Alexa appeared distraught. “That’s because it is. It’s almost six a.m.” She met Kit’s eyes and struggled to keep herself composed as she sighed. “God, how do I tell you this?”
Kit immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong. Her sleepiness vanished in an instant. She sat up and stared at Alexa.
She recalled her conversation with Sean and his description of Sully’s meltdown hearing her song. She thought about him being alone in a hotel room, calling her over and over again and getting her voicemail. She silently prayed that he hadn’t gone to extreme measures.
Her brow furrowed, swallowing hard, she hastily inquired. “What happened? Sully’s ok, isn’t he? He didn’t do anything crazy did he?”
Alexa sighed and shook her head. “This has nothing to do with Sully.” Kit frowned. She was relieved, but completely confused now. Alexa took Kit’s hand in hers and shifted her gaze down, unable to hold the tears back. She finally summoned the courage to meet Kit’s concerned emerald eyes once again.
Her voice trembled. “Kitty, Lew is gone.”
Kit stared, wide-eyed, completely perplexed. “What do you mean by gone?”
As the words rolled off her tongue, she knew exactly what it meant. She felt it deeply in her gut, yet she didn’t want to accept it as truth. She wanted to stay safe in her denial.
Alexa wiped her tears and met Kit’s eyes. “Honey, Jonathan called me here on the house phone a few minutes ago. He had been trying to call us on our cell phones but they were turned off. Lew had a heart attack. It was fatal. Sherri found him unresponsive about an hour ago. Paramedics said he was already gone when they arrived.” She squeezed Kit’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Kit stared straight ahead rendered speechless for a moment. She told herself it had to be a bad dream. But seeing Alexa’s reaction, she knew it wasn’t. She absorbed the news slowly. The impact of it reached her in a slow wave as an ache from the seat of her soul that led her into heaving sobs. She reached out and clung to Alexa for dear life.
The emotional pain was unbearable and she found that while being there with Alexa was good, she knew who she really wanted to be with her in that moment. The one person who had been her rock for the last nine years.
Surprised he came to mind, she initially resisted and then finally looked up at Alexa, composing herself temporarily. “Get Sully over here, please. Tell him what happened.”
She wiped her tears and met Alexa’s violet eyes. “I know you’re gonna hate this. And I know this is so beyond fucked up and non-conventional, but Lex I need him. I need him in a way that you may not understand right now. Lew was a very big part of both of our lives. In many ways, Lew was like a father to Sully too. He was like immediate family.”
Alexa nodded solemnly. “I get it, honey. When it all boils down, he’s still your husband. I’ll call him. I’ll tell Spence to stay put in his hotel so you and Sull can have some time to work through this. I think having Sull and Spence in the same room right now isn’t a good idea regardless of the situation and the last thing you need is more drama to worry about.”
She stood up and her maternal instinct kicked in seeing Kit so distraught, heart-broken and vulnerable. She looked like a lost teenager.
Alexa leaned forward and kissed her atop her head. “Will you be ok while I go call Sull?”
Kit fell back onto the bed, the tears welling up again. “Yes. Go call him, please.”
Sully roused from his sleep, ready to curse out whoever was calling him in his hotel room. He sleepily answered the phone, surprised to hear Alexa’s voice on the other end. When he heard the news she shared and Kit’s request, he found himself immediately alert and struggling to throw on his jeans and a t-shirt while chatting on the phone.
Ten minutes later, he was knocking on Alexa’s front door. She opened the door and hugged him. As she pulled back, she met his eyes. “Be gentle with her, Sull. Don’t pressure her for anything, you hear me?” She gave him a look of warning.
He nodded and met her eyes. “You have my word. I’m here for her in whatever capacity she wants. I have no agenda other than that.”
Alexa surveyed him. “Ok. She’s in the guest room. Do you remember where that is?”
He nodded and headed to the room. He opened the door slowly and noticed Kit curled up in a ball, sobbing. Upon seeing her in that state, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. She looked destroyed by the news and it didn’t surprise him. Lew was her mentor and he was most definitely more like her father.
He felt deep-seated sorrow over Lew’s death too, but he knew it was hitting her much harder. He headed over to the bed and sat on the edge next to her.
He found himself easily stepping into the role of taking care of her, being her rock, and he relished it. It wasn’t often that she’d let him step into the role. He made a commitment to find more ways to step up for her in the future and make her feel cherished.
He gently leaned over and stroked her forehead and her hair, speaking softly. “I’m here, baby. It’s gonna be ok. I don’t know how yet, but it is.”
She started sobbing as she sat up and reached for him. He held her tightly, feeling saddened again by the news. Lew had been a powerful paternal and professional force in his life too. He credited his success to
