Emma

Chapter Twenty-Two

He looks back at the man holding the gun, and my heart falls in pieces, my voice is torn apart and my mind explodes when the bullet goes through his head.

The sound of the bullet wakes me up and my first reflex is to look at the empty place next to me. I grab the sheets and starts crying, remembering this awful day. I can't remember the last thing he said to me, the last words my father pronounced before dying at the hands of our enemies. I don't even know why they did that, I will never know.

"What?!"

I immediately stop crying, as if the screaming had some kind of triggering effect on me. I quickly get out of bed and almost run to the living room. But there is no one.

"Thomas?"

"Fuck! WHAT?!"

I turn around and run to the office of the suite. When I slam the door open, I am like frozen by the scene I am witnessing.

Thomas is kneeling in front of the window, a gun pointed to his temple. I squint my eyes and notice that Tommy's finger is ready to pull the trigger.

"Thomas"

"FUCK THAT! Fuck everything!"

What is happening?

"I almost had everything! Fucking everything!" He shouts.

He's not himself. He is obviously in some sort of hallucination, or maybe a nightmare. Something like that. And I am afraid if I startle him, he'll fire.

"Thomas, it's me," I whisper.

I take a first step toward him and when he doesn't move or disapprove of my approach, I continue to walk to him; slowly.

"I almost had everything," he murmurs.

He must be talking about his wife. That is the only thing I know he is missing.

When I finally stand behind him, I gently kneel next to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Thomas, can you hear me?" I demand in a very low voice.

His eyes remain closed and the gun pressed to his temple.

I move in order to be in front of him and stand a bit straighter. My head is just above him and I quickly glance at his entire body to make sure he didn't harm himself. He is perfectly clean, still wearing his day suit. If he were to leave the suite right now, nobody would ever guess he is having a traumatic episode.

"Thomas, can you hear me?" I ask, again.

He sighs.

When I notice his finger moving to pull the trigger, I put both my hands on his face and bring him against my chest. I close my eyes when I feel the coldness of the gun against my skin and keep my tears to myself. There is no need to be both broken right now.

"What are you doing?" Whispers Thomas.

"If you want to die, we'll die together"

Thomas doesn't move anymore, he doesn't speak either. "Tommy, you may not have everything. But I promise you, you have a lot"

I don't know what made him do it, whether it is my presence, my words or something else; but he drops the gun and hug my waist. He sighs and when he finally let himself completely fall in my arms, I fall against the wall behind us; under the window. As relieved as I am, I cannot say a single word. I cannot move, I cannot do anything but let Thomas feel like he didn't lose everything.

"I know you feel like you don't have anything because of yourself. I know you miss her," I say softly. "But I promise you, Tommy, you are not alone"