Oneshot Wonder (✓)

The Man Through The Window

Another Creative Writing rough draft... Enjoy?
12/7/17
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I step down the hallway, near weightless. My IV no longer trails behind me... perhaps I had gotten better? The doctors had news for my mommy, and it must've been super duper happy because she cried! I wonder if they told daddy yet, he works at this hospital y'know. Maybe he already knew I wasn't in pain anymore! Breathlessly I run down the hallways full of sickly yellow light, searching for him. I think he was working tonight, daddy said he would be in to check on me around midnight. Too bad I really didn't know where he would be otherwise...

Still looking around, I notice a bright red clock- 2:38. It's really dark outside, so I think that means in the morning. Wow! I'd never been up this late! Due to my dumb illness, I always had been tired and fell asleep around six each night. But now I could stay up late and have fun with mommy and daddy! As my head turns slightly, something catches my bright brown eyes... a little flash of red. I turn around, and standing on tiptoes I see him.

I see daddy.
And he doesn't look too happy.

The red I'd noticed was the string belt I'd made for him. He said he would treasure it forever, and that it meant the world to him! He only took it off when he changed his uniform, then it went back onto his normal clothes. Of course, I never really saw him wearing jeans or whatever, since I almost never get to go home anymore. But that's in the past! Now we could leave this stinky hospital for good, since I'm better! I try to wave to him, but my face falls as he doesn't seem to notice me.

Daddy looks... awful. Alone inside the tiny room full of IVs and bottles, he was sitting on... a gurney? I think that's what it's called. He seems like he's bracing himself, fingers clutching the rails as though they were a lifeline. Daddy's usual smile is replaced by a tight grimace, and he looks a million miles away. Why did daddy look so sad? Maybe one of his patients had left the hospital, yeah, that had to be it! But I'm better, so he won't be sad anymore! And man, he really was sad...there are lots of tears going down his worried face!

I try to lean upon the door for support, and feel my eyes go wide as I fall through. I land silently, half in the door, half in the room. I look at my hand, and with horror rising in my throat I realize it's partially see through. I try to scream, but no noise comes from my mouth! Daddy doesn't seem to have noticed me either, and I feel like something is awfully wrong. I pull myself upright, and step closer to him cautiously. He's still sitting there, breathing heavily, occasionally glancing up as though crying for help. Daddy seems... focused. Like he's away from this stupid hospital.

And then it hits me like ton of bricks. I'm see through, no longer aching and sick, and daddy's really upset! No wonder I'm not ill anymore, I've... I've moved on.

I'm not real anymore.
I'm gone.

I creep closer to daddy. I'm beginning to tear up, and I hop up on the gurney with him, trying to lean on his arm like I always did. He doesn't notice. The gurney doesn't even compress under my tiny body, though maybe that's because I don't exist anymore? I could believe either one... I was very small and frail because of my sickness. Still daddy cries, silently, bracingly. He was a doctor, he saved people! Why didn't he save me? Anger boils in my stomach, tainting my sadness. He didn't save me... maybe daddy got sick of me and my disease?

But no, he wouldn't be crying alone in this hospital room if he didn't...
Unless he was thinking of some other patient, hrmph.

Daddy then mutters, as though he's heard my thoughts. "Oh, my sweet angel girl..."

Sweet angel girl... hey! That's my nickname! He is thinking of me!

He starts sobbing in earnest now, refusing to let go of the gurney. I realize it was my gurney, the initials carved into the railing- I had been sick so long they gave me my own. I feel sick again, nauseous. I had to get out of here. No way was I going to be stuck here in nonexistence too! I glance over at daddy, and wonder how mommy is doing. Surely she's heard too? Then again, it was late. Maybe she was home asleep, still thinking I was real...

I hear a soft voice call out to me.
"It's time, Olivia..."

No! Not yet! I don't wanna go!
I nuzzle up to daddy, crying with no noise.

"It's time, I am so sorry dearie... please, say goodbye to your daddy."

Feeling an urge to follow the sweet soft voice, I try to ignore it. I still wanted to exist, even if I was sick! And in pain! It didn't matter! I just want to be with my mommy and daddy! But as I sit there, the voice keeps pleading. It sounds sad, just like me. Just like the doctors who didn't want to stick me with needles or irradiate my body. But they had jobs to do, just like this nice voice...

I reach out a trembling hand, and try to wipe a tear from daddy's face. I focus all my warmth and love into the hand, begging for him to feel something, anything. And he does. His own big hand comes up to the cheek, nearly holding my thin little hand. Daddy stops crying for a mere moment, and breathes out seven little words.

"My sweet angel girl... I love you."

I love you too daddy... and mommy. Goodbye...

With that, I pull my hand away. His hand stays put, but he starts crying again. I force myself to turn away, curtain of hair hiding my face. And I skip off through the door again, ready to follow that voice to whatever came after I stopped existing.

I had to be brave for mommy and daddy.