Spoiler for ep 25 of the anime.

6. Death

In one ear she could hear the nurses and doctors in the background chatting amongst themselves. They were used to this scene. They were discrete but at the same time went about their routine. In the other ear she could hear Gracia weeping. Sobs that tore through her body. The sound she made seemed not quite human. Somewhere under it all she could hear the priest was giving Hughes his Last Rites. She tried to focus on the prayer but all she could think about was Gracia's cries and how much they hurt to listen to.

Calmly she stepped behind Roy. She raised one hand to his shoulder and then leaned her face into his back. There she wept. It was too overwhelming. She wept for herself but also for the man who stood in front of her with his back ramrod straight. He stared ahead at Hughes and only the watery appearance of his eyes gave anything away to his true feelings.

Finally, Gracia stopped crying for a moment as if her tears are all cried out. She stared ahead of her but it was as if her eyes weren't really seeing anything. So blank and lifeless. Then her eyes lit upon Roy. For a moment Riza could see a spark of life in Gracia's eyes as if she had just been given a miracle. Slowly she leaned down and began to whisper in Hughes ear. She was quiet at first but then her voice became louder and louder until she was finally able to make out what was being said.

"Honey, Roy is here. Wake up Honey, don't you want to say hi to Roy? Please wake up. Please just wake up one more time. I just want to see you one more time."

By the time she was finished she was pleading with him and sobbing and clutching at his chest. It was such a desperate attempt that it crushed Riza's heart. Soon Riza was sobbing as well and Gracia's cries became too much for her to take. Quickly she walked out of the room.

Outside she took deep shuddering breaths. It wasn't long before Roy came outside with her. He hugged her tight as if she was his lifeline. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him. "What can you say to her? What can you do to make it better? Nothing. I think the hardest part about it all is that I could easily be in her place. Weeping over you and that scares me more than anything."

He hugged her tight again. No words of comfort came however, because he knew she was right and he couldn't promise she would never have to go through that pain.

One of my friends died last night in a motorcycle accident. A suburban ran a red light and hit him on his motorcycle. All I can say is this scene was pretty close to what I experienced. I needed an outlet to let this out. I hope you don't mind.

Tell your friends right now how much they mean to you. Don't wait till it is too late.