Loving Catalina was the easiest thing Eddie Diaz ever had to do. Almost losing her in a car accident became the immediate worst.
Catalina loved her husband and son more than anything else in the world. They were all she had left.
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Eddie shook his h...
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"What the fuck?" Catalina spoke as she walked around the abyss. She had no clue where she was or why she was there. The last thing she remembers was watching Buck and Tilly get to know each other. Eddie still hadn't met her, and Catalina has no idea how long she's been here; she doesn't know whether Eddie had met Tilly or not or whether Eddie has accepted her.
But, she trusted her husband. She knew him well enough to know that he had a heart of gold; that he wouldn't turn Tilly away without good reasoning. Plus, he loved her too much to go against her wishes.
At least, she hoped he still loved her that much.
Fear crept up her spine the more she walked. As she looked around, nothing changed. It all felt like she was just walking in place, it was beyond unsettling.
Suddenly, a voice caught her attention from behind her. She quickly turned around, faced with a woman she hadn't seen in years. "Abuela?" Catalina's voice was soft and shaky as she took hesitant steps toward the older woman, not believing her eyes.
(Grandma?)
"Catalina, mi niña hermosa." The woman cooed as she gently grasped Catalina's face, looking at her with pure adoration and care. "H-How are you here? What's going on?" Catalina had a million questions she wanted to ask her grandmother. The last time she saw her was when she was a little girl and her parents took her to say her final goodbyes.
(Catalina, my beautiful girl.)
Catalina and her grandmother always had a close bond so, when she passed away, Catalina felt like she had lost it all. Like she had no one else out there that would care for her; about her.
Her abuela, Marta, chuckled at her grand-daughters anticipation and confusion. She held onto her hands gently as she looked her in the eyes. "We're in the middle of life and death," Marta spoke simply, being much like Catalina, she didn't like beating around the bush.
Catalina's eyes opened wide as she took in the information. "Life and death? What are you talking about?" Marta knew her granddaughter was a smart girl, but, sometimes she had trouble accepting the truth; accepting reality as it was. "Just what it sounds like, mi niña. We're in the space between the living world and the afterlife. Simple as that." Catalina looked at her grandmother with pure shock and fear as to what this could all lead to.
Marta didn't know how else to phrase it and she wasn't going to downplay any of it. Catalina was a grown woman now, way older than the last time they spoke so there was no need to dumb it down. Even in childhood, Marta never had to downplay anything, knowing Catalina was smart enough to understand what was needed.
"Why," Catalina gulped, taking a deep breath as she squeezed her grandmother's hands. Marta hated the pure fear that shined boldly in Catalina's eyes. "Why am I here?" Marta gave her a reassuring, kind, smile as she gently squeezed her hands back. "You're not dead, Catalina. You still have a choice, you always have. But, your time is running out now." Catalina hated the sound of that, it made her heart race and her palms turn clammy.
