Dear Doc ( MC No limits Book 4)

Chapter 14

Emily

Once you have lost everything, you become the quietest person in the world.
The only things I've said for days were yes... no... goodnight, Piper. Sobs and tears replaced all my words as soon as I was alone. And I was indeed... alone.
No matter how hard Duke tried to be there for me during the time he was helping me settle in, I felt alone.
Not even Lilly's presence could ease my grief. I knew I had to go through this. I had put it off for far too long.
I think I laid in bed all day crying while he took care of Piper until he stormed into my room on the second morning.

"Ok, I've had enough... get up," he said as he ripped open the curtains and opened the window.
"Go away, Duke," I said quietly.

"Yeah, I'll leave soon, but you have to come back to yourself before then," he answered me quietly.
"I'm fine," I explained briefly, which he didn't accept.

"Listen, Doc... I know it's all a lot. New life, new people, everything new and strange. Your father's death and... well, everything else... But that's part of life," he said as he looked at me lying curled up under the covers.

"Sure," I replied sarcastically.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I'm not an idiot. I know you're falling apart and can't see a way out. But don't just think about yourself, Doc. Piper needs her strong and reliable mom back... What would your father say?" He asked me, and I looked at him.

"Don't talk about him like that," I said angrily.

"Why... because you know that I'm right? Look at you... pathetic. Pull yourself together, life goes on. And you still have responsibilities. Don't forget that," he said as he left the room.

I know he was right... Dad would definitely be disappointed to see me like this.
He worked with me so much and helped me find myself. I will mourn his death for the rest of my life, but I know that Duke is right, and he would never want me to lie here like this. Piper needs me... I can't let her down like my mom once let me down.
And yet, he will be in my heart forever. He is safe there... protected and loved. Forever.

“You are no longer where you were,
but you are everywhere we are.
You were taken from our lives, but not from our hearts,” I whispered, thinking of Dad and Doc.

When I went down to the kitchen, Piper was sitting at the table with Lilly and Duke, and they all looked at me.
Piper was very happy when I sat down with them, and Lilly poured me a cup of coffee without saying anything.
It was as if she knows how I feel.
Duke looked from his cup to me, and our eyes met.

"You're right," I said quietly, and he nodded.

"I know," he answered me, "but no one listens to me," he added, smiling.

"Thank you, Duke... for taking care of Piper," I told him, and he looked at me.

"Actually, Lilly does that... I just cook and build snowmen," he said as he looked out the window, and I followed his gaze to the snowman.

"A work of art," he said proudly as he grinned at it.

"It looks like Batman's penguin," I heard Lilly say as she looked at the snowman.

I started laughing after her statement, and I couldn't ignore it now. It was similar; she was right.
"Are you making fun of Mr. Snowman?" she asked Duke, offended.

"More about Danny DeVito here," she replied as she pointed her finger at the snowman.

"I think you did great on him," Piper said as she took Duke's hand.
He looked down at her with a smile and nodded. "At least someone who appreciates art," he said as he kissed her forehead.