all again and again. The whole scene was… that was behind us now. I could think about it later, right now I had to worry about the others. I was finding it almost impossible to stay strong for them but I had too.
I didn't get much sleep that night. As much as I didn't want to, I just kept on thinking about everything. Mostly how there would be no more memories to make with her. No more talks, no more lunches, no more laughs. Throughout the night I felt a tear or two run down my face as Rick slept. He was out like a light, poor thing must have been exhausted. I just kept picturing him holding his sister. The whole sight was truly disturbing. Having to separate the two was also probably the hardest thing I'd ever had to do.
Eventually I did fall asleep but it wasn't for long. The sun had begun to come up, making the slight light through the window of the room ever so slightly blue as the sun peeked out, illuminating the horizon with its beautiful orange light. I heard the morning birds chirping as I closed my eyes again to try one last time to get any amount of sleep. Finally I got somewhat lucky and fell asleep for almost two hours. It wasn't much.
When I did wake up the sun was up and Rick was still asleep. I checked my phone to see that the time was seven fourteen. I took a deep breath, still shaken from last night. Among the time however lay several notifications. The usual things like Instagram, YouTube, things like that. But one stuck out to me. the message from Lilly.
"Hey, you didn't come home last night. Not having too much fun are you? Just kidding, anyway could you please answer me? Mom said that I didn't have to go to school today. At first I thought it was to celebrate Angel's birthday but she seems really upset about something. Is something going on? I'm a bit worried" the text read. Mom hasn't told her… what should I do? I couldn't bring them here and risk upsetting Rick. I didn't want to see him broken down again, although I knew I would. I knew that if he saw the others get upset, then he would get upset as well. But I couldn't just leave him either… but how else was I gonna do this?
K. hey. I'm alright, but I need you to do me a favor.
L. Sure, what's up?
K. message Humphrey and Shaky. Tell them to swing by our place as soon as they can. I'll be over in a bit.
L. alright. I don't know if they'll be allowed to miss school though. Did you want to get a head start on the birthday or something?
K. please just get them there.
L. hey is everything alright? You and mom are acting a bit odd. Did something happen at dinner?
K. no Lilly, nothing happened at dinner. Could you please just text them?
L. sure thing.
I closed my phone and sighed, this was going to be rough. Slowly I turned to Rick and sure enough, he was still out cold. His back was still turned to me and he was curled up in the blankets, surly with now dried tears on his face. I gave him a light kiss so as not to wake him. I just wanted to make all this pain go away, but it wasn't going to happen. I carefully got out of the bed and dressed back up, keeping the T-shirt on but also putting back on my jeans from last night.
Once up I noticed a pen and notepad on Rick's desk so I took it and decided to leave him a note, hopeful I would be back before he woke up but the odds were extremely low. I couldn't be away from him for too long. "Rick, I've gone to tell the others what happened. Be back soon, just try and rest up. Everything's gonna be okay. I love you. Kate '' I wrote. I put the notepad in the spot where I was laying on the bed and then walked out. I tried to make as little noise as possible while leaving and succeeded. Rick never woke up. I put my jacket on and then my shoes and headed out as quietly as I could, but not before taking one look back in the house. It seemed so empty… I couldn't leave him here long, I had to hurry this up. Rick needed me, but so did the others… fuck, I didn't know what to do. I just had to keep it together right now.
As I sat in the car I felt my phone vibrate. I checked it to see that it was another message from Lilly. "They're on their way," the message said. I felt my heart sink a bit as I knew what was coming. I turned my car on and began the ride to my house. The ride was just like last night. Silent, heavy, dreadful, nothing good. As I finally approached my house I saw that Humphrey was already there. We just had to wait for Shaky. I parked and noticed that my parents were also here. I guess they called out of work to be here when Lilly inevitably cracks. I looked up at my house and braced myself for what was to come.
