AN: I heard this song and I was thinking about the different sorts of scenes they could have had if they hadn't killed off Tom in series 1. Even though he wasn't in it that long; you could get a sense of how close he and Gwen had been.
Gwen had always been a Daddy's Girl. Ever since she was a baby she had had her father wrapped around her little finger; something which came in very handy in childhood whenever she was looking a biscuit before dinner or whenever Elyan and Leon refused to let her join in with their games. One breezy Saturday afternoon found Tom and Gwen in their small cul-de-sac. Gwen was perched on her new purple bicycle; a birthday present from her parents. She was wrapped up in elbow and knee pads and a helmet and Tom held onto the seat as she pedalled down the pavement.
Wind blowin' on my face
Sidewalk flyin' beneath my bike
A five year-old's first taste
Of what freedom's really like
He was runnin' right beside me
His hand holdin' on the seat
I took a deep breath and hollered
As I headed for the street
"Ready for me to let go?" Tom asked.
"Yeah Daddy I'm ready!" Gwen shouted and Tom released his hold on the seat as Gwen went off down the pavement; her excited laughter reached Tom's ears however it wasn't long before the bike toppled and Gwne fell onto the pavement. While the knee pads stopped her knees from being cut; Gwen's hands were scrapped and there was sure to be a large bruise on her leg tomorrow. Tom ran down to Gwen and picked her up into a hug.
"You Ok princess?" Tom asked. Gwen knuckled her eyes and nodded. "Do you want to try again?" gwen nodded and Tom set her down and picked up the bicycle and began helping her learn how to cycle properly. Within half an hour Gwen was racing up and down the street by herself and Tom was leaning against the garden wall beaming with pride.
You can let go now, Daddy
You can let go
Oh, I think I'm ready
To do this on my own
It's still a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be ok now, Daddy
You can let go
Gwen held onto Tom's arm as they stood at the front of the church. On Gwen's right hand side Arthur was beaming at her. They had met at university; fell in love and two years after graduating were getting married. Gwen couldn't stop smiling as she thought about the two men beside her whom she loved more than anyone else in the world. Arthur was her soul mate; the man she loved with all her heart; who would father her children and who she would spend the rest of her life with. Tom was her daddy; the man who had watched her grows up. Who had helped her learn to cycle a bike; guided her through the ups and downs of her teen years and who; along with Elyan; had frightened the wits out of Arthur whenever she first brought him home. Gwen couldn't have felt any more love for either of them right now if she tried.
I was standin' at the altar
Between the two loves of my life
To one I've been a daughter
To one I soon would be a wife
When the preacher asked,
'Who gives this woman?'
Daddy's eyes filled up with tears
He kept holdin' tightly to my arm
'Till I whispered in his ear
After what seemed like forever; Father Monmouth asked the age-old question of who was giving Gwen to be married. As he asked it; Gwen turned to Tom and was slightly surprised to see the tears in his eyes and he tightened his grip on her arm for a moment. Tom wasn't just gaining a son today; he was losing his daughter. Gwen reached over and wiped one of the tears which slid down Tom's face and gently whispered to her father.
"It's Ok Daddy, I'm ready." Gwen whispered; she was scared of course, it was her wedding day but it was a good sort of scared; the just-about-to-ride-a-rollercoaster-scared feeling. Tom took a deep breath.
"I give this woman," he said clearly and allowed Arthur to take Gwen's hand. Tom caught Arthur's eye and nodded. Arthur smiled at his father-in-law as he squeezed Gwen's hand.
You can let go now, Daddy
You can let go
Oh, I think I'm ready
To do this on my own
It still feels a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be ok now, Daddy
You can let go
The phone call had come in the middle of the night. All Elyan was able to say was 'car accident'. Gwen and Arthur had drove as fast as she could to Camelot General Hospital. It felt as though time was slowly down by the time they reached the Intensive Care ward which Elyan was sitting outside waiting; his arm was wrapped in a sling.
"What happened?" Gwen asked.
"We were coming home and this car came out of nowhere. Bunch of drunk joyriders," Elyan explained in a broken whisper and Arthur put a supportive hand on his shoulder. Gwen entered the ward and froze at the figure lying on the bed. Almost every inch of Tom's body was cut or bandaged or attached to wires connected to beeping machines. How could this have happened to her daddy? Only a few hours ago they had been joking about names for the baby. The man who helped her ride her bike and walk her up the aisle? A bunch of drunk idiots had done this to her daddy. This wasn't right; your daddy was never supposed to be like this. Your daddy was always supposed to be strong and tough. They were never beaten like this. Gwen sat on the edge of the bed and reached for Tom's hand to rest on her stomach.
"Come on Daddy; the baby needs their granddad to spoil them rotten." Gwen whispered as tears pricked her eyes. She was six months pregnant and could not imagine her son or daughter growing up without their granddad. Arthur and Elyan entered the ward and while Elyan took Tom's other hand, Arthur wrapped his around Gwen's as they hoped for a miracle.
It was killin' me to see
The strongest man I ever knew
Wastin' away to nothin'
In that hospital room
'You know he's only hangin' on for you'
That's what the night nurse said
My voice and heart were breakin'
As I crawled up in his bed, and said
"I'm sorry but your father is completely brain dead, it would be best for you to let him go." The doctor explained as he and two nurses checked the machines monitoring Tom's breathing, heart rate, brain activity and were all that was keeping him alive. Arthur hung his head and Gwen began crying and she wrapped her arms gently around Tom's chest as Elyan slowly nodded to the doctor; giving him permission to turn off the live support system.
"I love you Dad; sleep well." Elyan whispered as he kissed his father's forehead.
"I'll look after Gwen and the baby Tom, rest easy." Arthur added as he squeezed his father-in-law's hand for the last time.
Gwen's body shook with sobs as she kissed her father for the last time as his breathing faded and as the machines beeped into a monotone; Gwen whispered her last goodbye to her father and told him how much she loved him.
You can let go now, Daddy
You can let go
Your little girl is ready
To do this on my own
It's gonna be a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be ok now, Daddy
You can let go
You can let go
Three months after the accident; Gwen was back in the hospital only this time she was in the maternity unit. She was holding her new born son in her arms as Arthur and Elyan entered the ward. Arthur had been in New York for Uther's business and when Gwen got into labour he had booked himself onto the first flight home. However the baby wasn't waiting around and was born whenever Arthur was halfway across the Atlantic. As Arthur held his son for the first time; Gwen looked at Elyan who had been the one who had been with her throughout the delivery and Arthur who was staring at his son; drinking in every last detail.
"So what are you going to call him?" Elyan asked.
"I don't know. I thought it would be a girl." Arthur joked as he handed the baby back to Gwen who shook her head and stared at her son. They both knew that once she knew she had had a son; there was only one name Gwen was going to consider for her son.
"Tommy, his name's Tommy." Gwen replied as she thought about the one person who should have been there right now.