It was after the funeral that Braden realized that there was a lot of work to be done in order to bring the killers to justice. Braden wasn't in law-enforcement so he was unaware of the hoops and details that the police had to follow, but Parker let him know that he was dedicated to bringing River's and Haruo's killers in; in fact he had a vested interest in making sure that who ever sabotaged Haruo's car was going to pay.
Kyla did some cooking after the funeral, so that who ever was hungry could eat before they headed back on the road. And those who were hungry gratefully accepted.
Later, Braden, still heart-sore headed over to the graveyard. Unfortunately the urns had been transported to the community graveyard and he had to retrieve his parents' remains and transport them himself to their final resting place, which really didn't put him in the greatest of moods. However, he did what he could to ensure that his parents rested peacefully.
When his task was done, he was overcome with grief. One of the questions that kept floating around in his head was: "Why couldn't they have had the opportunity to grow old together..."
The hand of the Watcher was truly fickle indeed.
When Braden returned home, spent and eyes sore from weeping, knowing full-well that he was now the torch-bearer for the family...for the rest of the time that he had left on this planet, he went to his wife. His daughter was devastated, but he knew that she needed time for this heartbreaking news to sink in. Right now in the throes of grief, she really didn't want to understand the wherefores of what happened.
"Did you lay them to rest?" Greta asked...her eyes told the story of the grief that she, herself, was feeling.
"I don't know if I laid them to rest inside, but their remains are at our graveyard..." Braden replied. "I miss them so much..." and with that he enfolded her in his arms.
"I know, Braden, I know..." ...and nothing more needed to be said at that moment.
"Grief can't be shared. Everyone carries it alone. His own burden in his own way." Anne Morrow Lindbergh
...but in the afterlife, two spectral entities found each other again...and were happy...
Happy in their reunion in the afterlife as they were in life.
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