Love Makes Blind

[Paul's' Point of View]

I heard the beeping stopping first and Leah noticed right after; she looked over at me with frightened eyes.
“Get a doctor.” I said urgently and ripped the door open. Elia lay beside her mother’s unmoving body. She was curled together in a ball with her hands clamped over her heart and tears running from her closed eyes. I picked her up from the bed and cradled her in my arm. She didn’t move or say anything and she kept her eyes closed as I sat down in a chair.

“There is nothing they can do.” Darin said as he picked up Mirella’s hand and kissed it softly. “She asked them not to restart her heart.”
“But she dying!” Leah’s calm bubble burst. “They have to do something.”
Darin looked over at her. “She was a doctor; she knew what was happening to her. She is dead.” He placed Mirella’s arms over her chest in a cross and sat down on his knees and rested his head on the bed next to his mothers. I could see tears forming in his eyes as he said a prayer in Italian. He let out a sob and Leah was by his side in a second.

“Elia? Baby.” I shook Elia’s shoulder lightly. It pained me to see her this way. “Please talk to me.”
She didn’t respond; only her lips started quivering and her body shaking. I held her tightly against my chest and tried to hold back my own tears as Matteo came into the room with the doctor close behind.

The doctor walked over to Mirella and looked at the heart monitor as he checked her pulse. “Time of death, 12.41 pm.”
It felt like the air went out of the room as he said it.
“I’ll let you say good bye to her before we take her to the morgue.” The doctor looked over at me and Elia who lay in my arms. “Is everything okay with her?” He asked me.

“I don’t know.” I said and looked at him with desperate eyes.
He came closer and looked her over; checked her pulse and tried to move her hands from where they were clinging to her chest.
“It seems as if she’s in shock which isn’t weird seeing that she found out she would lose her mother and lost her in one day. Let her react her own way and if she hasn’t changed till tomorrow bring her back here.” He told me. I didn’t like this doctor because I thought she should have been checked more thoroughly.

He left and the room went silent except Darin and Leah’s soft cries. Matteo stood unmoving with the door. Darin got a grip over his tears and stood up and looked over at Matteo.
“Do you mind telling everyone back home?” Darin asked him. “I think we should go home and rest. And tell them we don’t want any company tonight. I’ll give you further news tomorrow.” Darin would have been a great Alpha.
Matteo nodded his head. “Of course. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Darin turned back to his mother as Matteo left. I could see Mirella turning even paler and I’m sure that is I had walked over and touched her skin I would have felt how lifeless it was. How it slowly turned harder and colder, just like vampire skin.

“Elia, do you want to say good bye to your mother?” I asked Elia softly and wiped her cheeks.
She parted her lips and took one unsteady breath before she spoke in a monotonic voice. “I already have.”
Darin looked at us with tired, worried eyes. “I think we should leave.” He said and took Leah hand and walked towards the door.
I stood up and gave Mirella one last grateful smile for giving me her daughter.

^^^

I managed to get Elia in the car but she sat with her eyes still closed and her hands still clamped over her heart. She hadn’t said anything since I asked her if she wanted to say good bye. I sat beside her in the backseat and brushed her over her cheek and hair, trying to get some kind of other reactions from her. She was still crying silently.

Nobody said anything as Leah stopped the car in front of the house and we saw all the flowers supported against the front doors; Darin only sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Leah, can you take those?” He asked as we got out of the car. “And Paul, can you just get Elia to bed?”
I lifted Elia out of the car and she was limp in my arms, except her hands.

The house was strangely silent as we all entered it; Leah with her arms filled with flowers, Darin with papers from the hospital and Mirella’s personal belongings and Elia in my arms. Elia’s whole frame was shaking and her mouth formed a frown.

She didn’t even move as I placed her down at her bed and started to remove her clothes. I lifted her up from the bed again and held her by her shoulders when she still didn’t do anything when she was only in her bra and underwear.
“Elia, for god’s sake, snap out of it! You are scaring the shit out of me!” I focused on her face and saw her mouth starting to quiver again.
I remember she saying she didn’t want to see the world if I wasn’t in it when we got to know she could have her eye surgery.
I sighed. “Keeping your eyes closed can’t change the reality.” She didn’t open them. “I know this feels like the end but we’ll get through this together, you just have to talk to me.”

Elia opened her eyes slowly and locked her blood shot, out cried eyes with mine. “It’s not the end. Mom said it is a new beginning.”
I smiled at her. “She’s right.”
Elia sniffled a little and wiped her cheeks. “I don’t want to talk right now; can you just hold me?”
“Of course.” I pulled her to my chest. “Let’s just get to bed.” It had been a long day even though it was just mid-day.

I found a t-shirt and removed Elia bra before pulling it over her head she was so weak I had to support her over to the bed so she could lay down. I took of my own t-shirt and trousers before I got into bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her. Elia’s crying had stopped when she had opened her eyes but she started again now. She got hysteric and screamed. I could feel her tears on my chest. I cried as well, but silently.

Eventually Elia fell asleep. I stayed with her for a few hours without feeling one bit tired or wanting to sleep because I was too afraid she would wake up and scream again. But I needed to think. I needed to clear my head.

I got out of the bed, careful not to wake Elia, and put my clothes back on before I walked downstairs and into the first living room – The house was sick big with four living rooms and six bedrooms. Don’t ask me why they had a hose so big, but Elia mentioned something about that they inherited it from her mother's parents, with money to keep it – I sat down with a sigh and rested my elbows at my knees and put my face in my hands.

It felt so weird to cry and to show emotions because before I met Elia I was always so... cold you could say the only emotions I showed was anger and cockiness. But now I felt everything. I felt so sad for Mirella’s death and I knew I would miss her, but it was Elia that made me feel the most. She was so pained and I didn’t know how to comfort her. I wasn’t made for this imprinting; Elia needed someone that knew what to say.

Leah entered the room and looked at her as she dumped down beside me.
“You okay?” I asked, not really wanting to comfort anyone.
“Just tired.” She said and rested her head on the back of the couch. “How’s Elia?”
“What do you think?” my tone was sarcastically.
“You don’t have to speak that way to me Paul!” Leah raised her voice a little and glared at me. “My father died just a few years ago, so don’t think that I don’t know how it feels.”
“Sorry Leah.” I mumbled. “Elia is at sleep, but she is terrible.”
“I feel so bad for them. Darin is a mess but he tries to hide it form Elia.” Leah explained.
“I don’t know what to say to her.” I could feel the tears coming again, but no way in hell I would cry in front of Leah.
“We all in this together. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” Leah put her hands over mine in a friendly gesture.

“I don’t think I should go to college.” I confessed.
“Of course you should, Paul. Elia will kick your ass if you don’t.” Leah said sternly. “And I will as well.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I’ll manage to be away from her for so long.”
“I’ll look after her.” She said.
I yawned. “But what if-”
Leah broke me off. “What if what? What if you don’t go to college and you can’t provide Elia and your family?”
I started to argue but Leah wouldn’t let me talk.

“Just go to bed, Paul.”
“You are not my mother.” I narrowed my eyes at her but got up and walked towards the stairs none the less.
“Thank god for that.” She mumbled.
I laughed but it didn’t reach deep.