All of Ravyn's family was there, along with a couple of other Weres and the doctor she'd seen on their arrival.
But it was Jack who held her attention. He sat on the floor, crying with his arms wrapped around his legs, rocking.
"What happened?" Ravyn asked Terra, who stood off to the side, looking perplexed by Jack.
Terra's eyes were deeply sad. "Patricia died a few minutes ago from her injuries."
Susan felt ill from the news.
"It's not right," Jack wailed as he pulled at his hair. "She never hurt anyone. Why is she dead? Why!"
The doctor patted him on the back as she looked up at Dorian. "I think you guys should go back to work. I'll take care of Jack."
They nodded before they complied.
Ravyn's father took a moment to narrow his eyes on his son and curl his lip in disgust. "Why are you still here?"
Ravyn didn't give him the satisfaction of showing any emotion whatsoever. "Love you, too, Dad."
His face was so contorted by rage that Susan expected him to lash out at Ravyn. And he probably would have had Dorian not pulled him away.
Ravyn's face didn't betray anything, but his eyes spoke a tome about how much his father's rejection hurt him. And in that moment, she hated his father for the pain he caused Ravyn.
Her heart breaking for both Jack and Ravyn, Susan started to return downstairs until she realized that Ravyn wasn't behind her. Instead, he went to Jack and knelt on the floor beside him. The doctor looked a bit surprised but didn't say anything while Jack sobbed.
"Why couldn't she have at least woken up for a few minutes?" Jack whispered. "I just wanted to talk to her one last time. I wanted her to know how much I loved her. How much she meant to me."
Ravyn reached out and touched his forearm to comfort him. "She knew, Jack."
He shook his head. "No, she didn't. I was always complaining whenever she asked me to do something. Why did I complain all the time? I should have done something, just once, without lipping off. Oh God, I just want her back. I'm so sorry, Mom."
Susan's eyes teared as she listened to him and remembered her own pain when she'd learned about her mother's death. It'd been the worst moment of her life.
It still was. And like Jack, all she could think about was how many things she wanted to change. How many things she wanted to say, that she couldn't.
She watched silently while Ravyn sat on the floor beside him. The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder with their backs to the wall as the doctor pulled back to give them space.
Ravyn let out a tired sigh. "You know what I miss most about my mother? She used to sing to herself every night while she knitted by the firelight."
Jack looked up with a frown. "Your mother didn't knit. She was a Were."
"Yeah, I know. It was such a strange hobby for her to have, but she loved it. She'd make all kinds of things, but her gloves were my favorite. I could always feel her when I wore them. Smell her scent. For some reason, I could never keep up with them. So she'd make a new one to match the one I still had, kiss it, put it on my hand, and then say to me, 'My poor little kitten had better keep up with his mittens or I'll skin 'im.' I'd laugh, go off with them, and lose one again every time."
"My mom liked to read," Jack whispered. "When I was a kid, I subscribed her to one of those book clubs where you get a bunch for free, not realizing that you had to pay postage for them. She acted so excited, but I felt like a complete asshole when my sister Brynna told me Mom had to pay for the books. So I hired myself out to Erika to carry her books home from school for two months to pay Mom back."
Ravyn looked aghast at that. "And you survived?"
Jack actually managed a tentative smile. "Well, let's just say I earned every cent and then some." Sniffing, he looked up at Ravyn. "Does the pain ever stop?"
There was nothing but raw agony in that dark gaze as Ravyn stared at the floor in front of them. "Not really. There will always be a part of you that misses her. You'll see something that reminds you of her and want to tell her about it, only to realize she's not there anymore. Then you'll feel her loss all over again."
Another tear fell down Jack's cheek. "You're not helping me, Ravyn."
"I know, buddy." He turned to lock sincere gazes with Jack. "But you will eventually make peace with yourself, and that's the most important thing. Eventually, you'll even be able to smile again when you think about her. "
Jack wiped the tears from his cheeks and drew a ragged breath. "Thanks for talking to me."
"No problem. There's nothing worse than being left alone to grieve. You want to talk, you know where I am."