{A/N-
Didn't wanted to make this arc long...this is the end of carole.
So this chapter is somewhat big, f I made you all feel bored, and you will get a lot of Jayfer scenes nowadays...so Stay Tunned...
Also that I am going to upload two another chapters in book "Shadows across four worlds- Jayfer x three worlds..."
Try to read it too...
Also about my new book- "JAYFER -Fragments of Section e " Going to upload The Plot and Characters in Half an hour...Check it out too...}
Chapter 133 – Sleep Peacefully, My Love 💔
Trinity Hospital NYC
11:42 PM
The waiting room was silent.
---
Too silent.
---
The kind of silence that made people afraid to breathe.
---
Everyone was there.
---
JJ.
---
Keifer.
---
Percy.
---
Ash.
---
Alex.
---
Aera.
---
Freya.
---
Rakhi.
---
Mica.
---
Calix.
---
David.
---
Eman.
---
Felix.
---
Denzel.
---
Grace.
---
Everyone.
---
Waiting.
---
Praying.
---
Hoping.
---
Desperately hoping.
---
JJ
Sat beside Keifer.
---
Her wedding guest dress still stained with tears.
---
Her hands shaking.
---
Her eyes fixed on the operating room doors.
---
Refusing to look anywhere else.
---
Because looking away felt wrong.
---
Like she might miss Care coming back.
---
Then
The doors opened.
---
And immediately—
---
Everyone stood.
---
At once.
---
Hope exploding inside their chests.
---
Rhys.
---
Lyra.
---
Cin.
---
Walking out.
---
Slowly.
---
Too slowly.
---
And suddenly—
---
Everyone knew.
---
JJ
Saw Lyra first.
---
Saw her red eyes.
---
Saw the tears.
---
Saw the way she couldn't even lift her head.
---
And JJ's world shattered.
---
Immediately.
---
JJ
"No."
---
A whisper.
---
JJ
"No."
---
Rhys couldn't speak.
---
Not yet.
---
Because he was still trying to process it himself.
---
Lyra
Broke first.
---
A sob escaped her.
---
A terrible sound.
---
The sound of a heart breaking.
---
And that was enough.
---
JJ
Screamed.
---
A raw.
---
Broken.
---
Devastating scream.
---
The kind that silences an entire room.
---
The kind people never forget hearing.
---
Then her legs gave out.
---
Completely.
---
And she collapsed.
---
Straight onto the floor.
---
Keifer
"JJ!"
---
He dropped beside her immediately.
---
But JJ wasn't listening.
---
Wasn't hearing.
---
Wasn't seeing.
---
Because all she could think was—
---
Care is gone.
---
The person who gave her a home.
---
The person who protected her.
---
The person who stayed when everyone thought she'd never remember them again.
---
Gone.
---
Lyra
Dropped beside her too.
---
Both of them on the floor.
---
Both crying.
---
Both broken.
---
Holding onto each other.
---
Because neither could stand.
---
Not anymore.
---
Percy
Turned away.
---
Immediately.
---
Because if he looked at them—
---
He would break too.
---
His eyes filled anyway.
---
Percy
"No..."
---
Just that.
---
One word.
---
Repeated.
---
Again.
---
Again.
---
Again.
---
Ash
Stood completely still.
---
Frozen.
---
Like her brain had stopped working.
---
Because this wasn't possible.
---
It wasn't.
---
Care was supposed to be there.
---
Laughing.
---
Teasing.
---
Living.
---
Not—
---
This.
---
Alex
Closed his eyes.
---
The calm one.
---
The rational one.
---
The one who always had answers.
---
Had none.
---
For the first time.
---
Nothing.
---
Then
Everyone looked toward Rhys.
---
Because somebody had to say it.
---
Somebody had to make it real.
---
And Rhys hated every second of it.
---
Rhys
His voice barely worked.
---
Rhys
"We tried."
---
Silence.
---
Rhys
"We tried everything."
---
His voice cracked.
---
Rhys
"Everything."
---
And then—
---
He broke.
---
Finally.
---
The man who never cried.
---
The man who always stayed strong.
---
Collapsed into a chair.
---
Head in his hands.
---
Rhys
"It happened because of me."
---
Immediately—
---
Lyra
"No."
---
Rhys
"It happened because I wasn't fast enough."
---
Lyra
"No."
---
Rhys
"I should've saved her."
---
Cin
"You couldn't."
---
Rhys
"I should've."
