faithosaurus
02-02-2013, 12:08 AM
It was hard, seeing her like this. So small and innocent, having to deal with something so big. Dick knew better than to lie to her, though. Nothing good would ever come from that.
"Daddy, where's mommy?"
He would look down at his daughter with sad eyes, trying his best to paint a smile on his face. It rarely worked. "I already told you Serena, mommy's upstairs in bed."
She would blink at him and **** her head, much like her mother used to. "Why doesn't she get up?"
The question always caught him. He just didn't know how to answer it without causing an intense pain to flow through him. "Because she's sick, honey. She needs her rest." He would then send her up to bed, usually telling a bedtime story, before heading back to his wife.
Every time he entered their room, he couldn't help his face screwing up in pain at the fragile form, silent and lifeless in the bed. She barely woke anymore.
Her once golden skin had paled significantly. Her green eyes, when open, were no longer their bright emerald, but now faded to an almost pastel green. Her hair had lost its luster. He would climb into bed beside her and try to sleep, but he always ended up watching her in her restless sleep.
It all started about a year before. Catherine, Serena, and he were the perfect small family, and they had recently moved from their apartment and into their own house right on the outskirts of New York City. He couldn't have been happier, with the love of his life by his side and his little girl in his arms, usually laughing at something their dog Maggie would do.
They were perfect.
Only about a month after they moved in, Serena at the age of five, did the signs begin to show. She became stick thin, with dark circles under her eyes. She’d move slower and had trouble staying awake; sometimes she would not get out of bed at all. She told him it was fine, that she just had the flu.
But it was not.
He soon found out that she had cancer. This conclusion came one night when they were at the park; they were busy with Serena when she fell to the ground. At first he thought she had passed out, she was so still. Red flags instantly appeared. It wasn't long after that she finally told him the truth, and also that it would cause death. He did not expect it to come so quickly.
After she told him everything, he kept her from work. They had fought, her saying that was one reason she did not tell him in the first place. Didn't she see he was just trying to keep her safe? Keep her around as long as he could?And what about Serena?
They told their friends the following week. There were tears and pleas, and Rachel trying to find a way to heal the damage – she was a doctor. Chuck, her husband, had insisted on getting Catherine set up at the hospital later in, but she refused. There was no need for any sort of medical attention.
He knew it was painful, he could see it in her eyes. She never complained though; she always hated feeling weak.
Everyone tried to act normal, act like their friend wasn't dying before their eyes. They needed to keep up the charade, if not for them, then for Serena. She didn't need to deal with the thought of her mother dying at such a delicate age.
It was clear that they would all try and get in more quality time with Catherine, knowing now how little of it they all had. Going to the mall, to the nearest café, out to dinner, to the movies. Dick made sure that he, Serena, and she spent as much time together as possible.
She felt sad for her friends, and he knew that if she was given the choice, she would stay alive solely for all of them; for him and Serena.
Serena. The poor girl, losing her mother younger than he lost his, if only by a couple years. Left with him as a parent, and he knew he could slack on it sometimes. He loved her more than anything in the world, but he was never all that good with kids. Not until she came.
Catherine also made sure to spend as much time with her as possible, her own small way of saying goodbye. It was her daughter, the light of her life, and he believed that leaving her was what hurt the most.
He knew it was the day, he could tell by the way her chest barely raised and the feel of her slowing pulse.
It was late afternoon, about six o'clock. He kept his eyes on her, watching her fade, his cheeks damp. He sniffled and grabbed the hand closest to him, holding it tightly as he used the other to stroke her sweat-soaked hair. "It's okay, baby…" He spoke in a hushed tone, feeling that it would disrupt her to be any louder.
It seemed only moments later when her breathing seized.
The tears intensified and his hands began to shake. He leaned down and kissed her, then leaned his forehead on hers and wept.
"Daddy?"
He turned his head toward her, keeping his grip on Catherine while trying to smile at her through his tears. "Yeah?"
She cocked her head. "Why are you crying?"
No. Don't ask that. No no no.
He wiped his eyes and took a breath. He couldn't hide it from her, he knew that. He needed to tell her. "Serena, mommy-"
"I made her a picture!" Her eyes were bright with joy as she cut him off, flying over to the other side of Catherine, nudging her. "Mommy, mommy, wake up. I made you a picture!"
Dick's eyes widened in horror as he watched his daughter try to wake up her dead mother, completely ignorant to the face. He needed to get her away, to erase the grim image from his mind, but he couldn't move. The picture was of him, Catherine, Maggie, and Serena.
"Mommy!" she was getting frustrated now, shaking her harder.
"Serena, stop!" Dick got himself moving, dread filling him, and grabbed her arm. "Mommy's gone." He looked her in the eyes, saying the words as softly as he could. The tears came again.
She blinked at him, and he knew she understood. He saw it in her eyes, the solemn disbelief. She shook her head and snatched her arm away from him. "No." She turned back, tears filling her eyes as she shook her mother again. "Mommy, wake up."
He cried when she did, sobs choked out as he grabbed her with whatever strength he had left and held her tightly to him. "Serena. Mommy's gone, you have to stop. Please stop. Please." He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair as he gripped her like a lifeline.
