Chapter 445: Where’s waldo?
"R-Rhys." Kellen said, and he was there. He was at Kellen’s side, his arm around his waist. He was leaning in, supporting, making sure he was okay. Kellen tried not to tear up, to cry at how easily this man was by his side. He had so many things to do, things he needed to manage, but he was here. With Kellen. At his side.
"Yes? What do you need?" Rhys asked. Kellen swallowed.
"I need to see the recording." Kellen told him. "And then I need to know what is happening right now." Rhys looked at him, before he nodded. Rhys turned to Casper.
"Casper, can you check in with Lieutenant Fisher and see if he was able to make contact with the front lines again?" Casper nodded, grabbing his phone and searching through his contacts. Rhys took Kellen’s hand and began to lead him out of the room. Kellen glanced around him, behind him, to make sure that everyone else was okay.
Charlie, after receiving his orders, was already at work and keeping an eye on Kellen’s parents. Kellen’s Mom was a mess of emotions, but she wasn’t crying. It looked as if every fiber in her body was tense, her eyes were such a bright purple they hurt to look at. Whatever she had been doing before this? She was clearly regretting it, but she was pushing her emotions aside.
She was too busy trying to keep Kellen’s Dad together.
Kellen’s Dad, who had been a wreck before, was even worse now. Whatever parts of himself that he had gathered to attend the funeral were all gone now. He was ugly sobbing, tears and snot rolling down his face. It hurt listening to him. It was heartbreaking. Kellen felt like his Dad was crying as if she was already lost.
Kellen didn’t go to them.
Not because he didn’t want to comfort them, but because he knew that if he did, he would be a mess. He wouldn’t get more information the way that he wanted to. He would be back at the damn garbage bin, unmoving, frozen. That wasn’t what Kellen wanted.
He wanted to make sure he knew what was going on. He wanted to know with his own eyes what had happened. What was actually going on and who was at risk for a further issue on the front lines.
Kellen needed to get his head wrapped around the situation, get out of the shock that he was feeling and actually step up. She wasn’t gone yet. There was no reason to act like his Dad yet. Rhys was right. They had made sure that they had suits on. He was sure, once he confirmed things with the others that he would find out that they were prepared.