My Name Is Bill Cipher One Shots

February 2005: The ICU

February 2005

"Tyler, when will Daddy come out and see us?" Yule, six years old, asked his older brother as they sat outside the ICU one frigid, February morning in Gravity Falls.
Tyler, nearly ten years old, sat stone-faced, his teeth gritted. "He's not coming out to us, Yule. We're gonna go in and see him."
"Oh no," Yule groaned in a small voice. "Is he sleeping again? I really wanted to talk to him."
"Yule, he's sick. That's why he sleeps a lot. And no, he's gonna stay awake today for us. You can talk to him. We're gonna say goodbye."
Yule blinked up at his brother, and then asked, "So we'll see him later, then?"
"No, Yule," Tyler said with an exasperated sigh. "This is the last time. He won't see you later. Dad's going to die today. This is the last time we will talk to him, so that's why we're going to say goodbye."
"Oh." Yule looked down and frowned, kicking his legs back and forth on the hospital chair. "So why doesn't he want to talk to us anymore? I thought he loved us."
"Yule, it's not that. Dad loves us just fine. He doesn't want to leave. He has to. He's sick. He's going to go to sleep, and he's never going to wake up."
"But what about his alarm?" Yule piped. "When I can't wake up, my alarm wakes me up."
"Yule!" Tyler snapped angrily. "You don't understand! Dad's going to die. That means his soul is going to leave his body! Do you know what a soul is, Yule?"
Yule shook his head silently, tearing up at his brother's tone. "N-No."
"It's what makes you who you are. Your personality, how you feel, what you want, how you love, that's the thing that makes you alive. It's what makes Dad who he is. His soul is going to leave, and his body will be left behind, so it won't be him anymore. You lose your soul, you die, when you get too old, you get too hurt, or you get too sick."
"Where is his soul leaving to? Is it coming back home with us?"
"YULE!" Tyler shouted, shooting to his feet. "He's not! He's going to be dead! He's not coming home! He's not going to kiss Mom again! He's not gonna tuck you in at night! He's! Not! Coming! Back!"
Yule started to cry, wailing harsh, pitiful sobs as his brother yelled and the weight of what was happening crashed upon him.
"Hey, are you guys okay? Do I need to get someone?" A girl about Tyler's age asked, walking up to them. She had wavy brown hair and soft eyes. She smiled carefully, stopping in front of them.
Yule continued to cry into his fists.
Tyler shook his head and sat back down silently, brushing away tears of his own.
"Where are your parents?"
Tyler pointed at the door in front of them.
The girl's fell. "Oh. I see. I'm sorry. Can I wait with you?"
Tyler did nothing for a few moments, then shrugged.
"Well, then," the the girl said, "I'll stay a few minutes until you guys are okay, and then I'll leave you be." Tyler hung his head, but Yule looked up at her then. "My name's Merrily, by the way. My dad broke his arm, so they're getting that checked out now. I wanted to have a look around. I'm eleven. How old are you?"
Yule sniffled. "I'm- I'm six."
Merrily's looked toward the door they sat before. "Is one of your parents in there?"
Yule nodded, looking at the floor, more tears pooling in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Merrily said again sadly. "I can't say anything to make that better, can I?"
Tyler shook his head and scowled. "Yeah, so you may as well just leave us the heck alone now, okay?"
Merry looked away, an embarrassed blush crossing her face. "Sorry. I guess... I guess I'll go now, then."
When Merrily started to stand, Yule clung fast to her waist and whimpered. She sat back down and put her arm around him, rubbing his back. She glared at Tyler. "He needs you, don't you see that?"
Tyler snarled. "What, you think you're better than me or something? You have no idea what we're going through. No idea. I can take care of my brother just fine without your help. So thanks for this, see you later and all that, but leave us be. I'll take care of him, I swear."
This brought a slight smile to her face. "Good." She stood and ruffled Yule's hair. "I'm gonna leave you to your big brother now, okay?" She squeezed his hand and then walked back down the corridor the way she came.
When she was out of their sight, the boys again sat in their grieving silence.
"Ty-Tyler," Yule suddenly sobbed. "Are you going to die, too?"
Tyler snickered through his tears. "Yeah, everybody does sooner or later."
This only made Yule cry harder.
"Hey," Tyler said gentler, his eyes growing with concern. He grabbed ahold of his brother's shoulders and Yule looked back up at him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. No, I'm not going to die. Not anytime soon. Not until I'm really, really old or something. You and I are gonna live great lives. You're not gonna die either, okay? I'll protect you, I promise."
Yule nodded, sniffling. Tyler pulled him into a hug, and the two sat there, not saying another word.
"My loves?" Dorothy Shields opened the door to the hospital room and invited her boys in. Her eyes were deeply sad, and her body was stiff with grief. "It's time. Your daddy wants to say goodbye to you."
The two boys stood and followed into the room. Nurses and doctors stood to the side, looking solemn.
Their father, appearing worse than ever, lay on the hospital bed, hardly more than a skeleton... but he still smiled for his children. "My boys..." he sighed out as they approached his side. Their mother shook with silent tears.
"Daddy." Yule reached his hands out and put them on his father's chest.
"Ah, my Yule," Miles Shields said softly, his voice weak. "You've grown so big. You're going to look a lot like your brother, I can already tell." He took a rattling sigh, closing his eyes. "I'm so sorry, son. I love you so much. So much, Yule."
"I love you, too, Daddy," Yule responded tearfully, laying against Miles' side.
"And Tyler," Miles addressed, reaching out to his other son. "Tyler, you also mean the world to me. You're... You're going to be the man of the house now. Take care of your mom and your brother for me, okay?"
Tyler nodded as tears rolled down his face. "Y-Yes."
Miles smiled softly. "That's my boy."
Dorothy sat on the bed with her family. She leaned over, cupped her husband's face, and kissed him softly. "Don't leave," she whispered, then leaning her forehead against his chest. "I can't do this without you."
"You can," he whispered back. "I know the- the woman I married. She-She's beyond s-strong."
They stayed with him until he took his last breath. And just like that, they were down to three.