They both felt their worlds crash down.
"Daddy, where's mommy?"
He would look down at his daughter with sad eyes, trying his best to paint a smile on his face. It rarely worked. "I already told you Serena, mommy's upstairs in bed."
She would blink at him and **** her head, much like her mother used to. "Why doesn't she get up?"
The question always caught him. He just didn't know how to answer it without causing an intense pain to flow through him. "Because she's sick, honey. She needs her rest." He would then send her up to bed, usually telling a bedtime story, before heading back to his wife.
Every time he entered their room, he couldn't help his face screwing up in pain at the fragile form, silent and lifeless in the bed. She barely woke anymore.
Her once golden skin had paled significantly. Her green eyes, when open, were no longer their bright emerald, but now faded to an almost pastel green. Her hair had lost its luster. He would climb into bed beside her and try to sleep, but he always ended up watching her in her restless sleep.
It all started about a year before. Catherine, Serena, and he were the perfect small family, and they had recently moved from their apartment and into their own house right on the outskirts of New York City. He couldn't have been happier, with the love of his life by his side and his little girl in his arms, usually laughing at something their dog Maggie would do.
They were perfect.
Only about a month after they moved in, Serena at the age of five, did the signs begin to show. She became stick thin, with dark circles under her eyes. She’d move slower and had trouble staying awake; sometimes she would not get out of bed at all. She told him it was fine, that she just had the flu.
But it was not.
He soon found out that she had cancer. This conclusion came one night when they were at the park; they were busy with Serena when she fell to the ground. At first he thought she had passed out, she was so still. Red flags instantly appeared. It wasn't long after that she finally told him the truth, and also that it would cause death. He did not expect it to come so quickly.
After she told him everything, he kept her from work. They had fought, her saying that was one reason she did not tell him in the first place. Didn't she see he was just trying to keep her safe? Keep her around as long as he could?And what about Serena?
They told their friends the following week. There were tears and pleas, and Rachel trying to find a way to heal the damage – she was a doctor. Chuck, her husband, had insisted on getting Catherine set up at the hospital later in, but she refused. There was no need for any sort of medical attention.
He knew it was painful, he could see it in her eyes. She never complained though; she always hated feeling weak.
Everyone tried to act normal, act like their friend wasn't dying before their eyes. They needed to keep up the charade, if not for them, then for Serena. She didn't need to deal with the thought of her mother dying at such a delicate age.
It was clear that they would all try and get in more quality time with Catherine, knowing now how little of it they all had. Going to the mall, to the nearest café, out to dinner, to the movies. Dick made sure that he, Serena, and she spent as much time together as possible.
She felt sad for her friends, and he knew that if she was given the choice, she would stay alive solely for all of them; for him and Serena.
Serena. The poor girl, losing her mother younger than he lost his, if only by a couple years. Left with him as a parent, and he knew he could slack on it sometimes. He loved her more than anything in the world, but he was never all that good with kids. Not until she came.
Catherine also made sure to spend as much time with her as possible, her own small way of saying goodbye. It was her daughter, the light of her life, and he believed that leaving her was what hurt the most.
He knew it was the day, he could tell by the way her chest barely raised and the feel of her slowing pulse.
It was late afternoon, about six o'clock. He kept his eyes on her, watching her fade, his cheeks damp. He sniffled and grabbed the hand closest to him, holding it tightly as he used the other to stroke her sweat-soaked hair. "It's okay, baby…" He spoke in a hushed tone, feeling that it would disrupt her to be any louder.
It seemed only moments later when her breathing seized.
The tears intensified and his hands began to shake. He leaned down and kissed her, then leaned his forehead on hers and wept.
"Daddy?"
He turned his head toward her, keeping his grip on Catherine while trying to smile at her through his tears. "Yeah?"
She cocked her head. "Why are you crying?"
No. Don't ask that. No no no.
He wiped his eyes and took a breath. He couldn't hide it from her, he knew that. He needed to tell her. "Serena, mommy-"
"I made her a picture!" Her eyes were bright with joy as she cut him off, flying over to the other side of Catherine, nudging her. "Mommy, mommy, wake up. I made you a picture!"
Dick's eyes widened in horror as he watched his daughter try to wake up her dead mother, completely ignorant to the face. He needed to get her away, to erase the grim image from his mind, but he couldn't move. The picture was of him, Catherine, Maggie, and Serena.
"Mommy!" she was getting frustrated now, shaking her harder.
"Serena, stop!" Dick got himself moving, dread filling him, and grabbed her arm. "Mommy's gone." He looked her in the eyes, saying the words as softly as he could. The tears came again.
She blinked at him, and he knew she understood. He saw it in her eyes, the solemn disbelief. She shook her head and snatched her arm away from him. "No." She turned back, tears filling her eyes as she shook her mother again. "Mommy, wake up."
He cried when she did, sobs choked out as he grabbed her with whatever strength he had left and held her tightly to him. "Serena. Mommy's gone, you have to stop. Please stop. Please." He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair as he gripped her like a lifeline.
They both felt their worlds crash down.