"Siblings know us in a way no one else can... which is why in the death of a sibling we lose one of the most important relationships in our life..."

~☠️~🌹~☠️~

"Hi mom!" Emily greeted her as she waited outside the door to be let into her childhood home, the one she had avoided for some time. As her mom just smiled back, Emily hoped that her face was somewhat reasonable, but she knew with her eyes still burning from the earlier cry sessions, she could tell it was unmistakable. 

"Emily!" Amelia greeted, pulling her daughter into a hug before ushering her into the one-story house, "What are you doing here?"

Laughing at her mother's eagerness, Emily took a second to look around the living room and noticed that the area looked to have barely changed. Her parents' old recliners were still facing towards the window, facing the road with a newer TV on the mantle. She also noticed the picture frames that graced the wall with photos of her childhood throughout the years, and even one of her and Marcel's wedding next to her parents' photo. 

It hit Emily harshly in the gut as she looked back at her mother, who led her further into the kitchen, the amount of memories and past feelings she used to disdain and push away after she moved out for college. 

While lost in her head, she was brought back into the present when she felt a wet glass being placed near her hand, as her mother joined her at the kitchen table. "Now, don't get me wrong, I am always happy to see you, but dear, why are you here?"

Emily knew why the questions were being directed at her, but looking at her drink, she shrugged. "Do I have to have a reason for visiting my mom?"

All she received was a look from her mother, which told her, 'That's not going to work with me, young woman.'

Letting out a sigh, Emily looked at her mom with a sad smile, "Bobby-" After saying his name, Emily once again received a look, "I know mom, but he called me to give me some things of Mark's and..." letting out a gulp, "...they guys."

She was quick to notice the change in her mother's behavior after mentioning the three boys, whom she had long missed, but Emily knew she needed to say what was on her mind. "I even played their old songs today while I was driving here."

"Oh, Emily." Her mother sighed as she placed a hand on her daughter's, giving it a tight squeeze. "I know how hard it was for you since Luke and the others had passed, you avoided not only this house, but also ever mentioning them again."

"I know mom, but as I was listening to their song again, it made me realize how awful I was to their memory. Their own niece and nephew never even got to know about their uncles, the ones who would have spoiled them so much when they were born." Emily felt her voice break a little at the end of her sentence, and the tears started to come back again. "Mom, am I a bad mom?"

Nothing was at first said, but Emily knew her mother was still there as she felt a hand wipe away her tears. As she looked up to see her mother's tears that were also starting to shed, but what distracted her was the huge smile that adorned her face. 

"My dear daughter, who has the right to say you were an awful mother to your kids? If anything your an amazing mother who cares so much about her children; didn't you tell me about how, when Julie was taken out of the music program at her school, that you were going to find her a place even if it meant her leaving for another country? Or how about your little boy, Carlos, when he didn't want to leave the house you bought with Marcel, who decided to stay even when it brought back sad memories for you?"

All Emily could do was laugh at her mother's words, as she let her mother's words connect to her mind and heart before her mother continued, "Emily Rose Patterson, you're not a bad mom for grieving your brother and his friends; they were your family, and it broke your heart."

"Thank you, mom." She sighed wipping her tears away from her face, "I needed to hear that from you."

Before either of the women could continue, they heard the front door open, and a sigh came from the door as a man with gray hair turned the corner, who was quick to stop as he stared at his daughter. 

"Emily, I didn't know you were dropping by, is everything okay? Are Julie and Carlos in trouble?" Ray was quick to say as he pulled his daughter into a hug before sitting next to her. 

Chuckling, she shook her head at her father's worry, "No, everything is fine dad, the kids are doing better, even Julie started to play music again and got back into the music program a few days ago. I even heard her creating music again in the garage when Luke and the guys used to play with the piano Mark bought when we first moved into the house."

Ray smiled, but was quick to stare at his daughter when she mentioned her brother with no sense of pain, a look of shock on his face. "Emily, did you just say his name?"

"Yeah, dad I think I'm ready to start talking about Luke and the guys again."

Looking at his wife's face, he received only a nod from her, and with that confirmation, he felt his shoulders untense as he released a sigh. "I'm glad to see that. Does that mean you're going to tell the kids about their uncle and his bandmates?"

Emily at first hesitated when she was asked the question, as she debated whether she was ready for her to speak about her real brother and the boys whom she had deemed long ago as honorary brothers. It was that hesitation that her father was quick to speak up, "Honey, you don't have to if you're not ready to tell them, but I am going to be honest with you, okay?"

Nodding her head, her father continued, "For years, you avoided this house and never allowed the kids to come over to see where their mother grew up, unless it was to pick us up. You even banned the mere mention of your brother, Reggie, and Alex from ever being mentioned in front of our grandkids. It was almost like you disowned them from being your siblings."

"I know dad, and I regret it with all my heart that I kept my kids from knowing their uncles who would have adored them. But, even though I will hold that guilt for the rest of my life, it's still hard for me to think about saying anything to them, and I worry that Julie and Carlos might hate me for never telling them about the guys."

A sigh left her father's lip, and Emily swore her father aged more with that breath leaving his mouth, "I know, honey." He pulled her into his arms as he rubbed her back, "This might hurt you, but the more you neglect this thought, the more it will eat you alive. Julie and Carlos deserve to know about their uncles; it's time for you to allow them to know who their family is now."

Hearing her father's words and letting them soak in, she pulled away from her father's embrace and stared him in the eyes. "Alright, Dad, you're right. I think it's finally time that my kids got to know about their family."

With these words, Emily saw her parents smile at each other before they hugged each other once more, causing her to laugh as she pulled the older couple in with more strength. After the three had separated and all of them wiped the tears away from their faces, they let what was said sink in and allowed the smiles to adorn their faces, glowing brighter with the happy news. 

"Now that we have had that conversation, tell us about Carlos, what has he been up to lately?

A chuckle left her lips as Emily spoke to her parents happily, as she looked towards the dahlias that were placed on the countertop, glowing in the light of the sun, as she spoke about her son's ghost adventures. 

So, Emily is finally going to tell Julie and Carlos about the guys. How do you think that is going to go?

I can't wait to write both of their reactions to hearing about Luke, Reggie, and Alex espeically Julie's, but be prepared that one will be a sure tear-jerker. 

Please comment and vote on what you thought about this chapter. I want to know what your thought. 

-Mech-x4fan