The past.

Gwen could remember like it was yesterday. It was raining that day. She'd put Louis to sleep and was waiting for her parents. It was their wedding anniversary so they decided to spend it at a candle-lit dinner without bringing the kids along. Gwen was a bit sad because they always went out together. Anniversaries were as good as family outings.

" They must be having the time of their lives. " Gwen laughed over the phone. She was talking to Leo. She glanced at the wall clock. It was nearly midnight and it was raining heavily and a cold breeze blew in from the open window. Gwen shivered and held the shawl around her firmly as she went to shut the window.

" Look , Gwen. All I'm saying is , it's a weekend , you're in your teens, your parents are out..." Leo was at a party and the noise in the back made him shout over the phone as he spoke to Gwen.

" Get to the point , Leo. " She knew he wanted her at to join him at the party but she wasn't in the mood. Gwen was pulling the window but the wind was strong and she fought with it.

" Come to the party. " Leo pleaded. " I'm lonely without you here. This party sucks without you. "

" It's pouring like crazy and I just want to snuggle in my bed and sleep. " Gwen finally pulled the window but she gasped when there was a fearsome clap of thunder outside. Her chest was feeling heavy all of the sudden.

" Gwen... you there ? "

" Yeah...I just-" There was an abrupt bang on the front door and Gwen didn't know why she felt a chill in her bones. " I... I'll call you later, someone's at the door. "

" But it's pretty late. I don't think you should -" Gwen didn't even realize she'd put her phone down. As she approached the door, she could hear her own footsteps. She didn't know why the house felt so quiet yet it was raining cats and dogs out there. Gwen stood by the door...rigid. The loud banging only got louder and she lifted her shaking hand and held the door knob.It was cold...ice cold. She opened the door slowly and it felt like she was in a horror movie of some sort. When the door was fully open , Gwen sighed with relief. It was Bain.

" Gwenie , sorry for coming without informing. " Bain hugged her. " Your dad asked me to keep you guys company till the two love birds returned. "

" Aren't you a little late ? " Gwen shut the door and walked to the kitchen to make Bain his favourite hot coco. As she worked , she saw him cozy up on the couch. He was more like an older brother to her , although he wasn't part of the family. Her dad took him as a younger brother and they had a close relationship. Infact , when she was younger, she had a crush on him. She'd told her dad that she'd marry Bain at any cost . She thought of him as 'handsome uncle'.Just thinking about it made her giggle.

" Here's a hot cup of coco , just how you like it. " She handed him the cup.

" Sorry for coming late. I had business to deal with. " He sipped the coco. "And by the looks of it , you seem to be just fine on your own . "

" That's right. I've put Louis to sleep. " Gwen sat in next to him. " I think mom and dad will be home soon. After all, it's past midnight , how long can they stay out ? ''

" Just let them have fun. They finally have a night free from you two rascals.'' He bumped her head with his hand. '' I bet they're making another baby right now.''

'' Eww ! Please change the topic. '' Gwen covered her ears.

'' Fine. Let's change the topic. '' Bain put the coco on the table that was at the center of the living room. " How's that Sam guy? "

" He's in the past. We broke up. "

" What the hell went wrong ! I liked that little motherfu...that little punk. " He was being sarcastic. He didn't like Sam at all. He felt like he was one of those hippies that did drugs and wore flower bracelets but Gwen just thought he was a sweet guy with some bad habits.

" Sorry Bain, but it didn't work out. " Gwen was still speaking when Bain's phone rang.

" Just a sec. Must be your dad calling to tell us they're not coming home tonight. " Bain gave a dirty wink and Gwen scoffed. He took his phone out of his jacket pocket and looked at it. " Speak of the devil." He put it to his ear and with each passing moment he had that phone to his ear , Gwen saw his face change drastically. She'd never seen this expression on his face and she didn't know why she was feeling uneasy suddenly. When Bain glanced at her for a moment , she felt petrified. She didn't know why tears started to well up in her scared eyes.

" Ok...I'll be there. " Bain stormed to the front door and Gwen ran behind him.

" What's wrong ? " Her lips trembled as she spoke. Bain ignored her as he put on his heavy coat. " Is...Is it something serious ? Where are you going ? Just tell me ! " She didn't know when her tone increased and when the tears poured down her face.

