73. Tears In Heaven

~ Audrey ~

Dark. There was nothing but darkness for miles. Audrey couldn’t see anything in front of her. The last thing she remembered seeing was the helicopter's light. They shone brightly on the wreckage that was her life. But after she saw the flood of blood all over her body, Audrey’s mind shut off. It couldn’t handle it. The sight before her eyes was far too gruesome.

She didn’t know how long she was out for. Sometimes she’d see flashes of light. She could also see the faces of people leaning in front of her. There were people that she didn’t know. Maybe they were the FBI. Maybe they were paramedics and the doctors. But then she started seeing faces that she recognized. There was Mikey, Olivia, Sebastian, and her dad.

Every time she saw faces that she knew, Audrey tried to speak, but there were no words coming out. Audrey’s mind and body were too weak. She couldn’t even lift a finger. All she could do was keep her eyes closed and keep breathing. Even breathing was hard to do.

Am I gonna die…?

Deep in her subconscious, Audrey knew what was happening around her. There was a car crash. She was with Caspian and Killian. They were probably being moved to the hospital now. Audrey could imagine that much.

But for hours and maybe days, all she could see was the darkness. Sometimes she’d hear voices talking, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Until one day, Audrey distinctly remembered seeing a light. It was a white light shining in the darkness. Audrey forced her eyes open, and for the first time, her body was responding to her brain. She could feel her fingers moving and her eyes were fluttering open.

“Audrey…?”

Audrey could hear her name being called. She tried to move her neck, but there was a cast around it. She couldn’t move. Her mouth fell open slightly and her eyes grew wider. She could make out a familiar face standing above her. As the blurriness slowly faded, Audrey saw her dad. He was filled with tears, staring right at her.

“Dad…?” her voice was almost nonexistent.

“Audrey, oh thank god,” Maxwell grabbed her hand buried his face on it.

Audrey could feel her hand getting wet. Her dad was crying. She never saw her dad cry since her mother’s funeral when she was sixteen. But here he was, sobbing incoherently on her hand.

“Dad, what… happened?” Audrey gathered her strength to speak. Her lips and throat felt dry. She looked around and she could make out the walls of a hospital room. She was lying on a bed and hooked up to various machines.

“You should rest for now, don't worry about a thing,” her dad spoke up. He was wiping the flood of tears away.

“No…” she protested and shook her head slightly. “Where’s Caspian… Killian… and my baby…”

Audrey’s eyes shot up with anxiety as she remembered the baby. The little baby that didn’t know anything. The little baby that couldn’t even protect itself.

“Your baby is fine,” her dad said reassuringly. “The doctor said so,”

Audrey immediately let out a breath of relief. She closed her eyes and a small smile curved up her lips. Her little baby was safe. They would be okay.

“You’re pregnant and you didn’t tell me,” her dad spoke again.

Audrey’s eyes shot open again.

“…Dad, not now,” she pleaded.

“I’m so proud of you,” Maxwell’s said with his voice cracking.

Audrey’s mouth fell open. She didn’t expect this reaction to come from him. She thought he’d yell at her for being pregnant out of wedlock or something like that. But he only took her hand and smiled.

“I love you so much and I’m so proud of you,” her dad said again. “You know that, right?”

Audrey couldn’t help the tears brimming in her eyes.

“I do…” she croaked.

“I’m so sorry for everything,” Maxwell shook his head. “I put you through all of this. This is all my fault,”

“No, dad. It’s not your fault,” Audrey paused for a moment before continuing, “It’s Anthony Cavanaugh’s fault. He hit our car…”

Maxwell cleared his throat and wiped his tears. Then he glanced away and nodded his head.

“Yes. He did,” he muttered.

“What happened next?” Audrey asked.

She remembered the car rolling and crashing into the ground. Half her body was thrown out of the car. Killian was crawling in the dirt with blood on his face. Caspian was holding tightly onto her. And that was all she knew.

“Your car broke the road barrier and tumbled down the cliff,” her dad explained. It was hard for him to say these words. He paused for a moment and swallowed hard. “Anthony’s car as well. None of them survived,”

“Anthony died…?”

Maxwell nodded his head.

“He died,”

Audrey let out a deep breath. She didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, she was relieved that Anthony couldn’t terrorize her anymore. But on the other hand, she never wanted someone to die because of her.

“Where’s Caspian and Killian?” she asked.

Maxwell glanced down at his feet.

“They’re in this hospital too,” he mumbled.

“I need to see them,”

“You can see them after you rest,”

“No—”

“Audrey, your baby needs you to rest,” her father said sternly. His eyes were full of worry and sadness. “Okay?”

Audrey let out a sigh. Her dad was right. She was too weak to even move. And she shouldn’t be putting so much stress into her body for the baby.

“...Okay,” Audrey nodded meekly and rested her head back to the pillow.

But as soon as we’re strong enough, we’re gonna go see your daddy, Audrey said internally to her baby. Sorry, your daddies.

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When Audrey opened her eyes next, she could see two sets of eyes looking down at her. She took a moment to study their faces. It was Mikey and Olivia. They were both smiling from ear to ear as they watched Audrey waking up from her sleep.

“Hey, you,” Mikey said.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Olivia stroked her hair gently.

