Page 28 of I Survived and will rise again

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees and holding my water bottle with my fingers. "Ash and I are leaving for Tennessee tomorrow, and we wanted to say goodbye to all of you before we head out," I say with a smile.

"Oh, shit," Gio mutters. "Already?" he says, taking a seat beside Seb.

"Yeah. But there's something else we wanted to talk about," I say, looking at each of them.

"It's about Reina, isn't it?" Seb asks.

I nod. "Yeah."

"Is she okay?" Max chimes in, taking a step forward, his voice laced with a hint of panic.

"Yeah, she's fine," I quickly say.

"With everything that has happened," Ash says, "we're worried about not being here–" He cuts himself off and turns to me solemnly. "To help her through it."

Seb's eyes narrow slightly. "Fuck, man. You know we’ll always take care of her.

I nod. "I know," I say quietly.

Why is this so damn hard?

With a deep sigh, I bring my hands to my face and rub them down, feeling the fatigue and frustration settling in. As the reality of leaving Shorty behind hits me, I can't help but feel a pang of sadness. "It's hard," I mutter, my voice laced with disappointment. "We finally got her back, and now we have toleave her again." The words come out with a hint of bitterness, and I can feel my jaw clenching as I try to control my emotions.

"We get it, bro," Gio says. I look up at him and notice his lips are pulled into a half-smile. "She's been part of your life since you were kid."

"And she's pregnant with your kid and dealing with Jo being back," Max adds.

"She's not alone, D," Seb says, his voice softening. "She's survived this long"—he leans forward and keeps his gaze on me—"and she will survive even if you're not here. But this time, it's by choice. A choiceshesupports 100 percent." Seb's eyes lock onto mine, emphasizing his point.

It's hard to shake off the feeling of helplessness that engulfs me as I think about my girlfriend carrying our child without me by her side. I know in my heart that she will be taken care of and that her family and friends will be there for her when she needs them, but the thought of missing out on the little moments that make this experience so special is overwhelming. I won't be there to hold her hair back when she's struggling with morning sickness, to feel the baby kick for the first time, or to indulge her cravings with a late-night strawberry shake. It fucking kills me knowing I won't be there with her.

I glance at each of them and say, "Just take care of my girls." My voice cracks on the last words.

Seb rises from his seat and strides over to me. "Get up," he commands.

I do as he says, but as I do, a splintering pain shoots through my chest, causing me to wince. It feels like my heart is breaking. He pulls me into a hug, catching me off guard.

"It's going to be okay," he says with conviction. "We will always take care of them," he continues before stepping back and clapping my back in assurance.

"Besides," Max interjects, "if anything does go wrong, Javi's FBI connections will take care of that shit while we kill a motherfucker." He nonchalantly shrugs as if it's no big deal.

His statement elicits a laugh from the group, and I raise an eyebrow in amusement. "And you're going to be a cop?"

"Fuck yeah," he retorts. "We're still protecting and serving.”

"Yeah, but what good are you going to be if you get locked up for your stupidity," Ash huffs, unconvinced.

"That's what Javi's for," Gio says with a smile.

Laughing, Seb claps me on the back. "You worry about yourself, and we'll take care of the girls. Just go kick ass and do your thing, college boy." His words drip with sarcasm, but his tone shifts to one of sincerity as he adds, "And if you need anything, we're just a phone call away."

Max stands up and extends his hand to me and Ash. "Stop being a pussy," he says, his face twisting into a smirk. "But seriously, good luck, you two."

Gio walks over to us and holds out his hand. "I'm glad Shorty brought us together," he says with a genuine smile.

Me too.

We share one last round of laughter and bro hugs, taking in the bittersweet moment as we say our goodbyes.

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