April 2033: Beginning of an End Part III
After Trent had excused himself from the refectory and hurried out, the other had wondered what to do next. They had all realised that they were currently carrying out an acting performance worthy of a Tony Award winner like Sebastian, pretending everything was fine to the young boys and Mrs Carmichael when all of them felt as if the world was falling apart. The next to leave were Ethan and Drew; they had talked to Flint and Beats and had decided that they should be the ones to head out on a mission, namely, to be the ones to go and look for David. As they were about to head out the door, they found themselves being joined by Gabriel. He had overheard the conversation between the four contemporaries of David and Thad and decided that he might be of use in the circumstances, as he had a greater distance from the former Deputy Head. They had become friends now in Boston, but they had not been friends at Dalton, Gabriel having graduated at the end of Wes' freshman year.
Ethan and Drew realised he had a point, and so the three of them headed off to the place they logically expected to find the missing man, the spot marked by a variegated rose bush where they had buried the ashes of Wes' earthly body so many years before. They discovered that they were correct and that as Sebastian had surmised, David had retreated to the spot where he had hoped to find his best angelic friend waiting. He had not been disappointed in that, but now he was alone, in what was still a comforting place to be.
The three others found him sitting there cross-legged, staring out over the view. Ethan and Drew sat down on either side of him, Gabriel choosing to sit in front of them, but to the left. "You've missed lunch I'm afraid," said Drew quietly. "There is however a portion of toffee apple pudding waiting for you in the kitchen at Mrs Carmichael's insistence… I know this is harder for you than for the rest of us, but you do realise that you aren't really losing Thad, just as you never really lost Wes…"
"I do, but it isn't quite the same as having them visible to everyone on the mortal plane," sighed David. "However, as I have been told, I need to stop being selfish. I need to be strong about it and support Thad, and not be quite so much of a spoilt brat…"
Drew and Gabriel looked at each other, wondering what on earth David was talking about, but Ethan suddenly started to laugh. "Oh my, he did, didn't he! Wes was here and I bet he told you to pull yourself together and stop acting like a teenage Sebastian…"
As Drew and Gabriel chuckled as the expression on David's face told them Ethan had hit the nail on the head, David replied, "He did, but I suggest that none of us repeat that to anyone, else a certain more mature Sebastian might get a little petulant and hit us…" Ethan nodded gravely, but that only made them all smile. Then David went on, "He was right though; I was being selfish. However, Wes said he could also understand why I felt the way that I did. It is bad enough to lose one person with whom you have a close friendship, your best buddy, when you are young; to lose two of them when you are barely into your forties is just a little too much to bear…"
There was silence for a moment as they all contemplated what David had said, realising that it would be so difficult for all of them to handle; they were not of that generation who had fought in two great wars that had seen their friends killed in combat after all. On a whim, Gabriel broke the silence by saying, "Well, I am in the market for a new best friend if you are interested. You and Mercedes have been so supportive of me since my wife and I decided that we should separate; now I can be there for you in your hour of need. I know that we are not quite as close as you are to Thad, because we are of two different generations of Warblers, but I was very close to Wes when he was a freshman. We have the advantage of both living in the same neighbourhood in Boston, so there is no real reason why we could not be there for each other… The offer is there, if you want it. If not, then I understand…"
David nodded, and said, "I would actually like that a lot. I do sometimes feel a little disconnected from everyone else because I live in Boston, not that I would change that for anything. I can't really in any case, not now that my life is about to change direction in a little way…" The other three men looked at each other, then back at David in anticipation. "I was going to tell Thad today; I hadn't wanted to say anything until it was confirmed in writing, and it was on Thursday. Fact is, in the fall I will be taking on a teaching role at the Massachusetts Iinstitute of Technology. Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute of working at Google, but I looked at Sebastian and saw just how much he seemed to love giving something back to the next generation through teaching, and well, I wondered if I could do the same. To that end I did a couple of trial lectures last year, which went down well with both staff and students at M.I.T. and well, when they came back to me and offered me a permanent position with tenure, I decided to go for it. As of August, I will need to ask you all to call me Professor David Thompson if we are in a formal situation. I was looking forward to Thad's reaction to that news and celebrating with him, but now…"
"You still need to go and tell him next, because he will be delighted for you," replied Drew, seeing the sadness on David's face. "When you are at a low ebb in your own life, hearing that something good has happened to one of your best friends is such a tonic, trust me!"
