The Heartbreakers.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Song: I Will Remember You- Sarah McLachlan

A chilling silence weighed heavy in the air as the army men uttered those words. 

Jaylee glanced over at her mother. She watched as her mom's whole demeanor shattered, and Jaylee knew her heart had shattered even more than it did after the loss of Jake. Her mom broke down crying, while Jaylee stood frozen for a couple seconds. 

Until it finally hit her, and she shattered into a million pieces. 

Jaylee screamed out in agony and fell limp in Luke's arms. She buried her head in his chest and sobbed even harder-- even louder. Luke rubbed her back and held her tightly. He didn't exactly know how to react. He just saw her and her mother completely break, and he knew he was going to have to be there for Jaylee more than ever. He couldn't let her by herself now. She needed him and he knew it. 

"It's okay, baby." He whispered, but even he knew that wasn't true. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Jaylee." 

Jaylee tightened her arms around Luke and sobbed more. It wasn't okay. Her big brother-- her first best friend-- was gone. Sam was the only person she could trust the world with, and he was the only one who was there when she needed him, no matter what. Sam was the one who could make her smile when she didn't want to be happy, and the one who could make her laugh when she was upset. He was the one who saved her from all the hurt and made sure to remind her she was stronger than the worst life threw at her. 

Her big brother was gone. Sam was gone, and Jaylee didn't know how she was going to live without him. 

When all of those thoughts flooded through her mind, she collapsed to her knees. Luke tried to catch her, but he was too late, so he just sat on his knees and held her once again. 

Jaylee had already lost her father. She couldn't bear with the fact that Sam was gone too. She didn't want it to be true. 

But it was. And she didn't know how to live with both her dad and brother being gone. 

***

Jaylee and her mom scheduled Sam's funeral for the next week on a Saturday morning. Jaylee didn't go to school the whole week. She stayed in bed all day, listening to Sam's voicemail on repeat. 

"Hey, you've reached Sam Collins, your international hottie. Leave a message at the beep, but if you are Raelynn, just come over, baby girl. I love you! And if you are Jaylee-- dude, I'm right across the hall. Come visit your big bro. Love ya. Okay, I'm going to shut up now. You know what to do." 

Every time Jaylee listened to his voicemail, she broke down crying. She knew it would be the last time he would ever hear his voice, and her heart couldn't handle it. 

Her mom would check on her every hour. One night, they laid in her bed, hugging each other as they cried together. Jaylee knew it was killing her mom; she had already lost her husband and best friend, now her first born was dead. Jaylee didn't understand how life could be so cruel. She didn't understand how someone as good as Sam could be taken so easily. 

Luke would visit Jaylee before and after school to check on her. He knew she was trying to hold it together, but he also knew sometimes, people needed to let the pain out, and he needed to be there to help her through it when she did. Jaylee could always see the worry in Luke's eyes and laced through his voice. Every night, he would hold her until he had to go home, but one night, it became too much for her, and she officially broke down. 

It was two days before Sam's funeral. Luke came over before school. He brought her a blueberry muffin (her favorite), and a strawberry banana smoothie. While he was at school, Jaylee looked through an album of pictures of her and Sam from when they were younger. Later that day, Luke returned, and he took off his jacket before he crawled in her bed and laid beside her. Luke threw his arm over Jaylee's stomach and pulled her closer, nuzzling his head in her neck.