Eventually I walked over and found the courage to unlock the door, and step inside. When I did I could already see Humphrey and Lilly sitting on the couch in the living room. The two glanced over at me and then went back to talking. I took a deep breath, and then made my way over to the room. I also noticed that the kitchen light was on, and I also heard sounds coming from within it. I guess either mom or dad was in there doing something, probably mom. Humphrey and Lilly stopped talking once they saw me enter the room. I said nothing as I walked over and sat down on the opposite and smaller couch. Lilly's expression grew concerned as she watched me sit and look down.
"Kate? Have you been crying?" Lilly asked. It was almost time, I'd have to tell them. I only wanted to explain this once though, so I needed to wait for Shaky. Where was he? I looked up at the couple that sat across from me. They both seemed worried, they should be. If only they fucking knew… how should I tell them? Should I just… say it? Or should I try and ease them into it?
"Where's Rick?" Humphrey asked. My eyes darted over to him. I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. Another small clang from the kitchen made me look over to see that mom was indeed in the kitchen, unloading the dishwasher. She peered over at me and then made her way into the living room. She approached me slowly as if approaching a wild animal. Carefully and cautiously. I stood up and met her half way in front of the coffee table. As we looked into each other's eyes I felt my lips quiver again. My then wrapped her arms around me and began sobbing, I began to cry again as well. Amazing that I had any tears left. Lilly and Humphrey must have been extremely worried and confused, but before they could say anything, Shaky walked in with opposite energy.
"Hey guys. You didn't think I was gonna miss the big day huh? So, where's that birthday girl?" Shaky smiled before turning to his left, facing me and my mother. His smile faded instantly. "Woah… did I… did I miss something?" he asked. Lilly shrugged.
"Take a seat Shaky" I said, breaking my mothers hug. Mom tried to compose herself as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Shaky looked over at the couch and then slowly did as I asked, opting for the end right next to Lilly. I took my seat back on the smaller couch, this time mom sat next to me. Again I went to say something but nothing came out. I felt a hand on my back and turned to see that it was mom. She nodded, making me turn around and muster up everything that I could.
"Um… I…" I stuttered like an idiot.
"Kate… what happened?" Lilly asked. I looked up at her and then back down at the floor.
"Last night… me and Rick were… we were heading to the restaurant to meet Angel… they… Angel and her parents they… they got in a car crash… they're dead" I whimpered… I squeezed my eyes shut, gritting my teeth knowing that I would have to open my eyes and look up. I didn't want to do it, but I had to. Come on Kate. just do it, LOOK UP! My eyes opened as another tear fell. And slowly… but surely… I looked up… the expressions of the three were just… blank.,,
"Angel's…" Humphrey began but said nothing more. I nodded as I felt my lip quiver for the third time.
"No… this is some sort of… some sort of a joke right?" Lilly laughed painfully. The four of us all simply looked at her with sorrow and said nothing. "Right? Right?" Lilly asked repeatedly as tears began to flow down her face. I looked down again, avoiding the sight. I felt like such a fucking coward. I saw Humphrey out of the corner of my eye, wrap his arms around Lilly to comfort her as she began wailing.
"Where's Rick?" he asked.
"He's… he's at the house. He's not doing good" I answered.
"You left him alone in that house?" I heard my mom say, making me turn to her.
"I… I had to, only for a short while. I had to tell them… and…" I began but stopped, there was really no excuse. Why I took on the role of telling them what happened I don't know. But something made me feel obligated.
"You should have brought him here, he shouldn't be in that house at all right now" mom said. I looked away from her as my ears stayed flat on my head. As I looked away though my eyes panned over Shaky. He had his hand over his temple as he tried his best to understand what was just said to him.
"Shaky?" I said gently, afraid of the response I was about to get.
"A-... Angie…" he whispered to himself before beginning to cry. I took another glance over at Humphrey who wasn't crying, but at the same time looked as though he was on the verge of it. Looking as if he was trying so desperately to hold it together.
"Where… where is she now?" he asked.
