Ghost - Elmax

Chapter 39 : The picture

The alarm clock rang at 4. The two girls opened their eyes with difficulties and stood, feeling hot by the summer night. Jane went to her bathroom to get ready while Max prepared her luggage. Jane didn't sleep at all, she could see it in her eyes, so she prepared three thermos flasks of coffee for her. Jane reappeared, biting her bottom lip on the left and fidgeting.

- "You're ready?" asked softly Max.

- "I think," answered Jane with a shaking voice.

- "If you're tired, you stop, I don't want you to take stupid risks, okay?"

- "Yeah...I don't know if it's a good idea..."

- "You want me to come?"

- "It's too late..."

Max had a small smile.

- "You really think you need all these pieces of luggage with you?" smirked the redhead.

Jane frowned.

- "I called Abigail yesterday; she will keep Cat with her while we're not here."

- "...Thank you..."

- "No problem."

Max saw relief on her girlfriend's face. She knew Jane was more hurt than she wanted to show.

Max brought the luggage in the car while Jane took care of Cat and his stuff. Once everything ready, the two girls went to Abigail's.

- "Hey girls," said the blonde girl with her voice down and her eyes half-opened.

- "Hey Abi, sorry to wake you up," told Max.

- "It's fine, no problem, I wanted to see this cute cat."

Abigail invited them to enter, enabling Jane to let go her cat. The blonde girl took the brunette in her arms.

- "I'm sorry," murmured Abigail.

- "Thank you," answered Jane.

Abigail rubbed her back, kissed her cheek, and broke the hug with a warm but sad smile on her face. The two girls said goodbye to the cat and the girl before leaving the town. Max was the first one to drive, enabling Jane to sleep a bit. The redhead spent the day before sleeping because she knew Jane would be too tired to drive. They spent half of the day in the car, stopping only to take some gas, to eat, to go to toilet, or to change the driver. When the girls arrived, they went to the hotel to put their luggage before going to the hospital where her mother had been living for years. The male nurse recognized Jane instantly and offered her his condolences. He showed them the way to her room, even if Jane knew by heart the way.

When Jane entered, she felt a pinch in her heart. Not seeing her mother in this room getting ready to spend an afternoon with her was weird. She felt emptiness inside her. She sat on the bed, staring into space, while Max was looking around. The redhead was still mad at Jane for lying to her, but she thought it wasn't the moment to reproach her this. She found a picture of a young Jane with a young Constance. They looked so happy together; they certainly gave her this picture with hope she would remember them. Max sat next to Jane, rubbed her back, and held out the picture to her.

- "Are you okay?" asked softly Max.

- "(sighs with her mouth) Yeah... (takes the picture) She certainly never noticed the picture..."

- "She was sick, you can't blame her for this."

- "I'm not. It still hurt."

- "I know...I'm sorry..."

- "Don't be. It's not your fault. And you know more than anyone how it is to live with someone sick," stated Jane, her eyes stuck on the picture.

Max nodded before looking away. She felt bad because she spent majority of her time blaming Jane for her behavior when she had a worse PTSD.

- "You kept visiting her after your sister's death?" asked the redhead.

- "Yeah...Less, but I tried to continue what we began...last time I saw her it was before Somalia, she told me I was brave and she was proud to be friend with someone like me," answered Jane with tears in her eyes. "And then she asked my name because I was already no one anymore..."

Max wrapped her arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple before placing her girlfriend's head on her shoulder. She didn't know how Jane did to face this alone those last years; Jane seemed broken by this situation.

The two girls spent the end of the day reuniting Jane's mother's stuff before going back to the hotel. Jane called all the professionals to prepare the burial. Max was on the bed when Jane reappeared and collapsed next to her.

- "So?"

- "I've a meeting tomorrow with the funeral parlor, the priest, and the attorney," told Jane.

- "Long day," pouted Max.

- "Yeah...At least, my grand-parents didn't show up yet."

The redhead had a small smile. She put her hand on Jane's head and began to caress her, trying to relax her a bit.

- "I called everyone," said Max.

- "Everyone?" frowned Jane.

- "Yeah, Dustin, Mike, Will, and the others, to tell them."

- "Oh...Thank you."

- "No problem. You want me to come tomorrow?"

- "If it doesn't bother you, yes, I would like to. You won't be superfluous."

Max nodded. She leaned to kiss her girlfriend before putting her forehead against hers. She wanted Jane to take some rest, but the brunette got out of the bed to take care of some paperworks that the nurse gave to her. The redhead tried to support her the best she could by massaging her shoulders, hugging her, or giving her something to drink. She didn't know if it worked, but Jane didn't reject her.

- "Do you need some help?" proposed Max.

- "It's private information about my mother, you won't know what to write. It's fine, take some rest, your day was long too."

- "I won't take some rest without you. If you need anything, you just need to ask, okay?"

- "Okay. Thank you," weakly smiled Jane.

The brunette took Max's hand and didn't let it go while she was filling all the documents. It didn't take too much time for Jane to do this, like if she had been preparing this day for years.