The Story

By: KellyCRocker59

Part Six

Stay

When Sean was just beginning his career in the NFL, he had spent three weeks in the hospital. That was what severe head trauma and a broken arm got you, a risk he had known going into major league football. He could still taste the flavorless jello, could still see the banal curtains that conjoined with walls that sapped him of optimism. It had been his parents that had pulled him out of the depths of misery and back into the world from which he had been ejected.

He held an animosity toward hospitals because of this. If he had to receive a flu shot, he would do it elsewhere. If he had to get a wellness exam, it was in a local clinic. Despite its necessity, no other place had manifested so much frustration within him. So when the call came in, when the numbness reached his fingertips and Holden's arms pulled him from his chair and onto the couch, he was given another reason to confront his demons.

Cushioned chairs became his new residence, polite thank you's and forced strength a necessity. He held her hand, knowing this day would come, knowing that it was inevitable that she would leave before him, but always refusing to see it in the near future. Now it was here and it was watching ice melt between his fingers.

Heartbreak left him with only Holden to cling to late at night when he was too exhausted to remain stoic, when he no longer needed to be the one that didn't cry. He should know by now that life didn't always deal a fair hand, yet he would never understand why it had to be him, why it had to be now and not later when he was stronger, when he could really handle this.

The days limped along. People came and went, and she didn't get better. Months passed, the leaves fled from the trees, finding solace on the ground. The days were taking their toll on his father, and soon he found himself alone with her more and more. Holden would always show up after work, bringing food and offering comfort when Sean needed it most. He wouldn't stay long, leaving Sean alone with her as she faded in and out of sleep.

In the midst of fall, when life wasn't getting easier, Holden arrived with a brown bag of food for dinner. Sean offered a smile and Holden leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead.

"I'll see you at home." Holden whispered, squeezing his shoulder before turning on his heel.

"Wait."

Sean blinked, staring at his mom as she reached out a hand. Holden halted and turned back around. Their eyes held and silence befell the three of them.

"Stay." She managed with a gasp, the first words she had spoken all day. Holden stepped forward once, then twice, and then he took a seat in the vacant chair beside Sean. She reached out for him, and he leaned forward, taking her hand.

"Thank you. For…" She was taken by a fit of coughing. "…for loving him."

Holden smiled and held her hand in both of his. "Thank you for taking care of him."

Two days later, Sean's mother passed away.

Tragedy

People say life is made up of a bunch of little details. Holden would argue that it is made up of little words. Ones that don't mean a lot when they are said, yet carry so much gravity as time passes. Holden would argue that despite every event that builds upon another, in spite of every action you commit, a few words could turn your stone temple to sand.

He realized that as he stood on the platform, watching people crowding around him, some fighting to get to the front. There was a girl, maybe twelve years old, clutching an oversized stuffed teddy bear and swaying. An elderly man looked out across the station. The folded up paper in his pocket felt like a lead weight, searing into his thigh, branding him with its importance. He cautioned a breath in the autumn air, warming his hands in his jacket.

The train came into the station and halted with a clean squeal. Holden stepped back as the passengers flooded the floor, all in search. There was one woman who found that girl with the teddy bear. A man searched through the crowd, passing over Holden. Finally, a woman in her early sixties appeared, grey curls tied behind her, a deep red jacket draped over her meager shoulders.

Holden stepped forward, and when she saw him, she became a swan amongst duckling, weaving through impossibly narrow gaps and reaching him, hands finding his as their eyes connected.

"Mom." He whispered, almost choking on the words.

"Not here, dear. To a coffee shop." She replied, giving him a smile that swallowed his fears.

Yesterday

He lost the habit to function as a normal human being as the days went on. It was a dark world, a world he did not even realize existed until a month ago. He was being unfair because of it. He knew that, he knew that he was being selfish. But he was taking this time to allow himself to be selfish. If not now, then when? When would he ever get the chance again to lay in bed all day and stare at the ceiling because it was all that he could bring himself to do? When would it be okay to not eat for three days and then finally swallow down some rice because he had become light-headed? When else would his coach let him make his own schedule despite all of his prior commitments?

That was yesterday. Today, he was dressed in black alone in an empty church. Head down, eyes closed, he could feel a thousand weights on his body, anchoring him to his seat. He could breathe, but just barely. He hadn't cried. He couldn't cry.

There was a hand on his shoulder. He didn't look up, didn't budge at all. That hand found his as another person attempted to lift the burden from him. He choked back a sob, and an arm was around his shoulders, pulling him close, sheltering him from his own personal thunder.