" Just...just stay here with Louis. I have some important work...I'll be back soon." Bain was avoiding eye contact and this was nothing like him. He was a straight forward guy and the behaviour he was showing made Gwen panic.

" Are mom and dad okay? " Gwen didn't know why she was asking this but all she needed was an answer . Bain was silent .

" Just stay here. " He stormed out the door and Gwen yelled behind him.

" I'll just follow you ...you know it. So it'd be better if you just took me along."

Gwen had left Louis at Leo's place and her and Bain were driving down the deserted road and neither spoke. When they got to the hospital , Bain rushed in and Gwen had to run to keep up with him.

" Your number was the last he called so we called you. Are you family ? " an aged nurse asked Bain.

" Y...yes. " Bain glanced at Gwen before asking his question. " How are they ? "

The nurse hesitated when she saw Gwen's agitated face. She took Bain to the side and spoke softly. " The man lost a lot of blood and..." she lowered her voice even more. " He died as soon as he got here. "

They were whispering but they weren't quiet enough because Gwen heard everything. She made sure to hold her burning tears. She shouldn't jump to conclusions... maybe she heard wrong. Maybe they were talking about someone else. She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves.

" How's Marylynne ? " Bain had tears in his eyes . Gwen's heart skipped a beat when she heard Bain's question. Did that mean the man they spoke about before was her dad? That moment her strong resolve was pulverized. Her legs lost strength and she sat on the ground. The tears she kept in burned down her delicate cheeks and sobs escaped her .

" Gwen..." Bain rushed to her and lifted her but she couldn't stand , her body wasn't responding and her mind shut down. Bain hugged her and tried to console her but she couldn't hear anything other than her own cries. She refused to believe it . It couldn't be. She cried till her eyes turned red and her throat was parched . When she felt like she couldn't cry anymore , her body gave way and she fainted.

When she opened her eyes , she was in her bedroom. She looked around and everything seemed normal. She genuinely prayed it was just a bad dream. Gwen pulled herself up but her head throbbed and her body ached. She pulled herself up and walked to the window . Deep down she knew it wasn't a dream but still..she didn't want it to be real either. Before she knew it , she'd started crying again.

" Gwen? " Bain knocked her door. She wiped her tears and opened the door.

" Eat something. " Bain walked in with breakfast on a tray. She couldn't stop herself from smiling. Bain hated to cook but he'd made an effort for her. He sat her down on the bed and gave her a cup of coffee.

" I'm not hungry. " Gwen declined the food but Bain didn't take no for an answer. He took a stuffed fork full of scrambled eggs and put it at her lips. Gwen had no choice but to eat because she knew Bain wouldn't let her stay hungry. She ate it and it tasted amazing.

" Did you cook this or maybe you ordered it ? " Gwen smiled.

" I see you still got a sense of humour." Bain laughed as he kept feeding her but his laughter soon faded and his lips pressed in a fine line. " Gwen , Marcus...your dad... he's dead. "

Gwen felt a lump in her throat and the food couldn't go down. Her heart started to pound but she wasn't going to let herself breakdown again. She breathed and forced the food down. Bain was impressed by the strength and maturity she was showing. He kept feeding her.

" Marylynne is in a bad state. " He continued. " She was seriously injured and she lost an eye. " He paused and observed Gwen who kept her pokerface. " She's in a comma . Would you like to see her?"

" I'll take a shower then we can go." Gwen simply stated. She surprised herself with the way she was acting. Only God knew where she was drawing this control from , all she knew was that something inside her died along with her dad.

Gwen sat on a chair next to Marylynne. She looked at her mom carefully. Her face was completely swollen and bandaged up. She had so many machines installed in her and the room reeked of medicine.

" Gwen. " Leo stood at the door and tears fell from his eyes when her saw Marylynne. Him and her shared a mother-son bond. Leo lost his mom early and Marylynne slowly filled that void in his life. He walked to her bed side and put his hand out to touch her but he changed his mind. He was afraid she was in pain of some sort. Gwen just sat there looking at him sob. She moved to him and hugged him. It was more like she was comforting him.

" Are you okay ? " Leo had to ask because he'd never seen his friend like this.

" Yes. " She patted his shoulder and feigned a smile. " How's Louis ? "

" He's alright. He's with Aunt Rose. " Leo held her hand . " Are you really okay ? You can cry if you want to , you know . "

" But... I don't want to. " Gwen surprised herself with her answer.