---
His shoulders shook.
---
For the first time.
---
Everyone watched.
---
Helplessly.
---
As one of the strongest people they knew fell apart.
---
Then
Their eyes found Cole.
---
And somehow—
---
That was worse.
---
Much worse.
---
Because Cole hadn't cried.
---
Not yet.
---
He hadn't spoken.
---
Not once.
---
He was simply sitting there.
---
Staring.
---
At nothing.
---
Still wearing his wedding suit.
---
Still wearing his wedding ring.
---
The ring that had only been on his finger for hours.
---
Keifer
Slowly walked toward him.
---
Sat beside him.
---
Neither spoke.
---
For a long time.
---
Then—
---
Keifer
"Cole."
---
Nothing.
---
Keifer
"Cole."
---
Still nothing.
---
Finally—
---
Cole looked at him.
---
And Keifer immediately wished he hadn't.
---
Because he had never seen eyes like that before.
---
Empty.
---
Completely empty.
---
Like the light had gone out.
---
Cole
"She asked me not to."
---
Keifer froze.
---
Cole
"She asked me not to become cold again."
---
His voice was barely audible.
---
Cole
"She made me promise."
---
The tears finally came.
---
Not loud.
---
Not dramatic.
---
Just silent.
---
Falling one after another.
---
Cole
"I promised her."
---
A broken laugh escaped him.
---
The saddest sound in the room.
---
Cole
"And I couldn't even keep her alive for one day as my wife."
---
Keifer immediately looked away.
---
Because that sentence hurt too much.
---
Far too much.
---
The Waiting Room
Became filled with grief.
---
Not the loud kind.
---
Not anymore.
---
Just heartbreak.
---
Heavy.
---
Crushing.
---
Unbearable.
---
And somewhere in the middle of it—
---
JJ was still on the floor.
---
Holding Lyra.
---
Crying.
---
Repeating the same words over and over.
---
JJ
"She promised."
---
A sob.
---
JJ
"She promised she'd stay."
---
And nobody knew how to answer that.
---
Because they all thought she would.
---
Trinity Hospital NYC
12:16 AM
Nobody left.
---
Nobody moved.
---
Nobody wanted to be the first person to stand up.
---
Because standing up meant accepting it.
---
Accepting that the surgery was over.
---
Accepting that there would be no miracle.
---
Accepting that the next time those doors opened—
---
Care wouldn't be walking through them.
---
The Waiting Room
Felt wrong.
---
Everything felt wrong.
---
The lights were too bright.
---
The chairs were too empty.
---
The air felt too cold.
---
Even breathing felt difficult.
---
JJ
Had stopped screaming.
---
Which somehow hurt more.
---
Because now she was just sitting on the floor.
---
Silent.
---
Staring.
---
At nothing.
---
At everything.
---
At memories.
---
JJ
"You know what the worst part is?"
---
Nobody answered.
---
Not because they didn't want to.
---
Because they couldn't.
---
JJ
"I never said thank you."
---
Her voice trembled.
---
JJ
"When I forgot everyone..."
---
A tear slipped down her cheek.
---
JJ
"She stayed."
---
Another tear.
---
JJ
"When I couldn't remember my own life..."
---
JJ
"She stayed."
---
JJ
"When I cried..."
---
JJ
"She stayed."
---
JJ
"When I pushed people away..."
---
JJ
"She stayed."
---
Her shoulders shook.
---
JJ
"And I never said thank you."
---
The room broke all over again.
---
Keifer
Immediately wrapped an arm around her.
---
Pulled her closer.
---
Held her.
---
Like if he let go—
---
She might fall apart completely.
---
Because maybe she would.
---
Percy
Was crying openly now.
---
No hiding.
---
No pretending.
---
Just grief.
---
Percy
"She was supposed to be at breakfast tomorrow."
---
Silence.
---
Percy
"She was literally arguing about pancakes yesterday."
---
A broken laugh escaped him.
---
Immediately turning into tears.
---
Percy
"Yesterday."
---
The word echoed.
---
Yesterday.
---
Not years ago.
---
Not decades ago.
---
Yesterday.
---
Ash
Finally spoke.
---
For the first time.
---
Ash
"We were thirteen."
---
Everyone looked at her.
---
Ash
"When we met."
---
Her voice cracked.
---
Ash
"We promised we'd grow old together."
---
Silence.
---
Ash
"Three idiots."
---
A tiny smile.
---
Broken.
---
Fragile.
