Disclaimer: Don't own iCarly or "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac.
Sleeping in Light: Landslide
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The soft strains of a radio weaved their way through the incessant beeping of the heart monitor. It was comforting in a way to the seven year old laying on the sofa in the hospital room. It let her know that her daddy was still there. She wasn't exactly sure where her twin or her mom were, but she knew she had to keep watch. If she didn't, then the monitor would stop beeping, and then her daddy wouldn't be there anymore. And she didn't want that. She needed him. She loved him. So she kept watch.
The night nurse came in, looked over and saw the little girl watching with those big blue eyes, then turned away. The nurse looked at the chart, checked the IV fluid levels, then scrawled several things onto the chart. "Samantha, do you need anything?"
"It's Sam. All I need is my daddy back," the huddled mass on the sofa replied.
The night nurse opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. There was nothing she could say, so she just left the room, gently closing the door behind her.
Sam stared at the room door, then her gaze moved back to regard her daddy. She knew it was him, but she could hardly recognize him. He had lost a lot of weight, and with the ventilator and IV lines, he seemed to be more machine than anything. She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears. "Daddy, please get well... please..." She opened her eyes, shiny with tears. "I'll be a good girl. I promise. I won't fight anymore. I'll pick up my room. Please, please, please... I love you so much..." Sobs wracked her young body. "I promise Daddy..."
Pam Puckett stood at the door, watching her youngest crying. She wanted to go over there, to comfort her, but her feet were rooted to the ground. Tears silently made their way down her own face.
"Samantha," the body on the bed croaked out.
"Daddy!" Sam was immediately next to the bed. "You're awake. Let me go get Mom..."
He painfully shook his head. "No, already said good-bye. I'm dying Samantha." A painful breath. "The only thing keeping me alive is the machine..."
Sam grabbed his all too skinny hand. "No Daddy, you're not dying. You're going to be okay, just like you promised me..."
He made a pained face, the pain from the debilitating sickness a soft wind to a hurricane, compared to the pain he had from breaking a promise to his baby daughter. "I know," he looked to the door, catching Pam's eye, "but I'm going to have to break that promise... I love you Samantha. You know I do." He closed his eyes. "You have to let me go..."
"Daddy... nooooo... daddy..." She stood by his side as he slipped back in unconsciousness, the tears streaming down her face. "Daddy..." she said one last time plaintively, before falling to a heap. She didn't feel anything when her mom picked her up and placed her back on the couch, nor did she feel anything when her mom gently wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead. She stayed in the fetal position while her mom signed the order to stop the machines. She stared off into space as she listened to the silence of the room being interrupted by the heart monitor. But soon, even that didn't disturb the silence between her and her beloved daddy.
Fin.
Author's Note: Sorry, I re-read this and wasn't very happy with the second part. I thought that I needed a somewhat uplifting ending, but after thinking about, I decided that I should have gone with
my gut feeling and kept it as it was. So tell me what you think...
Coyote