Chapter 8: A Final Good-bye
Author's Note: This is a rather sad chapter up ahead. Don't worry though, I promise a pretty happy ending...maybe ironic.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hamtaro or anything else.
The four Ham-Hams arrived at the hospital at exactly the stroke of 12, as they hurried into the waiting room. They smiled to see they weren't the only Ham-Hams that cared enough for Oxnard to show up. Sandy, Stan, and Dexter were at the hospital too; already seated.
Dexter's eyes widen at the new appearance of Pashmina, as he suddenly felt an old passion battle its way back. "Pas-pashmina?" he asked, eyeing the stylish hamster with the red scarf. "Is that really you?"
Pashmina nodded, and took a seat next to Dexter. "Yep, it's me." She smiled. "Like the new change?"
"Indeed I do!" Dexter exclaimed, with a grin. "You look as wonderful as you used to."
Pashmina's cheeks turned a tad bit red. "Thank you," she looked around the hospital room. "So..." she said, as her voice suddenly dimmed down. "How is he?"
Everyone was well aware of who 'he' was. There was no need to mention the poor anorexic hamster's name.
Sandy sighed and looked over at Pashmina. "Last time we like heard, the doctor said he was doing really really bad."
Pashmina frowned, and looked down. "Oh," she said softly.
Maxwell, Jingle, and Bijou all took seats and looked down as well. Was this the end for their dear hamster friend? Pepper would be upset.
On that note, where was Pepper?
Bijou pondered the thought. Oxnard and Pepper were still really close. She was surprised to find out that Pepper wasn't here by now. Maybe she couldn't make it. Or she hadn't heard. If she was in Pepper's spot, she'd be real worried; almost panicked. From what Sandy said, Oxnard wasn't doing good...at all.
Her thoughts were interrupted, when the doctor hamster from before, walked over to the group. He had a dull look on his face, as if he had bad news.
"So what's the scoop now, doc?" Stan asked, hoping that the doctor's facial expression was misleading.
"It's bad," the doctor said, looking down. "I'm afraid even with all our actions, it may be too late."
Too late!? The words echoed through the Ham-Hams' minds. Oxnard couldn't die. He couldn't leave. Just couldn't...
Some were crying, while others tried to be stronger by choosing not to believe it. Was this the reality of his problem? Was this the consequence? Was this the only solution?
"Is there anything you can do?" Bijou asked the doctor, holding back her tears for a minute.
"I'm afraid not," the doctor replied. "You can only hope for the best. I'm so sorry Ham-Hams," he bowed his head. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this. You can go in and see him if you like," he walked away after that, leaving the Ham-Hams to decide what to do from there.
"I think everyone should like be here," Sandy said, holding back her own tears.
The others nodded. "Yeah, this may be Oxnard's final hours. Everyone should be here to support him." Maxwell added.
"He's not really gonna go is he, Maxy?" Sandy asked, holding on tightly to her fiancée.
"I'm afraid he might Sandy," Maxwell said, as sweetly as he could, hugging his scared future wife.
Watching this, Bijou started to realize how much she wanted someone to hold on to. She closed her eyes, and gulped, letting a couple tears fall down. But it wasn't Oxnard she was crying about.
It was the memories of her first love, Hamtaro.
She tried and tried to get herself to forget. She spent many sleepless nights trying to solve the problem. What would have happened if she hadn't gone to France? Would Hamtaro not of gone goth? Would he still be the fun- loving hamster he was before she left? She didn't know. Her thoughts snapped back to reality as she noticed Stan and a few others leaving. "Where are you going?" she asked, not listening to the conversation that was going on while she was deep in thought.
Stan frowned. "We're going to get the others, babe," he said, extending a paw to wipe on of Bijou's tears. "Don't worry, sweetheart. He's gonna be alright." He left after that.
Pashmina sighed, and grabbed a magazine to cover her tear filled face. Bijou grabbed a tissue, and took out her pocket mirror, just to see her mascara smeared. She blushed, embarrassed, and went into the bathroom, to correct her make-up.
Bijou glanced at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. "Is this really the end?" she asked, looking down. "Is Oxnard really going to go?" She walked out of the bathroom, with her make-up fixed. She passed by Oxnard's hospital room, and then stopped. "If this is my last chance to see you," she whispered to Oxnard, staring at the door. "Then I'd regret not taking it."
The almost lifeless hamster layed in the hospital room, resting peaceful. It almost made Bijou start crying again at the sight. She took a deep breath and walked over to the side of the bed, grabbing one of Oxnard's paws.
"I know you can't hear me," she whispered, as her eyes welled up with tears. "But I want you to know that we all really care about you. From what the doctor said, this may be my last chance to see you, but know that we'll all here for you. You mean the world to every single one of us...at least; you mean the world to me. We love you Oxnard," she said, almost squeezing his paw. As much as the white hamster did not want to admit it, she had a very bad feeling that this was her last chance to say anything to him.
She looked over at the heart monitor, as Oxnard weakly opened his eyes briefly. "Tell everyone," he said, barely above a whisper. "That I love them too. Good-bye...Bijou..." he said, before his eyes finally closed, and he took his final breath.
The heart monitor then showed a sight Bijou would never forget. Poor Oxnard; dear Oxnard...was dead.
Final Notes: Sometimes, it doesn't take many words to get the emotion of the situation out. This is one of the shortest chapters, but one of the ones that has the most feeling. I'm sorry for the depressing ending for Oxnard, but it's a turning point. Just so you know, no more Ham-Hams will die. I guess that's a more cheerful note. Please review.
