Life gives you choices and those choices lead roads of endless possibilities. For example let's say you were at a party and your friend was drinking and he was your ride home. You get in the car and he wants to drive, you tell him he shouldn't be driving and you hadn't had anything to drink and so drive him and yourself home but what if you stayed at the party and let him drive alone? He either would have been stopped by police officer or ended his life by driving extremely drunk on the road. In these series of shorts, we will explore endless possibilities of what if life was different for Thomas and his family and in this short. What if Bandit was sick instead of Emily? What if Bandit had died instead of Emily? Let's find the outcome of this timeline.
Wish You Were Here
Thomas teared up after getting a call from his father and the news he shared. Thomas sat down on his bed and cried until his mother came home from her art gallery. "Thomas? Honey?" Emily said placed down her purse and went upstairs to her son's room. Thomas sat on his bed and then looked at his mother with tears in his eyes. "He called you didn't he?" Emily asked, almost choking up herself. Thomas nodded. Emily sighed and then sat next to her son. "Do you want to talk about it?" Emily asked. Thomas let's some tears fall from his muzzle. "Dads going to die," Thomas said, breaking down. Emily then hugged her son and rubbed his back. "Shh honey we don't know that for sure," Emily said hugging her son.
"I don't want dad to die," Thomas said crying into his mothers fur. "I know baby, I don't want him to either," Emily said, kissing her son on the side of his head. Despite being divorced from her husband Emily still cared for him deeply and his well-being. "We need to see him, I need to see him," Thomas said, looking at his mother. Emily looked at her son and placed her hand on his muzzle. "Okay, we'll go let me take some calls go get your things ready," Emily said as she stood up from her son's bed. Thomas nodded and started packing. Emily then left her son's room and went to her own while wiping her own tears away.
The plane ride to Australia was quiet for the mother and son. They arrive by nightfall in Brisbane's Airport. Emily goes and gets a rental car and then they were off. "Do you want something to eat honey?" Emily asked while driving. "I'll eat at dads," Thomas answered. "Okay," Emily said while driving. They pull up to Bandit and Chilli's house. "Are you okay honey?" Emily asked, looking at Thømas. Thomas turned and looked at his mother. "What if he doesn't want to see me? After all the times I've tried to tell him to get out of my life," Thomas asked, tearing up again. "You're dad loves you very much, no matter how much you wanted him to leave you alone, he never stopped and this won't change things either," Emily said, letting tears from her muzzle go.
Thomas nodded, taking a deep breath. Emily nodded now, getting out of the car. They both go to the door and knock. Chilli answered the door and smiled seeing her stepson and Emily. "Hey guys!" Chilli said with a smile. "Hey Chilli," Thomas said nervously. "Come in," Chilli said, letting Thomas and Emily in. "I'm sorry this is short notice," Emily said, giving Chilli a hug. "No you two are welcomed here anytime," Chilli said, hugging Emily. "Thomas! Aunt Emily!" Bluey and Bingo shouted running up to them. "Hey girls! Give me a hug!" Emily said, giving the girls a big hug. "Hey guys," Thomas said, hugging his sisters. After the greeting Thomas took a deep breath and looked at his stepmom. "C-can I see dad?" Thomas asked, looking at Chilli.
"Of course he's in our room upstairs," Chilli said, rubbing Thomas's arm. Thomas nodded as he started to make his way to his fathers room. Emily and Chilli stayed with the girls while Thomas went upstairs. Thomas went to his fathers room and knocked on the door. "Dad?" Thomas said, opening the door. "Thomas? What are you doing here mate?" Bandit asked with a cough. "I-I wanted to see you," Thomas said, standing at the door. Bandit smiled weakly, "then get over here mate," Bandit said softly with a smile. Thomas nodded and then walked over to his fathers bed.
Thomas sat next to father and looked at him with tears running down his muzzle. "Mate don't cry," Bandit said weakly. Thomas started crying more as he laid down next to his dad. "Dad I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for treating you the way I've been treating you," Thømas said while crying on his fathers chest. "Mate, listen to me," Bandit said while holding his son. Thomas looked at Bandit with his eye colors coming out more. Bandit chuckled looking into his son's eyes. "I haven't seen your eye colors come out like this since the day you were born," Bandit said softly with a smile. Thomas then laid his head back down on his fathers chest and lightly cried.
