Descendant

Prolouge

Gabrielle:
Sunday mornings are the worse, that isn't always the case for me but ever since my grandad was told he was dying my family made me go and see him every Sunday morning. It's not that I didn't want to go, I loved my grandad more than anything growing up, but the fact that when he passed the only memories I would have are the ones of him lying sick in a hospital bed rather than healthy and happy was what made every Sunday morning so crap. "Gabi, get up, we're already late for your grandfather, visiting hours will be over soon." Hollers mum from somewhere downstairs. My mother has this amazing way of projecting her voice so that she can be heard from anywhere and feel right next to you all at the same time.

"Coming mum" I bellow back, although something about today didn't feel the same as any other Sunday, I yank on a fresh pair of black skinny jeans from my dressing table anyway, this pair with flared bottoms and shove my feet into my battered old pair of Nike Air Force 1s as I pull a nude sweater over my head. Grabbing my favourite black shoulder bag I sling it over my shoulder and grab my phone as I leave the room, practically falling down the stairs as I was rushing so much, "see, never takes me long to get ready" my mum gives me this dismissive look and says "shall we be on our way?" I nod in response and my mother hurries me along from behind as my dad grabs the car keys.

It isn't a long trip to the hospital, a few lefts and a few rights, not necessarily in that order and by the time I have listened to two of my favourite songs we were usually there. Passing all the trees along the highway always makes me think of everything out there that I don't know about. I mean, who actually knew what fate had around the corner for me? I thought to myself, anything could happen to me. I could meet anyone, move anywhere, make a decision that leads to nothing or to everything and that was such an incredible thing to me, that literally anything could happen at any time. I'll always look at empty fields of trees or woodlands or oceans and think about all the possible things that I don't know that could live out there. The world is an amazing place and I hope one day to learn as many of its secrets as possible.

By the time I break out of my own head and finally pay attention to the world around me I am at the hospital, dads reverse sensors breaking through my thoughts. I know that this has been apart of my weekend routine for the past year or two since I found out my grandad was ill but it still wasn't easy to go and see a relative so sick, but I know that it makes my grandads week to see me, his one and only grandchild. The doctors aren't sure how much longer he was going to last, the medication he is on isn't working as well as recently and there wasn't much more medication the doctors could prescribe him. My family knew that some time soon our grandad, father or father in law was going to pass away, and there isn't anything that anyone can do about it.

"Gabrielle?" My grandad says as I walk towards his bed, out from behind my parents. "hey grandad, how are you doing?" "better to be seeing you" Robert smiled, that's my grandads name, Robert. He always pretends to be better than he is, putting on a brave face to make the people around him feel better. We all know that Robert isn't doing well, and that it has been the case for a while. "We brought you some treats" mum says, taking Robert's gaze away from me as I get lost in my own thoughts while starring at him. "We didn't get much, just a few things" Dad adds, both of them picking up on my strange behaviour, "anything is better than this hospital food, let's see what you've got." Robert smiles excitedly.

But his voice falters, it was minuscule, but not so minuscule it goes unnoticed by me. I look around at my parents wondering if they sense it too but seeing the delight on their faces as they watch Grandad rummage through the bag of goodies I guess they didn't. "Grandad?" I say, I know it's coming, the hairs on my neck stand up, my stomach drops and I could sense the colour draining from my face. Robert didn't respond so I try again, "grandad?" This time my voice is a little more stern, rather than coming across as a question it comes across as a demand, "why aren't you answering me?" "Grandad" I shout. My parents finally noticing that something is wrong they call for doctors, but it's too late, I can hear the flatline sound of the ECG somewhere to the side of me. I'm scrambling towards Roberts bed, punching his arm, shouting at him, arms move towards me, to grab me and pull me away from the bed. "Nurse" one doctor calls "I need the attending" another says, multiple voices talking at the same time, all of them turning into a blur. Feeling faint, I stretch out a hand to steady myself, realising the doctors are currently moving the bed that I was stretching for to steady myself I start to fall forward, straight onto the floor underneath me, face first.

Moments pass and when I come to I'm sitting in a chair, my parents both in my face, repeating my name and waving hands in front of my eyes. "Gabrielle" "Grandad?" It's the only question I manage to voice before my throat dries up "I'm so sorry baby he's gone" my mums eyes fill up with tears, not quite catching my gaze for fear looking at me will make me cry too, as if seeing her cry was the only thing that was going to make me cry, I just cried harder, wishing I would black out again and not face it right now, but I know that only means I have to face it again when I wake up and delaying the pain wasn't going to change how much it hurt, it was just going to make it last longer.
Rest in piece grandad, you will be missed.