Ella Frank - Exquisite

Mason couldn’t comprehend what had just happened over the last hour and a half. He’d just got back to his place and moved through the condo to sit on his couch. His mind kept running over the details one by one, refusing to make sense of it. Choosing instead to believe this was some kind of horrible nightmare.

He’d hung up from speaking with Lena and called his mother back but she hadn’t answered, a man named Edward Scott had. He couldn’t get the words; Son I’m sorry to tell you but your mother suffered a massive heart attack around twenty minutes ago. There was nothing they could do , to stop playing on repeat in his head. After that it was all a blur.

He knew he’d gone down to the hospital but he couldn’t remember getting there. He remembered a young lady in a lab coat, much like Lena’s, take him into a small room with stainless steel tables and he remembered a sheet being pulled back and seeing his mother lying there, as though she were asleep, but he just didn’t believe any of it. His mother wasn’t dead, it was impossible, they’d just talked this morning on the phone and he’d told her he was going to ask Lena to move in with him, she’d been thrilled. She had been fine . He slouched back on the couch and laid his arms on his legs. Staring through the dark to the lights below he couldn’t fathom a world without here there. Without her Monday night dinners and her smile as he would walk through her store. Sitting forward he hung his head low and felt the tears start to roll down his cheeks.

The minute Lena stepped in the room she could feel the sorrow. This was a feeling she knew intimately. Looking around the dark condo she spotted him on the couch hunched over with his arms resting on his knees and his head hanging down. She placed her bag on the floor and walked over to him coming to a stop at the end of the couch He looked up at her and she felt her heart break in two. His face was streaked with tears and his eyes were swollen from what looked like hours of crying, although she knew it’d only been around thirty minutes.

Not knowing what to say and feeling her own eyes start to fill with tears she said nothing, and just sat down beside him holding out her hand. Reaching over he took it in his and squeezed then proceeded to cry into the night. The pure anguish coming from within him was so strong Lena felt it pulsing off him in waves and crashing into her almost knocking her over. She too had lost a loved one tonight. True, Catherine wasn't her mother, but she’d become such an important part of her life she was almost as important as a parent, but this moment was his. She needed to be there to support him in this loss. So she sat beside him quietly, with as much courage as she could find, when everything inside her was screaming to run.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity he turned in the chair and faced her. He reached up wiped his eyes and sniffed as he let go of her hand. Swallowing deeply he took a breath and spoke.

"She was at the shop."

Reaching out Lena stroked her fingers down his cheek then took her hand back to her lap.

"Oh Mason. I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to say or where to begin."

He nodded as though he understood and blinked wet eyes at her. He turned and stood walking over to the large window overlooking the park. The lights twinkled below and Lena was taken back for a moment, to a night where he’d helped her forget her troubles right here by the window. Tonight though, there was nothing that could help this. She stood and walked up beside him placing a hand gently on his arm and stared out at the lights. Still looking forward he spoke softly.

"They said at the hospital that she knew her heart was weak. She knew after her first heart attack that this could happen and she never said a thing."

"I know." Lena whispered before she’d even thought it through. Suddenly she felt the arm under her hand tense and then watched in the window's reflection as Mason turned toward her and asked very softly.

"What do you mean, you know ?"

Turning to face him she went to reach out and he took a step back, something he’d never done before. Dropping her hand to her side she started to explain. "I looked in her chart when she was in hospital."

He didn't seem to like that explanation by the narrowing of his eyes, and the pure animosity he was directing at her was making her uncomfortable. She’d never seen Mason really loose his temper and although they’d argued back and forward over things the anger radiating from him felt different. He looked so removed she was almost frightened, but she continued, needing him to know everything.

"She also spoke to me about it one night at her house."

"What?" he demanded.

Lena rushed on, "I urged her to tell you Mason. Both you and Rachel. I told her it would be easier to know there may be a chance of,"

"Wait a minute," he interrupted in an icy cold voice. "You're telling me that you and my mother talked about her dying and didn't think to include her kids?"

Lena swallowed and gripped her hands in front of her, not really knowing how to handle him at this point. So she decided her best bet was to just answer him. "Yes."

She watched as he clenched his teeth and his jaw flexed. He raised a hand and rubbed it over his eyes. Turning back to look out the window he dropped the hand back down and whispered in the coldest tone she’d ever heard. "Get out."

Lena felt like he had reached out and slapped her. She winced at his words and swallowed. She moved to take a step forward. "Mason."

"Don't touch me." he said enunciating every word. "Go get your bag and get out."

"Please let me,"

"Let you what?" he demanded spinning around to face her. She took a step back looking up at him with tears running down her own cheeks, but he was beyond reason and beyond caring. "Lie to me? Hide things from me?" Shaking his head he spat out, "I'm so fucking stupid! I thought you trusted me. I thought you felt the same way about me as I do about you!"

She tried again to reach out but he just glared at her.

"I thought you fucking loved me!"

She flinched back and took a step away feeling everything inside her come crashing down. Tears flowed freely from her now. Tears for Catherine, her sudden death and the unfairness of it. Tears for Mason who was so hurt he couldn't even stand in front of her and understand, and tears for them. For what could’ve been before it was torn away and she’d even been able to tell him what he meant to her.

"Why are you still here Lena? Get out!"

Turning she ran to the door and grabbed her keys, fumbling around with the handle she finally got it opened and turned back to see him facing the window. She let out a strangled sob and fled his condo.

Mason was livid. He couldn't believe what Lena had just told him and although he was still in the middle of even beginning to understand his grief, this anger felt good. It felt easier to take a hold of and to drown in.

Staring out the window he saw Lena crossing the street below and he clenched his teeth remembering her words, I know . Two little words and his whole world had fallen apart. How could she have not told him? How could she have kept something like that a secret? If only he had known. If he had known he could've. Could've what? He thought, and then before deciding there would’ve been nothing he could have done, he went back to his anger.

She was wrong. She’d fucked up and done something so tragically wrong he didn't think he could ever forgive her and with the way he felt right now he honestly never wanted to see her again. He pushed aside her face and the pain he’d seen on it when he’d told her to leave, and refused to feel sorry for her. He had other things he needed to do, other people to think about. Bringing a hand up to his face he turned and walked to the phone knowing the next thing would be the hardest.