Come Back to Me

Chatpter Three - Fall Apart When It Hurts Too Much

It's a bit short, I'm sorry. I wanna keep the interesting part for the next chapter.

James entered the room with Abigail and heard nothing but the sounds of the machines that were helping his husband to breathe and to show if his heart is still pumping. His daughter let go of his hand and slowly walked towards the bed.

The first thing James saw was the breathing tube Thomas had. He then looked at the rest of him. Countless bruises and cuts on his face and arms were enough for him to feel his heart aching. He still stood by the door frame.

He couldn't move.

Abby placed a hand on one of Thomas' arm, attempting to shake him awake. "Papa?", she asked quietly as her voice cracked. "Papa, please wake up", she said again, now crying.

James snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of his daughter's sobs. He tried to think of something that might calm her down.

"Dad, why won't he wake up?", Abigail asked as she looked at James with a heartbreaking expression.

"He will, darling. I'm sure he'll be awake tomorrow." Of course, James knew that was a lie. He didn't want to keep it a secret from his daughter that Thomas will never come back, but he figured now was not the right time to tell her. Not here.

After a few more minutes, James took Abigail to a social worker, so they could take care of her, when they start to shut down the machines.

A nice woman walked Abby out of the room after the kid said her last goodbye to her father.

As soon as they turned a corner, a nurse stepped in.

"Hello, Mr. Madison", she said. "May I have the papers, please?"

James hesitated for a moment, then looked back at the sheets in his hands and nodded as he handed them to the woman in front of him.

It was all silent.

"You can sit down next to him", the woman said, gesturing to a chair next to Thomas' bed.

God, he looked so frail.

James slowly sat down in the chair, not looking away from the man he had and will always love, with a calm, but sad expression. The nurse broke the silence again, "are you ready?"

James still looked at Thomas, then slowly moved his eyes at his chest which was rising and falling. A small piece of hope slid in his head, but it disappeared as quickly as it came, remembering that the machines were doing the breathing. He took his husbands' hand and tightened the grip.

"No", he answered quietly, still not looking away. He felt his tears in his eyes were starting to come back. "But please, begin."

He silently begged for Thomas to open his eyes, but felt stupid at such an impossible thought.

The woman nodded and started to close the louvers and the door. No other visitor needs to see this.

She walked back and turned off the first machine.

Click.

Silence.

(470 words)