The Fallen One

Chapter Twenty-Two

We all sit in the kitchen, smiling. Gina made Paella for dinner and she walks around the table, serving it to each of us before taking a seat beside Justine. For the time in a long time, everything in my life was perfect. But like all good things, they eventually come to an end. I learnt that lesson early on in life, and that night, I relearnt it the hard way.

It all started when Gina started talking about "Navidad"

"Your favourite holiday, right?" I cocked a brow.

"Pascua" Gina corrected me. "Pascua de Resurrección"

Cleo laughed "Easter is your favourite?"

"Si" Gina told my daughter with a smile, "I love Navidad, Cleo say Feliz Navidad"

"Feliz Navidad!" She cried.

"Christmas isn't for a while" John smiled at Cleo, "You have time to practice"

"Feliz" Gina furrowed her brows while standing up, her hands on the table, "Feliz"

"Gina, are you alright?" Justine asked.

"F..f...feliz" That's when one side of her face began dropping and half her body became paralyzed.

As a result, Gina fell to the floor, making Justine scream. John pulled out his phone and called 911 while I screamed at Cleo to go upstairs. She did as I asked. When the paramedics arrived, there wasn't anything they could do to save her. She was gone.

Luke and his wife came over to say goodbye and Justine called Ned to give him the news. I called Sherry, Jenny, Blake, Shelby and Calum. I don't know how Ned handled the news but each person I called wept on the other line. Cleo slept in my bed that night. It was her first time having to deal with death. She had never mourned before. I knew the day would come eventually for her to learn the lessons I was taught early on, I was just hoping it wouldn't be so soon.

The day before the funeral, Jenny convinces me to go with her to pick Ned up from the airport.

"Why do I have to come with you?" I sit in the passenger seat of her car. "It's three am"

"Because Ned is grieving and he needs all our support" Jenny's voice is stern. "Afterall, Gina was like a mother to him"

"We're all grieving" I remind her, "doesn't mean I have to come with you to pick the guy up from the airport"

Jenny looks over to me "that guy is your daughter's uncle and Elise's brother" she then parked the car in the lot, "so make an effort"

All I think about while waiting for his flight to land was how Ned hadn't bothered to make an effort to see any of us in over a year. The last time any of us actually saw him, he did nothing but call everyone names and create unnecessary arguments - as per usual.

I hope with every fibre of my being that that doesn't happen again this time. Gina's funeral deserves to be treated with the utmost respect, much like the woman herself. I don't know what I'll do if Ned shows up drunk and destructive to her funeral like he always does.

When we pick him up from the airport, I hug him reluctantly, as I do so, he says "how's the Addams family?"

I clench my jaw as pulling away. That's when I smelt the liquor on his breath.

"Everyone is well...with all things considered" Jenny smiles while we walk through the airport.

The car ride back to the house is silent as I anticipate the days that are to come and how I can protect Cleo from everything going on. I don't want her to see the arguments between John and Ned. But how long can I really protect her from her own family?