Waiting With Death

Chapter 4:

When they got back to Cassedy's room, the male nurse from earlier was in there. He was checking her vitals on the monitors, like the doctor had told him to, but he was also humming softly. Was he singing to Cassedy? She stepped closer, trying to hear what song he was singing when her parents walked in. Her dad had a cup of coffee from one of the machines in the lobby in his hand and whatever conversation they had been having left Rosanne's face with an exhausted expression. They stopped when they saw the nurse at the bed. "Oh, I didn't realize there was anyone in here," Rosanne said. 

The nurse turned around, surprised. "Oh, that's okay. I was just leaving." Shaun cleared his throat and the nurse paused. "Is she doing any better?" he asked, hope filling his voice in a way that made Cassedy's heart shatter. This was killing them. The nurse hesitated before answering, as if trying to decide what to say. "She is as stable as she can be, with the ventilator. Her condition doesn't look like it's changed though. We'll let you know as soon as we know of anything we can do." The nurse nodded and stood there for a second before leaving the room. Cassedy stared after him, curious. "What are you looking at?" Grim asked, his voice sounding off. She looked up at him. "He was singing to me...," she said. 

Grim rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. He sings to all the patients. I've been here before, it's just what he does. It's kind of creepy, to be honest." She smirked at him, silent. "What?" he asked, uncomfortable. "Are you jealous?" she asked, the smirk still in place. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Of course not, I'm professional." She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Sure you are." She turned towards her parents who were still near the door, talking quietly. "This is so hard for them," she whispered. Grim walked over to stand next to her, setting a hand on her shoulder. "I know, it's hard to lose a kid. I've seen this before, it never gets any easier." 

Rosanne was clearly upset and the minute the nurse was gone, she turned to her husband. "How could you even suggest that?" Shaun sighed, "I didn't suggest anything, Rosie. I'm just saying you need to accept that there is a possibility that Cassedy isn't getting better." Cassedy tensed and Grim glanced at her. "And you need to accept that fact that she could!" Rosanne shot back at him. "You don't know that, you can't. You've never been able to accept that you're little girl isn't gonna get better." Rose crossed her arms. "What are you talking about," she asked, defensively. "Remember Seattle?" he asked her. 

Cassedy knew what he was talking about. Before they found out about her cancer, she lapsed into a coma similar to the one she was in now. This one had only lasted a few days before the doctors found out what was wrong with her. When the doctors told her parents that Cassedy had cancer, Rosanne broke down in tears. None of them had realized that Cassedy had woken up by then and was listening. The doctors left Shaun and Rosanne alone for a minute and she started yelling loudly. Most of what Cassedy had understood was her mom yelling for the doctors to get in there and 'fix her daughter'. After she had quit screaming and crying, the doctors came back in and discussed options that they had. To this day, neither of her parents knew that Cassedy had been awake and heard her mother. 

"I was in shock, I had just found out my daughter had cancer. Don't you dare judge me for that,"  Rosanne whispered. Shaun shook his head. "No," he defended himself. "I was not judging you, Rose. Don't you dare start that again. She is my daughter, too, damn it!" Rosanne shook her head. "Do you remember what you said to me the night we brought Cassedy home from that hospital?" she asked. Cassedy remembered the first night she was back home. They had just told Aiden and later that night he snuck into her room. He sat with her and cried, he was only 7 at the time. "Don't bring that up," Shaun said. Rosanne looked over at Cassedy on the hospital bed. "You said to be 'She might as well already be dead.' You remember that?" 

Cassedy tensed, tears filling her eyes. Grim put his arm around her, trying to steer her out the door. "Maybe you shouldn't be here for this, Cassedy." She stopped him. "No, don't. I need to hear this." He stopped but kept his arm around her. "You know I wasn't thinking clearly!" Shaun said. Rosanne shook her head, walking closer to the bed. "You gave up on her the day we found out about the cancer and ever since you've been judging me for trying to save her, for trying to keep my daughter alive. You gave up on our little girl then and you're giving up now."