After Charlotte finished the paperwork for Xavier’s passing, she got ready to take Rachel home. As they stepped out of the hospital, they ran into Jonathan.
He climbed out of his car and walked toward them, his expression somber. “I heard about what happened in your family,” he said quietly.
Charlotte froze, unable to find any words.
Jonathan gave Rachel a respectful nod. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Sterling.”
Rachel simply nodded, her face vacant and hollow, as if she were just a shell.
“Jonathan,” Charlotte rasped, “I need to take my mom home first.”
“I’m not comfortable letting you drive in your state. Let me get you both home.” Jonathan’s voice was gentle but firm.
Charlotte looked at him, then nodded. “Thank you.”
Jonathan drove them to the Sterling house. As they pulled up, a neighbor across the street spotted them. Unaware of the tragedy that had struck the Sterlings, she called out, “Oh, Rachel, is that your son-in-law coming to see you?”
Jonathan paused, mid-motion as he helped Rachel out of the car, the word “son-in-law” catching him off guard.
But Rachel was lost in her own world, unable to process anything around her, and didn’t respond.
Charlotte, focused on getting her mother inside, barely registered the comment.
Watching the two women pass by without so much as a wave, the neighbor muttered under her breath, “Such long faces, you’d think someone had died!”
Inside, Charlotte guided Rachel into the house, with Jonathan lending a hand. Once Rachel was back in her bedroom, she finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “I’d like to be alone for a while.”
Charlotte hesitated, worried, but she knew her mother needed space after everything that had happened. “Mom, I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything.”
She closed the bedroom door quietly.
In the living room, Jonathan watched her anxiously. “How’s your mom doing?”
Charlotte shook her head. “She’ll be alright.”
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