Chapter XII - Grief and Worry

The woman was surprised to see Rebecca inside their home. She looked at Michael with raised eyebrows, questioning the sudden visit of the girl but have a pleasant expression on her face. Then, she changed her vision and looked with a bright beaming face at the girl who was looking for someone.

"Nice to see you, dear," the woman finally said making the girl looked up at the person who just talked.

"Grand Pam!" she walked towards the old woman to hug her. "Happy to see you too!" Rebecca exclaimed when they broke their hug and have a distance from each other.

"I'm glad to hear that," she smiled and ruffled the girl's hair which made Rebecca grunt and frowned over Pamela's action.

"Michael said that you're going to make your special cookies?" Rebecca asked her innocently.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Today is Wednesday and that day is always a cookie day!" Pamela exclaimed cheerfully to Rebecca. The girl was joyous when she heard Pamela's statement that made her do giddy jumps. "Now, while I made cookies you can go to Doran's room and play with him," Pamela said informing Rebecca to her youngest son's room to have both of them an entertainment.

"Okie," Rebecca answered with a smile and began marching to Doran's room, following Pamala's suggestion.

Now, Michael and Pamela was the only one standing in the room. She stared at him for a long time, giving him time to explain the situation but he didn't say something, she sighed.

"What a sudden visit of Reb," she commented to no one but it was obviously aimed for her oldest son.

"Chelsea was having a problem and wanted Rebecca to stay here for a while," he finally talked, informing Pamela about it. Michael still wore his worried face.

"They always welcome here," Pamela muttered. "Is she doing alright?" she asked changing the subject and have a concerned expression.

"I don't know," Michael admitted to her and looked at his mother. "I needed to go to her to see how she is," he said wanting her to know that he's leaving. "I will leave Rebecca to you," he said with a nod.

"Of course," she replied, nodded back at him. "I hope she's alright," she commented quietly but Michael heard her.

"I hope," Michael whispered and turned around to start leaving the house. He knew that Chelsea was far from being alright, hearing her sobbing and crying on the phone was not alright. He entered his car, started the engine, and finally drove to head to her place.

He arrived at her house noticing that it was quiet. Michael stepped on her door to knocked but no one answered. "Chelsea?!" he shouted hoping for her to hear him. He waited after a minute and still silence greeted him. He frowned and made his heart rate beat fast to the endearing silence. He tried to turn the knob on the door but unfortunately, it was locked. He began to think of ways on how he will get inside. Then, he remembered the spare key hiding inside the mailbox when Chelsea told him about it, He just hoped that it was there. He went to the mailbox and opened it. Michael was happy and relieved when he found a key at the end of it after removing the mails. Going back to his previous location, he opened the door, when it was done, he began to enter Chelsea's home.

The first thing he noticed was the mess inside the living room. He tried to find Chelsea in there but no sign of her was shown. He went to the kitchen but no one's in there. Michael thought that Chelsea's in her own room so he decided to find it, making him leaned every door just hoping to find a single sound from in it.

Then, in one door he heard shuffle sound movements and a sniff coming from a person. Michael knocked loudly enough for her to hear. "Chelsea?" he asked wanting her to know that he's here. "Are you there?" he continued asking and waiting for her response.

"Yes..." a faint answer was all he heard.

"Can I come in?" he asked carefully. He didn't hear her say something so he stayed outside her door and sat behind the door leaning his back on it. "You can tell me everything on your mind," he said.

"To release that hurt and sadness in you," he continued with a soft voice. "I'm here," he added.

Suddenly the door opened, making Michael almost fall backward but he restrained it from happening. He immediately stood up and face the woman who was ducking her head. They just stood silently in front of each other with a distance, one is staring and one is avoiding the stare.

Chelsea can't help but released tears from her eyes and they flowed down on her cheeks, making them dropped from her chin. Michael noticed this and began to step forward to attempt to hug her for comfort. Chelsea returned his hug by wrapping her arms around his waist and leaned on his right shoulder. She cried hearing the tone of anguish and pain on it. Michael let her even if his shirt was now drenched with her tears, she needed it and he will provide it.

"Shhhh, shhhhh... let it all out," he said while he rubbed her back, back, and forth. "I'm here," he continued. They stay for a while until she calmed down a bit.

"Thank you," she said with a hoarse tone because of crying.

They broke the hug and for the first time since Michael arrived, he saw her face. How she was exhausted, tired, and hurt. The red puffy eyes, flushed skin, and dry lips. It was almost can feel the emotions radiating off her, it was draining. She instantly looked away when Chelsea noticed that he was staring.

Chelsea moved towards her bed to sit and gesture for Michael to sit on the provided chair in her room. They didn't speak until Michael spoke.

"Stay right here for a moment, I will be back," Michael said and leave the room to grab a glass of water for her. He arrived at the kitchen and filled the grabbed glass with water, then rapidly raced to her room, not wanting for her to wait longer for him. "Here, take a drink first," he said softly and handing the glass of water.

Chelsea took it from him with trembling hands and slowly drank the water. After she was satisfied with the amount of water she took, Michael began to speak.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he said slowly not wanting to get emotional again and facing her with an understanding gaze.

"I- I-" she stuttered, seemingly have difficulty forming a sentence.

"Take your time," he said still looking at her. She took a deep breath and started to talk not facing him and staring at the floor.

"Someone called me," she started. "It was the police in charge in my husband's case for a missing person," she continued and took a deep inhale. "He said that they found him." Michael didn't react first, knowing that there is the next line to it. "But... but..." she drifted off.

