Next To You

May You Shine Ever Brighter

Heather walked down the hall as she shuffled through some papers. She had to make sure they were all there. Once she had them organized, she handed them in to Professor LeDeaux.

He raised an eyebrow as he skimmed over them, "you wrote this?"

She nodded, "I was going to enter it into a short story contest at my old school before I had to transfer. I had a lot of confidence in it, but now I'm not so sure."

He smiled as he stuck it in his briefcase, "I'm honored you're asking me to look it over. From the few words I've already read from it, it seems like it's very well-written, I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Thank you sir. I had to do something with it, it was just put away gathering dust this whole time," she walked over to her seat and sat down.

Gregory came in and smiled when he saw her there, "early for class again, I see."

He sat next to her and stared at her. LeDeaux peered out the corner of his eye as he started writing on the board. Lately, he had noticed Heather's sudden change in demeanor every time Gregory came near her or spoke to her. He was always a little curious as to why, but he stayed out of it. Today was different.

"We are doing something different today Mr. Reynolds. We'll be having a little competition, boys versus girls. I'm afraid you'll have to sit on the other side of the room," LeDeaux smirked.

Gregory stood up and slowly walked to the other side, but continued to stare at Heather. She did her best to ignore him. LeDeaux finished writing as more students came in. Then it was finally time to start.

They were having a big debate that morning. Heather's competitive side shone as she shut down every one of Gregory's arguments. LeDeaux was impressed. He had seen her rise to the top at everything, and Gregory had the highest marks in the whole school. It was nice to see a change for once.

Heather remembered Eoin had been on the debate team. He was good at it, like most things he tried. It was strange still going to classes while most schools were out for the summer. She discovered Hill Crest only got one month off for summer, but she didn't hate the idea of it. She knew more time spent in classes would keep her busy, and during that time, she didn't think about being lonely.

Gregory was in most of Heather's classes, and she was beating him at everything. He actually enjoyed it though, it made days go by a lot quicker and more exciting than before. After classes that day, it was off to change into office clothes and working with Heather again.

Heather dreaded it more than anything. He was getting too comfortable with her. It wasn't fair having to spend most of the day around him already, then on top of that, ride in a car and work with him. She knew what her grandparents were expecting out of it.

As Heather was leaning over a table and looking over some plans at the office, he stood next to her and stared right at her with an odd expression on his face. He tried to move closer to her. She put her hand up and pressed it into his chest.

"Come any closer and I'll slug you," Heather glared sideways at him.

He chuckled, "it's inevitable you know. When two people spend this much time alone with each other, things always have a way of escalating. Your fighting it, only arouses me more."

Heather made a disgusted expression, "gross. I'm going to work in the office, alone, until it's time to leave."

She turned on her heel and walked out, Gregory just laughed and called to her, "I have infinite patience Ms. O'Reilly, you will see!"

Heather cringed at the thought. There was no way she was going to be around him now. She froze when she saw her grandfather walking her way with a group of men in expensive business suits following closely behind him. He dropped in unexpectedly with the old dragons of O'Reilly Corp. to check on things. Hiram Reynolds was among them. He went straight to Gregory.

She stood straight and smoothed her blouse and skirt as he walked up to her, "good evening Grandfather, this certainly is a surprise."

He smiled with reserve as he looked around the office, "everything seems to be going smoothly. How are you adjusting my dear?"

"It's like second nature Grandfather," she exaggerated.

"Well done Heather, I'm very pleased with your success. Your grandmother was right to send you here, you seem more focused. I suppose that boyfriend was a distraction after all," he stated cheerfully.

Heather shook her head, "Eoin wasn't the distraction Grandfather, it was the fact I was hiding my identity that hindered me. Might I have a word with you, privately?"

Ferguson glanced at his watch, "I only have a minute dear, but you may have it."

They went into the office and she closed the door, "I'll get straight to the point then. Our break is next month and I was wondering if I might come home for it. I miss my friends."

"I don't know Heather, it's not really up to me. We've almost reached the end of a big negotiation and until the deal goes through, I'm afraid we'll be stuck in London," Ferguson saw the disappointment residing in her expression, "haven't you made friends here?"

"Not particularly. Besides, most of them are going home for break. I know Gregory will be here, but I can't stand him. I don't understand why you keep forcing me to be around him," Heather fiddled with the paperweight on the desk, waiting for an answer.

Ferguson glanced down at his watch again, "I'm sorry dear, we'll have to talk about this some other time, I'm already running late to the airport."

He kissed her forehead and hurried out. She stood in the doorway and watched him leave, then glanced over as Hiram came out of the board room where he had been talking to Gregory. She saw a flash of contempt in his eyes for the brief moment they made contact with hers. She didn't like that man at all and always felt like he was up to something. Gregory came sauntering out with an irritated expression. He had finished his work and was handing it off to one of the other employees.

