Chasing Neverland: A Retelling | ✔️

Chapter Four

She had been at the hospital a couple of times when they had lost a young patient, and she had seen how terribly it affected everyone. The whole fourth floor took on a dark feeling, and the emptiness lingered. It was during those somber moments that Wendy first began to notice when a person's smile did not reach their eyes. It was an expression she would never forget. The staff desperately wanted to grieve over the patient they had lost, but they still had so many other patients that needed them to be strong. She remembered seeing that same look on Camille's face when she arrived at the hospital five days ago. I should have known that something was terribly wrong...

Wendy knew her parents were worried about how she was handling Evelyn's passing. They were aware of how close the two girls had become and that they shared a bond most people would never understand.

Normally, Wendy was very careful about how she appeared in front of her family. She didn't want to cause them additional worry, but she was finding it harder and harder to muster the energy and pretend like everything was fine. She was keeping to herself a little more than usual and had to force herself to concentrate. She could not stop thinking of Evelyn, and was beating herself up for not having had the intuition to realize she was dying.

The drive back to the Darling house was long and quiet. No one really knew what to say to the other, and everyone silently wondered how Wendy would fare after losing her best friend. As hard as they tried, they couldn't help but be reminded of Wendy's mortality.

Occasionally, Wendy would catch a worried expression sneaking a peek at her through the rear view mirror, but she couldn't be bothered with acknowledging it.

I just wish that everyone would stop looking at me, she screamed inwardly. All she wanted to do was get home and lock herself in the privacy of her room. She believed Evelyn would pay her a visit then, to make good on her promise, and she was anxious to get to the house and wait for her.

 I'm almost home, Evelyn. You can visit me soon... Wendy prayed.

"Mom, what was wrong with Evelyn's mom? Why was she acting so weird at the funeral?" Michael asked innocently from the back seat.

Mrs. Darling took a deep breath, "Mikey, everyone reacts differently to death. Evelyn's mom is so distraught right now, she just lost her child and is beside herself with grief," Wendy's mom tried to explain. "Sometimes people act strangely when they are hurting..."

"Oh, just be honest!" Wendy suddenly shouted, startling everyone. "Tell him the truth, Mom! She was drunk, Mikey... Just like she always was. Evelyn would tell me stories about her mom, and how she would just leave Evelyn at home on her own to care for herself. She's not distraught. She's probably glad Evelyn is dead! She never even - "

"Hey now," Mr. Darling interrupted sharply. "That is not fair, Wendy. You didn't live there; you don't know what really went on."

"Are you calling Evelyn a liar, Dad?!" Wendy demanded. "Sure, just blame it on the poor dead girl, she can't defend herself anymore! Let's all pretend like her mom is the poor, grieving mother who was always there for her child. Let's just forget that she would drop Evelyn off at the hospital and not show up, or even call to check on her, for weeks at a time! She never loved Evelyn, she just loved her alcohol! And now she doesn't have her poor, sick daughter in the way. She can get trashed every night with a clear conscious," Wendy cried, the tears falling freely down her cheeks.

"Wendy, please," Mrs. Darling soothed from the front seat. "We have no idea how much she is hurting right now. She may not have been the best mother, but I know in my heart that she loved Evelyn. You cannot be a mother and not feel anything toward your child. She may have her demons to deal with, but there is no doubt in my mind that Evelyn was loved."

John quietly reached over and grabbed Wendy's hand. He knew that his big sister was in pain, and he hated to see her so upset. Wendy tried to give him a small, appreciative smile. He always knew the right thing to do. She didn't want to hear anyone defending Evelyn's mom.

"It's her fault that Evelyn's gone," Wendy whimpered. "She wasn't there when Evelyn needed her. She was probably too drunk to even notice how sick she was. If she cared about her at all, she would have taken Evelyn to the hospital before it was too late!"

"Wendy, Dr. Grant assured us that Evelyn was receiving treatment at home, but it just wasn't working against the pneumonia. I know you want to blame someone, but it's no one's fault. It was just her time, honey." Mr. Darling said quietly.

"It was not her time! She was only seventeen-years-old. And she was getting better! She was finally going into remission; she shouldn't have died," Wendy sobbed loudly.

Mr. Darling pulled the car over on the interstate and let John switch seats with his mother so she could sit in the back and hold a crying Wendy.

No one said a word the rest of the way home.

What do you think? Is Evelyn's mother partly to blame?

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