---
Ash
"Me."
---
Ash
"Lyra."
---
Ash
"And Care."
---
The smile disappeared.
---
Ash
"We had everything planned."
---
A tear fell.
---
Ash
"Everything."
---
Lyra
Couldn't take it anymore.
---
She buried her face in her hands.
---
And cried.
---
The kind of crying that comes from years of love.
---
Years of friendship.
---
Years of memories.
---
Lyra
"She knew everything."
---
Nobody spoke.
---
Lyra
"Everything."
---
Lyra
"My secrets."
---
Lyra
"My fears."
---
Lyra
"My dreams."
---
Lyra
"Everything."
---
She looked toward the operating room.
---
Lyra
"And now who am I supposed to tell?"
---
That question shattered what little composure remained.
---
Because nobody had an answer.
---
Rhys
Was still sitting alone.
---
In the same chair.
---
In the same position.
---
Not moving.
---
Not speaking.
---
Just staring at the floor.
---
Cin
Quietly sat beside him.
---
For several minutes—
---
Nothing.
---
Then—
---
Rhys
"I heard her stupid jokes."
---
Cin froze.
---
Rhys
"For years."
---
A shaky breath.
---
Rhys
"We studied together."
---
Rhys
"We worked together."
---
Rhys
"We built Trinity together."
---
Rhys
"I knew her heartbeat."
---
Silence.
---
Rhys
"And now..."
---
His voice disappeared.
---
Because he couldn't finish the sentence.
---
Then
Everyone looked toward Cole.
---
Still sitting.
---
Still silent.
---
Still broken.
---
The wedding ring reflected the hospital lights.
---
Mocking him.
---
Only hours ago—
---
He had placed it on her finger.
---
Only hours ago.
---
Keifer
Slowly approached.
---
Sat beside him again.
---
Neither spoke.
---
For a long time.
---
Then—
---
Cole
"You know what she was worried about this morning?"
---
Keifer looked at him.
---
Cole
"The flowers."
---
A small laugh escaped him.
---
Broken.
---
Destroyed.
---
Cole
"Not the wedding."
---
Cole
"Not the guests."
---
Cole
"The flowers."
---
A tear rolled down his face.
---
Cole
"She spent twenty minutes talking about flowers."
---
The waiting room became silent again.
---
Because suddenly—
---
Everyone remembered.
---
The little things.
---
The stupid things.
---
The ordinary things.
---
The things you never imagine becoming memories.
---
Cole
Finally looked up.
---
Toward the ceiling.
---
Toward nowhere.
---
Toward somewhere.
---
Cole
"We were married for eight hours."
---
Nobody breathed.
---
Cole
"Eight."
---
His voice broke completely.
---
Cole
"I waited years."
---
Cole
"Years."
---
Cole
"And I got eight hours."
---
JJ started crying again.
---
Lyra too.
---
Ash covered her mouth.
---
Even Alex looked away.
---
Because there are some pains so large—
---
No words can touch them.
---
Outside
New York continued moving.
---
Cars continued driving.
---
People continued laughing.
---
The world continued spinning.
---
As if nothing had happened.
---
But inside Trinity Hospital—
---
A family sat together.
---
Broken.
---
Trying to understand how someone could be there in the morning—
---
Laughing.
---
Living.
---
Dreaming.
---
And be gone before midnight.
---
And all anyone could think was—
---
Why?
---
Why her?
---
Why today?
---
Why now?
---
And there was no answer.
---
Only silence.
---
And the space she left behind.
---
Trinity Hospital NYC
1:27 AM
The room was quiet.
---
Painfully quiet.
---
No alarms.
---
No monitors.
---
No rushing footsteps.
---
Nothing.
---
Just silence.
---
The kind of silence that comes after a storm.
---
The kind that hurts more than the storm itself.
---
Care
Lay peacefully.
---
As if sleeping.
---
As if she would open her eyes any moment and complain about everyone crying.
---
As if she would sit up and tell JJ to stop being dramatic.
---
As if she would tease Cole.
---
As if she would laugh.
---
But she didn't.
---
And that was the cruelest part.
---
Cole
Entered alone.
---
Slowly.
---
Quietly.
---
The room felt too small.
---
Too empty.
---
Too wrong.
---
Because she should have been talking.
---
Breathing.
---
Living.
---
Not this.
---
Never this.
---
He sat beside her.
---
For a very long time.
---
Just looking.
---
Memorizing.