He saw her watching him, but his attitude was different now, "are you finished then?"

Heather nodded, grabbed her jacket and bag, then turned to the secretary, "thank you for all your hard work today, see you in the morning."

He had noticed she always thanked the employees for their hard work, every day, even if they hadn't done very well. He supposed that's why they liked her though, because she acknowledged them, encouraged them, and praised them. Heather really was an admirable person, and he was starting to come to terms with the fact that her money was no longer the only thing he cared about.

His face darkened at the idea of it, before he got in the car with her, he called someone, "be in my room by the time I get back, the key is in the usual place."

He removed his blazer and loosened his tie after he got in. He avoided looking over at Heather and just stared out the window instead.

She cleared her throat and tapped him on the shoulder, "Gregory, may I ask you something?"

He still kept his gaze out the window, "hmm?"

"Have you only been pursuing me because your father wants you to? For my family's money?" Heather had been wondering about it for a while now and had to ask.

"What brought you to that conclusion?" He still refused to look at her.

"Well you two were talking about something, and this is the first time we've been alone together and you haven't said anything creepy or perverted to me. This is the first time I've seen you in this mood," she replied warily.

He laughed to himself then turned to her, "I thought you would enjoy seeing me this way, perhaps you like it when I'm coming onto you after all?"

He stroked her cheek and pretended he was about to kiss her, she swatted at him like he was a fly and scooted away from him, "ew, forget I said anything."

They reached the school and he watched her run to the girls' dormitory. As he hung his blazer over his shoulder, he started walking up to his room. Heather was too perceptive, too smart. She was catching on and it bothered him. What bothered him more was that she might realize his feelings for her were real, and he couldn't have that.

He entered his room, some candles were lit, and one of his 'friends' was waiting there for him. She stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Rough day?"

"My father came for a visit today. I didn't invite you over to talk though," he answered stiffly.

She sighed, "I know. Don't fuss, I came prepared, just let me take care of everything."

Eoin was struggling to keep up with Gerald in the fields. The sun was beating down heavily, even though it was early morning. His arm was still bandaged up, but he couldn't afford to lose any days of work, especially since his grandmother, Maggie, couldn't help Gerald as much as she used to.

Lunch came around and she rang a bell on their porch and waved to them to let them know the food was ready. Gerald watched Eoin from across the table with concern.

"I think you'd better go home for the day sport, I'll still pay you for the day's work, but I don't think you should come out here until that's all healed up," he said with a warm smile.

Eoin shook his head, "I couldn't do that to you Gramps. I can still help."

"Hate to break it to you kid, but you're far from being helpful in your condition. Finish your lunch, then you'll go," he said firmly.

Eoin didn't want to argue, so he nodded his head, "alright then."

There was a crash and a thud inside. They both got up and ran to the kitchen. They found Maggie on the floor, shaking.

"Maggie!" Gerald knelt down and tried helping her up, but she went limp.

"Grandma?" Eoin knelt down and tried to feel for her pulse. "Can you hear me? Grandma?!"

Gerald put her on her back and tried to revive her, "Maggie, don't do this to me now! Eoin, call an ambulance!"

He ran for the phone and started dialing as he sprinted back to the kitchen. Gerald was shaking his head and covering his face, fear gripped his chest. A small sob escaped his mouth. Eoin knelt down again and put his ear to Maggie's chest. Nothing. He fell back and let the phone fall to the floor, he couldn't stop the tears from falling. She was gone.

Heather hadn't heard from Eoin lately, but she knew he was supposed to work on his grandparents' farm for the summer. When she returned to her room, she checked her phone and saw she had a missed call and a voice message from Mya.

She opened it and heard Mya's voice, with a sad tone, "hey Heather, it's me. Just needed to tell you that I wish you were here. I really miss you. You should find a way to call Eoin, his grandmother died, the funeral is this weekend. I've never seen him so depressed." There was a sniffing sound, then Mya's voice again, "I'll stop bugging you now, but if there's any way you could come home, I think you're just the person he needs right now. Bye."

Heather pulled her phone away from her ear and sat in stunned silence. Maggie was gone. She had seen herself how close Eoin was with her, how much he loved her. Her heart broke for him. She thought for a moment, then knocked on the door that connected Serenity's room to hers.

Serenity opened the door with a toothbrush in hand, "is everything alright Ms. Heather?"

"I know this might be asking a lot, but could you take me to North Ridge this weekend? It's important, and could we possibly not tell my grandparents until we get there? They probably won't let me go, but I need to be there, for emotional support. Someone I know has just lost someone very close to them," Heather pleaded.

Serenity sighed and hung her head, conflicted, "it's for that boy, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's why I know they won't let me go."

Serenity stared down at Heather and was starting to understand why Connelly had risked so much for her. She had a good heart, and Serenity couldn't tell her no.

