Kent frowned. "How is she? Esmeralda, I mean."
"About like you'd expect, I imagine," Brianna said quietly. "I've never seen anyone as devastated by something like this. It's hard to explain. I've seen people suffering with the loss of a loved one. I remember when my grandmother died... my papa was completely distraught by her death. But it didn't destroy him - he managed to live for a number of years after she was gone, and if he wasn't as fulfilled as he had been when she was still with him, he was able to find a measure of peace and happiness in his life again."
"You don't think Es will be able to do that?"
Brianna shook her head slowly. "No. It's hard to explain unless you know them... unless you see it for yourself. But something happened to her last night. It was more than heartbreak - it was as if something in her simply died with Saphira and I don't know if she can live without it."
Adam squirmed and Brianna turned her attention back to him even as Kent spoke.
"Do you think it's still crowded at Esmeralda's?" he asked cautiously.
Brianna furrowed her brow at his words even as she kissed Adam's fingers when they tickled her lips. She felt certain Charisma was still there, which made it more than crowded in her mind. This wasn't about her, however, and she wasn't going to allow herself to be selfish any longer. Esmeralda had been a friend to her from the moment they'd met, and she'd do her best to stand beside Esmeralda for as long as she'd allow it.
"I think I've had enough air if you boys would like to come back to Esmeralda's and sit Shiva with us."
Kent and Patrick exchanged glances, then turned to Brianna. "We'd like that very much." Together they walked to the Metro and headed for Esmeralda's.
************
Kay made her way upstairs, idly noting the number of closed doors before she reached the one Okasa had assured her was Ruby's room. She knocked lightly, not surprised to hear a tired voice beckon her inside. Kay crossed the room and took the proffered seat on the bed.
"Have you gotten any sleep?"
Ruby shook her head. "I can't. Every time I close my eyes I see Es lying on that pallet next to Saphira. It just breaks my heart."
Kay bit her lip before she spoke. "Listen, I don't normally do this, but would you like a prescription for something? I'm only offering because you seem to be Esmeralda's main support right now, and it's not going to do anyone any good if you run yourself into the ground with exhaustion."
Ruby patted Kay's hands and shook her head. "You're sweet, really, and if it continues, we may revisit this. But right now I just can't."
Kay nodded. "I understand. Just know the offer's there if you need it."
"I appreciate it." Ruby closed her eyes and swallowed hard before taking a deep breath and refocusing her stare on Kay. "How's she doing?"
"Not good," Kay responded honestly. "She seems to have withdrawn inside herself, and I don't know if there's anything we can do to keep her from staying there. Charisma and Okasa are with her at the moment, but I don't know that they're making much headway. I'm sure wherever Esmeralda's head is at right now, it's probably a much more pleasant prospect than what her reality here is. I just wish there was something...." Kay stopped talking when Ruby patted her arm.
"Kay, you're doing as much as anyone could and more than most would even bother with. I mean, it's not like you really know either of them well, do you?" smiling when Kay shook her head. "Most folks wouldn't make this kind of effort for practical strangers."
"Glad I'm not most people then," Kay muttered. Ruby chuckled.
"So am I," then she tilted her head in a listening pose. "Is someone knocking on the door?"
Kay stilled and focused her attention on listening outward. After a moment, she blinked and looked at Ruby. "I don't know how you heard that, but let me go take care of it. You try to get a little more rest, okay? I'll let you know if anything changes."
Ruby held Kay's gaze for a long moment, then nodded tiredly before closing her eyes in exhaustion. In another minute she was sleeping and Kay headed downstairs to see what was going on. Somehow she wasn't at all surprised to discover Brianna had returned, but she was more than a little stupefied to see that she'd brought Patrick, Kent and Adam with her.
Still, as the de facto hostess, Kay took it upon herself to let them know what was going on. "Charisma and Okasa are with Esmeralda," she commented for Patrick and Kent's benefit. "And Ruby is still upstairs resting," she added for Brianna.
"Has there been any change?" Brianna asked as she removed her coat. She took a squirming Adam from Kent to allow him to do the same as they waited for Kay's reply.
"Not for the better, no. Esmeralda seems to have slipped into... well, if it's not a coma, it's something of an unconscious fugue state. She doesn't appear to be aware of anything around her. Charisma has been talking to her, hoping to reach her, but the last I checked, she hadn't made a lot of progress on that front."
"Mama?" Adam asked, looking around even as Brianna struggled to remove his jacket. "Br'anna, where's Mama?"
Brianna took the chair she'd spotted next to the phone table, easing Adam into a place on her lap as she slipped his arms from the jacket sleeve. "Mama is in with Es, Little Man. Something bad happened and Es is really sad right now. Mama and Gramma are trying to help her feel better... make some of the hurt go away."
"Adam help too," he declared fiercely.
"I don't know if you can, Little Man, but I'll tell you what - you promise me you'll be gentle and loving with Es and we'll go check on her, okay? You can hug her neck real tight and tell her you love her."
Adam grinned. "Love Es. Es good." He cocked his head at Brianna. "Where's Phira?"
Tears welled in Brianna's green eyes, but she didn't allow them to spill down her face. "Saphira had to go see God, Adam. It's why Es' heart hurts so much. God needs to keep Saphira with him now."
"Phira's an angel?" he asked, brows furrowed as he tried to understand the complexities of death. Brianna just nodded.
"Yeah, Son - Saphira's an angel now."
"Good," he declared emphatically. "Phira 'tect Es."
Brianna seemed as startled as the rest of the adults in the room at his insistence, but she didn't have the heart to crush that idealism. Instead, she gave Adam a weak smile. "Yeah... Saphira can protect Es now. She'll be watching over her and all of us like a Guardian Angel."
"Good," Adam stated once more. "Love Phira."
"Well, let's go see if we can help Es feel better, okay?" She turned to Kent. "We shouldn't be too long if you want to wait in the living room. Kay can show you. I just don't think there's room for all of us in the bedroom."
"It's fine," Kent assured her. "Go on," dipping his head towards Adam who was showing signs of restlessness. Brianna just nodded and walked away. Kay waited until she and Adam entered the bedroom, then gestured towards the living room. Kent and Patrick took the silent hint and together they turned towards the living room to wait together.
************
"Br'anna?" Adam whispered harshly, causing Charisma and Okasa to look towards the door simultaneously. "Why's it dark in here? Where's Es?"
Okasa's hand on Charisma's kept them both in place while they waited for her answer as Brianna shut the door silently behind her.
"You remember I told you how Es' heart hurt because she missed Saphira so much?" feeling him nod against her. "Well, the dark makes Es feel closer to Saphira right now. But we're going to try and help her back to us, okay?" Adam nodded again.
During her explanation both Okasa and Charisma had silently risen from the bed, each stepping back until they were shrouded in shadows. Okasa motioned to Charisma that she was going to go check on Ruby, and that Charisma should remain. Charisma nodded absently - she had no desire to leave. Aside from her concern for Esmeralda, she was curious to see what Brianna had in mind for Adam.