Broken (Rhett and Link Fanfic)

Part 13

Y'all guess who isn't dead! I'm sorry in advance for what is probably the worst part of this story... and probably the last. Thank you all for over 4000 reads and your kind words. Without further ado, here's part 13.

The hardest thing I ever experienced was losing my best friend. Link... he was always there for me. He -- we -- 

"I can't do this, Jessie!" Rhett yelled, slamming his laptop shut. Tears streamed down his face and his throat was dry from crying. "I can't do this. I can't. He's gone! He's gone." Rhett fell from his chair, sobbing uncontrollably. 

"It's okay hun. It's okay, Rhett." Jessie sat down on the floor beside him and ran her small hand through his long, well kept 'up-do'. They sat like that for a moment, then Jessie stood, landing a single peck on Rhett's right cheek. "I've got to go be with Christy. Take a break and have some tea, hun. And don't forget to eat something!" She grabbed her coat and headed out the door. "I love you, hun. I really do."

Rhett was alone, and all he could think of was that night. The events replayed themselves in his head:

It was 2 days ago. Thursday. It had been such a good day. Link seemed to be doing so well -- almost impossibly well. Part of Rhett was concerned, but he wouldn't let himself worry. He started to call Link's doctor, knowing that this great day could be the sign of something bad, but he stopped himself. No, Rhett had thought, He's fine. The medicines are just working -- finally -- that's all. This is a good thing! 

It was date night for the McLaughlins that night. Rhett and Jessie were out at a beautiful cafe downtown when Rhett's phone began to ring. 

"It's Link," Rhett stated, "I have to take this." He hurried out of the restaurant and answered his phone. Instead of the usual "Hey man!" that Rhett was expecting, he was greeted by Christy, who was sobbing uncontrollably. 

"Link... something happened... you need to come... to the hospital..." a long sniff was followed by Christy's continued sobbing. 

--

The funeral was tomorrow, and Rhett had, of course, been asked to say a few words. It was a family thing, just a few people would be attending. A "service," of sorts, had been held in a YouTube live stream earlier that morning. 

It seemed unreal, not only to Rhett, but to the crew, to his family, and to the Mythical Beasts. So many questions of "what now?" echoed through the seemingly empty halls of Mythical Entertainment. 

"Maybe it was inevitable," Rhett said, talking to no one, "Maybe this is just how it's supposed to be." A moment passed. "Maybe I couldn't save him, but maybe..." it was as if a light bulb turned on in his brain, "maybe I can save them. I have to do something."  

---

"3... 2... 1... action," Stevie said, pointing at Rhett. The cameras were rolling. 

"Hey there, mythical beasts," Rhett began with a half-hearted wave, glancing at the empty seat beside him, "I hope you all are okay. In the light of the recent loss of," he paused, holding back tears, "the loss of my best friend, we need to talk. I couldn't save him. I tried, but I couldn't. However, I am going to do my best to save you." There was a moment of silence as Rhett took a sip of his water. "I want you guys to know that you are loved. Even if you feel like no one loves you, I do. I love you and I want you to be okay. I want you to stay strong, and I want you to stay alive. I want you to reach out for help." At this, he read off some numbers for hotlines in the U.S. and other countries. Tears streamed down his face despite his efforts to hide them. 

Rhett continued, "Link was broken, and he left -- he left me broken. But the beauty in broken things is that they can be put back together. Don't give up. You're not alone. We are all broken."

The End.