Haunted

When Will got to his nieces house that night and located the spare house key in the flower bed beside the front stoop, he found his niece curled up on the couch in the living room, tear stains still visible on her cheeks. He dropped to his knees in front of her and slightly shook her awake.

"Ry, Ry it's me," he said gently.

She stirred slightly and opened her eyes slowly, she looked at him with partially closed eyes, it only took a few seconds before a steady stream of tears flowed from her dark brown eyes, Will leaned down and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh, Ryley, I'm here now," he whispered in her ear.

It took a few minutes for her to calm down enough to speak in coherent sentences, "I'm so sorry, Uncle Will. I wasn't there," she told him with a few sniffles.

He shook his head, "You have nothing to be sorry about, this was not your fault. Have you seen them?" he asked.

He felt her shake her head against his shoulder. "I couldn't..." she said quietly.

Will closed his eyes when they started to prickle with tears.

His big brother Alec, sister in law Harper and their 18 year old son Blake had been in a car accident with a drunk driver. No one in the Schuester car survived the head on collision. Three lives taken in an instant.

A sharp knock made both Ryley and Will jump apart from each other, Will got up to answer it he turned just as he made it to the front door to look back at his niece who was sitting looking at him nervously waiting for him to open the front door.

"You’re Willam Schuester, correct?" the police officer asked seconds after Will opened the door.

"I am," Will answered.

The officer nodded, "And Ryley is still here?" he asked.

"She is," Will answered looking over his shoulder.

"May I come in to speak to her?" the officer asked.

Will stayed put only for a moment, then opened the door wider and stepped inside allowing the officer to walk in.

"I'm officer King," he said flashing Will his badge, "you may, of course, sit and listen," he said looking at Will.

"Thank-you," Will said talking a seat next to his niece, who immediately fell into her uncle, who in turn put his arm around her.

"I'm very sorry, and I know this is a terrible time for this, we just have to go over some of the...details,” he said as kindly as he could, “And also, just so you know, Mr. Schuester, Ryley wouldn’t leave the house until you got here, I was parked just down the street waiting for you to show up after she said she would call you, and I wanted to wait to talk to her about what happened until you got here," he added as a side note to Will, who nodded in return.

"We...um, have to have you, both of you, come down the hospital just to identify the...you know," Officer King said, making sure not to upset Ryley, "Mr. Schuester, there are some things to discuss about Ryley's future living situation. Mr. Schuester, you are the closest living relative to Ryley that has the means to take care of her. According to Ryley, her parents had discussed where she would be staying in the event something happened to both of them, and they both said with you. Until we look at the Last Will and Testament, nothing can be absolutely confirmed on that subject, but you will be allowed to take her back with you, when you feel the time is right to do so. I might suggest taking her after the...arrangements and the funeral have taken place."

Will nodded and began thinking rapidly, there were so many things going through his mind all at once. Wasn't it just four days ago that Will had talked to Alec? Wasn't it just in the summertime when Will had taken his nephew and niece for a week to Lima so their parents could have a vacation? And just the day before...Harper had called Will so they could start planning Alec's 40th birthday party that was to be held in four months.

"If you need any help with the arrangements for the funeral, there are people that will help you, just say the word, and I'll get a hold of them for you," Officer King said standing up from the couch.

Will shook his hand while still sitting down with Ryley leaned against his side, "Officer," he asked, "when should we go down and see...?"

The Officer looked between Will and Ryley, who was looking at the Officer with her big eyes filled with tears, "I could take you both now, if you'd like."

Will looked down at his niece, and his heart broke all over again for her and he saw the look on her face. She just looked so broken, so empty, so alone, and just so sad.

He squeezed her shoulders gently, "We have to do this Ryley."

She didn't look at him as she nodded; she stood up and walked to front door without saying anything. She put on her pair of boots, and just waited while her uncle and the Officer followed slowly.

Ryley was the first one out the door, but she was walking slowly, almost to the point that she wanted to prolong what was coming. Like she wanted to prolong the last time seeing her parents and her older brother. She wanted to remember them the way they were the last time she saw them earlier in the night, happy, smiling and laughing and promising to bring her back her favorite sub from Subway.

Will stepped aside to let the Officer out the door first, just as the Officer hit the top step her turned around and faced Will, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Schuester. Really I am. This...this must be so difficult for you, for both of you. If there ever is anything either of you need, please let me know."

He then handed Will a card with his name and number on it. The Officer turned around and began walking to where Ryley was standing near the back door of the cop car staring blankly at the ground. Will put the card in the pocket of his jeans, took one last look inside the dark house that was so full of happy memories, but now, one of the last memories of that house was going to be the pain suffered there, and he knew Ryley wouldn't want to spend much more time there. He shut the door.