Page 48 of Buried

Chapter Thirty-Six

Adelaide

Iwhimpered as Joey settled down in the chair that I’d been occupying, his arms cradling me on his lap. “Pretty girl, you’re stronger than this,” he said, his voice low and soothing.

“It’s over for him, isn’t it?” I asked him, my heart breaking more. “This is it?”

Joey nodded. “Yeah, pretty girl, this is it for him. He fought hard for you for as long as he could, but he got tired of fighting to survive.”

I sobbed, shaking my head. “I don’t want to lose him, Joey.”

He held me tighter. “Pretty girl, I’m sorry to say it, but you already have. He’s gone. There’s no saving him, and you’re just holding his soul here on Earth, torturing him. Let him go, pretty girl. Let him be with his sister. It’s time for them to be reunited again.”

I looked up at Joey, my eyes awash with tears, making his face blurry. Joey slid his arms from beneath me and cradled my facein his hands, leaning down to kiss me. I sobbed against his lips as I kissed him back. My tears mixed with our lips, tasting salty on my tongue.

“Let him go, pretty girl. It’s okay,” Joey whispered, his lips rubbing against mine.

I shook my head again. “I’m not ready,” I whimpered.

He brushed his nose with mine before he stole another kiss. “We never are. No one is ever ready to lose someone they love. But Tristan wouldn’t want you to be like this,” he reminded me. “Let him go, pretty girl. It’s time. Love him enough to let him go.”

“No,” I cried.

Joey kissed me again, forcing my lips apart so he could kiss me deeply, his tongue sliding with mine. My chest felt like it was going to cave in, but I clung to him, breathing him in, holding him with me.

“Let him go, pretty girl.”

I sat wedged between River and Joey as the doctor handed me the clipboard to take Tristan off of life support. My tears dripped onto the papers, leaving tear stains on the crisp, white paper.

“Let him go, pretty girl,” Joey whispered as he brushed his lips to my temple. “He’s always with you, but he’s going to be happy with his sister. It’s okay to let him go.”

I nodded my head, a sob falling from my lips. I knew he was right, but fuck, this hurt so much.

My hand shook, keeping me from signing the paperwork. River gripped my face in his hands, turning my head to face him. He took my lips in a soft, slow kiss, his tongue tangling with mine, forcing my heart to beat a little faster. “We’re still here with you, darlin’,” he reminded me. “Hold on to Joey.”

“I’m trying,” I whispered.

“Then I’ll force you to keep me with you,” Joey told me. I looked over at him. “You’re not losing me, pretty girl. I won’t let you. And River will force you to keep me as well, just as I’ll always force you to live for him, no matter how many times I have to remind you how to do that.”

“Don’t make him suffer any longer, darlin’,” River coaxed. He nodded his head toward the clipboard in my hands. “Sign the papers.”

Tears slid down my cheeks, but I scrawled my signature at the bottom of the papers, ripping that part of my heart that would always belong to Tristan straight out of my fucking chest as I did so.

Then, as I was watching the nurse pull all support from Tristan, both Joey and River held me, sandwiching me between them as I cried, wails and sobs ripping from my lips.

Epilogue

Adelaide

Itightened my hand around River’s as we walked down the winding path through the graveyard that led to the Groves’s plot. The plot where Tristan and Helene were buried next to each other, reunited at last. Axel ran along ahead of us, his childish laughter filling the air as he chased after a butterfly. I smiled as I watched him. He was such a happy child, and while sometimes, I worried about his emotional development considering he was quieter than most other children, I knew he was going to blossom into an incredible adult.

Jaxon hobbled along much slower, still trying to become familiar with walking on uneven terrain. He had been walking for a couple of months now, but ground like this was still hard for him to maneuver.

“Axel, don’t go over there,” River commanded, his voice stern but gentle as he spoke to our oldest son.

With a pout, Axel walked back over to us and away from the tree line that he’d been heading for. Axel was the adventurous child.He didn’t ever really fear anything, which sent me into near heart attacks every single day.

Jaxon was our cheerful child for the most part. Even as an infant, he’d been mouthy and chatty, even if he’d done nothing more than babble.

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