Chapter Seven - One Last Moment Together
#8 of Within Escada
Grant's condition and sudden collapse has left everyone in concern and worry.
Within Escada - Chapter Seven - One Last Moment Together
=======
The events in this chapter are a real recollection of a close friend I lost many years ago.
William and Denise Anderson - 47 and 45, they are Grant's parents who met up with him at the hospital. William is a business consultant while Denise is a mortgage broker. The news of their son's cancer has been difficult on them since they have been hoping that something will help Grant be healthy again. Sadly, it is not the case since the event that happened at the school.
*Warning - Adult Content* Contains homosexual characters and themes.
*******
It had been more than five days since the event at Shadow Cascade High School. The paramedics arrived shortly after they received the call and had to wheel Grant out on a stretcher. As the paramedics left, Scott ran toward the parking lot with Grant's car keys and followed them to the hospital. Wolfe, Alex, and Jessica all followed suit to meet the call of their friend. For two days, Grant was in a comatose state and was placed on a ventilator to keep him alive. On the third day, he was taken off the respirator but remained in a vegetative state. The fifth day came and Grant began to show increased brain activity that was a sign of hope for all that he was going to be okay, for now. Scott spent every day at the hospital sitting next to Grant and his parents in the room he was assigned. Scott's parents notified the school that he was going to be out for an extended period, made sure to collect his class work, and bring him changes of clothes. The panther, a mess, spent many a night sitting next to Grant, holding his paw. Wolfe, Alex, and Jessica stopped by every day to visit their friends in this time of much despair, changing shifts with Scott to allow him time to breath.
"Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, can I speak to you outside?" Dr. Townsend said from the doorway. The two ursines left the room, the doctor closing the sliding glass door and leading them down the hall. "Yes doctor?" William asked. "I'm not sure of how to say this. The MRI results from yesterday show an increase in growth. It's uncertain of how much longer he will have." "Oh God." Denise said as she reached for her husband. "Is there anything that can be done?" The male ursine inquired hopefully. "Due to the advancing we cannot operate to remove the growth since it could lead him to destructive damage. It is also too risky to do so anyways. I'm so sorry. All we can do is hope for the best and try to make him as comfortable as possible." Dr Townsend stated with much remorse. Denise began to sob holding William close. William did whatever he could to comfort her, even though no matter what he did, it could not fix the inevitable.
Wolfe and Alex were lying in the grass at a nearby park, Alex resting his head on top of the lupine's chest. They watched as the clouds overhead passed across their view. It's was a quiet day in September, nothing being out of the ordinary. "Wolfe," Alex interrupted, "do you think Grant is going to be okay?" "I'm not sure. I would hope so, but from what Scott told me yesterday things are not looking so good." The lupine replied as he put his paw on Alex's chest. "He seemed fine the day before. It's obvious why he was distancing himself from us that day. He had o be hiding this." The fox said as he crawled up closer to Wolfe's face. Alex put his head under Wolfe's jaw and let out a sigh. The situation was making everyone worrisome. At school, furs were conversing back and forth of the situation and what news they knew. Many began to send things to the hospital that Grant was at, flowers and cards being the bulk of them.
"I'm worried about Scott." Wolfe said after a long silence. "Who wouldn't? He is the closest one to Grant." The fox claimed. "I don't know what is going to happen to him if Grant..." The lupine stopped his statement when the ringing of his cell phone interrupted him. He reached into his pocket and pushed the talk button. "Hello, this is Wolfe." He answered. "Wolfe he's waking up! Grant's waking up!" Scott shouted into the receiver. "We are on our way." The wolf said as he began to rise. "Good news?" Alex inquired. "I would hope so." The wolf said as they hurried along to his car.
Scott waited patiently for his mate to fully awaken. Earlier Grant had opened his eyes and coughed when the nurses were checking his vitals. He had stretched and yawned almost an hour before, a sign of joy for Scott. Wolfe and Alex arrived and came into the room, seeing Scott having fallen asleep on the already full gurney. 'This is going to be hard.' Wolfe thought as he guided Alex to a set of nearby chairs. They waited for something, anything to show progress. Wolfe rose from his seat and proceeded into the hallway, seeing William sitting on a bench in the central waiting area. It was a subtle room, since it was on the top floor. It was almost like an indoor garden; a pond stood in the center filled with fish that had a waterfall spilling into it. A few small shrubs were gathered around the area with a small tree hanging over the bench where William sat. Wolfe moved to sit next to the older ursine; he sat quietly next to him and waited for something.
