Finally late Tuesday night Brooklyn Kennedy arrived home in Lexington Kentucky.  Her unexpected stay in Chicago had been long and boring, and she had been cursing the winter weather since given the news that her flight had been grounded yesterday afternoon.  Sitting in a giant crowded airport was not how she wanted to spend to Valentines Day, but since Kevin wouldn't be home for another day or two she didn't really care.

Brooke waited impatiently for her luggage to arrive, twisting a strand of dark hair around her thumb and forefinger.  Finally her lone bag arrived and she put heavy backpack on, making her way to the parking lot and her car.  As she walked through the throngs of people that occupied the airport she passed a familiar face, she turned around and beckoned to the short older woman.

    "Mrs. Morgan?" She called.  The woman turned around, she was right, it was David's mother.  Brooke noticed how upset she looked, and even though the two had never gotten along, Brooke felt the need to say something to the woman that had almost become her mother in law.

    "What are you doing here so late?"  She asked sweetly.  "Going on a trip?"  Brooke was taken aback at how angry she seemed, and even more surprised by what she had to say.

    "As if you didn't know."  Gladys Morgan yelled, her already red eyes welling with tears. "This is all your fault, you ruined his life and you'll burn in hell for it." She frantically screamed.  Brooke was confused, she thought David's mother would be happy they weren't together anymore, Brooke knew it was something she always wished for.

    "Mrs. Morgan I don't know what you're talking about."

    "Of course you don't, you never cared about my David anyway." She spat through her tears.

    "I do care about David Mrs. Morgan.  I thought you'd be happy we weren't getting married anymore."  Her statement being met only by the glaring eye of his mother.

    "Oh you better believe that pleased me, you weren't good enough for David.  But it was too late, what good did it do my baby boy."  She started crying harder and Brooke felt the need to comfort her, but didn't.  Her other son Patrick arrived behind his mother after watching the scene for a few moments.  He set down his bag and gave his mother a hug, Brooke still stood next to them.

    "Mom, it's okay."  Patrick comforted, but the woman shot her head back up to Brooke.

    "No it isn't, this is all her fault."  She said, pointing an accusing finger at Brooke, who was more confused by the second.

    "I don't understand Mrs. Morgan, what's wrong?"

    "How dare you act so innocent."  She screamed, stepping out from her son's embrace, closer to Brooke.  "You did it to him, he'd be here if it wasn't for you!"

Brooke stood silent, Where's David?  she thought, did he take off because of me?  How is that my fault he left?   He'll get over our relationship and he'll be fine, it'll just take time.  Brooke thought his mother was taking David's reaction to the breakup to dramatic extremes.

    "Mom, please calm down.  Come on, let's get out of here."  Patrick said, obviously the person his mother had been here to greet.  He looked at Brooke with sadness in his eyes, but Brooke still didn't have a clue what was going on, or why Gladys was being so harsh towards her.

    "We're not leaving until this trash hears what's on my mind."

Brooke was getting pissed, she knew where David had gotten his attitude.

    "Look Mrs. Morgan, I'm sorry I hurt David, but you and I both know we weren't meant to get married, I KNOW you didn't want it to happen.  I did not ruin his life, sure it was an ugly break up but he'll get over it, he'll be back to himself before you know it, he'll live."  Brooke firmly stated to his mother, and with her final word Gladys Morgan reached out and slapped Brooke hard across the cheek.

    "MOM!"  Patrick yelled, pulling her back from the stunned girl.  Brooke simply held her cheek, she didn't quite know what to think, why would she have done that?  What did I say?

    "I wish he could have gotten over you, you vile excuse for a human being, but he never will." She screamed as her son pulled hr away.  Brooke watched the woman bury her gray covered head into her son's chest as they walked away.  Patrick turned to look at her as the left.

    "Just keep away from our family Brooke, it'll be best for everyone that way."  He said somberly and visibly upset.

With a hand on her now burning cheek she walked away.  What is going on?  What happened to David?  She questioned, turning back to see the Morgan's continue their slow walk, What have I done?   She wondered as she continued on to her car.

Brooke drove along the darkened road, the radio off, driving in silence.  Her cheek still stung and her mind raced through every thing David's mother had said.  She knew what she had heard, but she wasn't letting all the pieces of the puzzle fall together, it was too unfathomable to her, and too much to bear, especially after all the emotional turmoil her weekend in California had spawned.

Before she knew it, Brooke was home and still thinking about the scene in the airport as she walked into her building, grabbing the mail and heading up the stairs to her apartment.    It was too late to do anything but sleep, Brooke threw down her bag and the mail and went straight to her room, falling asleep almost as soon as she hit the bed.  Her dreams were filled of nightmarish visions of everyone she cared about, dreams that carried on most of the night.
 
 

Brooke awoke unrested and still tired, but got up anyway.  Kevin was supposed to be arriving this afternoon, and she wanted to be there to meet him.  She pulled her hair into a pony tail and shuffled her way to the kitchen, pouring a glass of orange juice and retrieving the newspaper from the floor outside her apartment door.  She sat down at the table, unfolding the paper and reaching over to play her messages.

    "You have six new messages."  Her machine said in it's computery voice.  Brooke paid half attention as she skimmed the front page of the newspaper, the first of the messages being from a colleague at work, and another from a salesman.  She was reading the headlines as the next message came on, instantly bringing a smile to her face.

    "Hey baby, just seeing if you're home yet.  I have a surprise for you when you get back, love you."  Kevin simply said, Brooke's smile getting wider.  Brooke turned the page as the next message played,  it was one of her friends.

    "Wow Brooke, um I don't know what to say.  How are you doing? just give me a call when you get home, it's Meg."

Brooke kept reading, Meaghan's message confused her, but a headline  had caught her eye, the messages kept playing.

    "Brooke, it's Jessica, I just heard.  I'm so sorry, please call me."

TRAGIC ACCIDENT CLAIMS LIFE-

Brooke read the line as Jessica's message played,  and continued the article as the last message began.  A funeral will be held friday for a local man who died tragically on Monday Night, a sad Valentine's day for those who loved him. She read.

-Brooke, it's Crawford, oh God I can't believe what happened...-

David Morgan, 26, was found on the bathroom floor of a friends house at 11:45pm, unconscious and sustaining undisclosed injuries.

-He was fine when we left the pool hall last night, he was, but when I found him he wasn't moving, he wasn't breathing, and there was blood...-

He  was immediately transported to Kentucky University Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

-They said he fell, hit his head on the bathtub or something, he was drinking, he was always drinking...-

Police on the scene said foul play is not suspected, and the death was ruled as accidental.

-Brooke I don't know why I'm calling you, but he's dead Brooke.-

He is survived by his parents, Gladys and Rick Morgan, one brother, Patrick, and a sister, Melissa.  Donations can be made in his name to.......

 -David's dead.-

Brooke stopped reading, and set the newspaper down as the final beep of the answering machine sounded.  The realization of what happened hit her, Mrs. Morgan's frantic reaction to her in the airport, the messages, and the odd feeling she had deep inside herself.  She finally let all the pieces come together and sat at the table staring straight ahead as Mark's words sounded over and over in her head. "David's dead."   Her lip started to tremble, and as she closed her eyelids the first of many tears fell, landing on the article that lay in front of her, the newspapers ink spreading along the page.  Her body shook with emotion for the man that not even two months ago had been her fiancee, for the person she one day hoped she could be friends with again, and for the loss of someone who despite everything, had been so important to her, who would always be a part of her.  Alone she cried for what seemed like hours, her head pressed into her hands, her sobs reduced to a small whimper, and every tear she had in her body spilled out onto the table.