Disabled.

Forty-Five

Forty-Five

February

For the last 2 hours, since his father's memorial service had began, Mason had been quiet, keeping his eyes down towards his hands. After trying several times to initiate a conversation, and only getting one word answers, Nadia had come to accept his silence as she sat beside him, watching as one of his relatives spoke fondly of his father.

It wasn't long before the formal service ended and everyone was able to get some food and socialize with the other attendees.

"Do you want something to drink?" Nadia asked Mason. She turned her head slightly to look at him as he said,

"Just water."

With a small smile and a nod, she made her way to the table with refreshments. She poured some water into a plastic cup and was about to pour some juice for herself when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned around and was surprised when she saw Mrs Cooper standing there with a small smile.

"Mrs Cooper," she said, suddenly feeling as if she had been caught doing something bad.

"Hello Nadia, I'm glad I ran into a familiar face," she said as she poured herself some juice.

"Do you have time to talk?" Mrs Cooper asked, causing Nadia to nod her head as she said,

"I just have to give some water to Mason and I'll be right back."

"Okay sweetie, I'll just be in the back."

Nadia nodded her head once again before slowly pushing herself towards Mason, taking care not to drop the water. When she reached him, he was still standing in the same spot with a blank expression as he looked down. She gently touched the back of his hand and gained his attention, giving him the cup.

"I'll be right back," was all she said to him before joining Mrs Cooper in a secluded area in the back. She looked at the older woman, unsure of what to expect from her.

"Being here reminds me of when we had to let Jackson go," she started, causing Nadia to feel a pinching sensation on her chest.

She wouldn't know, she thought to herself, she hadn't been invited.

Mrs Cooper bent down to be at the same level as her and held onto both of her hands.

"I'm really sorry for not inviting you to his memorial service; it was wrong for us not to include you in such an important occasion," she said, causing Nadia's eyes to sting as tears threatened to fall. But she held them in with the little strength that she had to do so.

"At the time, we really thought that it was the best thing to do; to help you to move on. But now, I've come to see that you being there would have provided you with some closure. For depriving you of that, I am truly sorry."

Her tears had began to fall now as Mrs Cooper wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. She returned the hug. And as the warmth surrounded her, she finally felt as if a weight had been lifted.

Ever since she had survived that accident and Jackson hadn't, she couldn't ignore the guilt that clouded her heart every time something reminded her of him. And whenever something good happened to her, she felt as if she didn't deserve it. But hearing her words finally lifted the guilt that she had been carrying around ever since the day of the accident.

When they pulled apart, Mrs Cooper held her head in her hands, using her thumbs to wipe away her tears as she looked at her with a smile. She noticed some tears falling against Mrs Cooper's face too.

"My baby was very lucky to have such a kind and loving girlfriend and now, Mason gets to have you as a great friend," she told her. She felt her lips curve into a small smile as she watched her finally wiping her own tears.

"On a happier note," she said as she sniffled, "we have decided not to sue Mason's family."

Nadia couldn't contain her surprise as she heard her words.

"W-what?" she asked, unsure if she had heard her correctly. Mrs Cooper smiled.

"We're not suing."

"What changed your mind?"

There was a moment of silence between them until Mrs Cooper answered her question.

"When we first heard the news, I have to admit that my decision to sue was an act of revenge especially when I heard that he had been drunk when he crashed into your car. I just wanted them to feel the same pain that I felt, having someone so precious taken away from me too soon. But after thinking about it endlessly, I just couldn't bring myself to do it anymore. And after seeing the pained expressions on their faces, I no longer have the motivation to go through with it because I've come to realize that on that day, they also lost someone who was precious to them."

Nadia couldn't hide her gratitude towards her for changing her mind as she wrapped her arms around her waist in a tight hug.

"I'm really glad you changed your mind," she told Mrs Cooper. She felt her patting her head before she pulled away.

"And I'm happy to finally see you smile. Now I think your friend might need you."

Nadia turned her head in the direction of where Mason was standing to find him still standing but with his shoulders hanging in defeat.

She thanked Mrs Cooper once again before making her way to Mason. And once she reached him, she finally learned the reason why he looked so defeated.

In his hand was a picture of his father with date of the day that the accident happened written on the bottom right corner. She felt tears of her own falling past her cheeks as she watched Mason cry. She reached out for his hand and held it, feeling him squeeze her hand slightly.

She felt his hand shake with the rest of his body as he cried.

"Mason, I think we should go somewhere more quiet," she suggested. And to her relief, he nodded his head before letting go of her hand.

They left the room and walked down the hallway of the funeral home to find a small room which was empty. They entered it and closed the door behind them. And as soon as the door closed, Mason fell to his knees as he continued to look at the picture, crying.

Nadia pushed herself to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Almost immediately, he returned the hug.

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him," he said.

"The last time I saw him, we got into a fight. I asked him to get back together with my mom after hearing that she was engaged. And when he refused, I called him a coward."

"I'm a terrible son."

It was the first time that Mason had said anything about his father to her. And hearing those words allowed her to understand his pain. It was bad enough that he didn't get the chance to say goodbye. But the fact that the last time they talked, they had left on bad terms, made her heart ache for him even more.

Nadia didn't know what to say to him. But in that moment, she could tell that not saying anything was the right thing to do; sometimes, silence spoke louder than words.

* * *
A/N:

Hello dear readers! Thank you once again for checking out another chapter; I hope you enjoyed it. This chapter is a little short because I felt like this was the best way to end it. Like always, please let me know your thoughts/comments/concerns!

Thanks again for reading!

~candysweet101