Cry, Even Better if you Beg

ng back her tears as she narrowed her eyes to the doctor.

Are they saying what she thought they were saying?!

Immediately, Leyla started shaking her head in disbelief, unwilling to hear more of the doctor’s excuses!

Surely they could still do something! So they brought Uncle Bill to the hospital after all!

After she’d calmed down, and been led quickly to the hospital, she’d been taken aback by how terrible of a state her uncle had been in!

His clothes were soaked with blood, his body wrapped around in makeshift support and bandages, and laid unconsciously on a hospital bed! She’d been given a rundown of what happened, but she didn’t want to believe it had been this bad!

Just as the air raid began, and the people by the ports began to evacuate in an unruly manner, her uncle had been one of the unfortunate few who got caught amongst the flying debris from the explosions around the warehouses.

“No!” Leyla exclaimed, “There must be something you can still do!” She argued persistently, ignoring the gestures of nearby nurses to stay seated. 

“I’m sorry, but this is our limit.” The doctor told her softly, “Perhaps it’s best you say your goodbyes now, we’ve no doubt he was only holding on this long enough to see his daughter.”

Leyla wanted to cry upon hearing that.

This couldn’t be happening! This was all a bad dream! This was a terrible, stress-induced dream!

She’d wake up soon, and see her Uncle alive and well, reminding and checking up on her to take care of herself, and she’d retort back at him to do the same!

“No please, you have to save him!” She begged, now kneeling in front of him, and holding onto his white robes for dear life, “You have to save him, please!”

“Miss, I really am sorry I can’t do more than this.” The doctor said, gently guiding her back to sit beside Uncle Bill, “But it’s best to say everything now, before it’s too late.”

A nurse came up beside her, and gave her a glass of water. 

Leyla was still reeling over the news about her uncle, and faintly felt the water touch her throat.
She immediately gave the glass back to the nurse, and went back to gently holding onto her uncle’s hand…

“Uncle, please, stay with me okay?” She whispered, trying to stifle in her sobs, “You stay strong for me okay, and I-I’ll go find a better doctor,” She gulped down, clearing her throat as she hastily, yet gently combed back his blood soaked hair from his forehead. 

“And then when you’re all better, we’ll go back home okay? Don’t worry about the money, I can always find it anywhere.” She whispered to him, “Just s-stay, please….” She sobbed…

“Please don’t leave me!” She whispered, her breath turning shaky as her hands shook from where she was caressing her uncle. 

She could see him blinking back his eyes, but the struggle was there.
She could see how hard it was for him to keep looking at her. 

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He groaned once again, with incoherent thoughts, and Leyla shushed him softly…

“Shh, uncle, save your strength, you still have a lot of healing to do.” She whispered, kissing his bloodied temple desperately.
She tried to ignore the taste of iron on her lips as she wetted them. 

Unable to watch her any longer, the doctor began to pull her aside, and began to stress once more how it was more beneficial for both of them to say goodbye now.

“Miss, even if you were to find a doctor who can guarantee they could still save him, he’d live the rest of his life in pain, and paralyzed.
It’s best you can say goodbye now, and that way, he’ll be able to die at least comfortably.”

‘Die…’ Leyla thought, ‘They finally said it, huh?’

Ever since she arrived, she’d been avoiding ever thinking about that word.
But now the doctor said it…

And it was all she could think about.

She didn’t want it.
But it was the glaring truth in front of her. 

Uncle Bill was about to die, and there was nothing she could do about it. 

The doctor was right.
She’ll regret not doing more later, but for now, she wanted her uncle to regret nothing.
And so Leyla cried out for a couple more seconds, before schooling her features into a pleasant smile, before taking back her seat beside her uncle.

She hoped she could relay all her love and gratitude forever meeting him. 

“Uncle,” She called out softly, and watched as Uncle Bill’s eyes shakily turned towards her, “Do you remember, when you used to tell me I’d be a great adult one day? You still believe that?” Do you still trust me?”

All of a sudden, Bill could hear her clearly now.
And he wanted to chuckle at how ridiculous her questions were. 

She was already the greatest adult he’d ever met, and he’d always believed and trusted her, without a single doubt in his mind. 

Instead of a laugh though, he could only cough out in response, and Leyla gently rubbed soothing circles over his chest.
Finally, a nurse came by to lightly dab a cloth around his mouth, wiping away the blood he’d coughed out. 

“Well, if you still believe that, then I can do anything.” Leyla continued, smiling shakily towards him, “After all, Uncle is so smart, and he never lied to me.
So I can do anything, s-so long as you still believe in me.” 

Her voice cracked in that last part, and her lips began to wobble. 

But she needed to keep talking.
To say everything before her chance was gone. 

And so she told him her thoughts ever since she first came to him, on that day they met when he was planting rose seedlings in the gardens of Arvis.

