When someone you know passes away, the flood of emotions can be overwhelming. Along with feelings of sadness and loss, there are also often feelings of insecurity, regret, confusion, and even anger. One of the things you might notice about a funeral service is that everyone tends to dress up. Attire for a funeral service might be similar to what you would wear to church or a wedding. If you pay close attention, though, you'll notice that there's one common color that most people are probably wearing: black.
Wearing black to a funeral is a longstanding tradition in many areas of the world, particularly in the United States and other Western nations. Funerals are usually somber occasions, and wearing black indicates that you're mourning the loss of someone. It's also considered a sign of respect for the deceased.
Historians believe the tradition of wearing black at funerals dates back to at least the time of the Roman Empire. The ancient Romans would wear a dark toga, known as a toga pulla, to mourn the loss of a loved one.
Many United States customs were passed down from English predecessors. Historians note that Queen Victoria was known for wearing black to funerals to show dignity and respect for those in mourning.
While black is the traditional color of mourning in the West, many other countries around the world have different customs. In India and China, for example, the traditional color of mourning is white. Indian Hindus wear white because it's the color of purity.
Countries throughout Asia and Africa have a wide variety of customary funeral colors. In South Africa and Ghana, red is often worn to funerals. You can also find countries that wear purple, in Thailand, yellow in Myanmar, and blue in Iran.
Cassidy had dressed Andrea and Alexandra both in a long black dress and had fixed their blond hair in a simple bun behind their ears. A funeral service can be a confusing event for a young child. There are many things going on. You're often surrounded by people you haven't seen in a long time. Many people are sad. It can be a lot to take in and comprehend. Cassidy is herself dressed in black also. Everyone is dressed so when they arrive. Cassidy doesn't take time to analyze each outfits, it would be out of context and out of respect.

It's a tough part, the death of someone we love. Cassidy is okay, she has still her head on her shoulders and walks in a straight walk, with a straight face as well. She has cried when they announced her the death a few days ago, now she doesn't cry. Alexandra and Andrea are walking past her, each one holding their mother's hand from each side. They are not crying yet but their eyes are wet, and red and heavy from all the crying and the sleepless night since it happened. Losing your father is a loss none can really recover.

William had died not long ago from cancer. Cassidy had cried along with her girls of course. But what saddens Cassidy most is not the loss of her ex husband, it is how she knows growing up without their father will be hard for the girls. Now she has to take care of them alone, not that she mind, but she knows it is going to be hard and exhausting.
Cassidy had closed her eyes the night she found out to think about how she was also dancing on the edge of death, the only things that surrounded her now were a dead father and a girlfriend stuck in a coma for six months. She had a breakdown and wondered what was coming next, if it would be the death of Samantha or even her own.
The funeral is not joyful of course, Cassidy can recognize some people she has not seen in a long time while there are some other she has never seen at all. People came to her and the girls to exchange a few words of condolences, Cassidy nodding and thanking each one of them. Her mother came as well, she has exchanged a few words with Cassidy and her granddaughters but not much of a conversation, though she held Cassidy's hand for the whole ceremony.

