“Sage…”

“Hmm?” I mumbled rubbing my eyes.

“Taylor’s almost here.” He whispered.

I looked up at him; his eyes were red and puffy like he’d been crying recently. I was hoping all of it was a terrible nightmare but that showed me that it wasn’t a nightmare at all. I shook my head slowly and sat up. He looked away from me and sniffled quietly while I watched him try to stay strong.

“How long until he gets here?” I asked looking towards the clock, seeing that it was 3:15.

“Ten minutes.” He answered softly.

“Alright.” I took a deep breath and stretched slightly.

I grabbed his chin and tilted it towards me. I looked into his dark green eyes and saw anger; they softened as if he were begging for love. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled my body closer to his chest. His breathing stuttered as I felt his arms grip my waist holding me close to him. I rested my forehead against his shoulder and took a deep but shaky breath; all I could smell was Harry. He smelled like cologne and a familiar smell that I connected with strength. He set his chin on my head and hummed quietly while rubbing my back. I leaned back and looked up at him with tears in my eyes.

“Harry…” I shook my head feeling a tear spill out.

“You can do this Sage, I know you can.” He said reassuringly.

We held eye contact until we heard footsteps on the porch. I climbed off of his lap and walked to the door slowly. I opened it to see a tall, tan guy with bloodshot eyes. He looked down at me with a tear running down his cheek; letting go of his wife’s hand he pulled me into his chest. I clung to him as his breathing faltered and his body shook. I leaned back after a few minutes and let them in. When I closed the door, I saw him wrap Harry in a hug as both of them cried. I walked over to the kitchen and made some tea for all of us. I came back into the living room with four mugs of tea and returned to my seat next to Harry.

“How?” Taylor asked gripping his wife’s hand.

“She was lying in her bed,” I paused to take a deep breath, “and I was holding her hand when she said she loves us. I said that we loved her too and she was gone.”

He nodded slowly and looked at the floor. Cleo set her drink down and looked at him with tears in her eyes, she hadn’t showed any emotion until now. Seeing Taylor like that made all of us tense up and think about what a loss this was.

“We should all get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Harry offered gently.

“I agree.” Taylor nodded looking towards us before standing up on weak legs. “I love you Sage, we’ll make it through this.”

“I know we will, I love you too.” I said shakily as I wrapped my arms around him.

When we let go of each other, his cheeks were wet and his eyes were puffy. He picked up his bags from the floor and headed upstairs with Cleo by his side. I watched as they walked down the hallway hand in hand. Harry stood up and took the tray back to the kitchen and rinsed out the mugs before coming back into the living room. He helped me off the couch and followed me up the stairs and back to my room.

I turned the light on for us and closed the door while Harry took a seat on the edge of my bed. He got under the blankets and I closed the blinds and curtains. He was lying on his back, staring up at the fan when I curled up next to him. I draped my legs over his and set my hand on his chest making him look down at me.

“Are you okay?” He asked pulling the blanket up.

I nodded and gripped his shirt in my hand. He set his hand on my back and pulled me closer before kissing my forehead.

“Thank you for everything tonight Harry, I don’t know what I’d do with out you.” I said quietly.

“You’re welcome.” He mumbled. “I love you Sage.”

“I love you too.” I whispered falling asleep to the even beat of his heart.


“I don’t ever want to go through that again.” Taylor laughed slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Me either.” I shrugged looking towards the funeral director.

“Are there any more questions?” He asked politely but impatiently.

“No, thank you for helping us.” I stood shyly to shake his hand.

“You’re welcome miss, and I’m sorry for your loss.” He said quietly.

I nodded and took Harry’s hand again as he stood next to me. Taylor walked ahead of us slowly with his hand on Cleo’s shoulder. I could tell that Cleo didn’t know how to help or what to do and that her strength was withering away, quickly. Taylor cleared his throat and opened the door for all of us as we walked out to the cars. Feeling Harry’s grip on my hand tighten, I looked up to his eyes that were questioning. I shook my head slowly and looked ahead on me again.

“We’ll be at the house whenever you get there.” Harry said as Taylor was getting in the passenger seat of his car.

“Alright.” He said quietly closing the door.

I had already climbed into Harry’s car and was buckled up when he got in and did the same. He turned the engine on and pulled out of the parking lot hastily behind Cleo. I turned the radio on and sat back against my chair while Harry drove through traffic. Once we were through the worst of downtown, he set his hand on his armrest and kept his eyes on the road. I reached over and entwined our fingers, pulling his hand onto my lap making him smile.

“I need to call Susana today, I don’t know why my mom would send for her if she weren’t important.” I said quietly to myself.

“I already got the number for her hotel and her room number.” Harry said almost as quietly as I did.

“Thanks Harry.” I smiled weakly.