Broken Home - a Thomas Sangster Fanfic

This Is Goodbye

I wake up, but I don't open my eyes. It appears to be dark outside, and I don't think I am in my bed. I open my eyes, and sit up. I am in the front seat of my mom's car. She looks upset. She glances at me and notices that I'm awake.
"Hi sweetie. I'm glad you woke up."
"Mom, what happened? Where are we going? I just remember... Getting a phone call..."
"Oh, sweetie. After you got off the phone with the hospital, you dropped the phone and fainted. Thank goodness your friend Thomas caught you, or you might have been the one on your death bed." She starts crying again.
"Mom, where are we going?" I ask, but I already know.
"We are going to Napa, to see your father. He is dying, Payton. They have him on life support." I can't reply. Tears start streaming down my face, and my mom rubs my head.
"I want to say everything will be ok, but, unfortunately, I don't think that's the case." We sit in silence for a few hours.

•••Time skip•••

We get to the hospital at Midnight, Mom must have been speeding. We get out of the car, and run inside, because it started raining. The sky seems to know our sorrow, and cries with us. We ask the front desk for Mike Henry, and she gives us his room number. We go into the elevator with another family. There is a father, and two little boys. One of the boys asks his father, "Daddy? When will Mommy come home?" His dad looks at the little boy with tears in his eyes. "Cole, baby, Mommy won't be coming home. She met Jesus today." The little boy looks confused. "Why did Jesus take Mommy away? Doesn't he know we need her?" The father looks into his son's eyes. "When you are in the garden, picking flowers for Mommy, which ones do you pick?" The boy brightens up. "The most pretty ones! I want Mommy to have the best!" The father starts crying. "Do you think, maybe, that's why Jesus picked Mommy to live with him?"
"I guess so. I'm going to miss her, Daddy."
"We all will."
•••Time skip•••

Payton's POV
"Dad?" He looks terrible. He has wires pumping fluid in and out of him. His lips are purple and his face is white as paper. "Daddy?" I sit down on a chair next to him. His eyes open slightly.
"Payton? Baby?" He croaks. He sounds just as bad as he looks.
"Yeah, dad. I came to see you." My voice is cracking. I can't stand seeing him like this. He looks just like James did.
"Is your mom here?" I look for her over my shoulder.
"Hello Mike." Her voice is strained.
"Hello Lily." His eyes close.
"Dad?" I ask, scared that they won't ever open again.
"Yes baby cake?" I used to hate when he called me that. I wish I could have appreciated him more when I had him. No. I can't think like that. He is still alive.
"Daddy, I'm here... To say..." I can't finish my sentence. I'm to choked up.
"I know. You are here to say goodbye." His heartbeat monitor starts beeping, and a nurse comes in.
I
"What's happening?" I'm scared. Does that mean his heart is stopping? The nurse replies in a cool voice, "No sweetie, his heart rate is going up because he is emotional. It's usually ok, but because of his current condition, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm sorry, but I suggest you say goodbye. You won't be able to come back until tomorrow, and," she whispers the last part, "I'm not sure there will be anyone to see anymore."
"I start sobbing. "Daddy! I love you! You can't leave me! Please Daddy, please!" The nurse takes me and my mom by the shoulder and steers us towards the door.
"No! Don't make me leave! I need to talk to him! I didn't get to say goodbye!"
I struggle, but she shuts the door in my face. I press my back up against his door, and slid to the floor. "Goodbye." I whisper.

•••Time skip•••

My mind is spinning. What did the nurse say? She's not sure there will be anyone to see anymore? That can't be true. It's just the flu... My strong willed dad won't die from the flu! Right?
"Is Dad gonna die?" I sound like the boy in the elevator, young and innocent.
"Honey, no one can answer that question right not." I can tell she doesn't want to talk about it.
"He is. Isn't he." Now I'm mad. My mom should have let us stay until tomorrow, at lease. He's in a hospital, all alone and dying, and she just wants to go home.
"At least this means more time with you boyfriend, you won't have to leave next week." Oh shoot. I forgot. I was supposed to live with Dad! This brings another wave of sadness.
"Mom, he's not my boyfriend." I mumble.
"Uh huh." She smiles slightly.
"He's just a friend." Do we really have to talk about this right now?
"You should tell him that you won't be leaving next week. He will be happy to hear that." She is trying to put a positive spin on things. It's not working.
"You think he's going to be happy to hear that Dad is practically dead? He's not like you. He cares about me, and if that means mourning the loss of my dad with me, so be it!"
"Payton! I loved your dad. I love you! I will mourn your loss." She's angry now.
"This isn't how it's supposed to be! You are supposed to be with him, holding his hand and telling him you love him when he dies! Not at the other end of the state, twiddling your thumbs, waiting for a funeral invitation. She doesn't say anything. I pushed too far, but I don't care.
"Besides," I say, in a quieter voice. "I didn't even tell him I was going to leave. There was nothing he could have done."
"Well then, no harm done in telling him now. Believe me, he will be happy to know he won't be loosing you anytime soon." She's still trying to get past my previous comment. I feel bad for what I said.
"I'm sorry, mom. I know the divorce was hard for you." Her face softens.
"It's fine, honey. This has been immensely hard for both of us.

•••Time skip•••

Payton's POV
"Why don't you see if your friends want to come over? You should try to take your mind off things for a while." My mom says as we pull into the driveway. Ok, I'll text them.
Payton - Hi guys. Do you want to come over? It been forever since we've hung out!

Thomas - Absolutely!

Ki - Yep! I'll bring some pizza.

Kaya - Sure!

Dylan - Yeah!
That was easy. Thomas must have told them what happened. I love him. Wait what??