CHAPTER FIVE #2
Outside... John hadn't driven away. His truck still sat quietly at the curb. Both hands rested motionless on the steering wheel. He stared through the windshield. Unable to convince himself to leave. He replayed the evening over and over. Melissa's tears. Her voice.
"Please... go."
He closed his eyes. "I messed everything up."
Then... He heard it. A scream. John's head snapped toward the house. Every instinct inside him came alive at once.
"...Melissa!"
Before he realized he'd moved... He was already out of the truck. He sprinted across the lawn. Up the front steps. The front door hadn't been locked. He threw it open.
"Melissa!"
No answer. Only silence. Then another sob. Upstairs. John raced toward the staircase two steps at a time.
"Melissa!"
He reached her bedroom. The door stood partially open. He pushed it wider. Melissa lay collapsed on the floor beside her bed. Her phone rested only inches away. She couldn't seem to catch her breath.
"Melissa!"
John dropped to his knees beside her. He reached toward her before hesitating. Unsure whether she wanted him there after what had happened only minutes before. Melissa slowly looked up. Her face was completely shattered. She looked straight through him.
"...He's gone."
John frowned.
"...What?"
Melissa's lips trembled.
"...My dad." The words barely escaped. Then the reality hit her all over again. A sob ripped from somewhere deep inside her.
"...He's gone!"
She collapsed against John before she even realized she'd moved. He wrapped both arms around her without hesitation. Holding her as tightly as he could. She buried her face against his shoulder.
"...He's really gone!"
John closed his eyes. His own filled with tears.
"I know."
He held her closer.
"I'm here."
His voice trembled.
"I've got you."
Melissa cried so hard she could barely breathe. Minutes passed. Neither moved.
Finally... Melissa looked up. Her eyes were swollen and red.
"...Please."
John brushed a tear from her cheek.
"What do you need?"
"...Take me to him."
John nodded immediately. He helped her carefully to her feet.
"Let's go." Melissa picked up her phone with trembling hands. She looked once around the bedroom. The room she'd entered only an hour earlier. It already felt like a different lifetime. John gently took her hand. This time... She didn't let go.
Together... They hurried downstairs. Into the night.
Toward the hospital. Toward the beginning of another loss neither of them was ready to face.
Chicago General Hospital never slept. Even well after midnight, doctors hurried through the brightly lit corridors while nurses pushed carts from one room to another.
The scent of antiseptic filled the air. Phones rang somewhere behind the reception desk.
Machines beeped steadily from distant rooms.
Life and death existed side by side beneath the fluorescent lights.
John barely remembered parking the truck.
One moment they'd been driving through the empty streets.
The next... The emergency entrance doors slid open before them. Melissa stumbled inside.
Her legs felt too weak to hold her. John instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her upright as another sob escaped her chest. She couldn't stop shaking. She couldn't stop crying. A nurse standing behind the triage desk immediately looked up. Concern crossed her face.
"Ma'am?"
Melissa's eyes darted wildly around the emergency department. Patients. Doctors. Wheelchairs. Stretchers. None of it mattered.
"...My dad."
Her voice cracked. She took another unsteady step forward.
"...Where's my dad?"
The nurse's expression immediately softened. She walked around the desk instead of calling Melissa forward.
"Sweetheart..."
She spoke gently. "Are you family?"
Before Melissa could answer, another sob stole her breath. John nodded for her.
"Yes."
The nurse gave a small nod.
"Let me—"
Before she could finish... A familiar voice echoed down the hallway.
"Melissa!"
Melissa turned instantly. Her mother came running toward her. Her face was streaked with tears. Her hair had come loose from the hurried ponytail she'd thrown it into earlier that evening. She looked exhausted. Broken. The moment their eyes met... Melissa completely fell apart.
"...Mom!"
She ran the remaining distance between them. Her mother caught her just before her knees gave out. The two women clung desperately to one another. Neither able to let go. Neither able to stop crying.
"I'm so sorry..."
Her mother's voice trembled against Melissa's hair.
"I'm so... so sorry."
Melissa buried her face against her mother's shoulder. Her words came between desperate sobs.
"I wasn't there."
She shook uncontrollably.
"...Mom..." Another sob.
"...I wasn't there."
The guilt poured from her before she could stop it.
"I should've been there. I should've gone to see him."
"I should've—"
"No."
Her mother gently cupped Melissa's face in trembling hands.
"No."
Fresh tears streamed down her own cheeks.
"He knew."
She smiled through the heartbreak.
"He knew exactly how much you loved him."