"They… they took her to the hospital. They have to get her cleaned up for the… for the…" I couldn't finish my sentence, however there was no need to.
"Not again… God damn it not again" Shaky almost yelled and then stood up, covering his face to leave the room. Everyone except Lilly watched him go, and it wasn't long until we heard the front door slam.
"I gotta go to him, he cant leave like this" I said. If he got in the car right now and tried to drive like this, who knows what would happen. I stood up and jogged out of the room as best as I could. Lilly's crying got quieter the further I got from the living room. Once outside I stepped out to see Shaky walking to his car. "Shaky wait!" I called out to him. He didn't reply to me, he just kept going, however, not even listening. I ran down the steps and across the lawn to get to him, and actually managed to grab his shoulder just before he unlocked the door. "Shaky-"
"Stop! Leave me alone Kate" Shaky said as he tried to put the keys in the door.
"No, you can't drive like this," I said, grabbing his wrist.
"God damn it Kate, go away!" he yelled.
"Shaky no. you can't-" I began, still reaching for his keys, making him drop them.
"GOD FUCKING DAMN IT KATE I SAID GO AWAY!" he screamed at me, finally facing me. I stood there, staring at him shocked, but also upset. Tears began to fall down his face again. "Who have you lost? You've never seen someone you love get taken from you, and then finally someone else comes along, and they promise you that they won't leave you. And then they… and then they…" he stuttered. He winced as he tried to keep himself from crying. I then made a risky move, I slowly stuck my arms out, and moved closer to him again. And slowly, and carefully, hugged him. Almost instantly Shaky hugged me back and began crying, his muzzle resting on my shoulder as his breathing seemed unstable.
"I… I lost her too Shaky" I whimpered. Shaky began to cry harder as his grip tightened on me. I moved my hand up and down his back and tried to relax him. It didn't do much, but what else was I supposed to do?
"I'm s-sorry Kate," Shaky cried.
"It's okay… it's okay" I cooked as best as I could. Shaky sniffed before speaking again.
"What are g-gonna do without her?" he asked. I didn't know how to answer that. I thought of an answer for too long until it was too late, and too much time had passed to even answer it. I just continued to hold Shaky as he cried. Eventually however I did break the hug and took his hand.
"Come on Shaky… let's get out of the street" I offered. Shaky nodded as he sniffed. "Okay" I said, reaching down to pick up his car keys while still holding his hand. I then led him back into the house where Lilly was still crying, just not as hysterical. Humphrey had his head rested on hers as he continued to rub her back. Mom on the other hand was still sitting on the couch with her hands buried in her face. I walked Shaky past the scene and onto the back porch. I picked a chair and sat him down and then I myself sat next to him, only letting go of his hand to grab another chair and move it closer. I sat next to him and held his hand again, just trying to calm him down. As I sat I thought about who he lost as well, I don't think that he knew whether or not I knew about his mothers passing. But he still just mentioned it to me, he wasn't thinking straight… "are you… okay?" I asked. Another stupid fucking question from me, this time however it was just to break the awkward silence. Shaky's eyes darted up to me.
"No… no Kate I am very not okay… I just found out that the love of my life is fucking dead… she… she was the only one for me. Every other girl I dated, they either shunned me, or looked at me as if I was some insignificant bastard… but not Angel… Angel loved me for who I was, and she is the only one that I'm ever gonna love… and now she's gone" Shaky ranted. I moved my thumb around the top of his hand as I thought of a response. "Do you know how she went?" Shaky asked, catching me off guard.
"No," I said, shaking my head. I really didn't want to go into details. The last thing that Shaky needed to hear about was how Angel died in a car crash and then laid in her own blood until her brother scooped her up for almost two hours.
"Rick… he's never gonna move past this" Shaky said. Again I got lost in thought. Angel wasn't the only one he lost. His parents were gone as well, and they weren't coming back… he was alone… literally he was alone, I had to get back to the house.
