Alex sat alone in the waiting room.

​

The hospital was strangely quiet, with only a few doctors passing through every now and then to break the silence. The stillness of the night offered very little comfort to Alex.

Alex removed his badge, turning it in his hands to give himself something to take his mind off of the situation. However, his attempt to keep his mind busy was futile, and the images of that fateful moment flashed through his mind. Alex had run out of tears to cry hours ago, but his heart continued to pound, like it was trying to tear its way out of his chest.

​

Alex heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

​

He looked up to see Doctor Collins approaching him with her clipboard in hand. All sense of hope that Alex felt when he saw her turned to dread when he noticed the mournful expression on her face.

​

He stood up as she reached him, still clinging to the hope that everything would be alright, but deep down, he knew the hope that he felt was in vain.

​

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Officer Williams didn’t make it. She’s gone.”

​

Alex barely registered the words; as the doctor spoke, the world around him seemed to warp and feel further away. Somewhere at the back of his mind, Alex had known this was going to happen, but he still did not want to believe it. He had spent his whole life, as a detective, with Sarah Williams - meeting her on his first day on the job - and they had been close ever since. And now she was gone.

​

And it was all his fault.

​

Alex sat back down and placed his head in his hands. Doctor Collins took the seat next to Alex.

​

“There was nothing we could do. Her injuries were too severe.”

​

Alex did not respond. Instead, he got to his feet, grabbed his coat, and swiftly left the building.

​

The drive home was quiet. Alex had muted the radio, and had vanished into his own mind. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a while until he had truly figured out how to navigate the complex emotions he was experiencing. He wanted nothing more than to be with her again, to see her smile, to hear the sound of her voice and the way she always laughed when Alex told a terrible joke. Never again would he experience the same warmth he felt in her presence.

​

It was almost midnight when Alex arrived at home; the house was dark and cold, and had an air of misery, as if the house itself was suffering at the hands of Sarah’s death.

Alex was barely through the door when he began to let the tears fall freely, sinking to the floor, with his head in his hands, as he wept.

​

Before he knew it, the sun’s morning rays were shining through the window; Alex had not slept that night. He had cried until there were no tears left to cry, and then simply stayed on the floor for the rest of the night.

​

He finally lifted his head, and felt the sun’s warmth on his face. He sat like this for a moment, before eventually climbing to his feet; he was about to go into the kitchen when he spotted something small sticking out of the letterbox. He slowly pulled it out, and realised it was a laminated card, no larger than the palm of his hand. On the front was a logo for something called: “T.E.C.”, with the words: “Unleash the unthinkable. Unlock Tomorrow. Embrace infinity” written underneath. Turning it over, Alex discovered some text had been printed on the other side: “Struggling with a recent loss? We have the power to let you see them again.” There were contact details written below.

​

For a brief moment, Alex wondered if, perhaps, he was dreaming; it seemed too good to be true, especially for Alex to receive it at this time.

​

But Alex did not care. Whatever “T.E.C.” was had his attention, and Alex would give anything to see Sarah again.