FicWad

The youngest Leto nodded and relaxed back into his pillow. As his eyelids dropped shut a single tear fell from his left eye. His brother wiped it away and sat back in his chair. Jared looked so peaceful, Shannon thought to himself, the energy from is bright blue eyes was now concealed behind heavy eyelids. In truth Shannon did know how the girls were, but now wasn't the time to tell Jared. When he was ready the nurses would tell him.
Jared drifted off to sleep, but as peaceful as he seemed from the outside his mind was restless, it slipped in and out of dreams about him and his girls. They were just doing normal family things together; on a day out or playing around together at home. Then he and Lizzi were strapping Melody into her car seat after having been out for a family meal. They cooed over her; tickling her and making a fuss like always. She was their world. Once everyone was in the car and belted in Jared pulled away. It was a smooth, traffic free journey until they hit a red light. All of a sudden Jared had a feeling deep down in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong. He looked round at Lizzi who was fine; he looked to the back seat where Melody was sound asleep in her car seat. He saw the green flash of the traffic light. He put his foot down on the accelerator and woke up. He felt ill, worried; he knew something bad had happened to his girls.
'Are you alright?' asked Shannon.
'What's happened?' asked Jared frantically, ignoring his older brother's question.
'What do you mean?'
'Something's wrong. I know it. What's happened?' he repeated insistently. 'Where's Lizzi?' If Lizzi was there she would talk to him, tell him what had happened.
There was a moments silence while Shannon decided what to say.
'She died Jared,' he said finally, not meeting Jared's gaze.
'No,' said Jared, knowing his brother was prone to joking. 'She can't have. Shan tell the truth.' Jared started to get angry.
'I am telling the truth J. You were in a car accident and Lizzi died. I'm sorry.' Despite the sorrowful, apologetic tone in Shannon's voice, Jared still refused to believe him.
'Ah, Jared you're awake again,' said the nurse from earlier re-entering the room.
'Where's Lizzi?' asked Jared weakly.
'I'm very sorry, but your wife has passed away.'
'No. She hasn't, she can't have.'
'I know it's hard to accept, but she's gone,' said the nurse in the same tone that Shannon had used earlier.
'No...' Jared's voiced trailed off.
'Jared,' said Shannon, taking his brothers hand.
Then, Jared broke down into tears. The nurse left again, telling Shannon she would come back to check on Jared soon. Shannon climbed into the bed next to Jared and held him close. It broke his heart to see his younger brother like this and he wished there was something he could do to make it better but he knew, as Jared curled up into a ball in his brother's grip, that nothing would comfort Jared. Nothing could replace his Lizzi.
Eventually Jared calmed down.
'What about Melody?' he sniffed. 'Please tell me she's alright, she's so young.'
'I don't know exactly how she's doing but I know she's alive. They're looking after her here in the hospital,' said Shannon.
'I want to see her,' said Jared defiantly.
'You'll have to ask the nurse J.'