7th Heaven
Chapter Five: The Long Goodbye
Annie sat dumbstruck, all of this was happening to fast. Sure Simon had been ill before but now the doctors were saying that there wasn't much time left, that he was failing fast. Her son lay upstairs and would never come back down again. The last trip to the movies with Nigel and a going a day with out oxygen had wiped him out, for all tense and purposes Simon Camden was done with the world.
Slowly and quietly she crept up the stairs and peeped into his room. He was sleeping- did that a lot lately. She took a chair and just sat there watching his chest rise and fall. Annie remembered the day he was born, child number 4, she had already been an old hat at it. He always been such a good person, always wanted to help. He was so much like his father in that regard.
She still felt guilty about not noticing his initial illness to begin with. She had always been a good mother but for the past year she knew she had failed. With so many of her children grown, Mary, Matt, Luce, she had felt like she was basically done and her moods had shifted, she had grown inward. She recalled once calling Simon 15 and having Sam and David reminding her that he was 16. Yes, things had changed. Annie could tell you everyone of her children's; past boyfriends and girlfriends but she could not pin point the exact day her son had first begun to grow ill. And now she had realized it too late. Her sweet, generous, talented middle son was dying and breaking her heart in two.
*~*
Unlike in the movies the dying do not usually part with poetic and poignant words- uttered at the last breath- such was the case for Simon. After writing eight letters, one line scribbled in each, he left this world for the next, with as much dignity as he had brought into it.
Annie Camden, there at the moment of his birth, was there to witness his end. He woke up, looked her in the eye, smiled and breathed his last. But Annie's heart did not break in two like she had originally thought. It broke, crumbled, burned and disintegrated. She had heard Eric's parishioners talk about the loss of a child before, then she had smiled and nodded , but never understood. But now she did. No pain- not even when her beloved mother died- compared to the pain she was feeling right now. She felt Eric come in and walk up to the bed.
"Annie is he…?" he started as his voice broke.
Her grip on Simon's already cold hands tightened. No, she wouldn't believe it, he was fine. None of this had happened. She willed him to wake up, to breathe once more, just for a few more hours… to say goodbye… she thought she had more time… people always think they have more time… Simon had and now he was… he was… dead. Gone for the rest of her lifetime.
"Yes, Eric he's dead." she responded at last.
*~*
The next days drifted in a haze for Annie. Calling the church, her dad , Ginger, Eric's parents and sister, telling the other children. All brought her to this moment, watching her son's casket being lowered into the ground. She looked into the hole and wanted to jump in there with him. To comfort and protect, like she should of done before. She almost laughed to herself remembering what some well intentioned mourner had said earlier, "Well at least you have six other children." She didn't have six more Simons. She only had one Simon and now she had lost him. She could lose any of them. At any time, any second. The thought scared her. Oh, she knew of the possibility before but now it had happened. She had lost one. She had never though it could happen. Things like that didn't happen to her family.
"Annie?" Eric spoke, interrupting her thoughts. The minister, even at his son's funeral. It was time to throw dirt on the grave. Her hand shook, Matt had to help her turn her hand over. Somehow she couldn't tell the dirt falling from her tears.
It was from then on, the family that seemed to have everything, began to fall apart.
Chapter Five: The Long Goodbye
Annie sat dumbstruck, all of this was happening to fast. Sure Simon had been ill before but now the doctors were saying that there wasn't much time left, that he was failing fast. Her son lay upstairs and would never come back down again. The last trip to the movies with Nigel and a going a day with out oxygen had wiped him out, for all tense and purposes Simon Camden was done with the world.
Slowly and quietly she crept up the stairs and peeped into his room. He was sleeping- did that a lot lately. She took a chair and just sat there watching his chest rise and fall. Annie remembered the day he was born, child number 4, she had already been an old hat at it. He always been such a good person, always wanted to help. He was so much like his father in that regard.
She still felt guilty about not noticing his initial illness to begin with. She had always been a good mother but for the past year she knew she had failed. With so many of her children grown, Mary, Matt, Luce, she had felt like she was basically done and her moods had shifted, she had grown inward. She recalled once calling Simon 15 and having Sam and David reminding her that he was 16. Yes, things had changed. Annie could tell you everyone of her children's; past boyfriends and girlfriends but she could not pin point the exact day her son had first begun to grow ill. And now she had realized it too late. Her sweet, generous, talented middle son was dying and breaking her heart in two.
*~*
Unlike in the movies the dying do not usually part with poetic and poignant words- uttered at the last breath- such was the case for Simon. After writing eight letters, one line scribbled in each, he left this world for the next, with as much dignity as he had brought into it.
Annie Camden, there at the moment of his birth, was there to witness his end. He woke up, looked her in the eye, smiled and breathed his last. But Annie's heart did not break in two like she had originally thought. It broke, crumbled, burned and disintegrated. She had heard Eric's parishioners talk about the loss of a child before, then she had smiled and nodded , but never understood. But now she did. No pain- not even when her beloved mother died- compared to the pain she was feeling right now. She felt Eric come in and walk up to the bed.
"Annie is he…?" he started as his voice broke.
Her grip on Simon's already cold hands tightened. No, she wouldn't believe it, he was fine. None of this had happened. She willed him to wake up, to breathe once more, just for a few more hours… to say goodbye… she thought she had more time… people always think they have more time… Simon had and now he was… he was… dead. Gone for the rest of her lifetime.
"Yes, Eric he's dead." she responded at last.
*~*
The next days drifted in a haze for Annie. Calling the church, her dad , Ginger, Eric's parents and sister, telling the other children. All brought her to this moment, watching her son's casket being lowered into the ground. She looked into the hole and wanted to jump in there with him. To comfort and protect, like she should of done before. She almost laughed to herself remembering what some well intentioned mourner had said earlier, "Well at least you have six other children." She didn't have six more Simons. She only had one Simon and now she had lost him. She could lose any of them. At any time, any second. The thought scared her. Oh, she knew of the possibility before but now it had happened. She had lost one. She had never though it could happen. Things like that didn't happen to her family.
"Annie?" Eric spoke, interrupting her thoughts. The minister, even at his son's funeral. It was time to throw dirt on the grave. Her hand shook, Matt had to help her turn her hand over. Somehow she couldn't tell the dirt falling from her tears.
It was from then on, the family that seemed to have everything, began to fall apart.
