October 23, 2023 – 12:23 AM
Melody Crouch — Played by Emma
"Oh, Ben." Melody sighed, barely registering that she had said it aloud rather than thought it to herself. It was a truth she couldn't refute or logic her way around, for even if they couldn't stand to be around one another Ben would have always come back for Nora. His deciding to live separately while giving her full custody meant sacrificing all the small moments he would have otherwise experienced. Her heart broke for him as her understanding of what he had potentially lost further sunk in. After all, all the past small moments could've been all that remained to them.
Unsure of what to say or how to help him, Melody released his hands and inched forward to embrace him. There were no words, no promises, no reassurances that she felt confident enough to utter in that moment. Not when she was struggling to believe them herself.
October 23, 2023 – 12:41 AM
Reuben Crouch — Played by Lynn
Ben practically collapsed into her arms, with the weight of it all coming down on him at once. He could have tallied up the hours he'd spent interacting with his daughter since he'd left their Irvingly house in spring — he could have put them down on paper and counted them — and there might never be any more.
He took a deep, shuddering breath. He might have cried, and probably the only reason he didn't was that it felt unfair to Melody when she had kept herself pulled together so far. He didn't know what he could say at this point. Everything they hadn't already said felt obvious. He just wanted something to happen. He wanted Nora to wake up, but failing that he would have taken anything that put the situation a little less in doubt.
He sat there holding Melody and being held for a long time, until he'd finally... not pulled himself together, exactly, but until his anxiety over the uncertainty outweighed the despair that had him pinned to the chair. Then he sniffled and extracted himself and mumbled, "I'm going to try and find a healer."
MJ made this <3
October 23, 2023 – 12:55 AM
Melody Crouch — Played by Emma
Melody had dreamt of being held by him again countless times in the months since their separation. She thought of it on days when Nora had been particularly challenging or when she suddenly and desperately missed her family. She longed for it nightly in the beginning of their separation when the house seemed too quiet and empty. But Melody would have willingly continued dreaming a hopeless, useless dream if it meant she never had to experience the devastation of holding a broken version of him.
She would have hugged him for hours if it meant providing him with any source of comfort throughout this nightmare. Only, he was pulling away almost as soon as the hug began (or so it felt) and making an excuse to leave. Melody nodded as she sank back into her chair and reached once more for Nora's hand. "Yeah, okay." She agreed. An update on Nora would hopefully help the hopelessness settling in on her chest in the absence of his arms. "I'll - I'll be here."
It was only when the door gently closed that Melody began to cry once more.
