Love Will Find A Way ( FreenxBecky)

Chapter 11

“Pat and Billy? They’re okay? They're...al-”

"They are." Freen nods, interrupting him before he can say it, because it's still such a painful reality that they could've been lost forever. “They are. They’ve missed you.”

August nods, a faint smile on his lips. It looks like he still doesn’t believe she’s here, and Freen isn't sure she can believe it herself.

Freen looks over her son, the way she did when he was smaller, so much smaller than he was supposed to be for a three year old, and promised herself she wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

Back then, she hadn’t realized that promise would turn into adopting him, into becoming a family like she’d never thought she’d want.

Her son smiles, his eyes shining as he takes her in, and the relief taking over Freen's chest is overwhelming, but also... incomplete. Something in her cannot comprehend that Becky isn’t here.

But she can’t focus on that now.

“Let’s go see them,” she tells August, grabbing his hand.

She’s worried about leaving her little ones outside for so long, when before she wouldn’t let them go to the cereal aisle by themselves at the supermarket, but as she squeezes August's hand, she accepts it was necessary, worth it. All her children are alive.

They exit the hospital and enter the throng of people outside, the heat receding now that they’re free from the confines of the hospital.

“Billy!” she starts calling out, as they descend towards the stairs. “Patricia! Billy!”

“Mommy!” A little head pops up, and August suddenly let go of her hand, stepping between people in his haste to get to his brother.

Patricia stands up next, rubbing her tiny fist across her eyes.

The next second, they both catch sight of August, and Freen sniffles as sob as her oldest son picks them both up in a crushing hug, born out of desperation.

They’re together. Her children are okay, and together. All she needs is... her wife.

She walks closer, her chest constricting as she sees Billy press kiss after kiss into August's cheek, and watches Patricia's tiny fingers cling to August's shirt.

“Mom! It’s Gus!” Billy screams, reaching towards her, and Freen takes him, holds him on her hip even though he’s getting too big.

She throws her free arm over August's shoulder, and breathes in easier than she has since the water hit.

//

Billy plays with a few boys at the foot of the hospital stairs, while Patricia dozes calmly in her arms.

Finding August seemed to have opposing effects on her children, and while Patricia is comfortable and happy enough to sleep, Billy has newfound energy, and runs around kicking a can with a few of the local boys, and a couple of tourists.

Some of them don't speak the same language, and they're all covered in cuts and scratches, but they play together all the same, their laughter bringing respite from the storm to everyone around them.

She looks at Billy, and then looks at Patricia in her arms. She pushes her hair away from her face, before meeting August's eyes.

She wonders if this is how it's going to be from now on. Just her and the kids.

She still can't comprehend it.

She can't understand that Becky is gone.

She says it to herself, over and over again, but the words are meaningless, her brain doesn't process them, her heart can't absorb them.