Behind My Killer Heels [3] | ON HOLD | OLD VERSION | INCOMPLETE

Chapter Twenty-Two

I was barely breathing as the mahogany casket sunk down six feet into the ground. As the wooden box disappeared into the ground, my breathing was almost completely gone.

My bottom lip quivered.

Soft sobs. Stray tears. Broken hearts. That is all I was surrounded with. The only thing that kept me from breaking down was the pressure of Candice's hand squeezing mine.

I glanced over at the redhead only to see that she was looking straight ahead, her pale face emotionless.

Shovels of dirt started covering Anna's casket. Her husband and her son stood closest to it, watching her be buried under mountains of dirt.

After five minutes of standing there, watching her disappear, I couldn't take it anymore. In a swift movement, I turned around and started walking away from the scene. I don't even know why they'd asked me to be there, I couldn't save her but they still wanted me at her funeral, it didn't make sense.

As I trudged on the well-kept cemetery grass I stayed looking down at my feet. My black boots moving in a steady rhythm...a steady pace that led me to the asphalt where most of the people attending Anna's funeral had parked their cars.

I could hear Candice following close behind. She'd been quiet, offering me the silent support I needed. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about it even though I knew I'd need to at some point if I had any intentions of healing.

I got to my car and leaned on it, putting my hands over my face and taking a few deep breaths.

I was on the verge of crying.

"Dr Clarke!" I looked up and saw Anna's husband and her son walking towards me and Candice. I sighed, not sure what I could possibly say to them.

"Mr Markham." I acknowledged as the two reached us.

"Thank you for coming, it means a lot to us." The man said. I hadn't seen him cry today at the funeral but the redness in his eyes told me that he'd cried all he needed to before then.

"Of course." I spoke but my voice sounded uncomfortably foreign to me.

"We really appreciate your presence." he continued. I nodded. "Keep well." he said with a small, sad smile. As he and his son turned around, going back to the burial site, I called after them.

"Wait!" they both turned around and looked at me, seemingly confused. "I'm sorry." I paused before speaking again. "I'm sorry I couldn't save her, I wanted to but I couldn't." I felt tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

"We know you did everything you could, it wasn't your fault." With a final sincere smile, and a defeated expression from the little boy, the remaining Markhams left.

Candice put an arm around my shoulders and I clung onto her as if I'd shatter without my friend holding me together. We stood like that for a moment.

"Are you okay, dearest?" she asked softly. I pulled back from the embrace and looked up at her worried face. I swallowed and exhaled slowly.

"No." I admitted.

It took a while for me to start feeling better in the slightest but I think the fact that Candice was talking to me and assuring me that everything was okay made everything better. I started feeling better as we sat on the couch at her place and sipped on hot chocolate.

"The way everything ended for her was so...abrupt." I said softly, referring to Anna.

"Death tends to be abrupt." Candice added. I looked up at her and chuckled. "You're looking like you feel a lot better."