15. When everything breaks…

Evie's P.O.V.

The way to the hospital wing seems endless. My heart beats incredibly fast and thoughts race through my head. What's wrong? Is Carlos okay? What happened?

Ben, Mal, Jay and the former royal couple also seem pretty worried. The security guard couldn't tell us anything more detailed, as he was only told by the Fairy Godmother to get the king immediately.

The fear in me slowly but surely turns into panic as we approach the door behind which Carlos is lying. And when I notice that it is open, my heart contracts in panic. No! Quickly we run into the room and what I see there surpasses any idea of horrible images.

A continuous beeping fills the room while doctors run around our friend and obviously try to revive him. For a moment everything stands still. No sound reaches me, nothing seems to matter anymore. I stand frozen and I know that the others do not have to feel differently.

I wake up from my rigidity when the Fairy Godmother comes towards us and gently pushes us out of the room. Jay immediately starts to fight back, but I am too shocked to resist. Only one thought goes through my mind. Carlos stopped breathing. His heart stopped beating. "He had massive internal bleeding. But I can promise you that the doctors are going to do everything they can to help him."

But the words barely reach me, and I don't even feel the tears running down my cheeks. All I feel is this endless pain in my heart. I see Jay screaming something, but the words sound so far away. Ben has taken the stunned Mal in his arms, who is just staring at the door. I don't know how much time passes before a doctor comes out.

And when I see his face, my whole world suddenly collapses and I feel like I can't breathe properly anymore. He doesn't have to say anything, I know what happened. I know that they couldn't help our little friend.

But I do not want to accept it. I want it all to be just a terrible dream from which I can wake up and Carlos will then take me in his arms to tell me that it was just a dream, that everything is fine and that he is there, but I know it is not like that. "I'm very sorry, but the bleeding was too severe. Your friend has passed away." Those words are destroying everything I ever believed in. I can't believe it. Everything stops.

I see Jay screaming and rushing towards the door, but the former king is holding him back. Mal buries his face in Ben's chest while the king closes his eyes. Belle and the Fairy Godmother are holding each other in their arms as well. I stand there frozen until my legs give way under me and I sink to the ground.

A desperate scream is heard, followed by a broken sob, and it takes a moment before I realise that both are coming from me. Now I kneel on the cold floor and cry as never before in my life. My whole life seems to lie in ruins before me as I begin to realize that our beloved Carlos is dead. Why?

I can't stop thinking about that question. Wasn't he better when he woke up and now he's just dead? Just gone forever? His life has been wiped out just like that and now we all have to live with this indescribable pain?

And in this moment one thing becomes clear to me. One thing that I would certainly never have noticed otherwise. Every moment is a gift. Every moment with him was a gift. Every laugh, every smile and every hug is now something very special. The small moments that were previously completely unimportant suddenly have a completely different meaning. Because the moments and memories of him are all we have left of him now.

Carlos' bright and warm soul has left us and we can only bring it back to us in memories. What I would give now to hear his voice one last time and to be able to embrace him once more. I never told him how important he was to me and I now deeply regret that.

The time we have is a gift. And we should use it to show our loved ones and tell them how important they are to us. Because the moment will come when it's too late.

And for us, that moment is now. Because Carlos is gone for good now, and no matter what we do, he's never coming back. He lost the fight this time. The fight that took him away from us forever.

For Cameron Boyce, who brought our little Carlos to life. He left us far too young and too soon. His wonderful and bright soul will never be forgotten. We miss you very much and hope that you are doing well in the place you are now. Take care of us all. We will never forget you and always carry you in our hearts. You will live on in our memories. You made the world a better and more beautiful place. Rest, you've earned it. Goodbye, my little Carlos.💔