Page 121 of The Gathered Fragments of Us
"Maliyah let us in, of course. Sweet girl, that one. She's out back with your father keeping all the children in line."
She turned back to the stove, continuing her pancake production as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"Now, I got your message, Caden, and I've already called the funeral home," she continued, flipping another pancake with practiced efficiency. "Henderson & Sons on Elm Street. I've been to enough funerals over the years to know which ones are crap and which ones aren't, and Henderson's is good people. They'll treat our family right."
"Mom, I like texted you two seconds ago. Caden said. "how did you—"
"Honey, there's no time to waste. I scheduled you an appointment for noon today, so everyone better get moving to eat breakfast and get ready. You can't make these kinds of decisions on an empty stomach."
Cash appeared in the kitchen doorway, carrying multiple bags of bagels.
"Morning, kids," he said, as if showing up unannounced at seven in the morning were perfectly normal. "Sorry for your loss. That woman put you all through hell, but nobody deserves to go like that."
I looked at Caden, who appeared as shell-shocked as I felt. His entire family had apparently mobilized overnight and descended on our house to help us navigate Jessica's death.
"Where's Macy?" I asked, suddenly realizing I hadn't seen her yet.
"Outside with Peter and the other kids," Sandy said, adding another pancake to the already towering stack. "She seemed to be holding up okay this morning, poor thing. Asked if she could help make breakfast, but I told her today was a day for adults to take care of her."
"She's okay with all of you being here?"
"Are you kidding? She lit up when she saw us. Kids need family around them at times like this."
I felt a sudden rush of emotion—gratitude mixed with overwhelm, relief mixed with the strange sense that our quiet family grief had suddenly become a very public affair.
"Sandy," I said carefully, "this is incredibly kind of you, but—"
"This is what family does, love." she interrupted, waving the spatula for emphasis. "You think you can handle a funeral and a traumatized child and all the legal nonsense that comes with a death and custody without help? Please."
She had a point. I looked at Caden again, who shrugged as if to say, "This is how my family works."
"Now," Sandy continued, "we need to talk about what kind of service Jessica would have wanted. I know she wasn't religious, but the girl deserves something dignified. And we need to think about what's appropriate for Macy to see and do."
The practical nature of her planning was somehow both comforting and jarring. While we'd been lost in the emotional aftermath of Jessica's death, Sandy had apparently spent the night making lists and phone calls.
"Coffee," Cash announced, having apparently located our coffee maker. "Everyone needs coffee before we start making big decisions."
As the kitchen filled with the smell of brewing coffee to join the pancakes and bacon, I realized that this was what family looked like in crisis—not the quiet, processing time I'd imagined, but this loud, overwhelming, practical love that showed up without being asked and took charge when you couldn't.
Chapter 48: Love in the Chaos
~Felicity~
The funeral was smaller than I’d expected. The funeral home had done exactly what Sandy promised—treated the family with dignity while keeping things simple. The wake had been modest, with soft lighting and flowers that Macy had helped choose earlier in the week—white roses and wildflowers, beautiful and colorful.
Brad and his family sat in the front row to the right while Macy sat between Caden and me in the opposite row. As we sat, Macy's small hand gripped her dad’s tightly while the minister spoke about Jessica’s life before the illness took hold, before the addiction and all the changes. Macy wore the black dress we’d bought together yesterday, paired with the pearl necklace that had belonged to Jessica’s grandmother—one of the few family heirlooms Jessica had kept.
The service was brief, and sad. I looked around and realized how small Jessica’s world had become. In addition to us, Caden’s family and mine were here—including everyone from the Barrett side and the Doyle side. But for those representing Jessica specifically, there were just a few coworkers, and friends. Most came and left soon after.
The minister held the service and then Brad spoke for a few minutes, and that was it. No fun stories, no eulogies, just quiet.
After the service, we made our way to the cemetery for the burial. It was a gray day, overcast but not raining, which feltappropriate somehow. Macy was too afraid to approach the casket alone. She asked me to come with her. When I bent down, Lucas reached for her hand and said, “I’ll go with you.”
Funny how little moments can really change your outlook. In that moment, Lucas looked strong though he was just six. Macy looked down at him and his hand. Something shifted inside of her, like a realization that if Lucas could be strong, so could she.
So, the two of them approached the casket where it stood in front of her. She reached a hand toward it and placed a rose on top. Lucas leaned into her on her other side, holding her hand close to himself and leaning his head on her arm, not quite reaching her shoulder height.
Lucas looked up at Macy, as if she ruled the world. Macy looked down at Lucas as if she had a purpose—to care for something more than her own pain. It was beautiful to see this friendship become stronger than it had. I could already tell that, while Lucas had a childhood crush right now, this could be the start of a true friendship—despite the age difference.
