Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
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WARNINGS! 1) DEATH OF A MINOR CHARACTER 2) POTENTIAL TISSUE WARNING

Young Carlos – Notes Of Grief
By TT

Carlos didn’t understand, not really.

He had come home from school, like any other day, but, unlike any other day, his father’s car was in the driveway. When he stepped into the house, before he could call out that he was home, he heard his mother crying and the soft murmur of his father’s voice.

When his siblings bumped into him, he had little choice but to move forward.

Somehow they must have caused enough noise for their parents to notice because his father called them all into the family room.

Trooping in and hoping they weren’t in trouble, Carlos and his siblings took seats on the couch. His father looked serious and sad. His mother still had tears falling.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Manoso informed, “Your Great Aunt Helene passed away this morning. We’ll be heading out for the funeral tomorrow. You’ll need to pack for a few days as well as your good clothes for the wake and funeral.” With that said, he wrapped his wife in his arms once more and held onto him.

Carlos tried to understand exactly what he had been told. He was sad and upset, but that was mostly because his mother and father were upset. His Great Aunt Helene was his Abuela’s sister. She was always a lot of fun and had wonderful stories. The best part were her cookies, though. Even when Abuela told them they couldn’t have cookies, Aunt Helene made sure to slip them some. And she always had the best game ideas.

He vaguely understood that passing away meant dying, but, other than a few gerbils in class, he’s never known anything to die. Still, he had his instructions. Looking at his siblings, he saw they all had the same look on their face.

The trip to Miami had been long. The normal fighting, singing and teasing that went on in the car was absent. His parents didn’t want the noise and distraction right now. Sitting quietly in a car for so many hours, though was beyond boring.

When they finally arrived, he found out they were staying in a nearby hotel, something that had never happened before in Miami, but, when they finally went to Abuelo and Abuela’s house, he could see why. ALL of his cousins, Aunts, Uncles, second cousins and more were pressed into and pouring out of the house.

He managed to find several of his other cousins who were about his age and they began to play. Eventually, the older cousins gathered the younger ones together and headed off for a nearby park.

He actually had a lot of fun that day. They played kickball, pirates, tag, freeze tag, army, and all sorts of other things.

Eventually they all went back to house and ate.

The next morning progressed much as the day before, but at lunch, Carlos and his family went back to the hotel where his parents made him put on his church clothes. It was bad enough he had to wear them on Sunday, but to have to wear them now was almost too much. Still, his parents were acting strangely, so he was quiet.

He was thankful, though, when his younger sibling asked if they were going to get cookies from Aunt Helene. It was something he had wanted to know as well. It seemed strange that she wasn’t there yesterday or this morning and decided it had something to do with her being away, but at least they were on their way to seeing her now.

Loading the car, he stared out the window and a few minutes later they pulled into a fancy looking building. Thanks to being squished in the middle of the seat, he hadn’t been able to read the sign to find out where they were.

Before they entered the building, his father took a moment to admonish all the kids to be quiet and respectful when they went inside.

Entering the building, Carlos looked around and saw a sign on the wall. The he saw one word he didn’t recognize and sounded it out in his head. Once he figured out the word was ‘funeral’, a horrible sinking feeling began in his stomach.

His eyes wide in trepidation, he saw his family in one of the rooms off the short hallway.

Breaking away from his parents who were talking to someone in the hall, he made his way to the room where everyone else was standing and talking softly.

There weren’t many places for him to go since it was so crowded. He slipped in and made his way around the room near the wall. Eventually, he found a place that was more or less clear.

Stepping away from the wall, he recognized a coffin.

When he took another step, he realized that his Great Aunt Helene was lying down in it.

Puzzled, he walked forward, stood on his toes and looked in at his Aunt. She didn’t look right to him.

Reaching out a finger, he touched her hand. He gasped and drew it back quickly at how cold she was. “Aunt Helene?” he asked softly.

He looked up sharply when a hand landed on his shoulder. He relaxed when he saw it was the priest from the church they went to down here. “Why won’t she wake up?” he asked softly, feeling his heart race. He already knew the answer, but didn’t want to admit it.

Crouching down, the priest smiled sadly at Carlos. “Carlos, you know that your Aunt Helene passed away, right?”

Carlos nodded his head.

“That means her soul went away to be with God,” the kind man explained. “Now that she’s with God, she can’t come back. Her body is dead, but her soul is living.”

“D-dead?” Carlos stammered, unable to deny the truth anymore. “But I don’t want her to be dead,” he said, a tear falling from his eyes. “I want her here with me,” he choked out before he began to cry in earnest.

“I know,” the priest whispered, hugging the upset boy. “I know.”

Present

Ranger stood beside Stephanie. They hadn’t been back in this building since she had moved in with him. He started leading her to the elevator and was surprised when she headed toward the stairwell door. “Babe?” he asked, taking in the fact that her face had lost some color. He could see the denial in her face.

“I’ll take the stairs,” she said, using her crutches to help swing herself over to the stairwell door.

Ranger rested a hand on her shoulder. “Babe,” he soothed, “You can’t deny this forever. You need to set your denial aside for a little while and deal with the situation.”

Stephanie sniffed, refusing to look at Ranger. She didn’t have to look at him for him to know her eyes were filled with tears. “A day without denial is a day you have to face,” she whispered. “I’m not sure I can face this yet.”

Ranger chuckled softly, stepped in front of her and wrapped her in his arms. He stroked her hair as she buried her face in him. “You don’t have to, Babe,” he informed, knowing it would cause her to look up. When he was sure he had her attention, he kissed her softly and assured, “WE will face this, together.”

Stephanie took a deep breath and nodded, allowing Ranger to direct her to the elevator.

When the machine arrived, Stephanie hesitated a moment before entering.

Stepping in behind her, Ranger asked, “Do you want me to announce each floor, Babe?”

Stephanie let out a short laugh. “No,” she assured. “It just wouldn’t be the same. You’ve got nothing on Mrs. Bestler.”

Ranger smiled and kissed her temple as the elevator doors shut.

End