He had a gaping hole in the middle of his stomach. It smoked as his
aunt in law inspected his charred flesh. He was beyond pain, but
she.......she was not. And so, nobody else was either. A wave of agony, the
likes of which none of them, save one, had ever experienced nor would ever
experience again in their lives. Her pained ripped through the entire
congregation like a taught wire through cake. There was nothing to shield
them from it, not from her, so they bore it, knowing that for her, it was
far worse.
The two men who held him up laid him out on the ground as their mode of transportation closed behind them. She suddenly appeared out of thin air in their midst, but they were used to that. She was lost for words, but they could all hear what was going through her head. Fear, guilt, more fear, abandonment, a terrifying feeling of uselessness, stark, blinding knowledge. And the knowledge that she couldn't do anything about it. Alarms that had been blaring were suddenly cut off and the silence was astounding. The pain was cut off too, stemmed by the one mind that could help them. Her family was rushing into the room too now, crowding around. The doctor shook her head sadly.
"Get him into a room" she ordered the medics who were waiting for just such an order. The moved him onto a gurney and carried him away. She followed behind. They all crammed into the infirmary. The smell of the inevitable was heavy in the air. The doctor examined the wound more closely, pushing back disintegrated pieces of safety vest and t-shirt he had been wearing. Frankly, she was amazed that he was still breathing, and she knew what to account it to. She looked into the man's face.
"Is there nothing Makara can do?" she asked. The man's eyes glowed, but not with the luster they once had.
"The….damage….is too much" he answered, his voice denoting who was speaking, "Cass………..I am…..sorry" he said. Her eyes were full of tears and they gently fell down her cheeks. The others exchanged looks and filed out.
"I'll call Katari" her sister told her as she exited, but all Cass could do was nod. She pulled a chair from across the room, while holding onto her husbands hand. The next second their daughter, all 6'5" and caramel colored hair of her, was standing in the room with them. She looked down at her father, a man she had always known to be strong, as his life drifted away.
"Daddy?" she whispered. She was 17. Her mother remembered that age. Katari was every bit like her mother. And she now faced a responsibility she had not thought to take on for years to come.
Katari……..you're sure? You're ready? Her mother asked silently.
Yes the girl responded silently, but with conviction.
"Katari……" Makara said slowly, "You…..know what you're doing?" Katari nodded.
"Daddy?" the girl looked into his eyes and he smiled back.
"Baby" he said, and raised an arm to her face, "I love you sweetie. Makara…….will be good to you. And I will always be a part of you"
"I love you too, Daddy" she smiled softly at him. He fell a swell of pride and joy fill his chest, the like of which no other member of his kind had ever, nor were likely to, experience.
"Now, give me a kiss, baby" he instructed her. She took in a hesitant breath, threw her mother a nervous look and a terrified thought, and opened her mouth.
The deed was done seconds later. She watched as her daughter's eyes flashed and then closed. Father and Mother watched, waited to see how the merging had went. A monitor behind them lifted and they knew it had gone as they had all hoped for 17 years.
"I'll leave you" Makara said, in a much higher voice than he had ever had. Katari was still dealing with having pieces of her father in her head, not to mention that of another being who had been living for far longer than she could rightly imagine. She disappeared and Cass was left alone with her dieing husband.
"I …..I ……" She reached out with her mind and a fresh flood of tears came to her eyes.
I can feel you! She exclaimed in his head, I can see your mind! I can make you feel, I can feel you! It was the first time she had ever been able to reach his mind. She forced everything into his mind, in those last few minutes.
"Cass……I love you. I've loved you since the first minute I saw your muddy blue eyes" he smiled at her.
I finally have you alone she said Completely, utterly alone. Just us. He smiled at her, and she could feel all his love.
And with that, Gray'ag O'Neill of the Ta'Ri, died and his human wife, Cassandra Katari O'Neill, cried in anguish.
The two men who held him up laid him out on the ground as their mode of transportation closed behind them. She suddenly appeared out of thin air in their midst, but they were used to that. She was lost for words, but they could all hear what was going through her head. Fear, guilt, more fear, abandonment, a terrifying feeling of uselessness, stark, blinding knowledge. And the knowledge that she couldn't do anything about it. Alarms that had been blaring were suddenly cut off and the silence was astounding. The pain was cut off too, stemmed by the one mind that could help them. Her family was rushing into the room too now, crowding around. The doctor shook her head sadly.
"Get him into a room" she ordered the medics who were waiting for just such an order. The moved him onto a gurney and carried him away. She followed behind. They all crammed into the infirmary. The smell of the inevitable was heavy in the air. The doctor examined the wound more closely, pushing back disintegrated pieces of safety vest and t-shirt he had been wearing. Frankly, she was amazed that he was still breathing, and she knew what to account it to. She looked into the man's face.
"Is there nothing Makara can do?" she asked. The man's eyes glowed, but not with the luster they once had.
"The….damage….is too much" he answered, his voice denoting who was speaking, "Cass………..I am…..sorry" he said. Her eyes were full of tears and they gently fell down her cheeks. The others exchanged looks and filed out.
"I'll call Katari" her sister told her as she exited, but all Cass could do was nod. She pulled a chair from across the room, while holding onto her husbands hand. The next second their daughter, all 6'5" and caramel colored hair of her, was standing in the room with them. She looked down at her father, a man she had always known to be strong, as his life drifted away.
"Daddy?" she whispered. She was 17. Her mother remembered that age. Katari was every bit like her mother. And she now faced a responsibility she had not thought to take on for years to come.
Katari……..you're sure? You're ready? Her mother asked silently.
Yes the girl responded silently, but with conviction.
"Katari……" Makara said slowly, "You…..know what you're doing?" Katari nodded.
"Daddy?" the girl looked into his eyes and he smiled back.
"Baby" he said, and raised an arm to her face, "I love you sweetie. Makara…….will be good to you. And I will always be a part of you"
"I love you too, Daddy" she smiled softly at him. He fell a swell of pride and joy fill his chest, the like of which no other member of his kind had ever, nor were likely to, experience.
"Now, give me a kiss, baby" he instructed her. She took in a hesitant breath, threw her mother a nervous look and a terrified thought, and opened her mouth.
The deed was done seconds later. She watched as her daughter's eyes flashed and then closed. Father and Mother watched, waited to see how the merging had went. A monitor behind them lifted and they knew it had gone as they had all hoped for 17 years.
"I'll leave you" Makara said, in a much higher voice than he had ever had. Katari was still dealing with having pieces of her father in her head, not to mention that of another being who had been living for far longer than she could rightly imagine. She disappeared and Cass was left alone with her dieing husband.
"I …..I ……" She reached out with her mind and a fresh flood of tears came to her eyes.
I can feel you! She exclaimed in his head, I can see your mind! I can make you feel, I can feel you! It was the first time she had ever been able to reach his mind. She forced everything into his mind, in those last few minutes.
"Cass……I love you. I've loved you since the first minute I saw your muddy blue eyes" he smiled at her.
I finally have you alone she said Completely, utterly alone. Just us. He smiled at her, and she could feel all his love.
And with that, Gray'ag O'Neill of the Ta'Ri, died and his human wife, Cassandra Katari O'Neill, cried in anguish.