The happy days they spent together seemed like a lifetime ago.
Arvis and her childhood all of a sudden began looking so bright, and innocent, and happy. 

Yes, she had been happy back then, being surrounded by the smell of freshly cut grass, and blooming flowers.
Everyday has been a joy to live in…

Because she knew when she’d come home, she had Uncle Bill to fall back on. 

A sob escaped from her lips, and Leyla brought up her blood-stained hand to cover back her sobs.

‘I can’t do this! I don’t want to do this!’ She screamed in her mind, as she tried to stop the tears from flowing. 

What would happen to her now?! She can’t live without Uncle Bill! She can’t! He can’t leave her alone! Yet, there was still so much she wanted to do with him!

Suddenly, movement came, and Leyla watched as Uncle Bill struggled to sit up, before unceremoniously rolling off the bed!

“Uncle!” She exclaimed, but eventually sighed in relief when two male nurses managed to catch him before he fell to the floor.
They placed him back securely onto the bed, and Leyla watched as her uncle’s tears slid down his cheeks…

Leyla smiled at him through the tears, gently cupping his cheeks with shaky hands as she tried to keep him still. 

“I am s-s-so blessed… that you became my family.” Leyla sobbed out shakily, “And I never… felt so happy… as I did… everyday… with you…”

Leyla choked back on a sob as she laid her head on his chest, her hand gently grabbing onto his limp one and kissed his knuckles. 

“You were always my real family.
And if we were to be born again, I wished to be with you again, from the start.” She whispered shakily, kissing his knuckles deeper as she tried to keep her tied down to her…

“And we’ll keep being family, won’t we?” Leyla asked him softly, “Even when we’re parted momentarily, won’t we?” She asked him, looking at Bill desperately.

Bill’s eyes crinkled like he always did when he smiled at her.

Of course, they would always be family.

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Bill’s eyes began to blur once more, his sight on Leyla fading in and out of focus as black spots danced in front of his eyes.

“Then I hope to see you soon, okay?” Leyla continued, getting up to gently touch their foreheads together, “We might be separated in this life for now, but I’ll make sure to keep being reborn to you.” She whispered, and nuzzled against him…

“I love you…” She whimpered, and planted a long, and heart-felt kiss on his forehead, “So much… father.” She sobbed.

Leyla pulled away to look at his eyes.

Bill’s eyes were wide as he looked into her general direction, before his eyes crinkled in happiness once more.

Perhaps it was true about what they say about dying. 

Your life would begin flashing right in front of your eyes, and Bill could only see the happiness he found taking care of Leyla.

Watching Leyla grow.

Teaching her things she needed to know, things she wanted to know.

Seeing her flourish, and take steps towards her dreams.

Seeing her smile, laugh and cry.

Every single thing they did together, whether as mundane as eating their dinner every night, or as exciting as walking down the riverside underneath starry skies…

Seeing her rush towards him, in her childhood, in her teens, and even now as an adult, whenever she’d see him return.
It was such unbridled joy that he relished seeing it!

Everything was so much brighter with Leyla.
As long as they were together, he knew everything would be alright soon…

But that was the thing, wasn’t it?

Being together would soon be a thing of the past.

He couldn’t leave her sobbing her heart out, without a few words to tide her over as he’d leave her alone for an indefinite amount of time.

‘Please God,’ Bill prayed, ‘Let me say this last thing for her.’

“I…”

Leyla gasped as she hastily wiped her tears, and looked eagerly towards her father.
He was speaking!

“I…love…you,” her father’s eyes drifted over to hers, and his lips curled up into a beautiful smile that had Leyla smiling back over to him.
“My… daughter.”

Because Bill understood now. 

As much as he might have failed her, he was still her father in every sense of the word.
He clothed her, fed her, and sheltered her when no one would.
He taught her, and helped her grow.
He guided her, and although Leyla had been great enough on her own…

They found happiness in each other. 

Relief spread throughout him as he said those words to her.
And so he breathed in deeply, as his eyes fluttered closed.

When he’d wake up, he’d be back to his peak condition, and Bill would waste no time in buying them both a feast to celebrate being a family.
After all, he promised Leyla not to worry about dinner.

They’d have a feast for two soon enough.

And maybe he’d splurge some more, and buy them drinks to last a whole night! Or maybe not…

Leyla’s living for two now, alcohol would be detrimental for their health.
Maybe an apple juice instead? How about peach juice? 

Do peach juices exist?

And Bill breathed out with a wide smile…

“I love you… my daughter…” He whispered once more, feeling his entire body lighten up, as the pain eventually left his body.

What an amazing feeling it was. 

His daughter, of course she was. 

It was his absolute truth, and nothing would change it at all.
It would remain to be true, until forever.