"Well, we definitely need to be best friends now," said Gabriel, who also worked at the school in question. "I will have massive kudos in the staff room when I tell them I am friends with the new professor; we had heard there was to be a new hire in the department that mine shares a building with, but the fact that it is you is superb!"
David nodded; he had known that Gabriel worked at M.I.T., but he had not known in what exact department; to discover that they would be in the same building was great and yet another indicator that they should be better friends…
"Okay, I need to go and see Thad before he starts to think that I do not care about him," he said, getting to his feet. The others joined him, and they all walked back towards the school itself as a group. As they walked, Gabriel began to regale David with a full rundown of all of his new colleagues and what their eccentricities were…
Meanwhile Thad had been busy; he had sent a text to his brother, whom he had sworn to secrecy that morning and asked if he could tell Michelle his news in person. Once that was done, he would allow the others to inform their partners happily. Trent had already offered to work his way through the New Directions, starting in his case with Rory, and Nick and Jeff had volunteered to assist him. Thad had agreed to it, but reserved the right to tell Santana himself, as he feared that she would see anything else as a snub to her…
Before he began to make those calls, Nick realised that there was someone else that needed to be informed first and that was his son. Leaving Trent and Jeff to make the calls, he headed off in search of his boy. He found him in the school library, his head buried in a textbook even though it was a Saturday afternoon. There were very few other students present, so it was simple for him to slip inside and join him at the table. "Wes, we need to have a chat in private; there is something that I need to tell you about and for now, nobody else can know what it is."
Wes looked at his dad, and seeing the serious expression on his face, he gathered up the books and with Nick following, headed over to one of the private study carrels. They were all empty at the moment, so there was no problem for father and son to enter one and close the door behind them, ensuring their privacy.
Nick sat his son down in the chair, then perched on the desk, which he knew was a no-no, but the circumstances merited it. He sighed, then began, "It's your Uncle Thad…" He broke the news as gently as he could, but he had known exactly what the result would be, and he held his son in his arms as the boy cried….
After a few minutes, Wes pulled away and wiped at his eyes, remembering that he was supposed to be more grown up now. He looked at his dad, and asked, "When will the other boys be told?"
"There are quite a few people that your uncle needs to tell in person first, so probably not until tomorrow…"
"I will try to keep quiet, but I can't promise that I won't tell Tim…"
Nick smiled, knowing that at his son's age, he would have wanted to confide in Jeff; so he said, "That will be okay as long as you get him to promise to keep it just between the two of you." Wes nodded, glad he had permission of a sort to tell his best friend, as he was pretty sure he was going to need to share the sad news with someone…
As that conversation was going on in the library, David had arrived back on the main campus and leaving his three companions behind, had headed directly to Thad's apartment, just missing Trent. He knocked as his friend had done, then let himself in, heading straight for the sitting room where Thad was waiting for him. "I am so sorry for how I reacted…"
"I will stop you right there; I am the one that should be saying sorry, because I should have taken you to one side and told you first. As my best friend, you should have been told in advance; you deserved better from me. Still, it isn't the first time that I have made a silly mistake in my life… and in all honesty, I just didn't want to have to keep breaking the news over and over again…"
"I understand; it can't be easy having to break the news to people, knowing what the likely reaction is going to be…"
Thad smiled at David, realising that Wes must have spoken to him and he was glad that his husband was not ignoring his best friend in all of this, even if he was absent from his life right now. "I have to go and tell the Carmichaels later on and that is something I am dreading even more than telling all of you; it is going to be tough for all of us."
"Would you like me to come with you when you do it? I have been informed that she was in the refectory at lunchtime, so she will be wondering where I disappeared to in any case. I can call my mom, let her know I will be home a little later than I said…"
Thad's initial reaction was to say no, but then he saw the expression on his best friend's face, hoping that he would say yes so that he could start to atone for his early actions by being a supportive presence at his side. He realised to that it would delay David having to tell his mother what was happening to him as well… "I would appreciate that, if you really don't mind…"
"It is no problem at all; it is what you do for your best friend in their hour of need. Now, to change the subject entirely, I am going to go and make us some tea, and you can sit back and listen whilst I tell you my own big news. I think that you will approve of what I am going to tell you…."
