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Adam sighed softly as he cast a quick glance to the silent woman at his right. She hadn't said a word in what seemed an eternity, and had barely moved a muscle, either. He couldn't even see her face, as she had her head turned toward the passenger's side window, staring out.
"Hey," he said in a gentle tone. He reached over to touch her arm, and she seemed to stiffen just a bit.
Amy shifted in the seat, turning so that her profile was suddenly visible to the tall blond man.
"It's not your fault, you know."
She looked directly at him at the sudden feel of his large, warm hand stroking up and down her forearm. She knew he was right, but she sure felt as though she were responsible. She bowed her head, her gaze on his hand softly touching her arm. After a long moment, she spoke.
"I know." Amy sighed and gazed out the windshield at the road ahead. "But all those poor people!" she exclaimed. "It just... it's not fair." Lowering her head again, she bit her lip. Then, "And I'm basically unemployed now. I had even just got a raise, and... I feel like crap thinking of that... considering what happened."
The blond man kept his eyes on the road as he continued to drive. However, his hand stayed put on her arm.
"It's only natural for you to feel that way," he said. "What happened to your co-workers is horrible, but you still have to have a way to support yourself." He shifted his green eyes her way for a beat, gazing at her with sympathy.
The redhead sighed and didn't respond to that.
They continued on the drive in silence, with nothing but their own individual thoughts and fears between them. Adam regretted having brought her to her office building. It was a very traumatic experience he knew would not be leaving the woman anytime soon. On the other hand, she'd insisted. And knowing Amy Dumas the way he did, he would have bet his bottom dollar that she would have gone back there on her own had he not taken her there.
"I suppose Mr. McMahon will rebuild in no time."
The blond man turned his head toward her again.
"Mr. McMahon?" he questioned.
Amy met his eyes.
"He's the owner of the newspaper," she explained. "A self-made millionaire. So, maybe my unemployment will only be a temporary thing."
He offered her a smile, though it was half-hearted, given the dire nature of the situation.
"Of course it will."
She nodded but didn't really have a reply in mind. She hoped he was right. But inside, she wasn't too sure, and that was despite her own statement minutes prior. She sulked and stared out the window as they kept driving.
Adam reached over by the radio and pushed the button to turn it on. Music began to play in the Lexus. He thought it might be a good distraction for the redhead, though it was probably impossible for her to focus on anything else at the moment.
He didn't even know where he was taking them. He seemed to be driving aimlessly, trying to take the unhappy woman as far away from the tragedy as possible. they had been driving awhile now, and he wanted to get out and stretch his legs.
He let out a heavy sigh as he realized where they suddenly were. He'd never meant to travel out here, but he guessed that his subconscious had taken over. He parked the car on the nearly deserted curb and unfastened his seatbelt.
"Come on."
Amy raised her head and gave him a strange look upon the realization of where they were. Glancing around, she parted her lips in confusion. She followed his actions and undid her seatbelt and stepped out of the Lexus.
"What are we doing here?"
He cast her a look before quickly heading onward.
"Just visiting," he murmured.
The redhead stared after the man but hurried her steps to catch up to him. She felt somewhat chilled to be there, as she had had a phobia of cemeteries as a kid. She hated to admit that it had never really left her, even though she wasn't terrified to the point of turning and running away.
"Wait up!" She ran after him, the child with the phobia creeping back into her. She caught up to him and grabbed hold of his hand as she glanced around at all the headstones and graves.
Adam became acutely aware of the fact that she had grabbed his hand. Her small fingers felt nice and soft as they curled around his own. Holding hands with her was anything but unpleasant.
They walked down one row of graves, with Amy feeling still slightly ill at ease. She'd never been out here before, but then, she hadn't ever had a reason, either. She shuddered a bit, and then, the blond man suddenly stopped walking.
She gazed up into his face, which had grown unbelievably sad. She hated cemeteries, hated headstones and graves and all that stuff. In fact, she'd decided years earlier that when she died, she wanted to be cremated. As much as she didn't want to, she turned away from him to eye the marble stone marking the grave they were standing before.
Judy Anne Copeland... Her breath caught as she read the entire inscription. She knew who'd been esconced in the ground here, just knew it.
Adam kept his gaze on the tombstone, his green eyes glistening with unshed tears. Without looking at Amy, he said, "This grave... it belongs to my mother."
She glanced from the gray marble stone back to him. She swallowed hard as she noticed a single tear running down his cheek.
"I-I know," she softly said.
The tall blond man sniffled as he openly cried, and her heart completely went out to him. Knowing from Melina that Adam's mother had died when he was very young, she had a feeling he always reverted back to that frightened little boy whenever he came here.
She winced and turned to face him, pulling him in for a hug. Instantly, he responded, his arms wrapping around
her, enveloping her tightly, and they stayed like that for a long while.