"You know what mate?" Bandit asked while looking up at the ceiling. "What is it dad?" Thomas asked, looking at Bandit. "Remember that camping trip with your mum?" Bandit asked. "When mom got poison oak?" Thomas asked. Bandit chuckled before answering. "Yeah! Do you remember what we did that night while she was resting in the tent?" Bandit asked weakly. "We were lying down in the grass looking up at the stars," Thomas said, wiping his tears away. "That's right mate and this feels like that," Bandit said softly still looking up. Thomas felt his heart breaking as he held onto his father tightly but not too tight to hurt him. "Dad?" Thomas asked softly. "Yes mate?" Bandit asked.
"No matter how mad I was at you I… I missed you so much," Thomas said, choking on his words while looking up at the ceiling. "I missed you too mate and I never wanted to stop being your dad even if you were angry with me," Bandit said softly. "How am I going to live without you?" Thomas asked, swallowing hard. "We'll mate, there's one thing I hope that happens for you and your mum," Bandit explained. "And what's that?" Thomas asked, looking at his dad. "I hope you're mum finds someone to love her as much as I did and hope that someone loves you the same," Bandit said with a light chuckle. "I'm sure she will dad," Thomas said, shedding a tear. "But can you promise me something mate?" Bandit asked, looking at his son. "Yeah dad anything?" Thomas said, still letting tears flow. "Take care of your sisters and Chili for me?" Bandit asked, letting his own tears go.
Thomas smiled and nodded as he cuddled close to his dad. "Okay mate, I think I'm going to take a short nap," Bandit said weakly. Thomas knew what was really happening next. "Okay dad, I'll see you tomorrow," Thomas said, kissing his fathers head and laying down next to him. Thomas felt his fathers last breath and then Bandit was gone. Thomas laid there for a little while holding onto his dad and stood up from the bed and went out to the living room. The girls had gone to sleep while Chilli and Emily were in the living room talking.
"Hey sweetie," Chilli said, seeing her stepson come into the living room. Thomas tried to stay strong as he looked at his step mother and mother. Emily looked at her son and knew what had happened. Emily then held Chilli's hand preparing her for what their son was going to say. "Dads gone," Thomas said in a low tone. Chilli and Emily stood up and then hugged Thomas tightly and he started crying hard.
(2 years later..)
"Ready or not, here I come!" Thomas said now looking for his sisters. Thomas looked around the campsite and then looked behind a large rock. "Found you!" Thomas shouted, grabbing his sisters and tickling them. "No fair!" Bluey said while laughing. "Yeah! No fair!" Bingo added while also laughing. "Kids! Dinners ready!" Chilli called out. "Come on, let's get washed up for dinner!" Thomas said, placing Bingo on his head. The family eats dinner by the campfire and tells scary stories. Later that night Bluey had woken up from a little nightmare and turned to look for her brother who was out on the field laying down looking up at the stars. Bluey then stood up and ran over to her brother. "Thomas?" Bluey asked, looking at him.
"Hey blue, what's wrong?" Thomas asked, looking at his sister. "I had a bad dream," Bluey said looking down. "You did? Do you want to talk about it?" Thomas asked. Bluey nodded as she laid down next to her brother. "It was about dad, I miss him," Bluey said cuddling close to her brother. "I know you do, I miss him too," Thomas said while looking up at the stars. "Do you think he misses us?" Bluey asked while also looking up at the stars. "I'm sure he does very much, but you know what?" Thomas asked, looking at his sister. "What?" Bluey asked, looking at her brother. "He's always here watching over us," Thomas answered. "He is?" Bluey asked, confused. "Yep he is," Thomas said. "How do you know?" Bluey asked, still confused.
"Look up," Thomas simply said. Bluey looked up at the stars and saw a meteor shower. "That's him now," Thomas said looking up with a smile. "Oh!" Bluey said, wagging her tail while watching the shower. Within the hour Bluey had fall asleep next to her brother cuddling him while she slept. Thomas then picked up his sister and took her back to her bed. As Thomas placed her down lightly not waking her up. Thomas heard whimpering not far from Chilli. Thomas smiled knowing who it was. Thomas went over near Chilli and saw his little brother whimpering in his sleep. "Hey Bandit, it's okay," Thomas said, touching his brother's head. Bandit then calmly goes back to sleep putting his thumb in his mouth and starts to fall back to sleep peacefully. Thomas smiled and then lays down next to him and shut his eyes to go to sleep….
The End.
Things can be different if they were the other way around. Chilli did end up having another child with her husband before his passing and Thomas kept his promise to his father to look after his sisters and stepmother, and by the looks of it Thomas became a better person by doing so. Our next story however takes a darker turn after the events of Emily's passing, we come to wonder what if Prince became Thomas's legal guardian and stayed in the US away from his father and his family? What if Thomas didn't become What Prince would call soft? Tune in until the next chapter to find out.