The songs I listened to when writing this chapter (they're all very sad):

Bird - Billie Marten

Don't Forget About Me - CLOVES

Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor

Sian - Not A Song

The door was closed for room 18, and Koda saw it as the last piece of tape sticking his heart together. As soon as the door opened, his heart would wither, and he wasn't ready to feel so broken.

Morlen rested a hand over his son's and placed it on the door handle. They watched each other, silently agreeing that they would do it together and pushed on the handle. The door swung open and the first thing they saw was a metal table in the middle of the room with machines all around it. A body lay on the table, a body Koda never thought he'd see again.

Morlen's hand was still covering his son's when it started to tremble. They felt the familiar warmth of tears forming when Koda shuffled closer.

"Mum?" Koda whispered. Enya lay still. Her skin was a strange grey colour and her mouth hung open with a pipe coming from it, leading into a machine behind her head. Enya didn't respond to his voice and Koda suddenly turned away. A tear fell from his eye. "She's dead. I can't see her like this."

Morlen squeezed his hand, blinking back his own tears. He had tried so hard to forget the image of his wife's lifeless face. He wanted to cling onto the vibrant times of her life, the good and the great times. Her body was now carelessly sprawled across a slab in the middle of a cold base. The base was full of heartless scientists who took her peace. Morlen's last memory of her wasn't supposed to be this.

"What have they done to you?" Morlen's voice wobbled. He sounded as frail as the poor body. "Oh, Enya." Morlen let go of his son's hand and walked to her side. Enya's chest was rising and falling, but she wasn't breathing by herself. "For almost a month they've kept you here. I'm so sorry." His voice dipped and Morlen covered his mouth to muffle his painful whimper.

Koda heard it, and he closed his eyes. More tears dripped down his cheek.

Morlen lifted a hand to her head and with the back of his fingers, he traced them along the side of her face. Enya's skin was still soft and colder than ice. It almost hurt him to touch her. "I'm so sorry!" Morlen couldn't stop it. The floodgates had opened, and his sadness burst into his chest, drowning his heart. Morlen leaned over the wires and pressed his forehead to his wife's cheek. He started to cry. "You didn't deserve this!" he wailed against her, gasping and sobbing with anguish.

Morlen never cried. He believed that men shouldn't cry, but those beliefs were as dangerous as a blade. Feelings always found a way out. If it wasn't through tears, then it was through actions, feelings, thoughts.

Koda couldn't simply stand and do nothing. He moved to his father and placed a hand on the back of Morlen's neck, staring at his mother's face. Koda caressed the top of his dad's spine with his thumb until Morlen suddenly grabbed him and held Koda as tight as he could without breaking him.

Morlen wept into Koda's shoulder, whispering about how sorry he was and how it was all his fault. Koda was so shocked, he barely remembered to hug his father in return.

"If I was just a little kinder," Morlen muffled. "I took her for granted. Now it's too late."

It was Morlen's turn for someone to comfort him and tell him that it would all be okay, and things would get better. Koda tried his best to whisper into his ear without breaking down too.

Morlen's cries eventually silenced. He had soaked his son's shoulder in tears, but they were lighter for Koda to carry than his father's hatred.

"We can set her free," Koda whispered and Morlen lifted his head. His eyes were red and wet and sad. "I can feel her soul inside her. She's trapped in a body that doesn't work."

The machines around Enya were buzzing and blinking. The Oaks' had never seen so many wires leading into a body before. It made Koda a little sick.

"Destroy the machines. There's an ambulance here to take the body," a voice said from the door. Ronnie was stood with his boss. Ronnie hated this part of his job. He had seen many people die.

Morlen scanned the room for something heavy. There was a chair by the back wall, and he aimed for it with determination. Morlen didn't bother drying his face as he dragged the chair over and lifted it above his head. Koda jumped back when the metal legs were slammed into the machines and sparks exploded all around the room.

Koda covered his eyes until the lights simmered. The buzzing stopped and Enya's chest no longer rose and fell on command. Less than ten seconds passed until Enya's soul lifted out of her chest.

Koda gasped and held a hand out, guiding it over like he was scared it would disappear. The soul, like the others, was sucked immediately into his palm. When the warm air washed over Koda, he would have confidently bet his life on hearing his mother's voice echoing 'I love you'.