As had been predicted, Thad was delighted to hear David's news; he had always felt that his best friend was wasting his potential by sticking with his job at Google, and now he was taking a step that would allow him to blossom. "Professor David Thompson – I bet that your mom is delighted!" Thad said with a grin.
"She certainly is, although I am not quite sure how delighted the rest of the congregation at her church is going to be about it in the next few weeks… Do you know what is funny? When we were all at college, you were the only one of us that was even considering a teaching career, the rest of us thinking you had to be borderline certifiable to want that. Now you have Sebastian teaching here, I am about to start teaching at M.I.T., and Jeff is part-time teaching at his old art school…"
Thad laughed, and said, "I fully expect to see Trent teaching political science at some point in the future…" David smiled and nodded, because he could picture him doing just that as well. They carried on talking about the normal things of life for a while, and then David's stomach growled at him, to remind him that he had not eaten anything since breakfast that morning. Thad immediately headed into the kitchen and made his friend sandwiches that were totally overfilled, but he ate every morsel. He could not help but notice that Thad himself was only eating a few dry crackers, but he said nothing, guessing correctly that his particular cancer affected his ability to eat; his big sandwiches had probably helped his friend to clear out his fridge and larder…
After that, there was no excuse to put off the inevitable any longer, and they walked over to the Carmichaels home, arm in arm, at a slow pace. Mrs Carmichael was all smiles when she opened the door, delighted as ever to see them, and in no time, they found themselves in the sitting room, where their former Principal was ensconced in his usual armchair by the fireplace. They declined the offer of food and drink, and then Thad announced that he had something he needed to tell them both…
The way that Edith Carmichael broke down would remain in David's memory until the end of his days, and he ended up taking her into his arms and comforting her as best as he could, close to tears again himself. Her husband was upset, but much more stoic, as he had, like Trent and Nick that lunchtime, worked out what it meant for the young man who now sat with his head bowed before him. "You and Wes are going to be united all the time for the first time; finally able to be a real married couple. I think that might feel quite strange at first for both of you. However, it does mean an end to snatching those clandestine moments of togetherness; you will be able to enjoy each other's company all the time and, in all ways…" Aaron said with a smile.
Thad instantly went bright red at the innuendo in what he had said, but David just giggled, until both he and Aaron earned themselves a rebuke from Edith. Thad had to admit though that what his old headmaster had said was true, and although he had some fears about what the rest of his mortal life would bring, he was looking forward to becoming an angel…
They did not stay all that long at the Carmichaels home in the end, and when they left, Thad headed home on his own. David meanwhile headed back into the school, heading towards the Senior Commons, where he had left his bag. As he walked there, he had to pass the refectory door, and as he did, he smelt a familiar smell wafting from the room. Curious, he opened the door to see that the room was dimly lit, but that a bright light was emanating from the kitchen itself, through the connecting door which was currently ajar. He walked over and looked in, seeing Trent, Sebastian and Niff in the room along with little Wes, a freshly baked batch of cookies cooling on the rack as the things they had used to bake them were stowed back in the correct places…
Seeing David looking at them in wonder, Jeff said, "It's okay, we actually have permission to do this; Sebastian being staff now gets us a lot of leeway with the catering staff." The oldest man in the room shook his head, then wondered why Nick was now placing something in the quick cook oven. He heard it hum away as it heated something up; before it had even stopped, he was manhandled back into the refectory, and seated at a table. He opened his mouth to protest, but then Nick appeared and placed a steaming hot bowl of toffee apple pudding in front of him….
David smiled and took the spoon that he was offered and started to eat it as the others joined him, all carrying some of the fresh cookies. He knew he had to tell them where he had been since he had gone to Thad's apartment, and said, "I went with him when he told the Carmichaels…" As the others nodded, he carried on eating the delicious pudding, realising that the woman he had just been comforting had made it for them earlier and now it was a comfort to him…
"The Principal has announced that there will be a special assembly tomorrow to tell all of the boys that are here right now; there aren't all that many, apart from my Warblers, who are all present… I did wonder whether I should tell them separately, but the idea of doing that…" Sebastian shuddered as he imagined what it would be like to devastate his choir, particularly the more senior boys that had known Thad for so much longer.
"I think that might be for the best; I can come back tomorrow and help you with it, if you like," said David, knowing that he needed to assist in any way he could.
"That would be great, if you don't mind; I mean, my other musketeers will be here too, but the more the merrier," replied Sebastian.
