The Medium Kid

Chapter 62

The songs I listened to when writing this chapter (they're all very sad):

Bird - Billie Marten

Don't Forget About Me - CLOVES

Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor

Sian - Not A Song

The door was closed for room 18, and Koda saw it as the last piece of tape sticking his heart together. As soon as the door opened, his heart would wither, and he wasn't ready to feel so broken.

Morlen rested a hand over his son's and placed it on the door handle. They watched each other, silently agreeing that they would do it together and pushed on the handle. The door swung open and the first thing they saw was a metal table in the middle of the room with machines all around it. A body lay on the table, a body Koda never thought he'd see again.

Morlen's hand was still covering his son's when it started to tremble. They felt the familiar warmth of tears forming when Koda shuffled closer.

"Mum?" Koda whispered. Enya lay still. Her skin was a strange grey colour and her mouth hung open with a pipe coming from it, leading into a machine behind her head. Enya didn't respond to his voice and Koda suddenly turned away. A tear fell from his eye. "She's dead. I can't see her like this."

Morlen squeezed his hand, blinking back his own tears. He had tried so hard to forget the image of his wife's lifeless face. He wanted to cling onto the vibrant times of her life, the good and the great times. Her body was now carelessly sprawled across a slab in the middle of a cold base. The base was full of heartless scientists who took her peace. Morlen's last memory of her wasn't supposed to be this.

"What have they done to you?" Morlen's voice wobbled. He sounded as frail as the poor body. "Oh, Enya." Morlen let go of his son's hand and walked to her side. Enya's chest was rising and falling, but she wasn't breathing by herself. "For almost a month they've kept you here. I'm so sorry." His voice dipped and Morlen covered his mouth to muffle his painful whimper.

Koda heard it, and he closed his eyes. More tears dripped down his cheek.

Morlen lifted a hand to her head and with the back of his fingers, he traced them along the side of her face. Enya's skin was still soft and colder than ice. It almost hurt him to touch her. "I'm so sorry!" Morlen couldn't stop it. The floodgates had opened, and his sadness burst into his chest, drowning his heart. Morlen leaned over the wires and pressed his forehead to his wife's cheek. He started to cry. "You didn't deserve this!" he wailed against her, gasping and sobbing with anguish.

Morlen never cried. He believed that men shouldn't cry, but those beliefs were as dangerous as a blade. Feelings always found a way out. If it wasn't through tears, then it was through actions, feelings, thoughts.

Koda couldn't simply stand and do nothing. He moved to his father and placed a hand on the back of Morlen's neck, staring at his mother's face. Koda caressed the top of his dad's spine with his thumb until Morlen suddenly grabbed him and held Koda as tight as he could without breaking him.

Morlen wept into Koda's shoulder, whispering about how sorry he was and how it was all his fault. Koda was so shocked, he barely remembered to hug his father in return.

"If I was just a little kinder," Morlen muffled. "I took her for granted. Now it's too late."

It was Morlen's turn for someone to comfort him and tell him that it would all be okay, and things would get better. Koda tried his best to whisper into his ear without breaking down too.