Dear Edward by Heather Parsons (ebook pdf reader for pc TXT) 📖

stink-in flag! I don't want a flag, I want my wife back!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, getting the attention of everyone around. They stared at him with tears and pain of their own but was agreeing with what he'd said, shaking their heads.
“Dad I....” Brianna cried, dropping to the ground and shook with force.
Christopher was so consumed with what he was saying and doing that he paid no mind to his own daughter, paid no mind to her own part of his loss. He was so caught up that he took no notice in anyone around him, ranting and raving about how unfair everything was, how living alone wasn't what he'd signed up for.
Soon their peaceful gathering was a mob of angry residence wanting justice, wanting justification for what happened. All the adults gathered together with Christopher in the center and left their children to cry, beg and fall apart on their own.
Chase stood off to the side just as Adam was, eyes narrowing on the crowd in front. He couldn't believe the way today was turning out, the parents causing more pain for their children, yelling and screaming about things they couldn't change while their kids suffered. Who was really alone? He thought, the sons, daughters, watching them with eyes wide and tears.
Shaking his head, he turned towards the students that were gathered together and spotted Lindsey. She was sitting on the grass, arms wrapped around Brianna and crying so hard she shook. Seeing her this way, he couldn't fight back his own tears and cursed under his breath. Taking deep breaths, he strolled over to her, knelled down and wrapped his arms around the both of them.
“I'm so sorry everyone. I didn't know my dad would do this.” Brianna whispered, looking up through tear soaked eyes. Everything her dad had said, spoke volumes. All this time she'd thought she was helping him but she wasn't and it hurt, bad. All along he'd kept this all pent up inside, waiting for the perfect time to explode but why now? Why here?
“Brianna your dad been so good at masking how he's doing that I don't think anyone knew this would happen.” Mr. Thomas said soothing not only her but himself too. He'd once been friends with Christopher but once he started drinking, that's all he cared about. And now he's seeing how much and who Christopher really cares about, himself.
Everyone was screaming about how unfair everything was, how they'd all lost someone and hadn't received enough recognition for it. Everything was getting out of hand and Christopher, stepped aside, staring at what he'd done, feeling ashamed. He'd let his emotions get the best of him, let the alcohol talk for him, while his daughter sat far away and cried.
Turning around, he faced her but couldn't go to her, couldn't explain why he'd acted so foolish, why after all this time had he fallen. Taking in a fresh breath, his shoulder's slumped, arms hanging at his sides, he turned towards home and walked off. Nothing he did helped anyone, or anything. He'd just started a huge argument over something no one could control and did he want his wife back, hell yeah but he wouldn't give up what he had now, what he had with his daughter for anything. And as much as it killed him to think this way, it was the right way. Brianna was his world and he'd treated her, wrong. His drinking, he thought, would stop, tonight, even if it killed him, he'd stop for her.
“I should have seen it, there were signs.” Brianna said, staring up at the faces that looked down at her. All were pained and tear streaked. Slowly she let her head fall back down and noticed for the first time today, Adam standing off to the side, by himself. She felt his pain, even though it was different than her's, she still knew how he felt.
His eyes connected with hers but not for long. The heartache he felt wouldn't ease, he deserved it for not protecting his brother, not bringing him back home, alive. Day, night, it didn't matter, every time he'd close his eyes, he'd see his brother's face, his blood soaked uniform, his lifeless stare and his heart would break. And now was no different, staring at her face and seeing the same lifeless stare, tore a whole in his heart. Adam turned around, not wanting to be there anymore and walked home. Back to a house that was empty of joy, happiness and love, back to his own personal hell.
She stared at his retreating back but it wasn't him she was seeing, but a mere image of his twin. Both had gone to school with her and both had joined the service together but only one came home and she couldn't begin to feel his pain, his heartache but it killed what was left of her own heart to see him this way. This broken inside with no one to talk to and no one to say it's okay to cry.
Both Aaron and Adam had been the life of the party, both football stars at the local high school and both drop dead gorgeous. At six foot one, black hair, muscles throughout their bodies and to-die-for blue eyes, they were so sweet it was sickening. Both were friends with Brianna , when they joined, they were both fortunate to stay together and both ended up in her mom's platoon. The day the uniformed military personal came to her door, Adam came home, his own heartbreak he wore and it killed her not to be able to help him out. To be there for him when he needed her so.
Orange, red, and yellow colored everyone's cheeks that glistened with tears. Brianna caught off guard, looking around and seeing the one's who've passed on, standing in the square, looking about with tears in their eyes, searching for their loved one's. She caught sight of Aaron, standing off to the side the same way Adam had earlier and broke down in tears. His face was so lifelike it took awhile to figure out he wasn't really there, no one was there with them, they were all gone, forever.
Adam walked inside his house, tears streaming down his cheeks and didn't stop until he was safely behind his bedroom door. But being here didn't bring him peace like it once did, pictures of Aaron sat on the dresser, his bed sat in the corner and all the memories of them growing up, still lingered. Heaving in deep uncontrollable breaths, Adam threw his arms around his chest and dropped to the floor. Tears never ending, his visions soon disappeared and all he saw was him, laying in front and calling for help.
Jumping up, Adam threw his door opened and ran. Doubling over with pain, heartache and loss, he didn't know how much more he could take of this, how much more he wanted too.

