Preparing for Departure Part II.
When Saturday morning came, the first people that arrived at the hospital at Seth's behest were Mike and Tina. The dancer had a show in the evening, and Tina had a late shift, so it had suited them to swap with Flint, who was going to temple that morning. When Seth broke his news, it came as no great surprise to either of the couple; after all, Mike had been there on the scene when the events that had lead up to this moment had started to unfold. Tina cried, but Mike did not; he would later admit to Nick that when he had been left alone on that Monday evening when Seth had been discovered, he had shed more than a few tears, and now he saw the news as sad, but not overly so. After all, Seth was going somewhere that he would get the loving care and attention that he needed, but in a way that left him feeling comfortable…
Flint would be the next to arrive, on his way home from temple, and his reaction was a different story altogether. He had come in and immediately hugged Seth, telling him that he looked so much better, and that he had decided that he was going to be a better friend to him from now on. "As soon as you are out of here, I want you to come and join us for Friday night dinner. I should have asked you to come long before now, and I am sorry about that…"
That was when Seth broke the news to him that he would not be able to accept his kind invitation, as he would be heading back to Ohio when he left the confines of the hospital. Flint had nodded, and had promptly began to sob. Mrs Carmichael came over from her chair and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her until the worst of his emotions passed. When he was quieter, he heard Seth speak. "You have nothing to reproach yourself for; if you had asked me before now, I would probably have said no anyway, as I would not have wanted to intrude on a family time. As for not coming to visit, you came when you could, but you have a fulltime job, and you're a father, with a lively son…"
"…and another one on the way that might never get the opportunity to meet you," said Flint quietly. Then he realised what he had just done, and carried on, "Of course, I didn't just say that, because Izzy doesn't want it to be public knowledge yet, so please keep it to yourselves. I've often wondered why I become a complete putz when I am unhappy… I am going to miss you being around…"
"And I will miss you too, Preppy Boy…" Seth replied with a wink, and that had made Flint laugh, before he burst into tears again, that phrase reminding him of a time when everything had seemed so much simpler and better…
Flint had stayed longer than scheduled, and when he did go, he was still in a world of his own, walking past Ollie first, and then Kitty and Artie, as if they were not even there. Although that meant little to the two men, for Kitty it was an immediate warning that something was wrong. The fact that Seth had asked them to visit, and to come at a specific time on a specific day had set her alarm bells ringing, and the presence of a distracted Flint just made them ring all the louder in her head. Then it all became clear to her, and so as they entered the room, she had an inkling of what they could expect to hear.
She had been left to smile sadly when Seth told them that he would not be coming back to the street. "I owe you both so much, particularly you, Artie. You taught me how to handle a chair at a time when I was dead set against ever using one, and well, that had stood me in good stead for the situation I am in now. My biggest regret is that we never did get to those skateboard ramps; it would have been fun to ride them with you…"
"It makes me sad that we didn't get there too," Artie replied, "although I have to point out that I would totally have beaten you on them…"
"Oh, I know," said Seth with a chuckle. "And Kitty, you were so kind to me when I was at my lowest, and from what I hear, you also saved me having to pay Jeff for getting the front door repaired…"
"Oh, it was no bother, and the fact that it also enabled me to prove once again that women are far more practical than men in most situations was a huge bonus. My regret is that we didn't get to know each other better sooner, because when it comes down to it, you are pretty cool for a prep school boy," she replied.
As they left a short while later, Kitty had begun to sniff, and had pulled out tissues to blow her nose and wipe her eyes. "I swear that the pollen season begins earlier every year," she said to no-one in particular.
"It lasts longer too," remarked Artie, taking his wife's hand, knowing full well that she was on the verge of tears…
The next set of arrivals that day were Nick, Jeff and little Wes. Seth had not been looking forward to this one, as it was likely to be trickier, given that Wes had become quite fond of him, and vice versa. True enough, the moment that he had walked in, the boy had run across the room to hug the man in the bed. "I have missed you so much, Uncle Seth. Will you be coming home soon?"
Seth closed his eyes, and said quietly, "I won't be coming home at all… The thing is, I have not been very well for some time now…"
"So you can't come back…" said Wes in a sad voice. "I hope that you will be going somewhere nice…"
"Well, Ohio is never really described as nice by anyone, but I am going to be staying with two people that can look after me a lot better than I can look after myself nowadays…"
"Uncle Skylar and Aunt Julia?" Seth nodded, and Wes continued, "Well, then it is okay, because we all need somebody that can take good care of us. I mean, I have daddy and papa, and they take care of each other too, but you didn't have somebody special, which was sad…"
"Well, not all of us can be as lucky as your daddy and papa," said Seth wryly.
