Dark Days

Mourning

©JRF2016

Rachel sat in that spot for hours, catatonic. Her heart was broken and her body was numb. All she could hear were the cries of her baby echoing in her ears. Reid was in front of her, speaking to her but all she could hear was Liam crying. She didn't think she could move even if she wanted to. Her baby boy was gone, made into a snack pack by a walking corpse. All the things they have seen and been through didn't come close to losing her baby boy that way. She had no feelings for anything anymore. She wouldn't even get up to come to the memorial service we held in front of the tiny grave that Conner had dug out. Reid left that tiny gravesite and sat down beside her; he tries to comfort her but she won't move, or make a sound. She just sits there staring at that empty basket. He puts his arm around her and she throws it off and jerks away from his touch. She looks up at him and her eyes were fiery, with a combination of anger and sadness. "Rachel, I'm sorry. Our baby's gone but we're still here, we have to move on." He tries to hug her again but she pushes him away. The look she shot him this time told him that she wasn't ready to move on, she wasn't ready for his comforting touch. They all watch as she sits there staring at the basket and running her hand across his blanket. "Conner," Reid says with his eyes on the ground. He didn't want to do this but he didn't think he had any other choice. "You're really the only other person she seems to have a connection with, will you try to get her up?" Conner nods and squeezes Reid's shoulder. He walks over and sits down with her. "Sweet cheeks," he says in his normal way, "I know you're hurtin' but you gotta talk to us, we're all here to help." She glares at him and then stands up. "Atta girl," Conner says standing up with her. When he gets to his feet Rachel turns to him. She clenches her fist and then swings at Conner connecting with his nose. He doubles over holding his nose as Rachel runs off toward the gate. Reid and Darrick ran up to Conner. "Damn, that woman can hit!"

"You okay, Conner?" Reid asks as he keeps his eyes on Rachel.

"Yeah, I'm good. Go get her before she does somethin' really stupid Reid."

Rachel nears the gate and sees Reid's favorite machete laying on the ground. She stoops down without slowing her pace and grabs it. She chokes up on the handle of that machete and throws open the gate. She walks down that little dirt road slinging the blade and slicing skulls.

Reid runs down the yard after her but she had run out of his sight line and he had lost her. She was leaving him a trail of bread crumbs in the form of corpses so it wasn't hard to pick up the trail. They were laying all along the road, heads split wide open. When he finally caught up to her she was out of breath and sitting under a tall pine tree. He walks up and squats in front of her. She was breathless and blood was splattered all over her face. Her eyes showed absolutely nothing at this point, no sadness, no love, not even any anger. They were just blank as she stared at the ground. She still held a death grip on the machete. Without a word Reid takes her hand and drapes it over his shoulder as he puts his free arm around her waist and pulls her to her feet. "You good now, you got that out of system fully?" She doesn't look up at him. He walks her back slowly. Reid knows she isn't going to be ready to see or talk to anyone. He'd been the same when he lost Lucy and now he had to be strong for Rachel, he had to help her through this.

Conner was standing at the gate watching for them to return. "Conner come inside," Cearra tells him as she puts a hand on his shoulder. He reaches up putting his hand on top of hers keeping his eyes straight ahead. "I can't," he said, "I gotta be here when she gets back." Cearra kisses him on the cheek, giving up on arguing, and walks inside. Conner starts pacing back and forth waiting for their return. Inside Charlie has been in his room with Riley since they buried Liam. Riley looked at Charlie's puffy eyes and red face and she couldn't sit there in silence any longer. "You have to talk to me, Charlie." He shakes his head and the tears start flowing again. Riley put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him into her chest in a comforting hug. Charlie sits back up after he had cried his eyes dry and looked at Riley, "It's my fault. I should have been watching him, like Rachel asked me to."