When the Sun Goes Down

Murphy shifted slightly under the dead weight of Adrienne. He didn't intend on waking her right now, but within a few moments he would have to. He groaned quietly as he rested her head in his lap. His right leg had begun to grow numb. He pushed back a few strands of stray hair and sighed quietly. He couldn't even begin to imagine how horrible Adrienne must feel. Mama was like a mother to him and Coonr, but Adrienne was obviously much closer.

Their Ma was out in Ireland, where the land was unknown of it's status. It put a frown on his lips as he thought of his Ma. He did wonder how she was doing. The sound of lingering foot steps met Murphy's ears and forced him to turn back slightly. Connor quietly sat beside him and offered a lit cigarette. Murphy stuck it between his two fingers before slowly bringing it to his lips. He inhaled deeply on the nicotine and sighed quietly. It had been one of the first cigarettes he had all day.

Things had quickly gone out of control over the course of the day, so having a cigarette was the last thing on his mind. Connor eventually peeked over Murphy's shoulder and smiled weakly in Adrienne's direction. She shifted slightly in her sleep, forcing Murphy to cringe, in fear of her waking up. He was happy she had fallen asleep; it was very much needed right now. Connor let his legs sprawl out in front of him and leaned back on his elbows.

"To be honest,"Connor began quietly."I'm a lil' worried fer the lass."

Murphy nodded his head and puffed heavily from the cigarette some more. He could certainly agree with Connor on the subject; he was afraid Adrienne would throw herself from the cliffs if he hadn't come into the picture. He wasn't sure how much courage she had to do so, but he would rather not take the chance. She was on the verge of a mental break down, at least in his perspective. He was only happy he could come in before she had finally broken down.

"Aye."He said softly."She's just depressed."

"Depressed or not,"Connor frowned."we gotta keep an eye on her."

"Aye."Murphy nodded his head and stubbed out his cigarette.

He couldn't take much more of the burning sensation it gave him anymore. He was slowly beginning to grow stressed over the whole situation. It may have been the burial earlier in the day, or the fact that Adrienne had done a complete one eighty emotions wise. Connor rested a hand on Murphy's shoulder and asked, "Ya'lright, brother?"

"Fine."Murphy looked up at Connor and added, "Yerself?"

"Good."Connor let his hand slip from his brother's shoulder and sighed quietly.

"She did her best."Murphy whispered."She tried to keep Ma from gettin' sick, but in the end she couldn't stop it."

Connor lips slowly pulled into a smile. Murphy wasn't sure what was so funny, but he completely understood when Connor said, "She out lasted Rome!"

Murphy laughed lightly at the comment. The brothers' fell silent once more and starred off at the edge of the cliff. The mountains reflected back slightly under the dim light of the moon, but it didn't ease their feelings. Both Connor and Murphy were upset, but not nearly as much as Adrienne. They knew that she would be depressed for a long while, no matter how hard she tried to hide her emotions. Sometimes she could be read so easily.

Connor looked down at the sleeping beauty and shook his head slightly. He knew how Murphy felt for her, but he had to push it into his mind that Murphy had to keep an eye on Adrienne. She was going to need a lot of comfort within the next couple of days, whether she wants it or not. Connor broke the silence with, "Take care of her, Murph. I'm sure the lass feels she has no one to cling to now."

"Aye."Murphy breathed.

Murphy shifted Adrienne and ran his thumb softly over her cheek. She moved her head under the light touch and let out a quiet sigh. He chuckled lightly before looking up at Connor with a pleading expression. In a sweet voice, he asked, "Carry us to the van, Connor?"

"Yeah fuckin' right."Connor got to his feet and smiled down at Murphy."Yer on yer fuckin' own."

Murphy pulled Adrienne into a seated position, forcing her to peel her eyes open. She gasped quietly before pulling away from him. Murphy gently wrapped his fingers along her forearm and said, "Let's get ya to bed, Adrienne."

"In a minute."Her exhausted voice followed quickly behind her actions.

She went to lie back down in the dirt, but Murphy wouldn't let her. He climbed to his feet before pulling Adrienne to her own. Connor chuckled at how tired she really was before saying, "Come on, Adrienne. Ya need to sleep somewhere comfortable."

"Slightly comfortable."Murphy corrected.

Murphy wrapped a tight arm around her waist before walking with her in the direction of the van. Connor opened the back door and watched as Adrienne crawled into the back with Abby. Sean had taken the passenger's seat once more, allowing the twins' more room to curl in the back with the girls'. Noah peeked over the driver's seat and whispered, "She alright, boys?"

"Aye, Da."Connor said softly.

"Just tired is all."Murphy smiled."Get some sleep, Da. We'll be in shortly."

Noah rolled back into his position before letting out a slightly relaxed sigh. Connor and Murphy shut the door and leaned up against the side of the van. Murphy shoved his half smoked cigarette in between his lips and held out his zippo. He lit the bent cigarette and let out a tired groan. It had been a long day for everyone in the group. Connor turned in his direction and said, "Remember what I said, Murph."

"I know."Murphy retorted.

He would be sure to keep an eye on Adrienne. Despite her upset feelings, he would have to push it into her mind that she was in fact, needed. He didn't know if he could live with himself if Adrienne lost all sense of living. The thought of Abby having no sort of mother like figure would crush him. It would certainly be hard to find another female to bring into the group. Yet even then, he couldn't be sure if it would be so easy. He let his hand fall to the van door and sighed quietly.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow."Murphy nodded in Connor's direction."Get her mind off it."

"There's a grand idea."Connor rolled his eyes.

"Fuck yerself. I don't see ya comin' up with nothin' better."Murphy spat.

"I will."Connor reached for the sliding door and smiled."Tomorrow. After I get me sleep. Now move."

Murphy stepped away as Connor slowly slid the door opened. He stepped out his cigarette before climbing into the back as well. After a few, short hours of sleep, he was going to make sure he nails the hard, cold facts into Adrienne's head. Abby needed a motherly figure and the group needed to keep a tight hold on their companion. Murphy would be damned if Adrienne gave up over the death of her mother.