God's Garden Must Be Beautiful

All I can hear is this horrible dripping sound. I have asked my landlord to fix it for weeks now. It wakes me up in the morning every time my neighbour upstairs has a shower. Usually I can't stand the noise and I get up out of bed straight away but today is different. Today, I lie in bed listening to this horrible dripping sound leaking through the pipes because I can't bring myself to face this horrible day.

Offcourse I get up an hour later, no longer able to delay the inevitable. I eat breakfast silently, contemplating the events that are about to take place. I hear a knock at the door and jump slightly at the intrusion. I open the door to find my older brother Jonathan looking like he hadn't slept a wink of sleep in weeks but neither had the rest of us. Jonathan was overseas in Thailand on a business trip when it happened.

He gave me a hug and said solemnly, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine". I tried to force a smile. "Come sit down?"

Jonathan nodded.

After we were seated we conversed in small talk but I could see the curiosity that was burning behind his eyes. Could it be that no one had told him the details yet?

"Jon, have you talked to mother?" I finally asked.

After a Slight pause he shook his head.

"Ok, Why don't I start at the beginning? "

"Dad, What are you doing up?" I said smiling to myself. It was always like him to be up watering his plants in his nursery at the crack of dawn. "You are supposed to be resting, remember what Dr. Magnus said?"

"Yes alright," he huffed. "I must water my plants, you know"

I smiled. "Yes I do know Dad; because every day since I was born you would tell me the same thing over and over again."

"And what was that?" he chuckled.

"The immortality of Flowers must enrich our own, and we certainly should resent a Redemption that excluded them," I sighed having recited this many times throughout my life.

"And who said that?" he asked, even though I was one hundred per cent sure he knew.

"Emily Dickinson," I said sighing again, these were the kind of conversations I had with my father of late since the deterioration of his health.

He just smiled.

"Come on Dad, you know I have to leave for work and remember you have a doctor's appointment at 2pm." I raised my voice slightly so he could hear.

He just nodded.

At work that day I couldn't concentrate as usual as my thought went to back to my father and his health. Previous conversations with Doctor Magnus had outlined the inevitable outcome of his severe lung cancer. Although now instead of inhaling toxic chemicals like tobacco he spent most of his time inhaling the scent of flowers.

After work I went to check on him. He was sound asleep on the couch with his watering can still in his left hand. I smiled and placed it on the kitchen table; I placed a kiss on his forehead and went home.

I remember dreaming that night of nothing and everything. I woke to my telephone ringing and the horrible dripping noise. I scrambled out of bed and managed to answer it on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" I said sleepily.

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded familiar. "Yes, I am Doctor Magnus from the Royal Pines Hospital, Is this Clarissa Morgenstern?"

I instantly became worried but replied in and even tone. "Yes".

"We need you to come in right away, your father was found early this morning by his neighbours and-".

I cut her off. "Oh my gosh I will be there in 10 minutes". I hung up the phone.

I got to the hospital and asked where Valentine Morgenstern, I was and got directed to the ICU wing. It was there I found my mum flipping through a magazine looking dishevelled. She put the magazine down and approached me. She gave me a hug and patted my back whilst I cried into her shoulder.

Finally the Nurse came out and explained that my father's lungs were staring to shut down and there was nothing they could do. To my own surprise I asked in a calm even tone if we could see him.

"One at a time," she replied.

I went in first. I was glad to see him not hooked up to any machines; he wouldn't want to go like that. His eyes were closed and I held his hand and running my thumb over his knuckle. I tried not to cry but I couldn't escape the tears that fell down my face.

I stood up and gave him a kiss on his forehead and said, "The immortality of Flowers must enrich our own, and we certainly should resent a Redemption that excluded them."

I left the room pausing at the door and taking one last look at my father. "God's garden must be beautiful."

I looked up at Jonathan after recalling to him the events of the past couple of days. He smiled at me and said, "I'm glad you were with him and that he wasn't alone."

I smiled back.

"Come on," I said. "We can't be late and I want to get something from father's garden before we go to the cemetery.

Hey guys, hope you like it, was my first FANFIC so be nice :) jjokes i love constructive criticism
LOve Alexandra