"Grant is going to die." William finally said. Wolfe slunk down and rested his head on his knees. "I'm worried about Scott. He is taking this hardest; I know he is being strong for Grant. We haven't told him anything yet on whether or not Grant is going to make it." William said as he brought his paws to his face to cover his tears. "All we can do is make Grant comfortable and be sure that Scott knows we are all here to comfort him in this dire time." The young lupine said to the bear. "I know. It's just not easy to cope with the fact that your only son could be gone in a few hours. We have no idea how much longer he will be here." William said as he snuffed his nose and wiped away his tears. Wolfe had nothing to say. The inevitability of when Grant was to pass on being largely foreboding to the group. As the two sat, Wolfe's parents came into the area. Soon following was Scott and Jessica's parents.
"Will, how is he?" Mark asked the ursine. "I'm not sure. He isn't good I know that. The tumor has enlarged greatly since last week. It's now too risky to operate because it could turn him into a vegetable. All we can do is wait it out and hope for the best. They want to start him on Chemotherapy to try and suppress the tumor until they can figure out what to do," William said as Scott's mother came over to him, Rachel, to give him a hug. "It's not going to be easy for Scott." Jessica's dad, Harold, said. "It's going to be the worst for him." Scott's father, James, stated. "We can all see that... it's going to be difficult for him." Jessica's mother, Jennifer, replied. "Well we have to all hope for the best. Who knows, he could get better to where he can be helped." Jacob said positively. "I would hope so." William replied as he stood from his seat and slowly guided the others toward Grant's room. In the room sat Wolfe, Jessica, Alex, and Scott. Scott was still asleep while sitting next to Grant. Uneasiness filled the room, no one knew what to do or say. They all stood together just waiting. Then Grant stirred.
"Where am I?" Grant said as he rose slowly from his position. "Grant?" Scott said with a sheepish tone. "You're in the hospital son. You have been here for the past five days." William said as his wife came through the door. Denise ran out to the nurses' station as soon as she saw that Grant had woken. A barrage of nurses quickly came into the room along with Dr. Townsend. They checked everything, all while Scott looked at the bear, tears in his eyes. Grant looked at him and smiled. "Why the long face, love?" He said as he wiped a tear from the panther. "I was so worried." The panther said as he reached to give the ursine a hug. Grant met the embrace and kissed the panther lovingly, but he held a look of uneasiness. Scott meant everything to him, but now his time could soon end. Wolfe and Alex got up from their seats and moved along to the other side of the bed as the nurses left the room. Alex gave Grant a hug; he began to cry as he did. "Please don't cry kit. I don't want to see anymore of that." He said as he patted the fox on the head. "I know... I'm sorry." The fox said as he rose from his position and held the bear's free paw. Jessica moved to the other side of the bed with Scott and embraced the bear. She began to cry herself as the bear wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "No sad faces Jessica. I don't want to crying kits." He said as he kissed her on the forehead. "I have been worried sick. I miss having someone to talk to." She said as she chuckled with tears in her eyes. "Yeah, I know what you mean." The ursine said as she rose laughing along with her remark.
Wolfe stood back; he had no idea what to do. He was crying but was too afraid of what to do. "Come here." Grant said with open arms. Wolfe fulfilled his demand and began to cry. He held Grant tight for fear of losing him. "It's okay pup." The ursine said as he comforted the wolf. Wolfe raised his head and worked out a rough smile. He rose, soon finding his paw being held by Alex. They all sat with Grant talking of the past few days, the relationship between Wolfe and Alex, school. It was as if nothing had happened, everyone feeling better.
Grant's condition slowly improved, but it was uncertain as to if he was heading into the clear. Slowly, his friends were visiting more often. All of them hoped that Grant would eventually be able to get out of the hospital and resume his normal life. A dream of what they desired.