"Shaky… Rick lost Angel and his parents… I have to be there for him…" I said. Shaky nodded.
"I understand," he said as another tear ran down his face. I wiped it with my thumb after letting go of his hand.
"Promise Me You wont drive right away?" I asked. Again Shaky nodded.
"I promise," he said. I pulled him into one last hug before I left.
"I love you… we all do, don't you forget that" I said, beginning to break down again. Shaky hugged me back. I just didnt want him to do anything stupid in the heat of the moment.
"I love you too Kate," Shaky said. I rubbed his back for a few seconds and then broke the hug. We both now had tears in our eyes.
"You stay strong for me okay? Don't do anything stupid" i instructed. Shaky raised his right hand with a pained smile.
"I promise," he said. I nodded and gave his leg a pat before getting up and going inside. When I did I saw that Lilly's soft cries were still going. I didn't want to disturb her but I had to get back to the house.
"Humphrey" I called lightly. Humphrey lifted his head to me. I Nudged my head in the direction of the kitchen as if to tell him that I wanted to talk to him, Humphrey turned back to Lilly.
"I'll be right back okay?" he said silently.
"No… don't leave me, don't leave me" Lilly whined.
"I'll be right back… I'll be just in the other room, I promise" Humphrey said. Lilly held onto him however as she shook her head. Mom then came over and sat down next to her.
"It's alright, I got her" she said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close, just enough for Humphrey to get free. Lilly continued to sob as mom tried to calm her while me and Humphrey went to the kitchen.
"Yeah?" Humphrey said. I sighed.
"I gotta get back to Rick, but I don't wanna leave Shaky by himself. Could you maybe stay with him?" I asked. Humphrey looked behind him back at Lilly and mom and then over at me again.
"What about Lilly?" he asked.
"Mom will take care of her. Right now Shaky has no one. I don't think he wants to be left with his dad right now, just please stay with him at least for a bit, only for a bit" I begged. Humphrey again looked behind him and watched the scene on the couch for a moment and then turned back.
"I… I don't know if I can leave her" he said.
"Humphrey… mom has her. Believe me she's not gonna leave her alone unless he asks and even then she'll check on her. Just please don't leave Shaky alone, I need some help here" I explained. Humphrey took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes.
"Okay" he said.
"Thanks" I told him. I then turned around and walked out of the kitchen to go up the stairs. As I did I cough a view of Humphrey sitting back on the couch with Lilly. I guess he was gonna tell her about Shaky or something. It didn't matter, I just had to trust him. I had absolutely no time to pester him. I made my way up the steps and began packing a bag. Something told me that I was going to be at Rick's place for a while so I needed a couple of changes of clothes. I began packing and as I did I heard three soft knocks at my door. I turned around to see mom standing in the doorway. I sighed. "Lilly isn't taking it well is she?" I asked.
"No, she's not… listen Kate. why don't you just bring Rick here, get him out of that house, it's not good for him. All the memories and stuff" mom explained. I threw some shirts into my bag and began looking for other accessories such as pants and underwear.
"I would, but I don't know if it will be too much for him. Being around so many people, especially when they're all grieving as well" I explained.
"Kate, I get that you wanna do what's right, and help him out where you can, but I know Rick, I've known him since he was a little pup. I think it would be better to bring him here" mom tried convincing me. I tossed more clothes into the bag.
"We'll see how it goes, right now it's just… it's too soon mom" I said, zipping up the bag. I sat down on the bed and buried my muzzle in my hands as mom was doing earlier. Mom came over and sat down next to me, putting a hand on my back.
"You know, you don't have to do this all on your own. But I see what you're trying to do. I'm… I'm very proud of you" mom said. I sniffed as I tried to contain my tears.
"I just don't know how long I can hold it together," I sobbed. I looked up and over at my mother. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before she pulled me into a hug. I began to sob into her for a bit, hugging her tightly as I felt yet another ache in my heart. I kept thinking about how I would never see Angel again. She was gone… it just didn't seem real. Mom broke the hug and bruised the loose hair out of my face as I tried to compose myself.
