Bring on the Rain

  She was only 8 years old. Her name was Gabrielle Miller and her grandpa had been diagnosed with cancer a few months before.

  It was a sunny day around 4:37 p.m. in the month of May. Her mother got a call from her Aunt Debbie saying it's time to come to the hospital. Gabrielle, her mom, and her Aunt Susan loaded into the old Toyota and headed to Saint Lukes Hospital off of highway 291.

  Gabrielle thought it was just a day that everyone was going to visit her sick grandpa because he was going to get better and come home soon. On the way to the hospital the song that was playing was Bring on the Rain by Jo Dee Messina. Gabrielle sang along and was happier than ever that she was about to see her grandpa.

  Once the three of them arrived at the hospital they went to the main desk and got the room number. They got into an elevator and Gabrielle got to press the button that was labeled Third Floor. The walk down the solid white hall seemed like it was a mile long.

  After a short period of time they were in the room 218 that contained their whole family. Gabrille saw her grandpa and he seemed to be sleeping, little did she know, he was in a coma.

  Gabrielle sat on the hospital bed and held her grandpas hand and talked to him. After a few good minutes Gabrielles mom suggested that they go to the gift shop down on the first floor of the hospital.

  While looking in the little room filled with bears, cards, jewelry, balloons, keychains, roses and other necessities, Gabrielle found a little mood ring that had flowers on the side of it. She was having a good day. She got to go on a car ride, she got to see her grandpa and she even got to get a mood ring.

  After making their way back up to the room, there were a few whispers amongst the older family members. Gabrielles older cousin David and his wife were going to go into the empty room next door to "take a break" and Gabrielle was asked to go with.

  In the next room there was empty beds and a few chairs. David and his wife sat in chairs next to each other and occasionally shared a whisper while Gabrielle layed on an empty bed. After what seemed an eternity, another family member came into the room and simply gave David a look.

  It was 8:29 p.m. on May 16th when Gabrielles life was forever altered. She was told that her grandpa simply "just stopped breathing" when in reality, his cord was pulled.

  She was only 8, how could she ever understand? She went back beside him, held his hand and cried. She cried until her Aunt Debbie wrapped her in her arms, then she cried harder in the chest of her Aunt.

  At the funeral, everyone's words were spoken except hers. The only sound that came from her were aweful cries of pain. Gabrielle was the loudest in the room.

 

  Years have passed, and most of Gabrielles pain has been healed within time. She was confused for a long time until she found out the meaning of death.

  Everything changed and made sense. The reason for that random hospital visit, the coma, her having to go into a different room and even why her grandpa "randomly stopped breathing."

  Many memories remained though. And she still has something from that day that she never got rid of.

  The mood ring with the flowers on the side.

  She outgrew it and even ruined the colors by always running it under hot water to make it change black. The new color of it is a brown rusty color with a tint of green. She keeps it on a chain around her neck so a piece of her grandpa always stays close to her heart.