"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone"
It was something Price heard often. It was something he sang in the showers when no one was around if it got stuck in his head. He never saw it any anything other than a song. Anything but an earworm. You would laugh with him. Smile with him. Sometimes if you were both in the shower, hands exploring the same body that had grown addicted to the touch. The feeling of your soaked wet bodies under the spray. Sometimes he would sing even then. Sometimes you would sing with.
If it came on in the car he would skip it though, moving towards dad rock or whatever song you had in your head at the time. His hand on your thigh. His eyes glancing over at you in the middle of traffic. God what a sight you were to him. Even in dead stop traffic he didn't mind. He didn't want to go anywhere. In his mind if the traffic didn't move neither did the world. Time could freeze. Just you and him, in a car. Your smile, your eyes. You infectious laugh when he told you one of his corny ass jokes.
It was everything to him. You made traffic fun. You made living life fun. You made everything feel so light. So bright. When in his world he only saw things under the dim scope of pessimism. You brightened everything.
Then suddenly, those lyrics were no longer just lyrics.
He was on a mission when he got that call. He was walking around the safehouse he was located at with his team. They were bickering around an old wooden table, playing a game of uno that Gaz was sure Ghost was cheating at. He was.
He answered it like he did every phone call.
"Captain John Price" He greets, it was a habit.
"Hello, sir this is Dr. Diaz from Saint Joseph's Hospital. This is regarding your wife, Reader Price" The voice says, he stopped walking
"My wife? Is she alright? What is she doing at hospital?" He asks, confused. Like that the arguments stop. The men looking up from their game. Their faces falling into a concerned expression. It was even evident on Ghost's eyes.
"She was admitted earlier today, there was a car accident and she came in with severe head trauma and blood loss. I am calling to inform, because while we were attempting to run tests to determine her condition, she unfortunately passed away. I am so sorry for your loss on behalf of myself and Saint Joseph's Hospital." He says, it was like the air was removed from his lungs. It felt like the blood not only left his face but heart too leaving it beating hopelessly in his chest while the chill took over.
"I am sorry for your loss. We did what we could. Unfortunately the injuries she sustained in the accident were too severe and she succumbed to them too fast " He says, Price furrows his brows in confusion. He didn't understand. It didn't make sense. No because you had texted him that morning. You had sent him a good morning text with that fucking sunshine emote that creeped him out. He just stood there. Confused. The doctor says his goodbyes, yet even when the phone clicks off Price didn't remove it from his ear. He just stared ahead of him. The world around him seemingly to shift and move and he was being thrown off.
"Cap?" Soap asks approaching, Gaz on his tail.
"Captain? Is the missus alright?" Gaz asks, they get closer and as soon as Gaz goes to touch his shoulder his entire knees buckled. Soap catching his other side while Gaz hangs on tight.
"Woah woah- Cap? Cap?" Soap starts
"Price, mate what's happened?" Ghost asks getting up from the table, Price just shook his head. He could barely comprehend what he was told let alone be able to say it himself.
"No-" He manages out but it was all he could as they start lowering him to the floor. Noticing he wasn't catching his groundings again. He wasn't getting up.
The light seemed to be sucked out of the room. Suddenly he was on the floor and he still couldn't ground himself enough to understand. Enough to let it sink in.
"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone"
Suddenly meant everything to him. He suddenly understood. Because after that he couldn't find it. He would stand outside sometimes, feeling the heat on his face and yet he didn't feel like it was light. He didn't feel like it was bright enough.
He stopped skipping it in the car. Letting it play all the way through stuck in the same traffic when he was home. He wished the world would move. He wished this fucking prius would learn how to fucking drive and would just do it.
Suddenly the world seemed so quiet. So dim. So empty. Showers were cold no matter how hot the water. Beds felt too big. He would text your number. Sending that little fucking sun emote that he hated so much. Until one day the texts turned green. He called the phone company but they had already reassigned your phone number. He was dying inside. Suddenly those lyrics didn't seem like just lyrics, they felt like a death sentence. Though for him. Because everyday that he lived without your sunshine was another day he was left cold. Left freezing. Left getting frostbite on his nerves and heart. The world had taken you from him. The world that you made so fun.
Nighttime was the worst but felt the most true. He hated the lonely nights but he preferred the dim moonlight to the false sun in the sky. The sun trying so hard to shine as bright as you once had and yet it could never quite get it right.
There was truly no more sunshine, with you gone.
