Against All Odds

AAO | BeautifullyBroken | 36

__________________________

Beautifully Broken
__________________________

"We are going to make it. Okay? I don't know how yet or how long it'll take us, but we will. Whatever it takes, we will."
- Layton Iman Westbrook
__________________________

Saturday | October 19th

It was around three o'clock in the afternoon and Benji found himself standing over yet another casket, which held someone he loved the most in this world. Legend Ali Gotti, his two day old son didn't survive and those words from the doctor haunted him daily. It was like a train had crushed him at the news of losing his son the way that he did, and it hurt a thousand times more that he was the cause of his son even being in that position to begin with. BG was broken, so beautifully broken.

It was after the graveside service so everyone else had left already. He'd asked Layton to wait in the car, so it was just him still out here as he tried to find the words to say to the spirit of his son. BG had been speechless, he didn't have any words after this tragedy. The hopes that doctor had given him that day in the hospital were ripped away after Legend didn't survive his surgery. It had caused him to fallen into a depressed state, again.

"How did this happen?" Benji heard from behind him. He turned slightly to find that it was Maleah, the other half who he shared his greatest gift with. She was also the other half whom he shared his greatest pain with.

"What you doing here?" He asked her, not hearing her wheel herself back up to the grave. BG had thought he had been alone, but in reality Maleah had never left. It was just as hard on her, especially since out of the two days, three hours, five minutes, and forty-four seconds that Legend had lived .. she'd only got to experience a good two hours with him before he finally passed on.

Maleah rolled her wheelchair closer to Benji, stopping next to him along the edge of the grave. "How did this even happen? Why did this happen?" She asked while staring down into the grave at the tiny light blue coffin that held every reason that she had to fight for her life, the reason she'd fought for her life and won. Maleah's survival was a miracle, but for her it was like a curse.

Benji could only sigh at her questions. There wasn't a simple answer that he could give her. If he was honest with her, it would only do more damage than it would any good. Besides, he didn't even know what to say to her in reference to the situation. He hadn't really been saying much of anything lately, but answering her was far out of his capabilities at the time. He knew, but the action of actually admitting it to Maleah .. he couldn't.

"Answer me! You owe me a fucking explanation."

BG was taken aback by her sudden outburst. "Can we talk about this somewhere else? Not here Maleah." He asked, nearly begging her. This was not a conversation he wanted to have right now at his young son's grave.

Maleah frowned. "No, we're gonna talk about it right here." She confirmed, not caring for his last comment. "Right here, because I deserve to know. Your son who is lying in this fucking ground, deserves to know what got him put there in the first place." Maleah retorted.

"Look Maleah, ion know what answer you looking for or what you want me to say to you. Yo boyfriend tried to fucking kill me. That nigga was trying to kill me, so as a way to hurt me .. he hurt you & my son. That's all I got, aight?" He told her, becoming fed up with her.

"Why?" Maleah questioned calmly.

"What?" Benji frowned.

"Why was he trying to kill you?"