At that moment, David suddenly realised that there was another pair of ears present, someone that was too young to have been at the special meeting… His eyes widened as he thought they had just said too much. "It's okay, I decided he needed to know now," said Nick, as he saw the older man's expression. "Wes is not just losing a teacher; he is losing a much-loved uncle as well…"
David could not dispute that, and he guessed that knowing now meant that his emotions would be less likely to overflow in front of his teammates the following day…
It would be around forty minutes later when there was another knock at the door of Thad's apartment, and then Trent was walking back into his sitting room again. "Okay, so that is everyone of the alumni gone now, apart from me. Wes is also back in his dorm; he would have been the only one of them that was missing at the curfew check…"
Thad looked at the clock then, and gasped, realising that for the first time in his teaching career at Dalton Academy, he had forgotten to undertake one of the housemaster's most crucial duties. "Thanks for doing it, Trent; to be honest it slipped my mind entirely. I guess I was just exhausted after all that happened today."
"That is not surprising, given your medical condition and all of the emotions that were triggered here today. Okay, now I need you to just be quiet and listen whilst I say something. I called Rory to tell him what was happening, then I called Carole; I told them what I was intending, and they agreed, and between us we have made all the necessary arrangements in Washington DC. All I need to do now is make up your spare bed, but that won't take me long at all…"
"Make up my spare bed? Who is coming to visit? I know that Ollie is coming, but as he is bringing Michelle and little Thad, they will be staying in a hotel for simplicity."
"I assumed that, but the truth is that I will need a place to sleep… Rory and Carole between them have agreed to look after the kids whilst I am away and have said I can take as long as is necessary. I can do my work on my laptop, although I am owed a fair amount of vacation time. I will be staying here with you until you aren't here anymore…"
"You will be what!? When did I agree to that? Trent, I do not need…"
"Not now, but you know that you will as the end draws nigh. Face it, it is either me or Mrs Carmichael, or worse, a bed in the hospice instead of your own home in your final days… I think that I am the best of the options…"
Thad sighed, but deep down he knew that Trent had spotted the elephant in the room and had acted accordingly. The time would indeed come when he would not be able to cope alone any longer; and yes, the sunshine of the Warblers was the obvious option to be the one to take care of him on a full-time basis…
The next day saw each of the Warblers that lived in Thad's dorm receive a message asking them to assemble in the Senior Commons immediately after breakfast, so for 9am sharp; as it was Sunday, the boys were allowed one extra hour in bed, with breakfast an hour later at 8am instead of the usual 7am. They all gathered around their usual shared table in the refectory just after the meal began to be served and there was much discussion around the table as to what they were being asked to meet for, especially as they had all also be notified that there was to be a special assembly for all those on the premises that weekend in the hall at 9.30am. The senior that had been elected as that year's Head Warbler, a young man named Owain after his Welsh born great-great-grandfather was asked the most questions, as in normal circumstances he would be informed in advance of anything major that was happening, but he was unable to give any answers, knowing as little as the rest…
Halfway down the table, however, two freshmen knew what was going on, but they just avoided everyone's eye contact and concentrated on their food. Wes had managed to keep quiet about what he knew until he returned to his dorm room to find Tim there, all smiles, and he had been unable to smile back at him for the first time ever. Seeing that, Tim had asked in all innocence if something was wrong, and moments later he found himself rushing over to comfort his sobbing best friend and roommate. When Wes stopped sobbing, he looked at Tim with a face etched with pain, and said, "You can't tell anyone what I am about to tell you; everyone will know soon enough, but you have to swear you won't repeat it until then…"
Tim had nodded, and he sat in silence as Wes relayed the news about Thad; then it had been Wes' turn to hold his best friend as he cried too. His tears stopped soon enough, and then he took a breath before looking Wes in the eye. "We should pray for him. I know that you aren't very religious, but my dad would say that this is the kind of time when everyone needs to pray, even if we do know exactly where he will be going; he will be an angel, just like your namesake…"
Wes had nodded, and thus they had knelt by Tim's bed, side by side, and prayed for the man along the hall. When they had finished and were about to climb into bed, Wes turned to Tim with a smile, then asked, "Do you think that Mr Harwood is afraid of dying, when he knows he will be going to my namesake?"