---
Because suddenly—
---
He was terrified of forgetting anything.
---
The curve of her smile.
---
The way she rolled her eyes.
---
The way she laughed.
---
The way she looked at him.
---
Everything.
---
Then
His hand found hers.
---
Cold.
---
Too cold.
---
And for the first time—
---
The reality truly hit.
---
Not in the waiting room.
---
Not in the operating room.
---
Here.
---
Now.
---
Because there was no fight left.
---
No hope left.
---
No miracle left.
---
Only goodbye.
---
Cole
Lowered his head.
---
And kissed her forehead.
---
The same way he always did.
---
Gentle.
---
Careful.
---
Like she was precious.
---
Because she was.
---
Cole
"I love you."
---
Silence answered.
---
Cole
"You hear me?"
---
His voice cracked.
---
Cole
"I love you."
---
A tear fell.
---
Landing on their joined hands.
---
Cole
"You were supposed to annoy me for the next fifty years."
---
Another tear.
---
Cole
"You promised."
---
The room remained silent.
---
And somehow—
---
That hurt more than anything.
---
Then
Something changed.
---
Not his grief.
---
Not his heartbreak.
---
Something deeper.
---
Colder.
---
Darker.
---
The grief remained.
---
But beneath it—
---
Something else was born.
---
Because he remembered.
---
The wedding.
---
The knife.
---
The scream.
---
The blood.
---
The betrayal.
---
His jaw tightened.
---
Slowly.
---
Dangerously.
---
Cole
"I couldn't save you."
---
A whisper.
---
Cole
"And I'll regret that every day of my life."
---
Silence.
---
Cole
"But I swear..."
---
His eyes closed.
---
Cole
"I swear..."
---
The words barely audible.
---
Cole
"I'll find the truth."
---
Cole
"Every piece of it."
---
Cole
"No matter who is behind it."
---
Cole
"No matter how deep it goes."
---
Because somebody had taken her away.
---
Somebody had destroyed everything.
---
And he would not stop until he knew why.
---
One Final Kiss
To her forehead.
---
One final touch.
---
One final moment.
---
Then he stood.
---
Slowly.
---
Reluctantly.
---
Like leaving her there was the hardest thing he'd ever done.
---
Outside
Everyone waited.
---
Nobody spoke.
---
Nobody could.
---
The moment the door opened—
---
Every head turned.
---
Cole
Stepped out.
---
Expression unreadable.
---
Tears gone.
---
Voice gone.
---
Something else remained.
---
Something terrifying.
---
Because everyone in that hallway knew him.
---
And everyone understood one thing.
---
Cole Watson loved fiercely.
---
Completely.
---
Without limits.
---
And if anyone ever hurt the people he loved—
---
The consequences were never small.
---
Never.
---
JJ
Entered next.
---
The second she saw Care—
---
She broke.
---
Immediately.
---
JJ
"No."
---
A whisper.
---
She rushed forward.
---
Fell beside the bed.
---
Took Care's hand.
---
Like she could still feel her there.
---
JJ
"You promised."
---
Tears fell endlessly.
---
JJ
"You promised we'd grow old together."
---
Her shoulders shook.
---
JJ
"You promised."
---
Keifer
Couldn't look for several seconds.
---
Couldn't.
---
Because seeing Care like that felt wrong.
---
Unnatural.
---
Impossible.
---
Finally—
---
He stepped closer.
---
Touched her shoulder gently.
---
Keifer
"Sleep peacefully."
---
His voice broke.
---
Keifer
"We'll take care of them."
---
Lyra
Collapsed beside the bed.
---
The moment she saw her.
---
Lyra
"You idiot."
---
Crying.
---
Smiling.
---
Breaking.
---
All at once.
---
Lyra
"You absolute idiot."
---
Rhys
Was the last to enter.
---
Because he didn't want to.
---
Because seeing patients after losing them was one thing.
---
Seeing Care was another.
---
When he finally stepped inside—
---
He froze.
---
Completely.
---
And for several moments—
---
He simply stood there.
---
Looking at his best friend.
---
His family.
---
Then quietly—
---
Rhys
"Goodnight, Care."
---
Not goodbye.
---
Never goodbye.
---
Just goodnight.
---
As if some part of him still hoped—
---
That tomorrow she'd wake up.
---
And everything would be okay again.
---
But tomorrow would come.
---
And Care wouldn't.
---
And somewhere in the darkness—
---
The people responsible were still alive.
---
Still breathing.