"Chelsea..." he said having an idea of what happened to her husband.

"They found his body, burned and tortured!" she shouted with pain evident in her voice. Michael understands that she was not angry at him and listened to her quietly. As she finished her statement, Chelsea cried again but this time no tears, and the anguish behind her words were all she felt.

Michael looked at his friend and decided to went beside her for him to comfort her. Raising his right hand to rub his friend's back. Chelsea leaned towards her left side to Michael's shoulder, continuing to cry her misery. Michael ignored again the drench area of his shoulder and help Chelsea to calm herself.

"T- they tortured h- him before... they ki- killed him..." she whispered weakly and stuttering due to her spirling emotions. Michael didn't utter anything, not knowing what to say and giving Chelsea time to have her moment. "What did he do to deserve that?" she continued after a few minutes and having her voice back. "Esmond is a good man... he wouldn't do something that will..." Chelsea paused. "that will get him killed," she continued.

Chelsea stopped crying and started to think something. She thought of Esmond and how he acted weird sometimes, remembering that he told her about having no family and always changing the topic if they talk about his job. She didn't notice this until now and it made her feel hesitant and wary about her husband. She knew he is a good man but she can't fully judge if she didn't know the man in the past.

She remembered the days they were talking about their own stories. Him being the only one left in the family and her being an abandoned child of her family. She relates to him but he was not telling the whole story, Chelsea thought that it was just a traumatic experienced that he wasn't able to talk about it. She as an understanding person so Chelsea didn't talk about it much and avoid his family topic to crossed in their conversation.

She also remembered the things he would do in his work, leaving early and returning early. Chelsea didn't have a problem with that as long they have quality time with each other. When she was asking about it he would always tell her, 'it doesn't matter, I'm here now' or 'same as the other day' and then changing the topic about her recent work. She told him about it and as result, she forgot his own job.

Chelsea observed that he wasn't stressed about it until the week of their last moment. It made her worry that week, she knew he wasn't sleeping due to the obvious evidence of his large heavy bag under his eyes and the loss in his eyes that he had been always wearing that week but a fake smile was displayed on him.

Why didn't she realized this. The emotions behind those eyes, it speaks— no, it shouted the message to her but she just ignored it and paid attention to what he was displaying outside. It was foolish of her to act like nothing's wrong with her husband but she can't do anything today, it was all in the past. It already happened, and now, he's already dead, waiting to be bury and united down to the Earth's surface.

Michael's shoulder was starting to ache due to Chelsea leaning towards him. He wanted to move but didn't want her to be disturbed about his sudden movement. He noticed that she wasn't crying anymore and breathing quietly. Waiting for a few more minutes, his shoulder began to numb. Michael decided to shake her for her to know that he wanted to move. Chelsea didn't move and he thought that she drifted to sleep.

"Chelsea?" he asked, confirming if she's awake or not. "Are you awake?" he continued wanting for her to talk.

He didn't receive a response so he moved slowly away from Chelsea while both of his hands were assisting to carry her body to prevent her from falling forward. Michael glanced at her face and noticed that her eyes were closed and there was a strain of her tears to her cheeks.

Michael moved her down to her bed carefully and aligning her in a comfortable position. He grabbed a tissue near the bed and wiped her tear strain. Faintly caressing her face like a fragile figurine. She was a precious being to him and seeing her broken and hurt made him desperate to make her sorrow disappear.

After wiping her face, Michael came back to his previous position. He sat on the chair and stare at Chelsea for a while. Thinking that she had through so much and still keeping fighting only for her daughter. He was lucky enough to be her friend despite knowing her problems and troubles. Michael was willing to be there for her and make her happy, truly happy.

He noticed that he was staring for a long time now and decided to do other things than staring. He saw a book near beside her bed. Michael stood up and grabbed the book then returned to his chair. He opened it at the beginning and started reading it without moving the bookmark from the book.

While reading, his mind drifted to Chelsea. He started asking himself about how their friendship started. It was bizarre to him to make a friend quickly to Chelsea, as far as he knew himself, he didn't have the power to talk to another person, especially a stranger. But with the help of his mother and her daughter being a student of his, they found a way to have a connection with each other and resulted in being a friend.

They relate with each other, discussing arts, philosophies, and generally, life. Michael enjoyed talking to her and sharing his own thoughts with others. He felt he wasn't alone anymore in this large world he's living, having a friend like Chelsea means a lot to him.

Even when she was always teasing him about this 'lemon', he knew that it was actually funny. It was not just how she laugh when she was joking, it was the bright smile she was displaying. The way her eyes shine with happiness made his heart light and warm.

He can't describe what kind of feeling that is but he was afraid and excited at the same time. Whatever it is, he will hide it for his friend. Michael wanted to comfort her before identifying himself again.

Michael shook his head, imagining that his action might get him back to focus on the book and erasing his thoughts about Chelsea. He started to read the paragraph he left off but when he began reading it, he didn't understand the text that he had just read. He kept thinking about the woman on the bed sleeping peacefully in front of him.

He sighed and decided to go to the living room to find entertainment for himself that will get him Chelsea's off his brain. Standing up, he put back the book where it belonged, in its respective place, and went down to the living room and sat down on the couch. Grabbing the remote near him, he opened the TV for him to watch something for him to be amused to.

He didn't understand it, the warm fuzzy feeling inside him. Michael thought that it was just about his too much worry and too much joy that he felt towards Chelsea. Getting back to the TV, this time he focuses on watching it and forget about his situation with his friend.