A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.
Standing at the doorway, two figures stared: one acting odd and the other bearing puzzlement. A heart ached for one of the figures to be someone else.
A week had gone by since Reginald's passing, and (f/n) had been managing to perform her job again. She didn't have a smile on her lips, though, even if she did enjoy it. Things still had been depressing if her mind thought about anything too much. Since her job had remained at home and in the same place where Reginald had used to live, the quiet had gotten to her at times.
Edmund had been sweet enough to drop in if she had called him and had kept her company. They had watched a movie, or he had cooked for her. He hadn't stayed as long as he had right after Reginald's death, but he had remained there for a few hours on each visit. With confidence, she had been able to call him a dear friend by the end of that week.
On the day of the funeral, however, she tried to abstain from calling him the instant that she woke up, but she couldn't resist the temptation. She had grown accustomed to his comfort if she needed someone by her side. The line on the other end rang and rang, but no one answered. Eventually, it went to voicemail. This is Edmund. Please leave your name and message. I'll get back to you hopefully soon.
"Edmund, this is (f/n) ..." She had to take a break as the realization of Reginald's body being buried hit her hard again. The same thing had happened last night several times. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled. "Th-The funeral is today." Her hand started to shake. Before she could stop herself, her thumb slipped from nerves, and she hung up.
Staring at her phone, she cursed herself for the action. She released a rough sigh. "I hope that he understands," she grumbled before she tossed her phone onto her bed. (F/n) slipped off her satin, navy blue nightgown and removed a few articles of clothing from her closet. When she was done changing, her black chiffon skirt, black-ruffled, short-sleeved blouse and black pumps adorned her form.
Heading into the bathroom, she tossed her nightgown into the hamper before she grabbed her brush and worked on her messy bed head. In the middle of detangling a massive knot, her phone began to ring. She glanced between the brush stuck in her hair and the device before she hurried over. The hairbrush remained in her hair, and she winced as it tugged a little too much for comfort.
Checking the phone number, she noticed that it was unrecognizable. Hesitant, she answered. "Hello? Who is this?"
"(F/n), it's Edmund."
Relieved, she asked, "Why are you using a different number? Did something happen to your phone?"
"It's charging at the moment at my apartment. I'm using my work phone right now, so I don't have long to talk."
"Wait, then how did you get my message?"Confusion dominated her voice, and she seated herself down on her bed. Her free hand worked on removing the brush from her (h/c) locks.
"I didn't." Her brows furrowed in puzzlement. "I figured that I would call to let you know that I can't make it to the funeral with you." She felt her heart sink, but she understood. Edmund didn't even know Reginald, and he had his own job to worry about. "But, give me the location of the post-funeral reception. If I can't make that, I'll try to pick you up at least." By a little bit, she smiled at his consideration. "You're not driving there, correct?"
She hummed lightly. "I'm going with his parents, but you don't have to go out of your way just to pick me up. I'm sure that his parents won't mind bringing me back home." A part of her, though, was hoping that he would insist. His company really was soothing to a point that was unexplainable presently.
"I'll pick you up. Now, where will I be heading?"
Almost, she could see the smile on his lips. "The Fields. It's that ..."
"The all-organic restaurant in the middle of the city." She hummed in response, though; she wished that he would stop cutting her off, but it seemed to be a frequent habit of his. He probably even had noted how it had irked her some in the past, but his knowing smiles had erased any anger that she had felt. "And, the time?"
"Five pm is the start. Seven is the end."
"Okay, I need to go. Till then." Before she could get another word in, he hung up. A pout formed on her lips, but it didn't last long. It morphed into a smile. At least, she would have his company on the way back. She hoped that he wasn't going too out of his way, but that led her to wonder where he lived. Maybe, he was close by.
Hanging up herself, she placed her phone back onto her bed and went back to the task of her hair. When she finished, her hair shone under the light in her bathroom, and her bangs were curled to the side a bit. Her makeup was more subtle than usual. A cool toned red matte lipstick decorated her lips, and her smoky eye look was lighter.
In the mirror, she gave herself a miniscule smile to prep herself for what would come ahead. Part of her wondered why she even had bothered with makeup since she suspected that she would cry early into the funeral. It wouldn't help that everyone around her would be emotional too.
Hearing a knock on the door, she exited her bathroom and grabbed her phone and purse. She made sure that everything was off in the place before she opened the door. To her surprise, it wasn't Reginald's parents outside. Her body froze out of pure perplexity. "G-G-Gina?" Her eyes squinted, and she wondered if she was imagining things. "Umm ..."
(F/n) peered around the woman to see if his parents were anyway in sight, but they weren't. It just was her. "What are you doing here? And, how do you know where I live?" She couldn't help but point her right index finger at her. The nurse being there made no sense to her.
Sure, she took care of Reginald during his coma, but why would the nurse be at their ... her apartment. There was also the fact that Gina was in something different than her usual scrubs. The nurse was in black herself.
"Well, his parents are running late, and they had asked me to come pick you up. They had given me your address, and I had accepted since you're right on my way to the funeral home." She chuckled nervously and stood in place awkwardly. Gina shifted uncomfortably in her black stilettos. "Sorry for the sudden change." Her eyes glanced to the side. "It had caught me off guard too." A bit of annoyance was evident in her voice.
"Would it be better if I drove myself?" Her tone was a bit snappish, and she hadn't meant to come out like that so obviously, but it was clear that Gina didn't want to be there. (F/n) didn't desire her to be there. To (f/n), Gina simply was another nurse who had given her fake smiles and had acted like she had been more of a nuisance than anything else when she had visited Reginald.
"No, it's fine." Her friendliness was fading, and she stepped aside so that (f/n) could exit her home. "I had promised that I would take you." (F/n) gave her a questioning look before she locked the door and followed after the nurse.
Unlocking her black Honda civic, Gina started the car soon after and before (f/n) had even properly seated herself. One of (f/n)'s eyebrows twitched, and she now really wished that Edmund had been able to take her. They probably would be having a decent conversation at the moment if that were the case.
As they drove off to Petal Valley Funeral Home, a quiet air existed between them, and it was the uncomfortable kind. (F/n) removed her phone from her purse and found herself scrolling over past text messages she had sent Edmund, though; there were few of them since she had preferred calling him.
(Please play this song for the next several paragraphs.)
What caught her attention, however, was when Gina placed a CD into the disc slot of the car. Her hands tightened around her phone, and her body seemed to freeze. Reginald's favorite song started to play: 'Dream Lover' by Bobby Darin. How would Gina know that information, or did she even know?
"Is this a song that you like?" (f/n) questioned, her voice a near whisper.
"Yes, I used to listen to it a lot with ... well, a friend of mine." Gina tightened her hands around the steering wheel. "Well, I've always liked it too." Her nails tapped against the vinyl of the wheel, and she gulped quietly, but (f/n) still noticed.
Something was wrong. A pit in her stomach formed. Gina was hiding something. Just what the h*ll had she been to Reginald? (F/n) bit her bottom lip. "Had your friend been Reginald? Had you known him before the hospital?" Steadily, the nurse nodded her head, and (f/n)'s stomach knotted more.