Sequel: Tied Together

This Wasn't Suppose to Happen

Part 23

I awoke to the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window; Sid was asleep in the recliner next to me with a hand on the baby who was sound asleep in her bassinet. We had put in a tough morning, trying to take turns in soothing our daughter back to sleep while we caught up on ours. Sid had it down pat, he would lay her on his chest and just pat her back and it would comfort her every single time. I had no idea what I was going to do when I got home and Sid wouldn’t be there.

He was a natural; he was cool, calm and collected when her cry first woke us up. Me, well I was another story. That first cry cut my heart like a knife and when she was still crying after I changed her and fed her, I was a crying mess as well. I let out a little giggle as I thought back on Sid’s expression when I started crying and complaining that I was a horrible mother. He just scooped up Ryanna and managed to console both of us.

“’Afternoon”, he said as he squinted and blinked a few times. Taking a look at Ryanna, he gave a small smile and raised his arms above his head to stretch the kinks out. “So, I’ve been wondering, what’s with the name? Just some random one you picked out of a book?”

As I licked my lips, I tried to control my breathing, buying some time before I had to answer the dreaded question. I knew it would arise, but it also meant that I had to divulge some information that I had hoped would be kept at bay for a while longer. Knowing it was now or never, I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again. “For my parents”, I said as I tried to blink back the first signs of tears forming.

“Your parents?” Sid raised an eyebrow and glanced at me. We hadn’t really discussed out families, hell we haven’t really talked about anything other than if I was taking care of myself.

“Yes, Ryan and Anna, kinda stole the idea from Twilight, putting their names together. They were killed in a car crash 6 years ago. That’s how I met Nate actually”.

“Wow Janelle, I’m so sorry, I had no idea”, Sid looked flustered and I held up a hand. “It’s okay, it’s not something that I like to talk about”, I added and he nodded.

“So Nate, how did you meet him?”

“Umm, well, we met at the hospital. I was called after the accident and was in the waiting room to wait for some news on my parents and Nate was there. At the time, we were just two people waiting for news on our loved ones. It was late and we were the only people there, we just started talking and he said that he was there to hear about his boyfriend who was in a car accident”. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, my heart was beating out of my chest and I could feel a faint line of sweat on my forehead.

Sid was motionless in the chair, his eyes fixated on me as I continued the story that no one had ever heard before. “We didn’t know anything other than they were in an accident, we were each other’s rock, trying to keep the other one from losing it. People were still celebrating the New Year and we were just there in this tiny waiting room, trying to block out the noise. Then a doctor appeared at the door and said that Nate’s boyfriend, David was in a coma and would never wake up. David, a 21 year old, had been out partying and had too much to drink and decided to drive to Nate’s to ring in the New Year together. For a split moment, I felt Nate’s pain. I couldn’t imagine having someone you love caught between the living and the dead, but then the doctor told us that before David’s car landed in the ravine, he crossed the median and sideswiped another vehicle, causing it to plunge over the edge and down a rocky cliff and into the water below, killing the people inside the car. That statement changed everything, David wasn’t just Nate’s boyfriend who was caught in the in between, he was also a murderer”.

I kept going, not sure what was fueling my urge to keep talking. Therapy for 5 years and I never even opened up like this, yet I continued. “At first I wanted to hurt Nate, his boyfriend killed my parents. I wanted to go and hurt David. But nothing would change what happened, my parents were gone and I had to pick up the pieces. As an only child of parents who were only children, we had no other family. I was alone in the world and I had no one to help me, I don’t know how it happened, but Nate was there for me every single day. He was the one who helped me deal with my parent’s death, he was the one who got me out of bed every day, and he was the one who urged me to keep living when all I wanted to do was die with them. He’s still doing it today; he’s the one constant in my life, the person who knows me better than I know myself”.

Sid glanced up at me and I could see a flicker in his eye, was that pity? That wasn’t what I needed right now. “What happened to David?” Sid’s question was so low that I hardly heard it, with his eyes locked on mine, I heard myself say “He’s 2 floors up, still hovering between here and the afterlife. His parents refuse to discontinue life support. Anytime Nate goes missing, he can always be found sitting by David’s bedside, telling him all the wild tales from his life. He’s never gotten over it, David was his true love and he just can’t let go”.

“I, well, umm, I don’t even know what to say”, Sid said as he stood up and turned to look out the window. Turning my head, I wiped the lone tear that spilled over and ran down my cheek, as I turned back towards Sid he was turned to face the baby. “I think Ryanna is the perfect name, it’s just perfect”, he said as he played with her tiny fingers.
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There you have it, the real story about Nate and Janelle's parents.

As always, your comments are appreciated. Hope you enjoyed.