William and Denise sat with Dr. Townsend in his established office at the hospital and reviewed with them the situation. "I can only say that our hopes are that he will get well enough to make it easy for us to address the tumor." The eagle said as he pulled up an image of the bear's brain. "The growth has ceased and it appears to be shrinking. We won't know anything for a couple more days." He said putting the image away. They had no idea what exactly to say. The doctor continued talking of options, William and Denise just taking it all in as they thought of one thing. 'What are we to do if Grant doesn't make it?' A beeping emanated through the room. The eagle looked down to his pager and then leapt from his seat to the door. The bears quickly followed behind him.
Around the corner, they could see nurses crowding around Grant and checking the machines. Alarms were going off as the doctor came into the room. "What's happening?" He asked one of the nurses. "His oxygen levels plummeted and he is going into cardiac arrest." A female raccoon said. Just as he heard it, Grant flat lined. "Get the paddles and stick him." He shouted. One of the nurses pushed the others out of the room. Wolfe carried Scott out ho was motionless from the shock. "Ready, clear." The eagle said as he brought the panels to the bear's chest. "No good doctor." One of the nurses replied before inserting a syringe into Grant's IV. "Get him on air. Ready, clear." He said as he once again brought the panels to the ursine once more. The monitor began to beep, a pulse that was faint but not strong. "Get him on life support; he may not make it on his own." Dr. Townsend said as he left the room.
Scott was sitting on the far wall crying into his paws while Wolfe sat next to him. "He's not going to make it is he? I'm going to lose him, I know it." The panther said as he continued to cry. William and Denise quickly went over to the doctor as he came out of the room. "Is he okay?" William asked. "We have him stabilized but we are putting him on life support. This may be our only chance to try and suppress the tumor as much as we can, but I think we are running short on time now." The eagle said as Denise cried. Scott looked up; his face running with salted waters down his fur. 'What are we going to do?' He thought to himself.
A week passed, Grant only getting progressively worse. He had been placed into a medically induced coma to prevent him from suffering. Renal failure drove him further down and his condition did not look like it was going to improve. He was put onto dialysis along with still being on life support. Chemotherapy did not seem to be helping. Scott sat in the hall most of the time. He did not want to see Grant hooked up to machines that held him to this world by a thread. "We can't do very much more. The mass has grown larger and is taking up more than 30% of his skull. I'm sorry. We can make him comfortable and bring him out of the coma to so everyone can say goodbye." Dr. Townsend said as he shifted in his seat. "If it is all that can be done. Thank you doctor." William said as Denise reached for his paw. She could not cry anymore, for almost two weeks she poured every tear within her and now she could not shed one. The only thing she could do was look sad, the stress of the situation aging her youth.
William rose from his seat, his wife following, and left the office. Slowly making their way through corridors, they passed the maternity ward. Denise stopped in front of the viewing room that contained the newly born babes. "It feels like yesterday he was born, just a cub. Now he will pass, just as fast as he was born." She said as she laid her hand against the glass. William said nothing; he stood their next to his wife holding her hand in comfort.
Everyone was waiting in the hallway as the nurses awoke Grant from his sleep. "It's just not fair." Jessica said as she sat with her mother. "I know honey," the older fox said, "but it is a part of life." "Eventually it will be our time to leave this world." Alex's dad, Steve, said. "But, remember that we continue to live on. In every memory, in every day; as long as we hold that individual close to our hearts, they will never die." Alex's mother, Karen, said as she stroked Alex's head fur. Wolfe sat across from Alex and his parents. Mark and Jacob were there with him as well, holding Wolfe close to provide comfort. Jessica cleared a tear from her eye with a tissue that her dad gave her. Scott sat quietly, elbows on his knees and paws hiding his face. They all sat together in the hallway waiting for Grant to awaken.
