Tom's P.O.V
I grasp the cold metal handle, crunching down on it,it sets off a series of events, all happening within milliseconds of time and allowing the door to swing open. My parents jump to my entrance,I see Sam smile politely,a reflex to her. "Tom! Thank God you're here no one is telling us anything" I look at my mum, her eyes are swollen,and blood shot,she's obviously been crying. I wonder how she will react when I tell her. I can't tell her.
They say when you have a near death experience your life flashes before you; all your memories,the good,the bad,even the ones you can't remember. That's what happened to me. Everything from when Gracie first came home to when she fell off her bike and gashed all of her forehead ,she needed eight stitches ,even when I left for university and finally to us sitting around the breakfast table this morning. How do you tell your parents that you sister had died while you were supposed to be looking after her? I sit my parents down,my mother is in the exact same seat I was when I was told. I take a deep breath, I brace myself to tell them but I cannot force words out of my mouth,they sit so innocent, oblivious,the bright atmosphere is toxic to my devastation. "Grace came off her bike,she had what we thought was a really bad concussion" I say deliberating over each word "what you thought?" My bewildered mum asks, I am about to speak but Sam must sense my struggle "Grace's injury was a lot worse than we had anticipated,she had a bleed that couldn't be detected until the last minute" Sam explains to my parents "Is she ok, I need to see her!" My dad exasperates,leaping from his chair. "Mr Kent,please Grace had a major intercranial haemorrhage, which was a bleed that grew inside her brain, this caused her blood pressure to drop very low and finally send her into cardiac arrest. We attempted resuscitation,however Grace's body just did not respond ,I am so sorry" I watch as my parents faces drop,confused,unsure "she's dead" my mother states bluntly, I just nod as my mother erupts into a fit of violent tears,my father holds her but he too is unable to disguise his grief. We sit and mourn for Grace's young life for a painfully long time, Sam leaves our radically reduced family to mourn. I try to hug my mum but she pulls herself away "Why couldn't you save her Tom? You're a doctor you could of saved her! When I brought her down to Holby she was amazing,she was an athlete,she had so much to give, she wasn't ready to die" my mother sobs,pounding soft punches into my chest, I just pull her close and she howls more.
An hour passes once the initial shock is diluted we talk about her, everything about her,the stuff you wouldn't notice that made her special,unique. Sam enters as we reminisce of her short life ,she sits beside me,I know the talk she is about to do,it's standard practise "I know this isn't something you'd necessarily like to think about but it's something that needs to be done soon after someone dies,regarding whether or not you'd like to consider organ donation" I look to my parents, I know for a fact she would want to,she has a card amongst her junk at mine,the thought of going home makes my head throb, to face all her things,that she used and loved, but my parents shake their heads "oh no, it's so soon I don't think I could" my mum contemplates "mum,she would want to,I know it's hard but Grace can help someone, more than one up to nine people,I know Grace would want you do a organ donation" I say convincingly,my parents nod, they know she has a card and there's not much they can do. "Thank you, would you like me to take you to see her?" Sam asks,my parents nod obligingly,they're so quiet, I think it's the shock .
Grace is still in recuss, enclosed by privacy partings,her hair spread out like an angelic halo, the way I saw her this morning,but the colour has gone from her cheeks and she remains silent,still. My parents hold her hands, the same hands that gripped bicycle handle bars this morning. "She looks so much like you Tom you know" my mum sighs, she says it as a passing statement but it begins to send my mind into a whirlwind of thoughts,we do look scarily alike and share the same interests,we're both adopted, is there something my parents are hiding?