The hours still seem to go on and on, losing some people along the way. There is a day Cassidy is in New York standing in front of the grave of the dearest father of her own daughters, and the next day, she is sitting in front of Samantha holding her hand, begging her to open her eyes. She feels like she has two different lives, in one she is a well-known and powerful editor-in-chief in New York, in the other one she is just the weak girlfriend waiting  desperately for the love of her life to wake up. The love of her life who, and still does but not in the same way, used to make her happy.
Nostalgia gets the better part of her and without validation or preplanning she asks for the corporate plane.
She's taking the girls because somehow, somewhere they've fallen in love with Samantha. They keep asking and she keeps stalling and now it's time. The wait must be faced at some point and today seems as good a day as ever.
The flight seems to last a lifetime, the ten hours that cross the mighty Atlantic waters illuminated by sun and moon give her ample time to think, to regret this flight, to regret regretting it and then simply to fall asleep. Andrea is asleep on her lap by the time the pilot announces that they will be landing in a less than half an hour. They will be landing in the Milan airport and driving the remainder of the way to the hospital.
The girls haven't been to Italy much, ever since they were 4 or 5 she tries to make them live a life as normal as possible. She has them shop at department stores, go to the park, she doesn't take them with her to events or trips. She's not sure if they will one day thank her or hate her for it but that was her decision as soon as they were born. The media did not always make it easy, living in New York keeping the photographers and reporters at bay was not always possible but she tried her best. She had thought about moving somewhere else, somewhere far, somewhere where they would not be the center of attention.
"Maybe Samantha will want to move with us." she finds herself thinking. It's all a guessing game, Samantha could decide she wants a whole new life after she wakes up, because she will wake up. Cassidy tries to be optimistic. Now that she's decided to fight for what Samantha and her have she hopes Samantha still feels the same way.
The hospital is quiet and Samantha is alone, her cousin is in the lobby reading a magazine.
She recognizes the editor as soon as she enters the room with the two girls in tow.
« Cassidy, it's good to see you. » Blake smiles. « I thought you might want to join us for lunch? Everyone in the family will. »
« I don't have much time, I'd rather spend my time here. Thank you for thinking of me as family. » Cassidy says as she bends in to hug the young woman that she has grown a lot of affection for.
Blake nods.
« My condolences for... » She says sadly as she stops. She has read what happened on Page six.
« Thank you very much. » Cassidy simply says, she doesn't want to get into details as her girls are here with her.
« And these are... » Blake starts as she looks at Alexandra and Andrea.
« Alexandra and Andrea, my daughters. » Cassidy introduces them with a proud smile as she always does.
Blake leans down at the young girls's height and smiles softly at them.
« Would you like to see Samantha? » She asks.
Cassidy nods.
« We would love to. » Andrea answers for her mother. « We brought her this. » she says as she shows a stuffed bear with an expensive bow tied to the neck.
« I'm sure Sam will love them. » Blake says as she hands Cassidy a visitor pass. « I'm going for lunch with my family so you'll not be bothered by any of us. »
« Is Frank here? I was thinking I could say hello. » Cassidy asks.
« He went home for the week with Sierra, I am guessing you're not in a rush to see her? »
Cassidy purses her lips, she knew she has never been soft on Sierra but she would never have guessed everyone would have noticed it.
« Sierra told me. » Blake explains as she sees the expression on Cassidy's face.
« Oh. » Cassidy lets out.
Blake shakes her head.
« Anyway, I'll be back in an hour or two. » She says.
The Vaughan women nod their heads and head over to the room where Samantha is.
The girls are quiet as the soft light illuminates Samantha and a few machines beep here and there. There is the heart monitor that beats rhythmically every few seconds. There is the ventilator pumping air in and out. The ivy drips and the monitor with the temperature.
There are no more bruises on her face, her skin is soft peach again and her hair has been combed in a braid. There are various vases of flowers.
« She looks like sleeping beauty. » Alexandra points out.
Cassidy smiles at the reference.
« She does. »
The three sit in silence for a few minutes, each sister playing with the cords.
« Hey Sam, you have to get better soon. We miss you very much, and we miss your teaching of cuss words behind our mother's back. » Andrea tells the inanimate body on the hospital bed and Cassidy winces as she hears the last words of her daughter. She chuckles quietly and shakes her head, remembering the dinners around the kitchen table where Samantha would burst out of laughters each time one of the girls said a word unacceptable.
« We need you home soon, mom said she wanted you to live with us. » Alexandra says.
Cassidy glares at her daughter but do not contradict her words.
After a while Cassidy tells the girls to go get a soda if they like and wait for her in the cafeteria. They do as they are told, not because they want a soda but because they understand their mother wants to have the young woman to herself.
« Everyone misses you at home. I do most. » She breathes. « I miss you so much. » She mumbles again.
She sits softly on the side of the bed, she holds Samantha's hand tightly.
« Doctors say it is up to you if you wake up. If they are right, then why haven't you chosen to wake up yet? » The editor desperately asks with wet eyes.
She closes her eyes and squeezes the young woman's hand softly.
« Whatever your choice is, i will accept it. I just hope that you're not in pain where you are... » she whispers softly and after a long time she didn't count how much, she pulls a chair over and leans her head over Samantha's hand.

« Mom fell asleep with Sam. » Alexandra tells Blake when she comes back with a few bags.
« Oh, well... » She hands the girls two recycled paper boxes with food in them. « I thought you might be hungry. » she shrugs and the two sisters nod.
« Thanks. » They both say.
« I'll go check on your mom and be back. » She leaves her purse on the coach with them and she slowly peeks into the room.
Cassidy is indeed still leaning over the bed, her head resting sideways, her eyes closes.
She knows that when the editor wakes up she's going to have a major backache, but she looks so peaceful that she decides to let her be. She wonders for how much time Cassidy must sleep at night to be sleeping so deeply in the middle of the day on the side of an uncomfortable hospital bed. She claps her hand at Cassidy's daughters when she goes back to them.
« Okay young ladies, we are going to play a game to get to know each other while your mother is asleep, okay? » Blake proposes to the girls who nod enthusiastically while their mother sleeps.
Cassidy exits hours later, stretching and slightly asleep still.
She eyes her daughters with Blake asleep on the lobby coach. Three boxes of food lay to the side of them and by now there are two more people in the room.
She shakes Blake softly.
« I'm so sorry Blake I didn't mean to fall asleep in there. » She says with a quiet voice.
« Don't worry about it, we have all done it. I loved spending time with your girls. They are handful. » She laughs.
« They are indeed. »
« How have you been? » Blake asks after a silent pause.
« Good, as good as I can be. I should not have left to New York, but... »
« You don't have to explain to me, we both want the same thing for Sam. We want her to wake up and be happy. You make her happy Cassidy. » She stops to look at the editor. « So have you decided what you want to do? »
« She makes me happy too. » She shrugs, it is her only answer and Blake understands.
« And with my... aunt ? »
The question isn't meant to pry but it sounds like it does.
Cassidy's gaze fall to the floor.
« I can't help what happened, I can't erase it, it is something we have to learn to live with, the three of us. I can't let it ruin my love for Samantha and it won't, she just has to wake up for that. »
« I understand. » Blake nods, thinking it is her final answer.
« But I still believe we need to have a conversation first. Sierra and I. » Cassidy drops, she has been wanting to do it for long but never got the courage to do so. Now is the time.
« That seems like a good idea. » Blake smiles with a reassuring smile.
« I will do so as soon as she is coming home. »