FISHER HOME
Brent
can almost feel grief radiating
from the house as he raises his finger to the doorbell. He has been turning
this visit over in his mind for over 24 hours: trying to gauge what the
family's response to him will be, considering that he was the one who turned
up the news of Tim's death;
dreading seeing both Sarah
and Molly but still
wanting to be there for both of them during this time; and simply trying
to tell himself that if he were never to come pay his respects, then he
may not have to accept that he has lost a friend.
He shoves those things aside as best
he can as he pushes the bell. The familiar chime sounds from inside the
house and, in a moment, the bustling that follows it produces an open door.
He takes in the sight of Paula,
who stands before him looking utterly torn
apart.
"I'm so sorry," he says quietly.
"Thank you." Paula bows her head.
"And thank you for doing what you could to find him. If nothing, it was
better to have an answer than to going on wondering what might have happened."
Brent nods.
"But still ..." Paula sighs heavily.
"Do you think there is any chance that this could be wrong -- that Tim
may not be dead?"
Brent bites his lower lip and works
it under his teeth for a few seconds before he answers. "It's a possibility.
Without a body, it would be stupid of me to say otherwise. But I'd say
it's a very remote possibility."
Paula doesn't move. Brent allows
her a few moments of quiet acceptance before he asks softly, "Is everyone
inside?"
Paula nods. "In the kitchen and upstairs.
I don't know who's where ... We've all just been milling around since last
night."
With a compassionate lowering of
his eyes, Brent accepts this information and moves past her into the house.
He finds Claire
in between the living and dining rooms, having overheard
his arrival.
"Hi," she says weakly.
"I'm so sorry, Claire," he offers.
"I can only imagine what a blow this must be ... If there's anything you
need--"
"I've got Paula and Bill
behind me,"
she says with a sniff. "So I don't think I'll be at any loss for support.
But thank you."
They fall into quiet. Finally Claire
looks up and says, "I guess you're looking for Sarah, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I think she's upstairs. In her old
room, probably. We all slept here last night."
"Thanks," he says, moving to the
stairs but giving her a warm half-hug with his left arm as he moves past
her.
When the embrace is over, he plants
his foot on the bottom step. Here goes nothing ...
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