Colliding with Fate

~Twenty-Six~

I sat down the next day and had a conversation with Claire and Ethan that contained a lot of emotional moments and tears. I loved them. I couldn't get in the way of their relationship. They both cared about each other but were scared to be open about it. No wonder Claire stopped drooling over every guy that had lungs and Ethan stopped showing interest in girls the past year or so. I would be lying if I told you that the possibility of Ethan being gay didn't come to mind, because it did. Many times. In the end, we were all happy. I didn't want them to have to keep their feelings for each other a secret any longer.

So in order to celebrate, we invited Destiny, Fate, and Claire over for dinner to officialize their relationship. Destiny ended up having to work, but she dropped Fate off before she had to leave. Ethan made us a delicious meal that everyone loved. Mom and Dad were so excited for them. Even though it seemed foreign to me, seeing Ethan and Claire sitting next to each other directly in front of me, holding hands on top of the table, made my heart swell. Mom was in the middle of telling a story about how Ethan would take his shirt off at recess in third grade in order to impress the girls whenever Fate's phone rang. He answered it by saying, "Hello?"

The person on the other side of the phone spoke for a long time, and as seconds passed Fate's face paled. Worry flooded my head. I started to think of things that could be going wrong, but then I realized there were so many possibilities that I lost track of them.

"I'm coming." He said, then hung up and wheeled backward, heading towards the door. "I have to leave. Now."

"Wait, where are you going, Fate?" I asked, rising from my chair.

"My mom is in the hospital. She ODd on an entire bottle of my painkillers. I have to leave. Now." He repeated. I was in shock. Sure, my mind was racing, coming up with things that could've been wrong, but never once had the thought of Destiny overdosing come across my mind.

Mom and Dad rose from their seats as well, but from the look of pain and grief in Fate's eyes, I knew he wanted to be as close to alone as possible. I took Fate to the hospital while everyone stayed home and waited for me to text them updates.

"Please take care of him." She whispered. My chest tightened at her words.

"Of course," I managed. "Of course I will."

I now had a better understanding of her words. She was preparing herself. I sat next to Fate in the waiting room, watching a toddler play with puzzle toys. A couple sat close by, watching him play with sad smiles on their faces. Subconsciously, I reached for Fate's hand and squeezed. He squeezed back and lifted his head to the little boy, who now saw us looking at him out of the corner of his eye. With a small smile on his face, the child dropped the toy and ran over to us.

"Connor!-" The couple squealed in unison. The little boy - Connor - glanced back at his parents and continued in our direction. I watched as his parents stood up and followed him with worried looks on their faces.

"We are so sorry. Connor loves people." They laughed nervously. I smiled back politely at them.

"It's fine, really."

Beside me, Connor was looking at Fate with a curious look in his eyes. "Who are you?" He questioned.

"My name is Fate," Fate replied. Despite waiting for an update on his mother, Fate seemed calm in the presence of Connor. Maybe Connor resembled a sort of distraction for Fate.

I turned back to the couple and introduced myself. "I'm Evanine," I shook their hands.

"Eric and Maddy Forman." They greeted.

Just as they finished, Destiny's doctor walked in. I immediately rose to my feet as Eric and Maddy gently grabbed Connor's hand in an attempt to slowly give us privacy. I wheeled Fate around to face Dr. Kennedy, whose face was expressionless. "Fate Westbrook?" Dr Kennedy confirmed. Fate nodded and gave the doctor his full attention.

"I am so sorry, but your mother passed away. The medications didn't reverse the damage done - it was too late." My heart stopped. I didn't want this moment to be real. I needed to wake up from this nightmare. Destiny knew what she was doing... She knew she wouldn't see us again. She knew. Fate was silent. He blinked at Dr. Kennedy once. Twice. Three times. Dr. Kennedy placed a hand on Fate's shoulder and apologized once more before exiting the room.

Beside us, Eric, Maddy, and Connor watched with sadness in their eyes. As soon as Dr. Kennedy left, Connor ran to Fate and squeezed him tight. Fate froze in Connor's touch, then he slowly snaked his arms around Connor's tiny little body. Eric and Maddy stood off to the side watching silently. I made my way over to them. There were tears in their eyes. "I am so sorry for your loss." Maddy whispered.

I offered her a sad smile. "I have to make an important phone call, if you'd excuse me."

"Of course, yes," Eric motioned to the door. I opened the door and stepped out of the room and dialed Mom's number. She picked up on the first ring. "Evan, dear?"

"Yeah, it's me..." My voice wavered. "Mom, Destiny passed away. I-I don't know what to do. I don't know what Fate needs right now. The doctor said they were too late and the medications didn't reverse the effect." I managed to hold it together in the waiting room because I wanted to be strong for Fate. He needed someone to keep him upright, now that Destiny passed away. Something struck a chord in my heart and it wasn't good. I hated feeling helpless and lost. I didn't know how to help him and I wanted to help him so badly. Now, outside in the bland hallway that smelled of bleach, I broke down. My tears wouldn't stop flowing down my wet cheeks. My chest was tightening.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." Mom managed, her voice an octave higher than usual. Mom's voice only got higher when she was holding back tears. I stayed on the phone with her until I couldn't cry anymore. When I hung up, I went back into the waiting room and found Connor sitting next to Fate, playing with another puzzle toy. Fate's green eyes raked over my appearance. My wrinkled shirt, puffy face, red eyes. Sadness was displayed on his features. His eyes were tinted red, and I knew he had cried as well.

Connor gave me a toothless smile as I approached them. "I hate to break up your playdate, but Fate and I have to get going now." I said quietly. Maddy picked Connor up and placed her on his hip before saying goodbye. When Fate and I left, we walked down the hallway in complete silence. I didn't know what he needed and it pained me to know he was hurting. In the car, I turned the radio down so low that when you breathed in, you couldn't hear the music.

"She's gone." Fate stated.

"Yeah," I swallowed.

"Thank you, Evanine."

My eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What?"

"Thank you." He repeated as he stared straight ahead. "You're the only one who hasn't left me."

Tears sprang to my eyes. "I'm sorry," I said.

"Don't be."

"But I am, though." I replied quietly.

Fate reached over and took my hand.

"Don't be."

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Y'all my feels:(

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