Gone

Chapter 46- Logan

TW: Death, Plague, Attempted Suicide. (Suicide Warning is the second to last section. I will bold the first sentence of the section so those who need it can skip it. Summary will be provided at the end)

Five Years ago:

Logan was thirteen when his father died.

Death was predictable. Everyone died. It was one of those few things everyone had in common. His father's death was his first experience with death and at the time Logan didn't think he'd be surprised if someone died. Death was predictable. Death was logical. There was no logical reason to be surprised about death. It was just a part of life. The end bit, the bit that was possibly the most unknown. Still, no matter if it was a bit unknown, it was still a most certain thing. Everyone died. There was no reason to be surprised.

At thirteen Logan had already accepted that one of his parents was going to die before he turned eighteen. He had already accepted that the likelihood of both his parents being there to see him go through all those milestones of adulting was unlikely. He had already accepted that there was little to no chance of both his parents being at his wedding if he chose to have one. He had accepted that it was not likely he'd have both his parents there to celebrate with him at the end of his schooling. He had accepted it.

He had also expected his mother to be the parent who died.

His mother was a sickly woman with a very poor immune system. On good days it would mostly consist of a terrible cough and difficulty breathing. On bad days she'd be bedridden with a constant cough and a bucket to puke into. Fevers were not uncommon and fatigue plagued her often. It had been a miracle she had ever been able to give birth, not once but twice, to two healthy boys. It would not have been unexpected if she were to pass in her sleep, or while reading in the lounge, or wherever else she was. It would not have been surprising. Everyone who knew his mother was ready for her death, they had already grieved, they were already prepared.

Logan's mother was not the one to die.

It had been his father.

At the time a serious sickness, though not serious enough for it to be dubbed a plague, had broken out across the continent and had struck the Dark Realm particularly bad. Both Dark Realm princes remembered that period of time well, their parents and uncle were stressed with diplomatic issues and though both princes were young at the time the adults in their family saw it as a learning opportunity for the two of them and so they were once again given a small taste of what would be their futures. Of course, at the time Logan had only heard of the princes and did not take too much interest in the Dark Realm.

It was a stressful time for his friends too. The Light Realm was trying to decide whether they should help their common enemy or not, maybe even take the opportunity to strike against them. Because of this, the Light Realm princes were often stuck doing the same thing the Dark Realm princes were, being trained for their future roles in the kingdom. And though Patton's mother's role as a member of the king and queen's council was not something he could inherit they too were getting minor training and insight into the job, so at the time Logan was often left alone.

Eventually, it was decided that Light Realm Military General Kieran Tafe would lead an expedition into the Dark Realm and attack some of the enemy kingdoms' military camps. Logan's father ended up joining the trip for a reason Logan was never aware of. They returned three months later, had lost five soldiers to the sickness, and over half of the remaining ones were battling it off. Among those that were sick was Logan's father, who absolutely refused to return home in case he infected his wife. So the man stayed with his brother-in-law, Tafe.

His health continued to deteriorate for over three weeks before the doctors told them there was very little chance of recovery.

Logan and his brother were in the room at the time. Logan had been reading aloud from a book while his father rested, his brother had been sitting in an armchair, half-listening, and half letting his mind wander. His father was hit with a sudden cough, Logan did not stop reading. His brother did not move from his chair. It continued for several minutes before it turned into wheezy gasps. Logan did not stop reading, his brother did sit up slightly and look towards their father, but made no other movement. Eventually, the wheezy gasps stopped and their father's body went still.