Moonlight, Chad Meeks-Martin. ✓

𝒗𝒊𝒊. this is it

❪ ﹟SEVEN ❫ ࿐ྂ
━━ WOODSBORO COMMUNITY HOSPITAL / THE FREEMAN'S !

     AFTER FORCING CARINA away from Dewey, Sam and Richie were the only thing keeping the girl upright as the three gave their statements to the police. This is where they were when Gale Weather's news van pulled into the hospital, the woman jumping out of the passenger's side. Carina can't move. She hasn't seen Gale in so long, and part of her still resents her for leaving Dewey behind for her job.

     However, when Sam and Richie move to stop Gale from approaching the stretcher carrying Dewey's body, she remembers the one thing that also bonded the two women. Their love for one Dewey Riley. So, when Gale starts breaking down in Sam and Richie's arms, she rushes forward and pushes them away to hug her aunt.

     Gale tenses at the new body but immediately sobs harder when she registers who it is. "Oh, Carina," she cries, clutching the younger girl close to her chest. Carina can't help but sob all over again, both of them falling to their knees on the hard pavement as their sobs completely wrack their bodies. They're holding each other like it's the only thing keeping them alive.

     She's not sure how long they stay like that, but Sam helps them up when both have stopped crying. They all enter the hospital, and Sam and Richie leave them to sit in the waiting room as they leave to check on Tara. Gale holds Carina close, and the younger girl gives into the temptation of resting her head on the older woman's chest. She just needs to feel her heartbeat.

     They stay like that for a long time. An officer comes over with cups of coffee and puts them in front of them, but neither moves to touch them. It isn't until Sam comes back that they even really look up.

     "I'm sorry." Carina tries not to flinch, but she can't really help it. "Carina, I know...I know he meant a lot to you. And you," she motions at Gale, and the woman takes a deep breath. "I didn't know him well, but...he helped me."

     "That's what he did." Gale sniffles, and Carina taps her forehead on her shoulder lightly. "He helped people."

     Carina smiles lightly, thinking of all the people she's known who told her stories about Dewey helping them when they needed it most. "And he was damn good at it."

     Gale looks at her then, almost like she can't take facing Sam. "I should've stopped him. You should've stopped him." The small smile on her face falls off, and she shrinks back. It's almost like a slap to the face, the pain Gale causes her with that sentence. Almost like she's saying she blames Carina. Maybe she should, she thinks, I'm part of the reason he got involved. He was trying to protect me.

     "If you had, my sister would be dead."

     Gale looks at Sam then, fresh tears filling her eyes, but she doesn't say anything else.

     "Samantha," someone calls, "your sister's awake."

     Sam looks at the two one more time before nodding at Carina. Gale has turned to look out the window, and Carina wishes she could see her face. Obviously realizing nothing more is going to be said, Sam takes her leave.

     Before Carina can try to talk to Gale and tell her how much she regrets getting Dewey involved, a voice addresses them.

     "Gale. Carina."

     Both turn in tandem to find the source of the voice and Carina gapes. "Aunt Sid," she mutters.

     "Sidney."

     She hasn't seen Sidney in a long time. Not since the Ghostface attacks of Jill Roberts and Charlie Walker. She had been nine at the time, and never really understood everything that was going on when her Aunt was in town, just knew she was glad to be seeing her. Instead, she just knew her mother was tenser than usual, as well as Uncle Dewey and Aunt Gale. And now that she's older, it's not lost on her how the people in her life were being affected at the time.