Audrey was never happier to see her friends again. Her lips curved up a smile and she was able to hold her neck up. She didn’t have a cast anymore. She could move her head freely now. Olivia helped to adjust her pillow so Audrey could sit up straighter. Mikey also held Audrey’s hand so she had the strength to pull herself up.

“I’m feeling much better,” Audrey said. Her voice was coming back to her. Her throat didn't feel so dry and she could feel her legs and everything now.

“Are you guys okay?” she asked, referring to the fact that they were covering for her that night. Olivia was pretending to be Audrey in front of Anthony to buy her some time to escape.

“Yeah, we’re fine, don’t worry about us,” Mikey said reassuringly.

“Sorry we couldn’t hold him back long enough,” Liv said as she bit her lip.

“No, you guys did great,” Audrey shook her head. “We did it. We made it,”

The war was finally over. Audrey was smiling as wide as she could. Anthony was gone. Her baby was okay. There was no one holding them back anymore. Caspian, Killian, and her could live happily ever after.

Audrey was expecting her friends to join and smile with her, but no. Olivia fell silent and her shoulders shrunk down. Mikey was looking at his feet and glancing away, he couldn’t even look her in the eyes.

“Why are you guys acting like this?” Audrey stifled a dry laugh.

Her friends didn’t answer her. Mikey and Olivia only exchanged a look. The silence in the room was suddenly deafening. Audrey could sense something was wrong. The harrowing pit in her stomach was back again.

“Where’s Caspian? And Killian?” she demanded.

Mikey and Olivia were still silent. They weren’t answering on purpose. Audrey felt a lump in her throat. She couldn’t shake the distress coursing through her body. Her mind was about to imagine the worst, but Audrey stopped it before it got too far.

“Guys, speak to me!” she yelled.

Mikey closed his eyes and Olivia flinched. Audrey reached for Liv’s hand and she held it tight. Her eyes were pleading, waiting for an explanation.

Olivia squeezed Audrey’s hand back. Then she swallowed hard and said, “I’m so sorry, Aud, but Caspian didn’t make it,”

“What?”

“…He died in the crash,” Mikey spoke this time. His eyes were still glued to the floor.

Audrey’s mind went blank. She heard what they said, but she couldn’t believe it was true. She was frozen still for the next few seconds.

“I’m sorry,” Olivia said again.

“No!” Audrey yelled back and yanked her hand away. She refused to accept this. This couldn’t be true. Her friends must be lying.

Olivia tried to reach for Audrey again, but she only pushed her back. Mikey tried to help, but Audrey slapped him away.

“No… No… No!”

Audrey couldn’t do anything but cry and scream. Her friends tried to calm her down, but her entire body was shaking. She had to go see Caspian. She had to get out of here. She tried standing up, but she lost her balance. And then everything turned back to black again. There was nothing but darkness in her eyes.

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After passing out in front of her friends, Audrey refused to open her eyes again. She refused to accept this as a reality. She was awake and she could hear the sound of voices talking, but she didn't want to see anyone. Not the doctors. Not her dad. Not her friends. No one.

Except maybe…

“Hey,”

Audrey heard a familiar voice and her eyes shot open instantly. Her heart was swelling at the voice. Her stomach was stirring too. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

“Kill…”

Killian was standing right before her eyes. He was wearing the hospital uniform and a crutch to help him walk. There was a bandage wrapped around his head and arm. There were cuts and bruises all over his beautiful face. It took a moment for Audrey to realize this was him. Luckily, his piercing blue eyes were exactly the same.

“It’s me, I’m here,” Killian smiled weakly.

Audrey reached out her hand and Killian took it. He gripped it tightly and Audrey gripped him back. They were clinging to each other like it was for their life.

“Kill, where’s Cas…?” Audrey was trying her best to speak. She didn’t get many words out, but Killian knew what she meant.

Killian took a deep breath and sat down next to her on the bed. He kept their hands laced together and kissed her hand gently.

“Kill…?” she asked again.

“He took off his seatbelt,” Killian’s voice was low, almost like a whisper. “That stupid motherfúcker. He probably jumped to the backseat to protect you and the baby,”

Killian couldn’t look Audrey in the eyes as he spoke. His voice was heavy with sorrow and bitterness. Audrey’s mouth fell open and tears were falling down her face involuntarily.

“No…” she gaped.

“Caspian’s gone,” Killian said again.

“No!” Audrey screamed.

She tried pulling her hand away, but Killian held her still. She wanted to shove and push him off, but he wasn’t budging. Audrey was kicking and screaming. But instead of moving away, Killian opened his arms and wrapped them around Audrey. He pulled her head into his chest and she cried out for dear life.

Audrey didn’t have the strength to go on. She was crying so much, her voice didn’t even come out. She buried her face into Killian’s chest and felt his labored breathing as he held onto her. Audrey clung to Killian for as long as she could. The pain she was feeling was so unbearable, she felt like she wanted to die.

And in the midst of her hopeless cries, Audrey heard the sound of Killian crying. Audrey pulled away slightly and saw tears falling from Killian’s crystal eyes. There were so much agony and anguish in his voice. Audrey’s heart broke even more. She pulled Killian’s face onto hers and they cried their sorrow together.

This was the first time Audrey ever saw Killian cry. And it was probably the last time.

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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -