The Tattoo (formerly Unbreakable)

Feeling Guilty

We've been here before.  A cellphone on a table, buzzing without answer, as it had been for the past five minutes.  Ellie walked into the kitchen, finding the phone.

"Mary?" She called, no answer. "Meriddion?  Your phone is ringing."

Still the house was silent.  With a shrug she walked out of the kitchen, not bothering to see who had been calling.  The phone continued to buzz for another call until it went silent.  Thirty minutes later the same scene occurs, the phone begins to go off again.

Meriddion finished drying her hair and threw a knit sweater on over her tank top. By the time she got downstairs the phone had stopped ringing again.  Meriddion got herself a bowl of cereal and picked up her phone.

12 missed calls from Daniel.

Meriddion dialed Daniel's number and put the phone to her ear, a frown overtaking her lips.

"Meriddion."

"Hey, Daniel.  You called, like a lot."

"Yes, Mary, I have some news."

"Daniel, what's going on."

"You might want to sit down."

"Daniel, tell me what's going on."

"Mary, your dad was found dead this morning."

Meriddion's brain clouded over momentarily.

"U-um, can you s-say that again?"

"I was asked to call as your lawyer to let you know about the estate, but I'm also calling as your uncle Mary, I know this can't be easy for you.  He may have been a dirtbag father, but he was still your father."

"Daniel, I-I don't know what to say."

"I don't expect you to.  But we do need to head to Georgia in the next couple of days to work out funeral and inheritance details. If you want I can do most of it on my own, but you really should be there."

"I'll go with you. Can you leave this afternoon?"

"Yes, I'll pick you up at 2?"

"Okay.  Thanks for calling Daniel."

"I'll see you soon Mary."

"Bye."

Meriddion pulled the phone away from her fact and set it next to her on the couch.  She sat motionless for some time.  She stared at the wall, unable to comprehend what she had just been told.

Sure, she didn't have any respect for the man she had once called father, more that than she had pushed him so far out of her life that she was convinced she wouldn't care what happened to him.  But somehow, his death tugged at the side of her heart and a tear fell from her left eye.

She had left him.

The last person he had left in the world had abandoned him, refused to reconcile even when he had attempted to reach out.

A second tear fell, then a third.  Meriddion sniffed, and her breath caught in her throat.  She heard footsteps on the stairs behind her.

"Mary?  What's wrong?" Ash asked, coming up behind her.

"M-my," her chest started to heave and she couldn't get the words out, she broke down.  Sobs began to emanate from her small frame.  With concern Ash sat next to her and pulled her shaking body into his arms. After a moment she straightened her spine and held her hands to her face.

"I know I shouldn't feel guilty, I shouldn't feel anything at all...but he was my dad."

"What happened to your dad?" Ash asked, a note of hatred in his tone.

"I don't know, but he's dead," she choked on the last word.  Ash pulled her back into his arms and held her.  He hated seeing her this way, as much as he had hated Arnold VanShay, he cared about Meriddion more.

"I have to pack.  Daniel and I are leaving for Georgia in a couple of hours," she got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Just the two of you."

"That's the plan."

"Okay," Ash looked down, dejection crossing his features.

"You're welcome to come if you want. Honestly," Meriddion let out a small laugh. "It would be really nice to have someone there with me."

"If you'd be okay with me going."

Meriddion bit her lip and nodded, trying to keep herself from crying again.  Ash stood and made his way to her. He hugged her as tightly as he could. Ellie walked up the stairs humming, not noticing the two until she was almost on top of them.  She made eye contact with Ash, smiled and gave him a thumbs up.  He shook his head.  Ellie began to look concerned.

"Hey, Mary.  Did you see that missed call?"

"Um-" Meriddion pulled away from Ash and wiped her cheeks.  She kept one arm around his waist.

"It was Daniel, he was calling to tell me that my dad passed."

This time Ellie hugged Meriddion, running her fingers through the younger girl's hair.

"W-we're going to the plantation to work everything out with the funeral and inheritance.  Ash is coming with, you and Peter are welcome to do whatever you'd like."

"We'll probably stay here with Rylan, Peter has a lot on his hands working at Daniel's office and I doubt they'll be able to function with both of them gone. You'll be in good hands with Ash."

Meriddion nodded and put her arm back around his hips. He had one arm around her shoulders and used the other to pull her head against his chest, taking his turn massaging her head.  They stayed this way for a moment before Meriddion took his hand into hers and led him up the stairs to her bedroom.  She had made the bed only a half hour ago, so they laid on top of the sheets and Meriddion let herself cry into Ash's shoulder.