Tim looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "I don't think he will be, because he knows what will happen; of course, i also know that they are married to each other, so it will be a joyful time too... However, he will be sad to leave all of his other friends behind..." Tim paused, then went on, "It was such a strange thing to be able to see angels at first, but then it started to make everything that my dad talked about in church every Sunday seem more real. He always made me swear not to tell anyone that I could see them though, because some people would not like it and others would just not understand…"
"My dads said that to me as well, so it is nice to finally have a friend I can talk about it with… I mean, I did have Evie back home, but she is a girl…"
"Girls are okay," replied Tim, "but I think that you can be closer friends with another boy. You only have to talk about things that you both understand then for a start. I am so glad to have you as my friend Wes…"
"Me too," replied Wes with a grin. Those words would echo in their heads that night as they fell asleep…
At just before 9am, Wes and Tim sat side by side on the floor in the Senior Commons, where seats were at a premium; sitting on the floor also let them look down and not meet the eyes of anyone else, as the rumour mill was in full flow around them. The room fell silent though as soon as Nick and Jeff stepped into the room, as nobody wanted to speculate randomly whilst two of the better-known former Warblers were in the room. They took a seat at the far end of the Senior Commons, well away from the Council table. Then Trent had walked in, shaking his head, accompanied by Beats and Flint; they had stayed overnight, but Ethan and Drew had returned home as planned. The sad expressions on their faces did raise a ripple of concern around the room as the speculation started up quietly once more…
Then the door opened again, and David entered with Sebastian, each of them with an arm around Thad, holding him up between them. Jeff let out a gasp at the sight, but then Trent moved to the front and spoke. "We are sorry for the slight delay to the start of this meeting, but Mr Harwood stumbled on the way here and twisted his ankle. Anyway, he is the reason for this meeting, and he wanted to speak to you all in person. At this juncture I can also point out that you have been called here instead of attending the special assembly, from which you are all excused. That means we can talk in depth, and you can all relax a little and stop checking the clock…"
There was then a moment when the boys of the current Council made a move to vacate the Council table, but Sebastian shook his head as he and David helped Thad into the chair that he had once sat in during every rehearsal before he had persuaded his old friend to help him out by taking on that role; they had already moved the chair as the boys had been at breakfast from the corner of the room to adjacent to the Council table. Thad smiled as he relaxed in the chair, looking out at the faces of the assembled boys, but then his face went more serious, and he began to speak…
"Yesterday in this room, I informed the alumni Warblers that I was giving up my role as Head Warbler…" He paused as the gasps of shock and surprise he had expected echoed around the room, then went on, "It is not a decision that I took lightly, nor one I wished to make; however, I have no choice in the matter…"
He went on, and as soon as he said the words pancreatic cancer, the majority of the well-educated Dalton boys knew what that meant. The fact that their Head Warbler Owain, who was looking to a future career in medicine, promptly burst into tears the moment Thad said it was enough to show those that didn't understand that it was bad, and also that it was perfectly acceptable to cry. Thad had expected tears and he let them weep; after all, with the exception of two freshmen, nobody knew that he was confident of where his future lay…
By the time that Nick, Jeff, Flint and Beats took their leave from the Academy at lunchtime, the atmosphere at Dalton was subdued. The main assembly had been less tear-filled than the one in the Senior Commons, but the fact that the much-loved history teacher was on borrowed time had struck a nerve around the school with staff and students alike. There was an almost reverential silence in the corridors as the full impact of the news was processed…
Thad had retreated to his apartment, where Trent had also now taken up residence. That news had been a shock to all of the other alumni still present, but they all understood why he was the best placed of them all to take up the role of carer to their dying friend. If they were being honest, they all felt much better knowing that one of their number was going to be there for Thad 24/7, just as Skylar had been there for Seth when he had been so ill. He had already stated that having spoken to her, Julia was only too happy to help out with caring for Thad when the time came, but she also had her own job to do, and could not be counted on to be there all the time; they also knew that whilst Mrs Carmichael would have volunteered, she was really now too old to take on the role and care for her husband as well.
David would be the last of the group to take his leave, as he had wanted to spend some more alone time with his best friend whilst he could. He had to go and see his mother before he flew back home to Boston. He would spend a lot of that flight crying, as part of his heart felt that he should actually be staying in Ohio with Thad. However, he had been adamant that David go back to Mercedes and his children; he knew they would be his support when he was gone…
