“I know,” I breathe.
Daddy leans closer. “You gave em hell Bean. You fought well,” he says softly. “Better than anyone could have asked.”
“I’m tired,” I admit.
Mama nods through her tears. “Then rest.”
Daddy’s voice cracks when he prays. “Father God, thank You for the gift of this child. Our child. Thank You for every day we had. If it is Your will to call her home, receive her gently.”
Mama presses her forehead to mine. “You are not leaving unloved,” she whispers. “Do you hear me?”
I nod weakly. “I hear you. I love you,” I make sure to say as tears fall down my face.
Ajaih and Amiyah come in next. Ajaih tries to be strong when she walks in. She fails immediately. She crawls into the bed beside me like she always does when I feel bad and wraps her arms around me carefully.
“You stubborn heifer,” she sobs. “You been dramatic since God and love brought us together.”
I laugh faintly before a coughing spell takes over.
“I’m proud of you,” she whispers. “For loving. For living. For choosing joy.”
Amiyah stands on the other side—trying to be okay even while wiping her face.
“You showed all of us what courage looks like,” she says. “Even when you were scared.”
“I was always scared,” I admit.
“But you did it anyway,” Ajaih replies.
They both kiss my cheeks.
When my brother walks in, he’s wrecked.
“Lena,” he chokes. “What am I supposed to do without you?”
My heart breaks more for him than for myself.
“Live,” I whisper.
He shakes his head violently. “I can’t.”
“You can,” I insist softly. “Live. Be free. Be happy in every way possible.”
He grips my hand so tightly I feel it through the fog. “You don’t get to leave me.”
“I’m not leaving,” I murmur. “I’m just… going first.”
He buries his face against the mattress and sobs.
Calil & Zaria come in together. They look tired. Sad. Exhausted. You’d never guess they just spent five beautiful days living, laughing, and loving in a Costa Rican rainforest. Calil looks like he’s been split open and Zaria’s face is wet with tears.
Calil kneels at my bedside. “You can’t do this,” he whispers, shaking his head. “We just started. I need more time to love you.”
I reach for him. My fingers feel like air. “You loved me,” I say. “Fully.”
“Not enough,” he chokes.
Zaria leans down and kisses my forehead softly. “I will love you for the rest of my life,” she whispers. “You loved me so openly. So fiercely. You gave me the courage to love myself the same way.”
