Chapter 4 - The Collapse
By the time Bennett’s truck tore down the cemetery driveway and skidded to a halt near the iron gates, the first fat flakes of snow had begun to fall. He threw the door open and sprinted across the rows of headstones, his breath catching in his throat.
There she was. Cora was slumped sideways against her mother’s headstone, the woolen blanket half-fallen into the dirt. Her skin was the color of chalk, and her lips were tinged with blue.
"Cora!" Bennett yelled, a sound tearing from his chest that he hadn't made in years.
He dropped to his knees, scooping her light, fragile body into his arms. She was ice-cold. "Cora, wake up. Dad is here."
Cora’s eyelids fluttered open weakly. She looked up at him, her eyes glassy and unfocused. "Dad... I tried to be good. I'm sorry I was born..."
Those words felt like a dagger driving straight into Bennett’s heart. All the misplaced resentment, the bitter grief, and the walls he had built over eight years shattered into dust. He pulled her tightly against his chest, heedless of the freezing snow falling on his shoulders.
"Don't you dare say that," he choked out, tears finally breaking free and spilling down his weathered cheeks. "You did nothing wrong. It was never your fault, Cora. Please... just stay with me."
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Mr. Abernathy rushed over with his truck keys. "Get her in my cart, Bennett! We need to get her to the hospital right now!"
Without hesitation, Bennett lifted his daughter and ran.