"If it gets too much, or you just need to try something else, come back here and bring Rick with you" mom instructed. At this point, I'd given up, that plan sounded just fine.
"Okay" I said. I would try my best to take care of Rick but if all else failed bring him here. That was just fine. Mom caressed my cheek.
"I love you," she said. I looked up at her.
"I love you too," I said, hugging her tightly. I couldn't imagine how Rick felt. His mother, his father… they were all… I had to get back to him now. "I have to go," I said, breaking the hug and grabbing my bag.
"Alright… I'll message you okay?" mom said.
"Okay. I gotta go" I repeated, swinging the bag over my shoulder and leaving. Mom followed me down the steps, probably going back to Lilly. I turned around to see Humphrey still talking with her, most likely trying to calm her as she was still sobbing.
"Just go, I got it" mom said. I gave her a nod and then left. I jogged over to my car and tossed my bag in the passenger seat. Not long after I was on the way to Rick's house, fearing what I would soon have to face. I drove as fast as I could, just barely going over the speed limit. But I had to get to Rick. I had left him for too long, and hopefully he was still asleep.
When I got there I saw his truck was still there so he didn't leave. So far so good. I walked over and opened up the door to be greeted with a heavy feeling in the air. The feeling of memories. The first thing I saw was the dining room where me and the rest of them were having dinner. Oh my God, this stu is amazing, I remember me saying. The conversation around the table that night was… it was great. Delores had been trying to bond with me. Dwane was being a goofball, Rick… Rick was so happy to see his family together, inviting a girl to dinner in which his parents loved. The memories seemed to echo off the walls of the room as I shut the door behind me.
I moved into the living room where immediately something caught my eye. The photo albums on the floor, and the alcohol bottle next to it. Rick was awake. I looked around the living room but he wasn't there. The times that I would walk by to see what Rick's parents were watching and try to stay out of the way, even though I had to walk past the TV to get to the stairs. They never minded though, they were so kind.
"Rick?" I called. I looked back through the dining room to see if I could see him in the kitchen. No sign of him. Quickly I ascended the stairs calling his name again. "Rick?" I called, more worried. I looked into his room but he wasn't there. I then ran across the hall to the bathroom. He wasn't there either but his bloodied clothes from last night were. I started to panic, two more rooms to check upstairs. I looked to my right, no such luck in the Angel's room. I looked in there for a second though, freezing as I caught her scent. I looked around her room thinking of all the things she must have done in here, like a normal girl. The time I tucked her into bed as if she was a small child, taking care of her. The time I came in to chat with her about things, and… the times where she would get ready to come and hang out with us.
I covered my mouth as I began to feel more tears well up, but then heard something to my left that made my ears perk up. I looked into Rick's parents room to see Rick in the small cabinet in there, trying to open a bottle. So that's where he got the alcohol. I walked into the room where instantly it felt heavier than the rest of the house. Rick opened up the bottle and took a long swig.
"Rick?" I called to him gently, making him turn around. He seemed to be wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Not much but I'm honestly surprised that he put anything on.
"Hey…" he said, walking over before stumbling and having to catch himself before he fell.
"Are you… are you drunk?" I asked. Another stupid fucking question.
"It's… it's supposed to help right?" Rick asked before taking another step over to me and loosing his balance. He fell to the ground, spilling the booze all over the floor and then burst into tears as he stayed on his hands and knees. Instantly I ran to his side and tried to comfort him.
"Rick… are you…" I began to ask but didn't even finish. Rick began balling his eyes out as i held onto his back, trying so desperately to comfort him.
"I can't… I can't… I don't wanna do this!" he yelled as he cried.
"Rick… you're okay… I… I'm-"
"I just wanna die… I just… I just wanna die… Angel… ANGEL!" Rick screamed as he wailed. I continued to hold my hand on his back as he cried and wailed. We were there for quite some time.