The Yin-Yang Complex

Good Bye (God Be With You)

Barry and Sebastian stared at the resting face of their father. His laboured breathing was slowly becoming shallower and shallower. The time between his heart beats was growing and growing. He didn't have much time left. Barry looked over at Sebastian, felt like he was looking into a mirror. Sebastian's face was creased with grief and worry. Barry want used to seeing that kind of emotion on his brother, it was foreign to him. He felt distress and anguish cling to him. Henry stopped breathing, the sound of him flatlining drilled into the brother's brains as all they could do was sit and watch their father die. Nurses and doctors came rushing in, ushering the twins out of the room. It was clear they didn't expect Henry to live. Neither did the boys.

They stood in the hallway, patients strolling past them, some in agony physically, some in agony mentally. Barry felt his gut clench as a woman walked by holding a baby suit with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through after loosing a child, but Henry could. He had lost Sebastian, both literally and figuratively. Sebastian would be haunted by that for the rest of his life, but no where near as much as when it had first happened. He remember lying awake at night, staring at the ceiling, drowning in guilt and anguish. He could remember muffling his sobs so that he wouldn't wake the other orphans. The same guilt that burned in his chest back then resurfaced every time Sebastian closed his eyes. He stared at the door, dread filling him as he could hear the clattering of machinery inside. He turned his back to Barry as reality hit him in the face. His dad was dying. He took in a ragged breath as he tried to stop tears from leaking out of his eyes. He was trying so hard to hide it from his brother, but he didn't succeed. Barry felt a pang of pity, he twirled his brother round and pulled him into an understanding hug. He felt his own tears dribble down his face. He had never quite realised how much easier pain was when it was shared. Having Sebastian this close and being this understanding made everything less difficult, less lonely. He never realised how much he needed his brother.

The doctors and the nurses filtered out of the room, some of them couldn't look at the twins, others gazed upon them with pitiful eyes. The brothers separated as the final nurse came out, her face solemn and her posture depressed. She had seen so many strong people be cripple by grief, but it never stopped effecting her. She shook her head slowly before turning and leaving the brothers to wallow in their misery.

They entered the eerily quiet room. There was no soft beeping from the heart monitor, there was no heavy clicks from the machines keeping Henry alive, there was no ragged and painful breathing coming from the patient that resided in the room. It was just silent. Barry and Sebastian passed by a bin filled with empty Chinese take away boxes before they sat down next to the body of their father. His face was relaxed into a content smile, he had died right next to his two boys, he couldn't have asked for anything more. They were both acting like brothers again and they cared about each other again. It really made his heart melt. He looked so at peace and so happy that it took the edge off of the grief and sorrow the Allen twins felt. They stood on either side of the bed, their eyes filled with tears as they stared down at the lifeless body that had content written all over it. They shared a look as their smiles down turned, "he's with mum now, finally," Barry smiled. Henry had missed his wife so much. It had killed him every second he spent living without her, and now they were together forever.

"I hope so, he deserves to be happy," Sebastian's voice quivered, he regretted not getting into contact with Henry sooner. He should have visited him in jail, but he was too scared. That fear ended up costing him precious time he could have spent with his father. In the end, he was relieved he got to apologise before it was too late.