"You can all come in now." William said from the doorway. Slowly everyone made their way into the room, all but Scott who sat outside. As they waited patiently for Grant to wake up, a nurse came in and checked the monitor. Denise sat next to Grant and waited for him to stir awake. "Grant, we're all her now. Wake my son." She said quietly. Grant slowly opened his eyes, seeing his mother with her presence bringing a smile to his face. "Hi Mom." He said with a rasp in his voice. "Hello baby. Everyone is here to say hello." She said as she looked toward the huddled furs at the foot of his bed. Grant frowned as he saw everyone, long expressions on all of their faces. "Please don't frown. I don't want to leave with all of your sad faces in my memory." He said as his mother rose and left the room.
One by one, the adults left the room leaving Wolfe, Alex, and Jessica to surround their friend. "Hey kits, stop being sad. I'll always be close." He said as Jessica and Alex both from either side came to him and gave him a hug. "I'm going to miss you Grant. I really will." Jessica said as she stroked the fur from her face. Tears filled her eyes as she sat next to the bear. Grant smiled warmly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Alex, please don't cry." He said to the fox as he reached for his paw. "I'm sorry Grant. You have been a great friend to me and I just wish I could have gotten to know you more." Alex said as he snuffed his nose. "I know. But, it is due time I am to leave. Not that I want to. Just be strong, okay?" He said as he patted the fox on the head. "I'll see you two another day. Alex, we'll talk in the future." He said as he smiled and spread his arms for another embrace. After saying goodbye, the two left the room paw in paw with slight smiles on their faces.
"Hey pup." Grant said as Wolfe came next to the bed. "Hey cub." Wolfe said as a reply to the bear. Grant reached for the wolf who willingly met him. Wolfe held the bear tight, crying as he did. "Please stop Wolfe. I need you to be strong." He said as he looked at the lupine in the face. "I know... It's just that I'm losing the only brother I ever had. It hurts me to see that you are leaving forever." Wolfe said as streams ran down his face. "Wolfe, I'm not leaving forever. As I said, I will see you another day. Plus, I will still be around." Grant said as he rubbed the wolf's arm. "Promise?" Wolfe asked. "Promise. Do me a favor and look out for Scott. Can you do that?" Grant asked. "I will." Wolfe said as he embraced the Ursine once more.
Wolfe slowly made his way out of the hallway as Grant's parents entered the room. "Hi mom." He said as Denise held her arms open to him. "My son... I love you so much." She said, holding him tight. "I love you to Mom." Grant said as he began to cry. She held tight as she petted his head fur. Tears filled her eyes with the sorrow of losing her son. She released him as William came around to the other side. "Hi Pop." Grant said as he looked up to the large ursine. "Hello son." The older ursine said as he held Grant's paw. "We never fixed the Charger. I'm sorry." Grant said as he squeezed his father's paw. "It's okay. I'll fix it. It'll be a beauty when I'm done." William said as he shed tears. Grant smiled as he reached for his parents. "I love you both, with all my heart." Grant said as he cried. "We love you too Grant." Denise said as she held close to her son. They embraced for a long time, none of them wanting to let go. "Now... please stop crying. Be strong for me and look over Scott. Okay?" Grant asked as his parents stood up. "We will." William said as he changed to the same side as his wife. "Can you do me a favor?" Grant asked. "Yes, what is it?" William inquired. "On my desk there is an envelope for Scott. Can you give it to him?" The ursine said with hope. "Don't worry Grant. I'll give it to him." The older ursine replied. "Thanks Dad." Grant said as he smiled. "I love you." Denise said as she squeezed Grant's paw. "I love you too." Grant said as he squeezed.
William and Denise walked out of the room into the hallway. The silence greeted the inevitable. Scott rose from his perch and slowly made his way to the room. With a sigh, he passed through the doorway. "Hey Scott." Grant said as he looked over to the panther. "Hey handsome." Scott said as he came to the other side of the bed. "Come here." Grant said as he reached for the panther. Scott led the water flow, crying as he held his love for the one last moment together. Slowly, Grant reached across to the monitor and pushed the power switch. He held Scott tight as the panther cried, not wanting to let go. "I love you Scott, with my entire being." He said as he raised the cat to see him face to face. "I love you more Grant. It's just not fair." Scott said as he held his paw. "I know. I feel the same way." He said before he kissed the panther. They met in a loving embrace, Scott crying as they held one another as close as possible. "Please don't cry Scott." Grant said as they broke their embrace. "I can't. I'm going to miss you so much." The cat said as he stared into the eyes of the ursine. "I will always be with you. Right here." He said as he pointed toward Scott's heart. "You always will be." Scott said as he hugged the bear.
