Almost Heaven

Chapter 1

"It's time to start discussing end-of-life care," the doctors carefully said. Never knowing the reaction they would get, most had learned to deliver these sobering words with matter-of-fact confidence that did not give or take any emotions from them. All that they could do was greet the patient's loved ones with a stoic face and soft, understanding eyes. Today was no different as another family sat across from them, prepared for the worst.

Rebecca, a well-dressed middle-aged woman, sat directly across from them. To her left was a man who appeared to be several years younger. He appeared noticeably more casual than her. Compared to her black and light grey suit, his baggy jeans and worn T-shirt seemed childish. While she sat up straight in her chair, legs crossed, listening intently to the doctor's words, he slumped backward, almost sliding off of the chair as he tried to subtly check his phone. Regardless of his immaturity, his boyish looks were fading fast as his hairline began to recede and his gut grew.

Based on the lack of a wedding ring on his finger, Rebecca was originally the only one allowed in. "Excuse me?!" she spat back at the informing nurse. "This is my fiance Josh, and he's coming in whether you like it or not!" Now, a one-on-one meeting involved all of the members of this new family. Rebeccas breathe hung motionless in her throat as she stared blankly ahead from shock. The tense silence was soon shattered by the scream of a small child.

"Owww.... stop it!!!! Mom..." a litany of muffled, whiny voices screamed. The kids sitting outside the door had finally decided to make their presence known. Rebeccas two children, Kyle and Bonnie, had always fought since they were babies. Kyle was 12 years old and delighted in being the pain-in-the-ass older brother. Any chance he could get, he would try to either annoy or embarrass his baby sister.

Having three more years of experience and wisdom gave him plenty of chances to mess with Bonnie. Every year that went by, she would slowly learn the foils of his tricks. However, he always knew to stay a few steps ahead. The older he got, the more nasty and mean-spirited his tricks became. Being able to take his pubescent rage out on someone made him feel momentarily content. He thought that he would always be able to outwit her.

However, that was far from the case here. "Oww!!!" screamed Kyle even louder. Unbeknownst to Rebecca, he had managed to sneak a small firecracker and a lighter with him into the hospital.He knew that they would be left out in the lobby alone while the adults went to talk. Also, he knew that Bonnie would try to eavesdrop on their conversation. She could never stand being excluded from anything, even if it was for her own good.

He planned to light the firecracker underneath her seat as she would subtly lean over towards the door. If timed right, he could sneak it under her chair and light it without her even noticing. If all went according to plan, she would be so startled from the explosion that she would jump like a cat thrown into the water. However, he was never quite the genius that he thought himself to be.

As he quietly wormed his hand between the armrests and down towards the floor, he was caught by a shoe heel that crushed his fingers to the point of agony. She had indeed caught him in the act. Not even bothering to ask what he was doing, she gave him no mercy. Bonnie continued to pin his hand against the floor with her shoe heel while begging through the door "Please let me break it, mom! You know he deserves it!"

Bonnie Hill was a tough little girl. For being only 8, she was unnaturally strong and fast. Combined with a stocky build and a notoriously hard skull, she was a perfect candidate for training in most forms of violence. She kept her shoulder-length dark brown hair tied into a bun. Her mother used to joke that she did this only to cushion her head from when she would run into Kyle. Being the little sister, violence was sometimes her only way to retaliate.