Chapter 7

Volume 2- Somber

Sawyer and Ursula rushed home. They could hear someone coughing loudly when they reached the hall. She quickly rushed to her parent's room. "Mom, are you alright?!," she asked, worried. She didn't reply but only coughed. "Sawyer, where's the thermometer?," she asked. He didn't reply as he was in the kitchen. Their mother feebly pointed towards the drawer. Ursula quickly got the thermometer and checked her mother's temperature. She was really hot. Ursula gasped when she saw the mercury rise. "Oh my God!," she whispered.

She went into the kitchen. "Sawyer, what are you doing?," she asked her brother. "I'm making rice for Mom. She said she was hungry," he said. His sister nodded. She quickly opened the fridge, took out some ice-cubes and threw them in a bowl filled with water. She added some spirit into the cold water and took it to her Mom. She took a washcloth and folded it properly. She then started to cool her mother down by dabbing the cloth in the water then onto her mother's forehead.

Later when she felt like things were a little better, she asked Sawyer about their father. "When did Dad leave?," she asked him, as she filled the bowl with water again. "It's been a while. He should be back by now," he said. Ursula nodded.

Later that evening, when the two had taken dinner to their mother and had eaten something themselves, Nina called Ursula. She quickly went to pick up the phone. "Yeah, she's alright. What? Dad? No, he's not home yet. I wonder what's taking him so long?," she said, as she talked to her friend on the phone. "Ursula, you didn't see the news? There has been a really bad accident in the next town. I hate to say this to you, but the car that got hit by a truck was your Dad's!," Nina said. "What?!," she asked, eyes wide in shock. "I'm so sorry, Ursula!," Nina said. "He's not dead, right?!," she asked, tears streaming down her eyes, as she sulked onto the floor. "He is," Nina whispered. Ursula couldn't stop crying now. Nina couldn't hold back her tears, too. "Nina, what am I supposed to say to Mom, now?," she asked, in pain and sorrow. 

"Sis, what's taking you so......long?," Sawyer asked, as he saw his sister crying. His eyes widened. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did you fail your physics test again?," he asked, smirking. "Why would I cry over a test? It's Dad! Sawyer, our father died!," she said, her face stained in tears. "Are you out of your mind?! What are you saying?! Dad went to the next town to buy medicine! He's coming back! I'm sure!," he said, crying. "I'm not lying! Turn on the TV," she said. Ursula hung up on Nina and followed Sawyer.

They were dumbfounded as they saw the horrible accident on screen. It was truly their Dad's red car that was crushed by the massive truck. Ursula clasped her hands over her mouth as she cried. Sawyer was not believing this. But he had gotten proof that it was his Dad who was the deceased, when the face of their dead father was shown on screen. The dead body was injured badly. Nobody would have ever believed that it was Mr. Toliver if the face would have been damaged. His face wasn't injured at all. They showed his face for a long while as if they knew his children were watching the news.

"Sawyer, turn off the TV. Let's go to bed. I can't watch this anymore," Ursula said, wiping her tears. He nodded.

"Don't say anything to Mom. She won't be able to take it right now. I'll tell her myself," she said to Sawyer as she was going to her room. Sawyer nodded. "Everything will be okay. We'll figure something out. Stay strong," she said to him, as she rubbed him on the back. He nodded and went into his room, locking the door.

Ursula fell on her bed, burying her face in the pillows. She cried loudly into the pillow. Her heart hurt more than anything right now. She didn't knew how she would be able to be the same old cheerful Ursula tomorrow in front of her Mom.

She cried herself to sleep. The same can be said for her brother.