"I'm sorry about that; he is at the talk first stage," said Nick, "but he means well. I had a feeling that this was about to happen, as Jeffie has been a bit down. He has never been able to hide something sad and secret from me, as his emotions always give the game away. We will all miss you, but this is what is best for you now, and that is what is important. My one regret is that all of this had to happen to you in the first place; if there was ever someone that deserved a happy life, it was you…"
"We all deserve that, Nick. You and Jeff helped to see that most of my time at Dalton was happy, then you gave me a home in the city, and helped to take care of me as my health has fallen apart. I am the lucky one, to have been able to play a part in your lives," said Seth, willing himself not to cry. "Right, now shall I show my young friend here one final origami before I have to go?"
Wes nodded, and Mrs Carmichael produced a piece of paper, and soon Wes was listening intently as Seth explained the new paper folding task, as his fathers watched on, masking the sorrow that they felt.
The visit from Niff and their son left Seth tired, but he knew that there was still one other person that was coming to see him, so he refused to take a nap, as Mrs Carmichael wished; he could sleep after they had been. In the end, Mason did not arrive on his own; he had been rehearsing for Mary Poppins, and when he had told the others where he was heading, Cooper had asked if he thought Seth would object to another visitor. Mason had not seen an issue, given that Jane was feeling tired, and would not be coming with him. As they approached Seth's room, they heard a familiar voice, and it was Roderick, just finished his shift, and curious as to why they were at the hospital; wondering if Jane had gone into labour early. So in the end, he too joined the visitation.
In some ways, Seth was grateful that there were two unexpected guests, as he had been worried how Mason would take the news. After all, he had been the second person in Manhattan that he had wanted to see when he returned from his time in London. He took his time to ask about the show first, and laughed as Cooper adopted his Mr Banks voice, and Mason his Bert voice; he smiled when they sang together, a duet of a sort they had later on in the show. Then he took a breath, and announced what was happening the following week. He saw the way that both Roderick and Cooper immediately looked at Mason, who bowed his head. "I wish that I had come back sooner," he said eventually. "That Thanksgiving was one of the most memorable of my life, and for all the right reasons."
"It was for me too," replied Seth. "I am glad that you didn't come back sooner though, because if you had, then you wouldn't be about to wow the whole of Broadway with your performance as Bert. I mean, your accent is flawless; not an ounce of Van Dyke in it."
"I hope that you will be able to come and watch somehow? I mean, you could still come and visit, if everything was set up properly?" asked Mason hopefully.
"I promise you that I will try, yes. I want to see the show as much as you want me there," replied Seth. With that he yawned, and Mrs Carmichael looked pointedly at Roderick and Cooper.
"I think we should go now, Mason. Seth needs his rest, and Jane will need her husband," said Cooper firmly. "We will give you a moment or two to say goodbye. I hope your move goes well Seth…" He headed for the door, Roderick with him.
"I'm not going to say goodbye," said Mason quietly. "I will see you again, maybe not in Ohio though. Here, in New York…" With that, Mason got up, and gave Seth a hug, then went before Seth could speak. They both knew what he had meant though; that the next time he saw him, he might well have a set of wings…
The following day saw the pattern repeated. The first to be invited that day were the youngest adults on the street where Seth had lived for so long. All six of them actually came, which was a surprise, but showed the bonds of brotherhood amongst Warblers stretched across generations. Mrs Carmichael was waiting outside Seth's room, and she asked that only Dex and Lawrence entered the room at first. Seth wanted to talk to Dex personally first off, and his brother was allowed in to be the support that he might need in the circumstances.
"I have it on good authority from a number of sources that you are blaming yourself for what happened to me," began Seth, continuing before Dex could speak with the words, "So hear it from my lips again; this was not your fault, if it was anyone's fault, it was my own. I could just have easily done what I needed to prepare my meal sitting in my chair. I could have asked you to get me the bowl I needed from the top cupboard before you left. However, I am a stubborn so and so, so determined to do things myself, and I ended up reaping the whirlwind. Not withstanding that, what happened could have happened at any point that day, or the next; my decision only moved it forward by a few hours. That might have meant that it would have taken place when I was in bed, or worse, in the shower, and then it might have been even longer before I was found; if it had been the former, people might just have assumed that I was sleeping and walked away…"
"I probably would have done, if you had been lying there in bed," admitted Dex.
"As would Mason and the others," replied Seth. "None of this is down to you; you just happened to be the one that was looking out for me. Now, the second thing I have to say to you is some advice. Don't end up like me; find yourself someone special to fill the hole in your life that makes you feel to blame. There is a soulmate out there waiting for you. I know that you feel that you have to be there for Lawrence, but from what I can see, he is much more confident and able to stand on his own two feet now than he was when he first arrived. To be honest, he needs to go out and find his special someone too. One of the few regrets that I have is that I never found my someone. It is too late for me, but not for you. So get going, or I will get Kitty involved in the search - and that is a promise, not a threat."