Morlen watched Koda's hands rest on his chest. His eyebrows raised and his lips curled towards a smile of relief. "She's safe now," Koda breathed with another tear slipping down his face.

* * * * *

Alfie was rushed to hospital in Tom's car. Molly and Tom didn't say a word to each other until Alfie was taken by doctors to get his head scanned. They sat patiently in the waiting room, though it was hard to think of something to say with Alfie's health to worry about.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Molly asked. Her eyes stayed on the floor.

"Yes. He just needs rest." Tom twiddled his thumbs. Every few minutes, he looked at the woman he loved just in case he caught her staring too. He wanted to talk, but he didn't know if she would understand or want to understand. Tom had lied to Molly the entire time they had been together. The trust was broken.

The hospital staff rushed by often. People piled into the waiting area covered in blood, grief, pain, and injuries that needed immediate attention. Some could withhold the 3-hour waiting list, and the chaos never died down.

"Molly-"

"Not here," Molly said quickly and tilted her head in time to see the sorrow on Tom's face. She quickly patted his knee. "Alfie needs to hear what you have to say too. Wait till we're home."

Home. Tom liked the thought of the house being his home again. He wondered if they would ever get back to that point or if his job had made a tear that was too bad to fix.

After what felt like far too long, a nurse called out their names and the willows' hurried over to him.

"Is he okay?" Molly asked, straining to look down the long corridor. They were in the hospital only the week before because Alfie had been pushed down the stairs. Hospitals, to her, symbolised both life and death, and everything in between.

"Your son is doing just fine. He's got quite the attitude," the nurse chuckled and led them through the cubicles.

"That just means he's getting back to normal," Tom said, wishing the nurse would speed up. He felt nervous about leaving his son alone after what he had been through.

A doctor was waiting in Alfie's cubicle, ready to tell the parents what they were told last week. Alfie had a concussion and wasn't allowed to be left alone for 48 hours.

"Koda can stay over tonight and wake you up every few hours, okay?" Molly soothed, softly running fingers through Alfie's dark hair. He seemed a little perkier.

"Can I go home now?" Alfie mumbled. All he wanted was a cup of tea, his dads cooking, and his head on Koda's lap.

"Yep, but please take care of yourself, Mister Willow. I don't want to see you in here again." The doctor eyed Tom, and Molly wasn't sure if she was speaking to Alfie or his father.

Tom, once again, carried his son with Molly following closely behind. For the first time in a while, Tom was able to relax. The organisation that had murdered Enya was finally destroyed. Even though it would take weeks for things to be filed, paperwork to get done, evidence to be analysed, and scientists to be locked away for good, Tom's family was safe.

The ride home was quiet. Molly sat in the back with Alfie. They hugged on the journey and occasionally, Molly would catch Tom watching them in the mirror.

A car was on the Willows' driveway when they arrived home. Morlen, Connor, and Koda were leaning against it with their arms crossed and blank faces. Despite the day Alfie had been through, his heart jolted with excitement when he saw Koda.

Tom pulled up by the pavement and as soon as the door opened, Koda was taking up Alfie's personal space with a worried face. "Are you okay? What did the doctors say? Are you sure you shouldn't stay for a night in the hospital?"

Alfie climbed out of the car like his body was made of a thin sheet of glass. "I'll be fine. My skull's pretty sturdy. There are only three cracks."

Molly shook her head with a smile. "He's joking, of course. Alfie just needs some TLC. Think you can manage, Koda?"

The teen nodded his head with a proud smile and picked Alfie up. Their heads were level and Koda's lips wasted no time before kissing the medium.

Alfie's arms automatically wrapped around Koda's shoulders. Kissing Koda was just what he needed. It finalised their safety because they had time to indulge in each other. They no longer had bigger things to worry about.

When Koda pulled back with glistening eyes, they darted to his father, expecting to see an uncomfortable frown or a wrinkled nose of disgust. Instead, Morlen looked serene as if everything in his life had finally aligned.

"Your mother," Alfie whispered, ignoring the prying gaze of his parents. When Koda's head turned back towards him, Alfie rested a hand on Koda's chest.

"You feel her?" Koda asked.

"I feel her joy."

Koda leaned his forehead against Alfie's. "I feel that too," he whispered and kissed him again.