The Night Before

5. Yesterday

    Sunday and Monday were fairly uneventful. Monica had been working most of the time and even when she was off she didn’t dare visit the guys. She was afraid she’d cause another fight. She did however go to their concert Monday night. They seemed to have gotten over the anger pretty quickly and performed just as well as always. Monica loved watching Paul on stage, with his little head wiggles and adorable bounciness.

   
    After the show, she and Paul made plans for their anniversary that Wednesday They were going to go out to a romantic dinner at the nicest restaurant in town then go on a walk through town in the moonlight, like on their first date. It was simple but Monica was filled with excitement, any time she got to spend with Paul was wonderful and she was sure this wouldn’t be an exception.

    Tuesday morning Monica spent with the band. They just hung out and ate an early lunch together. Molly came over at one point to spend some time with Ringo. It really did seem like he was making an effort with her and it was obvious that he really liked her.

    Monica left their flat around 3:00 to go visit her grandfather like she did every Tuesday. The sky outside of the old folks home where he was staying was filled with clouds, it was definitely going to rain soon. Not a ray of sunshine peeked through the dark, gloomy sky.

    When she stepped into the home she saw the nurses moving around a lot more slowly than normal. It seemed that everyone was in a melancholy mood. Monica stepped over to the counter where the lady at the desk was scribbling onto a piece of paper quickly. “Hey Janet, how’s everything going?” She asked her.

    Janet looked up with a sympathetic look in her eyes. “We were just about to call you…” Monica’s face fell with worry, “Did something happen?” The receptionist nodded slowly and gestured to a nurse nearby to come over. “Holly, can you take Ms. Brooks here to room number nine please?”

    The nurse Holly frowned and nodded slightly then turned to Monica and gestured for her to follow. They began to walk down the hall toward room number nine. “I’m afraid that you’re grandfather isn’t doing too well.” She said softly. “What happened to him, is he ok?” Monica asked with worry. She could feel herself holding back tears, she couldn’t bare it if anything happened to him.

    The nurse didn’t respond, she just kept leading her on down the hall until they reached the right room. Once they got there she opened the room and gestured for Monica to go inside. They both stepped in and Monica saw her grandfather. He was hooked up to all kinds of machines and liquids and his eyes were closed, a heartbeat monitor showed his slow, steady beat.

    “He had a heart attack this morning, we didn’t have time to take him to a hospital so we had to treat him here. We got him stabilized, and he’s doing alright for now.” Monica felt her spirits begin to rise hearing that he was doing ok, until she registered the ‘For now’. For now? What's that supposed to mean? She thought as her heart dropped into her stomach.

    “Wha… What do you mean ‘for now’.” She stuttered, not sure she wanted to know the answer. The nurse sighed, “The heart attack wasn’t a random thing, it looks as though his body is beginning to shut down on him.”

    Tears began to pool in Monica’s brown eyes, “How long does he have?” She asked trying to keep her voice steady.

    “That depends on you,” Holly responded, “I’m sorry to say that his passing is inevitable, but we can keep him alive on these machines for a couple months before that happens, or, if you would prefer, you can choose not to delay it, and we can take him off the machines, you don’t have to make a decision right away, take as much time as you need.”

    Tears were starting to fall and Monica didn’t bother to wipe them away she nodded her head to Holly and stepped over to her grandfather’s bed. She could just barely see the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Her tears turned to silent sobs. How on Earth am I expected to make a decision like this? She grabbed his hand and saw the skinny tubes coming out of his wrist. She didn’t want to leave him.

    “Can I stay here with him tonight?” She asked the nurse between cries, refusing to look up from the face of her grandfather. The nurse responded gently, “Of course, you can stay as long as you need, I know how hard this must be.” Monica nodded her head in gratitude and pulled up a chair to sit on.

    She sat there holding the hand of her beloved grandfather. He was the only father figure she’d ever had, hell, he was the only parental figure she had ever had. The knowledge that she would never get to speak to him again made her insides sick. She cried most of the night and fell asleep around midnight. She refused to leave his side even when she woke up to find it being morning time. She didn’t feel like doing anything today, all she could think about this tragedy.

    Suddenly she remembered what the day was. It’s Wednesday, my anniversary! What am I going to tell Paul? She really didn’t feel like going out today, but the thought of canceling broke her heart. What could she do?