77. Chapter 77
seventy-seven
B enji sat hunched at the desk, back to the door, his cast resting awkwardly on the edge of the table.
Chloé tapped softly on the doorframe. “Benji?”
He didn’t move.
“I’m Chloé,” she said, gently reminding him. “Monroe’s partner, remember? Is it okay if I come in?”
Still no answer, but he didn’t tell her to leave, and that was enough.
She stepped inside, pulled the spare chair out from under the desk and turned it around, sitting down across from him.
Not too close. Not pushing. She noticed the Band-Aid that was stuck above his eyebrow, and a controller sat useless in his lap.
“I don’t know if Monroe mentioned it, but I’m from France,” she said, voice soft, “so if I say something weird, we’ll blame the language barrier.”
Nothing. But something in his jaw tightened, just briefly.
She let the quiet settle before speaking again. “I just wanted to say hi. And that you’re allowed to feel whatever it is you’re feeling right now.”
Benji blinked down at the controller in his lap. “It doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.
Chloé tilted her head. “What doesn’t?”
“That I’m fine. I mean…this—” He lifted his cast slightly, “is nothing. And he’s in a hospital bed and might not…”
He trailed off, the words too heavy to finish.
Chloé stayed still. “You were walking together?”
He nodded. “We were just chatting. Talking about the match at the weekend. And then…there was this sound. Like ‘whoosh’. And shouting. And then I was on the ground and someone was helping me up and asking if I could move my fingers.” He stared at the controller.
“I didn’t even see the car. It came from behind.
I didn’t see anything. Just felt Dad push me out of the way. ”
“And now you feel…guilty?” Chloé asked gently.
He nodded; the smallest movement. “He let the car hit him to stop it hitting me…and he’s in hospital and not me.”
She exhaled slowly. “Life isn’t always fair. Because awful things happen without reason. But none of that is your fault.”
Benji bit his lip, hard. “What if he doesn’t wake up?”
Chloé’s voice caught for a second. “Then you hold onto everything he gave you. And you keep being his son. That doesn’t stop.”
A long silence passed. And then Benji whispered, “I’m scared.”
Chloé finally reached across the desk and laid her hand down, open. “So am I.”
He didn’t take it. But he didn’t turn away either. His eyes, red-rimmed and glassy, met hers and stayed there.
Chloé smiled softly. “We’re going to order some food. Would you come down? Monroe would love to see you; she’s just got Kitty laying on her right now.”
Benji huffed a quiet laugh, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. “Of course she has. Monroe’s Kitty’s favourite person.”
“She’s popular,” Chloé said, playfully conspiratorial. “She’s my favourite person too.”
That drew a proper smile from Benji, even if it was brief. “Can we have pizza?”
Chloé stood, nudging the chair back under the desk with her foot. “Only if you come down and help me choose the toppings.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. But I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I think we can allow that,” she said, holding the door open for him.
As they walked out together, the quiet between them felt a bit lighter now, still heavy with everything they couldn’t change, but stitched through with comfort and the start of healing.
Monroe smiled as Benji stepped into the room. “Hello, sweetheart,” she said gently.
Kitty still slept soundly, now curled into the narrow space between Monroe and the arm of the sofa.
Benji didn’t hesitate. All the bravado he’d worn upstairs had fallen away. He crossed the room in two strides and sank into the sofa beside her, pressing close, his good arm wrapping around her waist.
Monroe held him with one arm, resting her cheek lightly against his hair.
Barely above a whisper, he asked, “Is Dad going to be okay?”
Monroe took a breath, steady and slow. “I’m sure everyone is doing everything they can to make sure that’s the case,” she said. Careful. Honest. She wouldn't make promises she couldn’t keep.
“When’s Mum coming home?” Benji asked, his voice cracking slightly.
“I’m not sure,” Monroe admitted. “But I’m here, and Chloé’s here, and between us, we’re going to make sure you and Kitty have everything you need.”
“I want Mum,” he whispered, and the tears finally came; quiet, heavy, unchecked.
Monroe tightened her arm around him. “I know you do.”
She glanced up at Chloé, who didn’t need a single word. She was already reaching into Monroe’s bag and pulling out her phone. Without speaking, she passed it across.
“Let’s see if she can take a call, hmm?” Monroe said softly. “And if not, we’ll leave her a message. Just so she knows you’re thinking of her.”
Benji nodded, wiping his face with the sleeve of his good arm as Monroe unlocked the phone.
She opened the video app and hit record. “Want to say something?”
He hesitated for a moment, then leant a little closer, his voice barely above a whisper, “Hi, Mum…I miss you. We’re okay. Kitty’s asleep, and Monroe’s here… Chloé too. I hope you’re okay.”
Monroe turned the camera on herself briefly, offering a gentle smile. “We’re all thinking of you. Call us when you can. We love you.”
She ended the recording and tapped send, knowing it would wait silently on Poppy’s screen until she was ready.
Benji sagged against her, exhausted again. “Thanks.”
“You did good, sweetheart,” she murmured, holding him a little closer. “You did really good.”