David wakes Erica with a kiss
Chapter 1
“You don't have to do this, mom,” Bianca offered through a voice that was a barely there whisper.
Erica nodded back, eyes closed as she tried to keep her composure. It was hard enough dealing with her tears, but Bianca's tore even harder at her heart. None of this should be happening. “I know sweetheart,' She managed to push out through a shaky breath, “but I need too.”
Bianca nodded, her eyes fluttering closed as tried to fight back fresh tears, “Do you want me to go with you?”
Erica offered her a soft smile and shook her head, “I'll be alright, sweetheart.” She hated every part of this; but she'd do what she had to do to get through it.
“I'm here if you need me,” Bianca offered, watching Erica nod as she took her hand.
“We'll get through this,” Erica breathed, squeezing Bianca hands before starting to stand up and slid past Bianca, headed for the aisle way.
The church was surprisingly full, seeing as it was a funeral service David Hayward. She and Bianca had expected to walk into an empty church, their tear stained faces and red, puffy eyes, the only other sight in the dark church; instead the church was half full; and a third of those actually seemed like they were there to truly mourn David.
Leo was there out of true love for David. He hadn't said much to her or Bianca since David's murder; but he sat with Greenlee; pain etched on his face. She was grateful he'd come. Grateful that Bianca had him to lean on. Grateful that someone else loved David. Some of David's patients had come to show their respects; he was after all one of the worlds most brilliant cardiologists and had saved more lives then even he could count. She was grateful to them, grateful for their kindness and gratitude, grateful that no matter what most of the people in chapel would say, David had made a real difference.
Jack, Opal, and Myrtle were there out of respect for her. Whether they liked it or not, she was his fiance and had fate allowed, she would have proudly walked down this very aisle next week to become his wife. Adam and Liza were in the back somewhere, as was Palmer; who offered his sincerest condolences, considering he was married to Vanessa; whom they were all sure had played some rule in David's death.
She pushed out a breath, trying to calm her still fraying nerves. The last thing she needed to do was let all of them ruin this for David; hell, she was convinced that's what they wanted. They'd been through to much together for her to lose site of it all now. She smiled softly to herself, images of their life together beginning to play through her mind. Some how, over last year and half, the two of them and Bianca had become a family. They weren't your normal, ordinary, family...but they were each others family. And the seven months they'd spent under the same roof; laughing, talking, enjoying movie night, making dinner...well David and Bianca enjoyed that, had been some of the happiest moments of her life. She only wished David knew that. She hoped he did.
They'd had their ups and downs. They'd nearly broken up, again, after Bianca had revealed that she was gay. She'd hard a hard time reconciling it all; processing what it all meant, and that it was not a reflection of her as a mother. And David, well David took it all in stride. He was Bianca's rock. Her confidant. He was patient, understanding, and loving. He was also unwilling to let mother and daughter lose one another. If he hadn't been there. If he hadn't have rationalized, listened and hashed through her own feelings; if he hadn't of been Bianca's strength; they would have fallen apart...lost each other, lost the only family they had left.
She sucked in a hard breath, and continued up the aisle. It seemed longer than it had been the last time they were here; laying out how they wanted the chapel decorated for the wedding; though she never expected to be walking it alone. She wanted this over as quickly as possible, and was trying to make that happen. That meant not making eye contact with any of that vast Pine Valley hypocrites; especially Tad, or Jake or any of the other Martin's who dared to show their faces. Joe had offered her his condolences outside of the chapel, with Tad and Jake echoing his sentiments. She'd scoffed out a bitter laugh and told them all to go to hell; questioning their motives and what they thought they were going to accomplish by showing up at his funeral.
Couldn't they let her have this? Say goodbye to him without any hostility or negative feelings? They were all ready to dance on his grave; while she and Bianca ached to have one last conversation with him. Sometimes she wondered how it was possible that she could love him so deeply; and more than half of the chapel around her could hate him so deeply. Maybe that was part of what made him so different from any of the other men she'd ever met.
She stopped at his casket. Stopped where her hand could reach out and touch the dark oak that laid before her. Stopped in the one spot where it could just be the two of them. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she bit back her tears; needing to keep herself together as long as she could. She blew out a hard breath, and offered the casket the only words she could utter without falling apart. “You son of a bitch,” She bit out, “how could you do this to us?” She asked, her voice cracking as she lost her battle with a few sobs, “You promised...” She started, tears flowing freely now, as she struggled to keep her breathing under control, “you promised...” She cried again, this time her voice was louder, her tears flowed harder and what was left of her world seemed to spin around her. “ I hate you,” She managed to murmur as her eyes went silent, and her eyes went dark, and she swayed on her feet before fainting backward, and collapsing on the floor.
To be continued
