Cristina rushed into her father's house, as soon as Bertha opened the door. She gave the housekeeper a quick hug before she said, "Where is he?"
"He's upstairs in the master bedroom," Bertha said. "And before you ask me why isn't he at the hospital, he told the doctor that he preferred to die at home. You go upstairs. He has been waiting for you." Cristina ran up the stairs, followed her two tiny daughters. She opened the door to her dad's bedroom and bolted into the room.
"Dad, dad," she said, running to the bed. Her father opened his eyes and put out his arms. She sat on the side of the bed and lay in his arms. She was a mix of emotions. She was glad that she got there in time before her father died and sad that he was going to die. Her tears flowed freely, while her dad stroked her thick, unruly curls.
"Cristina, baby," Harold said. "So glad you came. And the kiddies, too?" His voice was weak and a little hoarse, Cristina noted. He patted the bed, so the girls could climb in and give him a hug. "My pretty grandbabies." He also stroked their curly hair, so similar to his daughter's.
Everyone lay there on the bed and it was only when Cristina turned her head, she noticed her step-mother sitting quietly in an armchair in a corner. Beatrice looked distraught and was dabbing her yees with tissue. Cristina raised her head. "Sorry, Beatrice, I didn't see you there. How are you?"
"As well as can be expected, given the circumstances. He refuses to go to the hospital," Beatrice said.
"For what, Bea? For them to keep reviving me over and over again, every time I go. I don't want that. I want to go on my own terms. And now that Cristina and the children are here, my heart is full with joy. I am ready," he said. When he said that, Beatrice burst into tears. At that moment, Cristina was acutely aware of how much her step-mother loved her father.
"Dad, don't talk like that," Cristina said. He raised his hand. "I am just being honest. I know what my odds are and I am okay with that," he told his daughter.
"Dad, I am going to leave you for a bit. I am just going to get the girls settled in their room," she said. She got up from the bed and took the hand of each little girl.
"Is Owen with you?" Harold asked. She turned around. "Um, no. He went back to Iraq, yesterday. So it is just the girls and me," she said.
"Oh," Harold said. Without Owen to comfort and console her, Harold knew that his death would be even harder on his only daughter. "Get the girls settled and come by, a little later. I think I am going to take a nap," he said. Cristina nodded and left.
She took the girls to their room and went to her old bedroom. She hadn't stayed here the last time she and Owen were here. They had stayed in the larger guest room. She lay on the twin-sized bed and looked around the room. It was interesting that her father had never changed the room. It still felt like a teenager lived there. There were posters of her favorite music stars, as well as her academic trophies. Her college pennant was on the wall. It was like taking a trip back in time. On the bedside table were pictures of her teenaged self and her dad. They both look so much younger, she thought. There was also a picture of her mom. As Cristina stared at the ceiling, she laughed when she saw a pencil she had thrown up there as a teenager, was still stuck there.
There was a small knock on the door. "Come in," she said. Bertha stuck in her head. "Are you staying in here? I thought you would stay in the guest room, like you did the last time."
"It's okay, Bertha," she said. "I am fine in here. Just reminiscing about the good old days." Bertha looked around the room.
"Your dad didn't want to change anything in it. Even after you moved away, when you had the baby and got married," Bertha said. "I think he always wanted to remember you as his little girl. No matter how many times Miss Beatrice wanted to take apart this room, he would never let her."
"Well, I guess she could do it, after he passes," Cristina said. They were both silent. It was hard to think that Dr. Yang was going to die, soon.
"So, how is Major Hunt?" Bertha asked. "I see he didn't come with you."
"Oh, Owen went back to Iraq, yesterday. I sent him an email that the girls and I were going to South Carolina, since Dad had taken a turn for the worse," Cristina said. "It's okay though, Bertha, we will be fine. I am used to being alone." Bertha shook her head. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be a military wife. Her husband, Oswald, was not the most thoughtful of men, but he was always there whenever she needed him.
"Well, okay, then," Bertha said. "You and the girls can come down in a bit. I will be done with lunch, soon."
"Okay, Bertha, thank you very much," Cristina said. Bertha closed the door, allowing Cristina to reminisce some more.
Over the next few days, Cristina and the girls spent as much time with Harold as possible. They could only do it whenever he was up to it. Other times, they just let him rest. He had a nurse, Agnes, who stayed with him in the room during the night. It was the nurse, who came in the middle of the night, to wake Cristina. It was a sharp knock at the door that awoke Cristina. She was still groggy when she got up from the bed to answer it. She immediately became awake when she saw it was Agnes. "Dad?" she asked, fearfully. Agnes nodded.
Cristina ran down to the corridor to her father's room. Beatrice and her father's doctor, Dr. Watkins, were already there. Her father looked weak and pale on the bed. His breathing was labored and short. "Cris?" he said. She ran to him and gave him her hand to hold.
