Heaven, Hell, and Earth

Chapter 66

Solomon and Vaggie hurriedly tucked Charlie into bed before sending Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie out to find the boys while they stayed behind to tend to her.

"Move your ass, Blitzo!" Solomon barked over the phone. "No hesitation! Go! Go! Haul ass! Haul ass!"

He hung up, taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart.

"You can't panic like this, Solomon." Vaggie said, her tone firm yet concerned. "It's not good for you."

"Oh, worry not, Vaggie. You know I never let myself get too worked up. Sure, I might have a moment of panic for about two minutes, and then I come back down."

"But this isn't like all those other times, is it? This could make everything end faster."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Uh...Nothing. You're just...Not as young as you used to be."

"Now don't lie to me. What did you mean by 'it might make it all end faster?'"

Vaggie fell silent, her body tense as she nervously gripped her arms, her lip quivering. But one look into her one good eye told him everything.

"You know, don't you?" He sighed.

She nodded.

"I overheard you and Moxxie talking about it the other night." Vaggie explained. "I didn't say anything to the others, but... how could you not tell us about this? How could you keep it from us that you were dying?"

"I was going to tell you. Really, I was."

"When? After you were dead and buried? You should have told us immediately! We had every right to know!"

"The mission got in the way. I couldn't let my health interfere—"

"Screw the mission! You're not our boss! You're our father for God's sake! You're the only father we've ever known! Can you imagine how horrible it would be for us if you just dropped dead without warning? Do you even realize how much that would hurt?"

Solomon looked at Vaggie, his heart heavy with the weight of her words. He could see the fear in her eyes, the desperation for him to be honest with her and the others. He took a deep breath, searching for the right words to ease her worry.

"Vaggie, I didn't want to burden you all with my illness. I thought if I kept pushing forward, if I focused on the mission, maybe I could buy us some time. I didn't want you to see me as weak or broken."

"But we're a family, Solomon! We face everything together. You should have trusted us enough to share this with us." Her voice trembled with emotion.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it on my own. But now... now I see how foolish that was." He ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "I just wanted to protect you all."

"By keeping secrets? That's not protection; it's isolation."

"You don't understand. Alastor and Charlie won't be able to let me go." He sighed. "Unlike you and Angel, I've been there since basically the moment they were born. I've always been there, through every fever, every tantrum, every boo-boo, every bad dream, every mission. If they knew I was dying, they'd waste their time trying to save me, even if it was impossible."

Vaggie's expression softened, her anger giving way to concern.

"But Solomon, you can't just ignore your health for the sake of others. You deserve to be taken care of too. We all do. If Alastor and Charlie knew, they wouldn't just sit back and let you suffer. They'd fight for you, just like you fight for them."