FIVE

Bright lights stung his eyes, leaving earlier in a haze he'd forgotten about turning them off beforehand. His daughter, he knew very well would be standing outside, waiting on him and he couldn't, wouldn't, this time, let her down. Christopher would have never gone outside on his own without his liquid courage though, he'd never make it through the memorial, without showing the world how truly broken he was. And that's something no one will ever find out, he promised himself, staring up at the ceiling and shaking his head.
“You can't make it ten minutes, you....!” he cursed under his breath, holding the now empty bottle in hand. Knowing just making it through the night, fully alert would most definitely kill him. He reached for his keys, stumbling down the stairs and out to his car.
Stumbling all through the night, Adam found himself in the one place he'd never been able to go to, Aaron's grave. Dropping to his knees, reaching out, he cried. Tears of regret, of sorrow, of pain and conflict. “Aaron, I can't do this, I don't want to be here anymore. Without you here, I'm empty, half a person. You've always been the strong one. Why? Aaron why you and not me?” He screamed, looking up to the darkening sky, wanting answers, wanting someone to tell him that what happened, happened for a reason. Wanted someone to tell him it was okay to cry, to feel pain, that they were thankful that he came home alive. But no one would tell him that and he knew it, even if they did, he wouldn't listen because it was lies, all lies.
Screeching tires, the smell of burnt rubber and the vehicle swerving all over the road, Christopher tried to control it the best he could. But being intoxicated with another full bottle of whiskey sitting beside him, his vision blurry, his reflexes slowed, he lost. Slamming into tree after tree his car was no more recognizable than a sliver of metal. Trapped he was, in between the steering wheel and seat, he sat there, staring out in front of him thinking of only one thing, Ella. Would she forgive him for this? Would Brianna forgive him?
Fading in and out of consciousness, blood spilling out from the cuts on his head, Christopher saw the faint and fading image of Ella, sitting beside him, caressing his arm and smiling. She was whispering words of love before he smiled and closed his eyes.
Seeing the lights all on, the front door wide open and her father's car missing sent Brianna in a tail's spin. Pain shot like splinters through her chest, something had happened here, seeing the broken, empty bottle of whiskey on the ground caused her vision to blur. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she fell to the ground, crying for him. Needing him with her, needing her father back.
Mr. Thomas had walked Lindsey home last, seeing her crying, broke his control. He knew she cried for her friend but there was something else there too and he couldn't quiet figure it out. Leaving her at the front door of her house, he walked away, head down and released his pain. Amazed that he'd been able to hold off this long.
Walking down the road, he'd caught sight of the Sampson's residence, all the lights were on but something about it didn't seem right, something was tugging at his heart. Running down the dirt drive he found Brianna on the ground, crying. Dropping to his own knees, he reached out, wrapping his arms around her and comforted her.
“John, it's dad. There's something wrong, I don't know how or why but there's something wrong with him, I know.” Brianna cried, looking up at him, trying to figure out how to explain what she's feeling.
“I'm sure he's just gone to get some more alcohol and he'll be home soon.” Mr. Thomas said as convincing as possible.
“Why would he do this? Why would he