Dex smiled, and said, "You wouldn't dare…"
"Try me. I have nothing to lose…" replied Seth with a wink. That was enough to make Dex laugh, for the first time in a long while, and the smile that appeared on his brother's face at that said all Seth needed to know…
The next person on Seth's list was Sebastian; however, when he arrived, he did not walk straight in, just stuck his head round the door. "Hey, so quick question. I have someone with me that you haven't invited; a couple of strays that I found this morning. One of them just happened to be in the city with his boss, the other is the wife of said boss. Is it okay if I bring them in with me?"
Seth was about to say no, that it was for friends only, when he saw the look on Mrs Carmichael's face, and he realised that her sharp brain had worked out who Sebastian was talking about, even if he couldn't. She saw him looking, and nodded just a little at him. "Well, I guess so," he said.
With that, Sebastian came in, followed by Trent and the First Lady. Mrs Carmichael immediately went to stand up, but Mrs Kennedy shook her head at once and told her not to. "This is not me visiting as the FLOTUS, it is me visiting as Mrs Kennedy, a woman who has always been passionate about helping those that have poor health and are afflicted with serious conditions." She walked over to Seth, and sat by his bed. "Trent has told myself and my husband so much about you, young man, and with your surname, you are probably a very distant cousin of my husband, so we will have no ceremony from you either."
"I am afraid that my education will still make me call you ma'am," said Seth, "and it is a great honour to meet you…" The carefully planned words that he had been using had to be abandoned for a few minutes as he chatted to Mrs Kennedy, before Trent suggested that she and Mrs Carmichael should have a chat in private, to which the latter readily agreed, suggesting that they go and meet the nursing staff. She was also sure that Ollie would be in his office that morning, and it would be good for the First Lady to meet him as well, and get the perspective of a physician on everything.
When they left, Trent immediately apologised for the lack of warning, but Seth just shook his head, although he pointed out that when Skylar found out, he would be jealous of him. Then he returned to the plan, and told them both exactly why he had been asking people to come. They looked at each other, then nodded sadly. "It is for the best, I guess, and if it helps you to be more comfortable, then so much the better," said Trent sagely.
"Yes, there are some benefits to life in Ohio," admitted Sebastian, conscious that he too might be heading back west in the near future…
The last people that would arrive that day were also scheduled to be in a larger group, but it turned out smaller than expected. Elliott had elected to stay at home, and had offered to take care of all the children as well. He had mentioned their invitation to Michelle on Friday night, and he had seen a flicker of something on her face. He had put two and two together, and he knew that whatever was going to be said at there meeting was not going to be good. As a result, he had decided to stay away, and allow Evie to stay home too. His thoughts had been reinforced when he had seen Skylar and Jeff packing boxes as he passed by the window of Seth's place that very morning…
Thus it was that Beats, Ethan and Drew had sat side by side, and when Seth finished talking, they had sat in silence for a moment. It had been broken by Beats, who said quietly, "That explains why Flint seemed so sad yesterday evening when I talked to him. When I asked him about it, he said he had been talking to his mom, but somehow that didn't ring true… We will miss you, all of us. In fact, when I go home and tell him, I think Dante might want to come and say goodbye himself, if that is okay."
"Of course it is. He is a good kid. You and Elliott should be proud of the job you have done there."
"We will all see you on graduation day at Dalton anyway; I promise that we will both be there this year. You can show us all round your new place afterwards," said Ethan, and Drew nodded in agreement. Seth smiled, but said nothing; he had learnt the hard way that he was in no position to make long term plans now…
On Monday morning, there were two further visitors to the hospital. Colin and Edward had been unable to come to town over the weekend due to long standing commitments, so Seth had asked them to come that morning instead, to which they had agreed. He wanted to make a formal announcement about his move at noon, and he still had to make a call to Luke and Duncan in Vermont, who were just two busy to travel the distance to the city for a few hours. It would actually be Colin's second visit in a few days; he had asked the previous owner of the pharmacy if she would cover for him on the previous Wednesday, and she had agreed; Edward however had a full appointment schedule, and was unable to join him. Even today he had to ensure he was back to deal with late afternoon appointments.
When they arrived, before either Seth or Skylar, there for this one occasion, could speak, Colin had opened his mouth and blurted out that he and Edward were now expecting their first child.
"I told you not to say anything!" said Edward tetchily. "It is still way too soon to share the news; she is only eight weeks gone and so much could still go wrong!"
"I know, but I am just too excited, and is it so wrong to tell our two best friends?" said Colin in response.