They sat together, Scott resting his head on the bear's chest listening to his heart and the labored breathing of the ursine. Minutes seemed to fly by; they lay together with paws interlaced. "Scott..." Grant said after some time. "Yes Grant?" Scott said as he squeezed the bear's paw. "I will always love you." The ursine said as he lifted the panther's head. "I will always love you too." The panther said as he kissed the fur that he loved so dear. They went back to resting once more, slowly allowing time to tick.
Scott walked into the hallway with his paws in his pockets, an hour after he went in. Everyone looked up as Scott dashed to the comfort of his parents. Rachel, James, William and Denise all were comforting the young panther in the worst of times. Dr Townsend proceeded into the room as two nurses followed suit short after. "I will always love you Grant." Scott said from under his tears.
The funeral was held two days later. Many furs from school attended as well as friends and family. Wolfe, Alex, and Jessica sat quietly after viewing Grant and giving their condolences to Scott and Grant's parents. Flowers decorated the church, more and more continued to fill the church as the many firs filled the pews. At the front of the church, there was a portrait. It was a picture of Grant and Scott that Jessica had taken of them in the spring. In it they were together happily, holding each other in their arms with noses touching lightly to one another as they smiled. Scott stood at the casket, clutching hold of the letter Grant had wrote to him as he looked deeply at the photo.
'Scott,
I know that the past time has been difficult. I am sorry that I did not tell you the situation but I did not want to have you worry over me. Regardless, my time has come to move on. I know that my death will be difficult, the time we thought we had is gone, and that you will feel empty for the fact that I myself am no longer here. At least physically, remember that I will always be with you. Never wear a frown; you are too beautiful to have a long face. Smile, live your life, be happy. I know that you will hurt from this whole thing but please just move on. I'll see you again one day Scott.
I will always love you Scott.
Grant'
Scott folded the letter back together and slipped it into Grant's jacket pocket. As he wiped away a tear, he laid his paw on the side of the casket. "I will always love you too Grant." He whispered.
Wolfe sat on the hood of his car with his friends as they over looked the Pacific Ocean. It was a cool November evening as the furs looked into the sunset as it fell behind the horizon; Alex sat beneath Wolfe, Jessica next to Scott. "I love this." Jessica said as she wrapped her arms around Scott. Scott moved his head in agreement. It had been more than a month since Grant died; he of course was still mourning the fact that his love had passed. The emptiness being a burden to him when he was alone, but he knew that if he remained in a depressive state forever he would only do damage to himself. Instead, he chose to make the best of the situation by living his life for both himself and Grant. He helped William fix the Camaro, which the ursine then gave to him as a gift. "I was lucky to have Grant, he would be happy to know that I am happy." Scott said as he rose from his position. "He would." Alex said as he looked towards the panther. "Definitely. It's good to feel that he is no longer suffering." Wolfe said as he squeezed Alex tight in his arms. Scott smiled, seeing his friend in love was a joy for him to see. "Let's go get something to eat." Scott said as he patted his stomach. "So where to?" Wolfe said as he withdrew his keys. Scott gazed into the distance viewing the sun push past the horizon. "How about Antonio's?" He said with a smile.
*******
I can say that this was a very emotional chapter for me, I even cried when I was typing the last few pages remembering the events of an emotional time for those around me. No one likes death; since it is inevitable we all must cherish every day that we live. Always tell the ones you love that you do so, be sure to enforce it. Many a time people never say how they truly feel and it benefits anyone because of it. With this, we all know that love is a very special thing, sometimes out of reach, but it is always close. Chapter 8 - Leaping from the Balcony will soon follow.
Wolfe
=======
All characters, structure, scenario, and plot © 2010, 2013 Wolfe Dimitrivich Escada
All artists, music, brand names, company names, slogans, registers, and trademarks are copyright to their respective entities and used only to enhance the story.
The majority of the story is purely fictitious and is not to be taken into account in the event of coincidental reality.
V 1.2