I do not own FNAF!
The week before my birthday is always the time when my parents visit me. Whether I'm at work, or on one of the days I don't have school. This year was no exception.
I was helping Becca clean Freddy Fazbear's Pizza after a huge birthday party.
"Michelle!" a familiar male voice called as I was cleaning one of the cake-covered tables in the Dining Area, and I turned to see my parents.
"Mom! Dad!" I called and ran over to them, bringing them into a tight hug.
"Careful, Michelle," Mom warned. "You know how weak your father is right now."
"Oops. Sorry," I apologized.
My father was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years before, and he was undergoing intense chemo-therapy to treat it. Because of that, he lost all his hair and his body and immune system were incredibly weak.
"How's Dad doing?" I whispered to Mom as I watched him sit down at one of the already clean tables.
"He's doing better," Mom said. "He's still weak, but he's doing better."
"That's good," I replied.
"Before I forget," Mom quickly said, holding out a small black box, "here's your present. Happy Birthday, Michelle!"
I looked at her before opening the box. I couldn't help but gape at what I saw as I slowly pulled it out.
It was her locket, the one that had been passed down from generation to generation in my family. It was a pure gold locket with a hand-crafted floral design on the front.
"We meant to give it to you before, but we never got the chance until now," Dad explained.
"Thank you so much," I said and quickly hooked it around my neck just as Becca came into the Dining Area from taking out the trash bags.
"Hey! Never thought I'd see you here again!" she called.
"Hey Becca," Dad called back before Mom turned to me. "I didn't know you were working here with Becca."
"Yeah," I said. "She got hired not too long ago."
"It's been nice to see you again, sweetheart," Mom said, giving me a quick hug. "We'll be staying at the nearby hotel if you want to visit."
"Okay, Mom," I replied. "I'll stop by tomorrow at 8."
"See you then," she replied as she and Dad left.
()()()()
"I didn't know it was your birthday," Chica said accusingly as we sat in the Dining Area.
"My actual birthday's not for another week," I explained. "My parents just like giving me my presents and stuff early. They've done that ever since I was little."
"Y-your parents seem like good people," Bonnie said.
I nodded. "They are."
"Yer father seemed a little out of sorts, lass," Foxy said bluntly.
"It's because her father's sick," Becca explained so I wouldn't have to. "And the treatment makes him weak, so he's not able to do very much."
Suddenly, the phone in the Office rang and I left to go pick it up.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey, Michelle," my mother's voice cut through. "I need to tell you something. Your father, he… He had to go to the hospital."
"What?" I asked.
"He had to go to the hospital," she repeated. "He collapsed during dinner and I had to take him there. He's having a CAT scan right now."
"I-is he alright?" I asked.
"I don't know yet," she replied. "All we can do is pray and hope for the best."
I was silent for a moment. "Thank you for telling me. Please call me when the test results get back."
"I will, honey," she replied and hung up.
I slowly put the phone down as a horrible feeling hit me. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and had to sit down to keep from falling.
"Are you alright, Mike?" Freddy asked as he stood in the doorway that led to the East Hall.
"Yeah," I lied. "I will be."
"What's wrong?" he continued questioning.
"It's nothing, Freddy," I replied, hoping he wouldn't see through my lie.
He obviously didn't buy that, but said nothing about it.
"Come on," Freddy said after a moment. "The others are worried about you."
I nodded and silently got up and followed him to the Dining Area.
()()()()
It was only an hour later when the phone rang again. I was inside the Office this time, checking the security cameras when it went off. I quickly answered it.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Michelle?" my mom's voice said worriedly. "Thank God I caught you. The test results came back and it doesn't look good. The doctors said your father likely won't make it through the night. Is there any chance that you can come right now?"
It took a moment for the information to sink in, but when it did I felt a horrible pain. As though someone reached down my throat and turned me inside out. I had to fight down the bile I could feel rising in my throat before I could answer.
"I'll come as soon as I can," I managed to reply. I then hung up.
I could feel tears weld in my eyes but forced them down as I went to the Dining Area, knowing Becca would be there, talking to the animatronics. I was right.
She was sitting at one of the tables by Pirate Cove, chatting with Foxy and Freddy while Chica and Bonnie apparently were doing a dare where they had to switch roles for a while, Bonnie making pizza and Chica trying to play Bonnie's bass guitar.
I walked over to Becca and said, "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"
It seemed like she was about to object at first, but when she turned to me, it seemed like she understood. She quickly followed me down the East Hall and we stopped outside of the Office.
"I'm sorry this is such short notice," I said, "but I need to leave you in charge for a while."
"Why?" she asked. "What happened?"
"My dad had to go to the hospital, and the doctors don't think he's going to make it through the night," I explained. "Will you do this for me?"
"Of course," Becca said. "But what if Mr. Fred asks where you are if you're not back before your shift ends?"
"Tell him what happened," I answered, and left.
()()()()
A few minutes later, I arrived at the hospital. It was nearly empty except for the staff and some stray civilians and patients roaming around.
"Excuse me," I asked one of the male nurses. "Do you know where John Schmidt's room is located? He's my father."
"Yeah," he said. "Take the elevator up to the third floor. He's in room 210."
"Thank you," I replied and headed in the direction of the elevators.
I quickly found Dad's room and peeked in. Mom was sitting by Dad's bed, nervously ringing a tissue in her hands as the steady beats of his heart monitor filled the room.
"Mom?" I said, drawing her attention to me.
"Oh, Michelle," she said sadly, beaconing me over. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. Especially when your birthday is so close."
I unconsciously fingered the locket that still hung around my neck and nodded.
()()()()
Two hours. Two grueling, painful hours passed before the cancer won and took my dad away in his sleep. Each moment felt like a silence-filled eternity, slowly driving me crazy as the doctors and nurses checked on us to make sure we were comfortable.
It's a funny thing about hospitals. The more times people check on you, the more uncomfortable you become. That and the sound of the heart monitor grating on your nerves, making you feel the helplessness and hopelessness of the situation sink in.
That was the first time in a long time that I felt this helpless to anything. Even the first nights at Freddy's weren't this bad. I honestly would have preferred those nights to this one.
It was 7 am when I left the hospital, so my shift was over. I had nothing to go back to at the moment except mine and Becca's dorm room, where I could get some sleep. I had no classes that day anyway, so why not?
Becca was nowhere to be seen in our dorm, but I didn't really want her to see me like this anyway. She would only make me feel worse. I slowly crawled into my bed and fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
()()()()
I went to work alone that night. Something about Becca having to go to another state for the week or something. I was perfectly fine with it. That meant she wouldn't be around to make potentially hurtful remarks that would affect me at this time.
I sat quietly in the Office, quickly scanning through the security cameras. I couldn't help but sigh as a wave of depression hit me yet again. I slowly reached over and closed the door for the East Hall.
A few minutes later, I could hear Foxy running down the West Hall towards me. I promptly shut the door as he crashed into it.
"Leave me alone, Foxy," I said.
"We're only trying to help," Chica said through the door leading to the East Hall.
"P-please, Mike," Bonnie's voice sounded. "W-we just want to help you."
'Maybe I don't want any help,' I thought, bowing my head and closing my eyes as yet another wave of depression hit me.
A pair of brown arms suddenly wrapped around me, catching me by surprise.
"You don't have to face this alone, Mike," Freddy said soothingly as his arms gently tightened around me.
I couldn't help but lean into his embrace and whisper "Thank you", my voice slightly cracking as tears began to stream down my cheeks.