"I am ready," he said, softly. With a soft gasp, her father closed his eyes and was gone. Beatrice let out a wail, while Cristina silently cried. The doctor checked his vitals and nodded. Dr. Harold Yang had indeed passed.
Beatrice was a total wreck over the next few days, as Cristina was forced to take care of all of the funeral arrangements. She even wrote the obituary for her father for the local newspaper. The funeral service was to take place at the church which she attended as a teenager. At the funeral, Cristina saw so many people that she used to know. Many of her classmates from high school attended. Josh's parents were also there. Then, there were all of her dad's patients and their families. Also, his fellow medical colleagues were in attendance. The neighbors, too, came out in full force. The church was full. Cristina was pleased that so many had come out to honor her father. Beatrice could not stop crying throughout the ceremony. Cristina felt sorry for her step-mother because she understood how much she was grieving. She felt the same way.
Cristina delivered the eulogy. Her voice shook at times but she held back the tears to be able to get through it. She was sure that her father would have been proud of her.
At the funeral, after they lowered the body to the ground, she threw two white roses on top of the casket. She still had two white roses left but they were not for her father but for her first husband. As the crowd left the cemetery, Cristina, Iris and Laurel walked to Josh's grave. His headstone was simple, just as he was. It said his name Joshua Daniels, the day he was born and the day he died. Underneath that were the words: "Husband, Father, Son, Soldier."
She placed the white roses on the grave. Iris placed her bouquet of irises, while Laurel put a bouquet of laurels. "Hey, Josh," Cristina said. "It has been a long time since I have visited you. Sorry about that. It's just that we don't live around here." The girls fidgeted a little, as their mother spoke to their father's grave.
"So I brought Laurel and Iris with me. They are both getting really big. Laurel starts pre-school in the fall and Iris is continuing at the school of the gifted. I also got married. You already know him because you sent him to us. Major Owen Hunt. He is a good man, Josh. He took care of us, when we needed him. Thank you for sending him to us. He loves me and the children and we love him, too. But you will always occupy a special place in my heart. You were my first love and you gave me these beautiful girls. I will always love you.
"So my dad is gone, now. He and you never got on too well. But I think it is okay, now. He told me that you were a good man and that you loved me very much. He said he was wrong about you. I wished you would have been here to hear that because you were always trying to seek his approval. Hey, maybe you guys will meet on the other side and he can tell you himself. I am going to imagine that happening. It would make me very happy.
"So, Josh, the girls and I are thinking about you. Hope you're playing your guitar in heaven for us. Bye. Say bye to daddy, girls."
"Bye, Daddy," the little girls said. She took their hands and took them back to the house in the limo. The house was quiet. She put on the computer and waited for Owen to call. She eagerly answered when she heard the call. She answered immediately. "Hey, I know it is late there. Thanks for calling."
"How was it?" he asked, softly.
"Sad," she answered. "A lot of people came. People I haven't seen in years. I delivered the eulogy. I didn't cry, so I think I did well. Admittedly, my voice shook a couple of times but I didn't collapse into a weeping mess."
"Good," Owen said. "Where are the girls?"
"Resting, they are tuckered out from the church service and the funeral. We also visited Josh's grave and put flowers on it," she said. "I told him all about you and how he had sent you to us and I thanked him."
"Yeah, I am glad that he did. He gave me a gift," he said. "So how are you coping?"
"Alright, I guess. I expected this, so I guess the blow was not as hard as it would have been if he had died, suddenly. Beatrice is taking it really hard," Cristina said. "I told you that she loved him very much."
"That you did," Owen said. "So when are you going back home?"
"Probably, tomorrow. Dad's lawyer is coming this evening to play us a copy of Dad's will. Apparently, dad did a recording. It is just going to be Beatrice, Bertha and me there. I don't know what Dad has in his estate but I am pretty sure that Beatrice is probably going to get most of it," she said. Owen knew exactly what was in her father's will but it wasn't his place to say anything.
"Yeah, he gets here in 30 minutes," she said. "I am going to change out of this black dress and maybe wear something a lot lighter." Owen knew that Cristina was totally unaware of what her father was leaving for her in his will.
Deep down, he knew he had some trepidation. If Cristina was financially secure as he knew she was going to be, would she have thoughts of going her own way? It was his greatest fear that he could lose his family but he had to trust that she loved him and would want to stay.
"You know I love you?" he said.
"Of course. I love you, too, Owen," she said. "Well, I've got to go and change out of these clothes before the lawyer arrives. Talk to you, tomorrow. Get some sleep. Bye, Owen."
"Bye, Cristina," he said, as he hung up. He lay on his bed, hoping that his wife loved him as much as he loved her.
A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so. It helps to spur me on to write. Thanks.