Ant answered the phone quickly when he saw Decs name flash up,even though he was expecting this call,it was still going to be the call he was dreading.
"Decky?" He gently sighed,all he could hear was sobbing coming from the other end of the phone "Decky?" He repeated "talk to me mate"
"He...he's gone" were the only strangled words Dec managed to force out.
"Oh pet,I'm so sorry" Ant wished he could be with Dec to give him the biggest,most loving hug of his life,but of course he respected that this was Decs close families grief and as much as he had always been made to feel like part of the Donnelly family,this wasn't an appropriate time for him to be there.
They all knew they were going to lose Decs dad to lung cancer any day now,Fonsey had put up a long,brave fight against the evil disease,but in the end his poor,frail body could take no more!Even though it was expected,it still hit Decs family hard and Ant was also heartbroken,having come to look on Fonsey as a father figure throughout most of his life after his own dad had walked out on him,his mother and sister when he was just ten years old.
"You go and be with your family Decky and I'll be here whenever you need me,I'm going to stay at the hotel as long as necessary,so I'll always be nearby"
Ant had decided to stay in a hotel rather than at his mams so when Dec would inevitably need a shoulder to cry on,it would just be the two of them and Dec wouldn't feel uncomfortable having Christine or anyone else there in his time of grief.Of course Christine was slightly disappointed that Ant wouldn't be staying in her family home but totally understood his reasoning and Ant still visited her every day,so it wasn't that much of a big deal in the end,he just didn't sleep there!
After hanging up the phone,Ant broke down in tears,slumping back onto the bed,rolling over onto his side and crying into the pillow.Being the private person he was,he was very grateful for the isolation of that quiet hotel room at that precise moment.
Meanwhile Dec had rejoined his family in the hospital room where they all took turns holding Fonseys hands,kissing his cheeks and telling him how loved he was.They all cried and hugged each other,united in their grief,but so grateful for their tight knit family that never let each other down and always supported each other no matter what,Dec knew with that strength behind him,he would get through this no matter how difficult the next few weeks would be.
Ant and Dec stayed in Newcastle for the next week until the day of the funeral arrived.Dec would spend some nights at the hotel with Ant and some at his Mams,he just sometimes felt the need to get away from the busyness of his large family and seek some solace with Ant.
Ant was a huge comfort to Dec,holding him in his arms lovingly when he broke down in tears of despair,not sure how he'd cope without his beloved father in his life.
"I just miss him so much" Dec sobbed into Ants chest one day.
"I know you do and you always will but it will get better,i promise you,it's just so raw at the moment" Ant comforted while rubbing Decs back as his tears soaked into Ants shirt.
"Thank you for being here" Dec mumbled as he buried his face further into Ants reassuring arms,shaking with emotion.
"Always" Ant smiled and kissed Decs head affectionately.
The next week passed in a blur of tears,hugs and talks with friends and relatives until the day of the funeral arrived.The day before,all of Anne and Fonseys kids gathered at their parental home.Anne had specifically requested that they all slept under her roof the night before and all be together.They were of course very happy to do that,their various partners and their kids staying in hotels or their own homes if they lived near enough.
It was bit of a squeeze at Annes house but none of them minded,it was just like when they were growing up!
They all sat around in the living room that evening,fondly reciting stories of their dad,most of them involved Dec and the scrapes he got into growing up.
"God,how he loved you,his little scallywag" Patricia smiled at Dec.
"He loved all of us" Dec replied,this was obviously true but they all knew Fonsey had a particular soft spot for Dec,but none of them minded as they all had it too.
Dec was the cute,adorable youngest member of the family.He was so small when he was born and remained small for his age his whole childhood.Even now as a grown man,his height was always the butt of many lighthearted jokes,but he didn't mind,in fact he encouraged it,especially when he was on TV knowing how much the fans adored the banter.Growing up,his sisters treated him like a little doll,wrapping him up in blankets and carrying him around whenever they got the chance although Anne had to put a stop to that when Camalia nearly dropped him on his head one day,only Annes lightning motherly reflexes preventing what may very well have been a tragedy!Decs brothers were also fiercely protective of him,not that they actually needed to be,Dec had practically been born feisty,but he felt safe and loved with all of them,and his childhood had been wonderfully happy.
That evening as they all sat together at Annes house,they knew a storm was brewing.They all hoped it would have passed by tomorrow.
Dec hated thunderstorms,he had done since he got caught in one on the way home from a trip to the local swimming pool when he was a kid.He and Martin had taken shelter under a railway bridge,but the storm had shown absolutely no sign of stopping,the rain got harder,the lightning brighter and the thunder louder.Dec had been absolutely terrified,his small,eight year old self clung onto Martin sobbing uncontrollably,completely gripped by fear.
"We're going to have to make a run for it Decky,it doesn't look like it's gonna stop anytime soon" Martin announced,their house was only a ten minute walk from the railway bridge "we can be home in five minutes if we run"
"NO" Dec sobbed,trying to make himself heard above the thunder "I'm not going out there,I'm staying right here"
"Well,you can't stay here all night,come on" Martin insisted,grabbing hold of Decs arm.
"NO" Dec cried again,wriggling out of Martins hold and defiantly staying put.
"I'm going to get dad" Martin stated before running off into the storm.
"Martin" Dec yelled,sobbing and terrified at being left alone so abruptly.
There were several claps of thunder and lightning strikes after Martin left and Dec was absolutely petrified.He slumped down against the cold,wet wall of the tunnel,sitting on the sodden floor,not caring that he was getting soaked to the skin,he bent his knees and buried his head into his folded arms,trying to block out the terror.Cars whizzed through puddles underneath the bridge,soaking him even more while trains thundered over his head.Sadly none of the car drivers even seemed to notice the poor desperate figure of the young child they were so close to while driving past!
Dec felt truly alone in his fear and desperation and childishly willed Martin to come back!