Melissa closed her eyes. Another sob escaped her lips.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye."
Her mother pulled her close again.
"He knew."
She whispered the words over and over.
"He knew."
Neither of them noticed the nurses quietly stepping away. Giving the family the privacy they deserved. A few feet behind them... John stood completely still. His chest tightened as he watched Melissa collapse into her mother's arms. He wanted to fix it. To take away even a fraction of her pain.
But he knew... Some grief couldn't be fixed.
It could only be survived. So he remained where he was.
Giving them the space they needed. Watching silently.
Feeling more helpless than he ever had in his life.
Melissa's crying echoed softly through the hallway.
The sound lingered long after the words had disappeared.
Around them... The hospital continued moving. Doctors answered pages. Nurses hurried from room to room. Patients arrived through the emergency entrance. Life continued. Even when it felt impossible that it should.
Meanwhile at Westbrook, it looked almost magical beneath the evening sky.
White lights twinkled around the entrance to the gymnasium.
Music drifted through the open doors, mixing with laughter that echoed across the parking lot.
Parents crowded the sidewalks, cameras in hand, calling their teenagers back every few seconds for "just one more picture." Prom had finally arrived.
For most students... It was the night they'd been dreaming about all year. Amanda stood beneath the flower-covered entrance arch, smoothing the front of her blush-pink gown for what felt like the hundredth time. Michael smiled as he watched her.
"You know..."
Amanda looked over.
"What?"
"I've decided."
She laughed.
"About what?"
He folded his arms dramatically. "You officially win."
Amanda blinked.
"...Win what?"
"The award for most beautiful girl here."
Amanda immediately rolled her eyes.
"You have to say that."
Michael grinned.
"Actually..."
He stepped a little closer.
"I really don't."
Amanda looked at him suspiciously.
"No?"
He slowly shook his head.
"Because..."
His smile softened.
"...you already know it's true."
Amanda felt warmth rush to her cheeks. She laughed quietly.
"You're getting pretty smooth."
Michael placed a hand over his heart.
"I've been practicing."
"Oh?" "Hours."
She laughed harder.
"I don't believe you."
"You shouldn't."
He smiled.
"I'm making most of it up."
Amanda shook her head.
"You are unbelievable."
"So I've been told."
He slipped an arm gently around her waist. Amanda leaned comfortably against him. A bright flash interrupted the moment. The photographer lowered his camera with a grin.
"Perfect!"
He motioned excitedly.
"One more!"
Amanda and Michael looked at each other before smiling again. Another flash. Another memory frozen forever. Amanda smiled for the camera.
But the moment the flash disappeared... Something inside her shifted. She looked across the crowd. Then toward the gym entrance. Her smile slowly faded.
"...Have you seen Melissa?" Michael followed her gaze. He searched the arriving students. Couples laughed together. Friends posed for pictures. Teachers greeted families at the entrance. No Melissa. He quietly shook his head.
"...No."
Amanda frowned.
"That's strange."
Melissa loved school dances. She would never miss prom. Not willingly. Before Amanda could say another word... Someone hurried toward them.
"Amanda!"
Amanda turned.
"Theresa?"
Theresa slowed to a stop in front of them. She looked noticeably anxious. Her eyes scanned the crowd one more time before returning to Amanda.
"Have you talked to Melissa?"
Amanda's stomach tightened.
"...No."
She frowned.
"Isn't she with you guys?"
Theresa slowly shook her head.
"...She never came."
Amanda's heart skipped.
"...What?" "She never answered any of our messages."
Amanda immediately reached into her purse.
"That's not like her."
Her fingers found her phone almost instantly. Beside her... Michael glanced toward the gym entrance. Then toward the school doors. He let out a quiet sigh.
"I should probably disappear before the principal realizes I'm technically not supposed to be here."
Amanda laughed despite herself.
"...Probably."
Michael smiled. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"If you need me..."
He gently squeezed her hand.
"...call me."
Amanda nodded.
"Always."
He smiled one last time before heading toward the parking lot. Theresa watched him leave.
"He really loves you."
Amanda looked after him for a second before smiling faintly.
"...Yeah."
She looked down at her phone. "I think he does."
Her thumb immediately found Melissa's contact. She pressed Call. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. No answer. Voicemail. Amanda frowned. She tried again. The exact same result. Beside her... Theresa dialed Melissa too. Silence. Eventually... She lowered her own phone.
"...Nothing."
The two girls exchanged uneasy looks. Something wasn't right. Then... Amanda's phone vibrated. A familiar contact appeared across the screen.
Brianne… Melissa’s Mom.