"Well, I'm very pleased for the pair of you," replied Skylar, "and in the spirit of openness, I am going to be a dad soon too. We were going to announce it formally at the start of the month, but with everything that was going on, Julia and I decided that it wasn't the best time…"
Colin had squealed a little when Skylar had said the word dad, and now Edward stepped forward to shake his hand.
"I am pleased for all of you, and I hope that I will be around to meet them both," said Seth quietly, drawing attention back. "The biggest problem for the two of you though will be the fact that I will be in Ohio. Things are much worse now, and we have all decided that it is for the best that I get more care. So I will leave New York on Wednesday, quite probably for the last time, for Westerville…"
He stopped, as he noticed that Colin's exuberance had turned into horror and turmoil, and he had started to cry, flinging himself into his husband's arms to hide his face. "And we are all standing here, talking about our joy, our future," said Edward sadly, his own eyes welling up. "I am so sorry, Seth…"
"Don't ever apologise for being happy, any of you. I am beyond pleased for all three of you, because you are all going to be wonderful fathers, and even though I might not physically be here as your children grow up, you know that I will be watching over you all…"
On the stroke of midday, as the Dalton school clock chimed the hour above him, Thad sat in his classroom and pressed send on the update message to the group; the one that coming back to Ohio, and the reasons why. The news that the next stage in his condition had been reached would break a lot of hearts. With that task done, he made a call to David, as he had promised himself he would, and was glad that his best friend picked up after only one ring.
"I was just about to read your message you know, Thaddie…"
"I will spare you. The message is about Seth. He is leaving New York for good on Wednesday and coming to stay in Westerville with Skylar."
There was silence on the other end of the call, and then in a sad voice, David replied, "He is coming home to die, isn't he? I knew it was bad, but not that bad…"
"Ollie hasn't said as much, but… Seth didn't want to know some of the things that Ollie has told me, and he certainly didn't want Skylar to know them, as he probably wouldn't be able to handle them. Between us, Ollie told me quite some time ago that Seth would not be around at Christmas, but it now seems that he has six months at the most if things carry on deteriorating the way they have been…"
"My God, Thad!" replied David. "That is awful. We all thought that he would reach his 30th birthday, but it seems not. And you are right about Skylar; if he knew, he would fall apart!"
"At the time when the last thing he can do is fall apart, which is why he can't know just how dire the situation is. I am not sure that Ollie had even told Julia how bad things are, as he doesn't want her to have that secret, and for it to cause issue between husband and wife."
"That is very true. In all of this, she is going to have to be Skylar's rock in the aftermath. He is going to need a lot of good news after this to recover from the loss, not marital strife."
"Again, just between us, there is already something happening in that direction; a little something due in a few months…"
"Wait, you mean that Julia is pregnant? Well that is wonderful, but might that not be a little too much for Skylar to cope with on top of everything else? We will need to keep a close eye on the two of them after the inevitable happens… Right, well I was planning to come to Ohio and see my mom at the end of the month, so could you let Skylar and Seth know that I will be paying a visit to them too. I have a good and valid excuse thanks to mom for coming to the state, and it is one that I will be using more often from now on. Now before you tell me that there is no need, I am not just coming for them; I know you Thad, and I know that you will take on a lot of extra stuff yourself to help them out. You need to take care of yourself too, and I can help that by coming and giving you a break. After all, you will need to be strong and healthy when you go to New Zealand…"
"Why on earth would I be going there?" said Thad innocently.
"To legally throw yourself off a skyscraper; the moment that I heard about that from Nick and Jeff, I knew that you would want to do it…"
On Wednesday morning, Skylar and Mrs Carmichael found themselves surveying the empty shelves of Seth's little apartment; the bare walls and empty cupboards helped add to the feeling that it was the end of something. The last box had been safely stowed in Skylar's car, which now resembled a complicated puzzle, so intricately fitted was each box and bag. All that now remained to be done was the carrying out of the old leather wing chair to the ambulance when it arrived to pick up Mrs Carmichael before heading to collect Seth.
Once that had been done, Skylar would drive straight for home, which meant that by the time the ambulance arrived at his door with his friend, he could have made his new quarters as homely as possible, even opening up a few of the boxes so his personal items were on display. As the ambulance pulled up, Jeff appeared, a sad expression on his face. He and Skylar carried the chair almost ceremoniously up the ramp to the waiting vehicle, leaving Mrs Carmichael to lock the door for the last time. She handed the keys to Jeff, and then he quickly found himself standing alone on the sidewalk. He blinked back a few tears as he clutched the set of keys in his hand. His heart was aching as an era came to an end, leaving the street feeling just a little sadder with one friend and neighbour gone…