"I might get in trouble for it, but sure, I'll do it," Serenity accepted.

Heather nodded, "you're only here because they hired you. But now I'm hiring you. I have my own money saved up, I can pay you."

Serenity smiled, "I couldn't take your money, Ms. Heather. Besides, I can't take any other jobs while I'm on this assignment, it's in my contract."

"Oh, right. You'd really help me though?"

"I was hired to look out for you. I'll take getting reprimanded for that instead of failing my assignment any day. I was never asked to keep you away from North Ridge or the boy," she answered confidently.

Saturday morning came. She had finished her work, and was now headed to North Ridge. She never got to call Eoin, she believed being there was far more important. She had gotten the information through Mya, but didn't say she was coming.

She stopped at the same florist where she always got flowers for her mother's grave site. Her heart was pounding and her stomach had butterflies. It had been several weeks since she had seen Eoin, she couldn't hold in her anxiety.

Serenity glanced back at her, "I'm sure having you there will mean the world to him, Ms. Heather, he's fortunate to have a friend as caring as you."

"Thank you Ms. Logan, I really hope so," Heather peered out the window as the cemetery came into view.

It was a beautiful day, but even then, she could sense the sadness that lingered there. There was a large crowd, dressed all in black, gathered there. Maggie Flannery must've touched many lives. She carefully made her way to the front, where Eoin and his family stood. The minister was just starting to speak.

"We are all here today, to remember Margaret Alden Flannery. She brought into this world charity, joy, and laughter. Her kind and unyielding spirit was an inspiration and was a gentle reassurance to all of us. Generosity, honesty, and tolerance was what she taught us and we will forever be grateful and blessed to have had her in our lives. She asked that we don't remember her with sadness and longing, but with happiness, and to relish in the present, always striving to make the world a better place, for now and for generations to come. Maggie, you were a resonant light in our lives, may you shine ever brighter on the other side. In the name of our lord and savior, amen."

"Amen" everyone said reverently and threw flowers onto her casket as they lowered it into the grave.

Heather squeezed in next to Eoin and grabbed his hand. He glanced over and was shocked to see her there. Before he could say anything, she patted his hand to let him know it was okay. Whatever he wanted to say could wait. Right at that moment, it was one last farewell for Maggie Flannery.

Heather went around and offered her condolences to their family, then went for a walk with Eoin. Once they were alone, she saw the cast on Eoin's arm.

"What happened here?"

"Broke it playing basketball about a month ago," he answered solemnly.

She wanted to scold him for not telling her, but saw how puffy his eyes were and knew he had been crying. She hated that she hadn't been around. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry Eoin, you've been through a lot lately. Are you going to be okay?" She looked up at his face and searched his eyes.

He shrugged and stared off, "I was there... When it happened. She died right in front of us, we couldn't do anything... My grandpa and I."

Heather teared up, he was fighting it, he didn't want to cry in front of her, "it's okay, I'm here for you."

He held her close to him, she felt liquid hit her shoulder and soak through the material of her dress. She never wanted to leave him again, though she knew she would have to, especially when her grandparents found out. She pushed it from her mind and focused on Eoin.

After a while, he was finally able to pull himself together. He brought her home with him and she had lunch with the Flannerys. They all sat quietly around the table, not sure if they should talk about it or not.

After Eoin changed into regular clothes. They went for a drive, roaming aimlessly until they found themselves at the bridge again. They sat down on the ground and leaned against the railing.

He looked over at her and gently brushed hair out of her eyes, "thank you, Heather. It means a lot to me you came all the way down here. You probably know how I feel right now."

"Yeah, but the difference is, I was alone in my grieving, you aren't. You have family, friends, and me. I hope that makes it hurt less," she said as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"It does, and yet, I don't know how anyone can live with this kind of pain. It's like you're missing something important, but try as you may, you'll never find it again. That's the only way I can describe it that makes sense to me," Eoin rested his chin on top of Heather's head, completely drained of emotion.

"I describe it as surreal. That feeling you get in your sleep, when you feel like you're falling and there's nothing to grab on to, there's no bottom. One of the scariest feelings I've ever known. But with time, the pain fades. It doesn't mean you'll stop feeling sad, it'll just grow into a different type of sadness," she described to him. "Of course, everyone mourns differently, and heals at their own pace, either way, it takes time."

"I love that you're here, I really do, but won't you get in a lot of trouble for this?" Eoin turned to face her, concerned.

Heather smiled sadly, "probably, but I don't care, I'm here to be with you. Just don't worry about me. You've done so much for me, ever since we first met, please, let me do this for you."

Eoin was about to protest, but he knew it wouldn't make a difference. She was finally there, right in front of him, and he wasn't going to question it. He stood up and helped her to her feet, then he kissed her. In that instant, he felt whole again.