---
Still hidden.
---
For now.
---
Because grief had entered Trinity Hospital tonight.
---
But something else had entered too.
---
A promise.
---
A promise written in heartbreak.
---
A promise written in tears.
---
A promise written by a husband who had been married for only a few hours.
---
And some promises—
---
Change the world.
---
Three Days Later
The sky was grey.
---
Quiet.
---
Almost respectful.
---
As if even the weather was mourning.
---
Today—
---
Everyone had gathered one last time.
---
Not for a wedding.
---
Not for a celebration.
---
Not for a reunion.
---
For a goodbye.
---
JJ
Stood beside Keifer.
---
Holding white flowers.
---
Crying silently.
---
Not loudly anymore.
---
She had cried too much.
---
Now the tears simply fell.
---
One after another.
---
She placed the flowers down.
---
JJ
"Thank you for finding me when I was lost."
---
A small smile.
---
JJ
"I'll miss you forever."
---
Keifer
Put his hand on JJ's shoulder.
---
Then looked forward.
---
Keifer
"You protected all of us."
---
A pause.
---
Keifer
"Rest now."
---
Percy
Couldn't speak for a long time.
---
When he finally did—
---
Percy
"You were annoying."
---
A laugh escaped through tears.
---
Percy
"And I loved you for it."
---
Lyra
Broke again.
---
Immediately.
---
Lyra
"You were supposed to stay."
---
She whispered it.
---
Like a secret.
---
Like a prayer.
---
Lyra
"You promised."
---
Alex
Held her hand.
---
Tightly.
---
Then quietly said—
---
Alex
"Thank you for being our family."
---
Rhys
Stood still.
---
For the longest time.
---
Then placed a single white rose.
---
Rhys
"Goodnight, Care."
---
The same words.
---
The same heartbreak.
---
Ash
Touched the flowers gently.
---
Ash
"Wait for us."
---
Tears fell.
---
Ash
"But not too soon."
---
Freya and Edrix
Stood together.
---
Heads lowered.
---
Silent.
---
Rakhi and Cin
Held hands.
---
Cin
"I'm sorry."
---
A doctor's apology.
---
A friend's apology.
---
One that would haunt him forever.
---
Mica and Calix
Cried together.
---
Unable to say much.
---
David
Looked away.
---
Because some grief is private.
---
Eman
Placed a small note.
---
Something only Care would understand.
---
Felix
Saluted jokingly.
---
Then immediately started crying.
---
Denzel
Held Grace and Grazel Jay close.
---
Trying to stay strong.
---
Failing.
---
Yuri
Had flown in.
---
Immediately.
---
Not caring about meetings.
---
Not caring about responsibilities.
---
Just to be here.
---
He stood silently.
---
Then bowed his head.
---
And left a single flower.
---
Nothing more.
---
Nothing needed.
---
Finally
Cole.
---
Everyone watched.
---
Nobody moved.
---
Nobody breathed.
---
He stepped forward slowly.
---
The wedding ring still on his finger.
---
The same ring.
---
The only proof that the wedding had even happened.
---
For several moments—
---
He said nothing.
---
Just looked.
---
Memorizing.
---
One last time.
---
Then he knelt.
---
And gently adjusted one of the flowers.
---
A small thing.
---
A very Care thing.
---
Because she always fixed things.
---
Even flowers.
---
Cole
Softly.
---
"So this is goodbye."
---
His voice almost disappeared.
---
Cole
"You would've hated everyone crying this much."
---
A small smile.
---
The first in days.
---
And the saddest.
---
Cole
"I kept my promise."
---
Silence.
---
Cole
"I'm still here."
---
His eyes closed.
---
Just for a second.
---
Cole
"But I miss you."
---
A tear fell.
---
Cole
"God, I miss you."
---
The wind moved softly through the trees.
---
And for one impossible moment—
---
It almost felt like she was there.
---
Laughing.
---
Rolling her eyes.
---
Calling everyone dramatic.
---
Then
The moment ended.
---
The wind passed.
---
And reality remained.
---
They stayed a little longer.
---
Together.
---
One last time.
---
Before slowly walking away.
---
Not because they were ready.
---
Because they never would be.
---
But because life keeps moving.
---
Even when your heart doesn't.
---
And somewhere—
---
In every memory.
---
Every laugh.
---
Every argument.
---
Every stupid chaotic moment—
---
Care Patel remained.
---
Forever.
---
Until we meet again.