Fanon:The Good Ones-Chapter 22

The Gift of Life
I jolted upright in bed. Everything was blurry, and I had intense, throbbing pain in my chest. As I sat bolt upright in bed, the world started spinning. I put my head back to rest on the pillow. The ceiling was white, and the walls around me were the same tint. That was weird; the walls in my bedroom were painted green.

Then I heard the howl again: it sounded more restrained than when I had first heard it. What I must have thought to be reality was probably just a bad dream. But the same noise echoed in the room, and when I looked to my left I saw Brigit sitting in a chair beside a large window. That was when she saw me.

"Oh my... my... Pierce, don't... don't ever do that... not ever..." she said, rushing over to me and burying her eyes in my chest. I didn't understand: why was Brigit crying? What had happened? I was still groggy, but I managed to slip out a few words.

"It was just a bad dream," I muttered. Brigit's eyes looked up and into mine. The usual vivid bubbliness that I could usually find in her eyes was subdued.

"No, Pierce," said Brigit, steadying her voice. "It was a lot more than just a bad dream. You... I woke up this morning, and you weren't moving. I got scared, so I shook you. When I saw that you didn't have a pulse, I... I took you to the Emergency Room. You had a heart attack, Pierce. Whatever was in that... dream, it must have triggered it." I stared in disbelief at her face, trying to see if this was all a big joke. Maybe it was a prank. Maybe one of the Good Ones was behind this. But the look in her eyes told me that this was the truth.

As the door slid open, I expected to see a nurse, who had come to check on me. But what entered the room surprised me even more.

"Hello, Pierce," said an all too familiar voice. When I turned to look, I saw that it was my father.

"Dad?" I said. "What are you doing here?" I sat upright in the hospital bed. His eyes were the red that I could never stand; thank God I hadn't inherited any of his genetics. His gaunt face hovered over me.

"I, I," he stammered. "I wanted to know if you were okay."

"Sure," I said. "You haven't seen me in two years and you think you can waltz your way back into my life." My voice became stronger, more aggravated, more vicious. "I understand if you came to see Leila and Dunstan. But you coming to see me? That just doesn't make any since, now does it? You couldn't stand me when I was living with you. But all of a sudden, you care. And I'm just going to let you into my life with open arms. Now tell me, DAD, does that story seem at all believable to you?"

Garth's face looked older with every word I said, revealing his true age. I'd gotten letters from him. I told Brigit that I shredded them all, but I kept them hidden, and I read them when I got the chance. Despite our bad relationship, I still loved my dad. He was my father. But he could never replace my mom. Not in a million years.

"I came to see Leila and Dunstan," he said. It was what I expected to hear anyway. "On the flight here, I got a call from Dunstan saying that you had a heart attack. He said Brigit took you to the hospital, so Morgana and I came as quickly as we could. I.." pause, "I understand that I haven't been a good father. I get that you're angry with me, for what I did to your mother. But her death wasn't my fault. I'm a bad person at heart, Pierce. I won't deny that." And then, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

This was the man that had given me the gift of life. That gift had nearly been taken away from me. But why did I hate him so much?