CHAPTER 6:
After the family returned home from the camping trip, the next two months were really hard for Aubrey. Most days, whenever she and Chad had to go visit her father at his house, she would take Finn over to either Henry's house or Eliza's house after school. Both families were glad to watch Finn. Most nights, if Finn mentioned that he wanted to see his grandfather, his parents would remind him that he'd probably be bored at the hospital. Every third visit, Finn would opt to go with his parents to see his grandfather. He'd always talk about how much fun he had on that fishing trip. On his playdates with Henry and Eliza, Finn would often bring up the fishing trip with his grandfather.
On one such occasion, there had been a huge rainstorm the night before, and as Finn and his friends were walking through the park, Finn saw several night crawlers wiggling on the ground. He bent and picked one up and held it out for his two friends to see. "This reminds me of when my Grandpa taught me to bait my hook. He had a bunch of these, and we'd reach in and grab one to thread on the hook."
"Ew, gross! How can you touch the slimy thing?" Eliza asked, shuddering.
"Aw, it wasn't so bad. You just stab the hook in and weave the worm back and forth on the hook till it's done," Finn replied, grinning.
"Wicked," Henry said, smiling wide.
"There has to be a better way," Eliza thought, shaking her head.
Finn nodded, "Well, I did see a bear at the river once. It just stood there on all fours for several minutes, then put its paws in the water and came back up with a fish in its mouth. The fish was flapping around, but the bear just held it between its teeth and strolled off with it."
Henry laughed, "Now that's a sight I'd like to see."
"You make it sound like it's the easiest thing to do in the world," Eliza said, rolling her eyes.
"It's not all easy. First time Grandpa let me cast my own line, I got the worm on the hook, pulled my arm back, and pressed the button to release the line as I flung forward. And the next thing I knew, the hook was caught way up in the branches of an old oak tree. Grandpa finally had to cut the line and put another one on the pole," Finn recapped, shrugging.
Four months had now passed since Aubrey had found out about her father's cancer, and as the days went on, she was starting to worry even more about his health. On the afternoon of July 17th, the family was gathered in Mike's bedroom at his house. While Mike layed in his hospital bed with his eyes closed, Aubrey squeezed his hand. Although he was still breathing steadily and his pulse was still strong, she didn't know how much longer he would be with them. No one said a word until Finn broke the silence.
"Dad, I'm bored. We've been watching Mom hold Grandpa's hand for over an hour," Finn complained.
"I understand you're bored, buddy. But this is a very serious time right now. Your mother's trying to spend every possible moment she can with her dad," Chad explained.
"It was great going fishing with Grandpa a few months ago," Finn remembered.
"Yeah, it looked like you really had fun with him. Remember how that was a special time with Grandpa?" Chad asked. Finn nodded. "Well, this is a special time for your mom with her dad."
Aubrey looked like she was about to shed a tear when Mike's heart monitor suddenly flatlined. Hearing the sound of the flatline, Aubrey finally let it all out. She let go of her father's hand and proceeded to cry on her husband's shoulder. Finn hugged his mother from behind.
THE END!