Chapter Text
the sour air that blew in through the car window was stinging his eyes, which were already pricked with tears that refused to fall. he couldn’t see and he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t even feel, so all he could do at the moment was keep on driving.
“he’s so sick georgie, we- we don’t know how much time he has left,” his mom spoke as he barely comprehended the words. all he could understand was that the way her voice broke shattered his heart into a million pieces, almost more so than the horrible news about his grandfather did.
according to what he could decipher from the frantic, hitching voice of his mother over the crackling phone call, his grandad had a stroke a few hours ago and was experiencing minor memory loss. when they did a brain scan they found multiple small tumors in his brain that couldn’t be easily removed. she said they needed to do more testing, but he needs to be living in the hospital from now on instead of the comfort of his lifelong home.
it pained george to even think about.
“okay mum, i’ll get on the first train home tomorrow morning. i’m just getting home from work now, i’ll begin packing straight away,” he did everything in his power to keep his voice unwavering, if not for him, then for his own mother, but it was difficult. “i’m- mum i’m so sorry. about all of this.”
she didn’t reply, but he could hear sniffles coming from the speakers on his phone. he shrunk further into himself with each noise until he couldn’t bear it anymore. he had never witnessed his mom like this. she had always been the poised, calm figure in his life, staying laid back when his grandfather couldn’t. but he understood why that was falling apart now.
“i love you mum. i’ll see you tomorrow.”
and with that, he pulled into his driveway and hung up the phone, rushing straight inside so he could start the laundry for his unexpected trip up north.
-
as he stared out the window of the train at the passing scenery, memories of playing catch in his childhood backyard and going to the diner on the corner by that same house - when his dad never did - came flashing through his head.
his grandad was the one that had always been there for him. it was always just the three of them: his mum, his grandfather, and little george himself, since his sisters were both already in college by the time his memories stuck.
he tried his best to keep his mind away from remembering how his mum had sounded on the phone yesterday, but it was proving to be quite difficult.
the air was stuffy and the hard plastic of the train seat was digging into his sides, the uncomfortableness of it all chipping away at the tough reserve he had built that was keeping the tears from falling.
he felt one drop slip past his waterline, then another, and before he could build the wall back up again, he was fully sobbing on that public train.
but by then, he wasn’t thinking about the unwanted attention he was likely receiving from strangers. besides, his eyes were too blurry to see them anyway. he was instead thinking about how red his mother’s eyes were sure to be when he arrived at the hospital, rimmed in dark colors that reeked of lack of sleep and grief.
his sisters wouldn’t be there anytime soon, maybe not at all considering they were living in california and hadn’t really known their grandfather as george had.
he knew his mother would be grateful he was coming, and depending on his state, hopefully, his grandfather would be too.
his thoughts were interrupted when the eerily robotic voice of the announcement for his station came, tearing him away from the trance he had been trapped in.
he realized he had stopped crying, though he still had cold tears on his cheeks. he wiped them away and stood, dragging his suitcase to the door of the train as the vehicle rolled to a stop. others gathered behind him, some bumping his bag and shoulder harshly, but he ignored them all, staring straight ahead in a dead, numb frown.
now, he couldn’t even remember why he’d been crying at all. all he knew was walk straight, turn left, turn right, until he stopped in front of the glass hospital doors he’d come here for.
his breathing became shallow and he could feel his eyes wetting again, but he forced it all down, gathering himself so he could at least hold it together until he could embrace his own mother.
and when he finally did so, he felt the tears flow. maybe out of grief, but more out of relief. her arms were just as warm as he remembered, the safe feeling he had always felt in them returning to overcome him and make him shake with emotion.
“i’ve missed you,” he mumbled into her hair, and she nodded, not saying a word.
he knew what it meant.
-
he fell asleep on the uncomfortable hospital chair next to his mother that afternoon. they didn’t want to wake up his grandfather, so they figured they’d wait until he did so to them.
“george?” a voice came, sounding strong as ever, and the aforementioned’s eyes snapped open from his sleep.
“grandad!” he jumped up, accidentally awaking his mum, but he’d find time to be sorry later.
for now, he rushed to the side of his grandad’s bed, grasping his hand with as much gentle excitement as he could.
he was grateful to see him awake and full of life because seeing him asleep had honestly scared him. he had looked sick, unlike he ever had before.
but when he was awake, his eyes were just as full of joy as always, tugging george’s hand so he was forced into a strong hug.
“i’ve missed you, my boy,” he told him, and now it was george’s turn to silently accept the expression with tears in his eyes.
he thought about how he had probably cried more in the past 24 hours than he had the past 24 years.
after the basic greetings were over with, he pulled a chair close to the side of the hospital bed, and they held important conversation for what seemed like hours, switching from topic to topic until they both grew tired again. his mother had been falling in and out of sleep all day, and george figured it was his time to join her when he couldn’t keep himself from yawning.
“you haven’t got a hotel booked?” his grandad asked.
george had thought about that yesterday while packing, but in his rush to just get there, he never followed through with the thought.
he shook his head. “i figured i’d just stay here for the night, with you and mum. i can get a hotel tomorrow, don’t worry about me.”
“no, no. there’s a hotel just across the street, take your mother over there and book a room with my card. the house is too far away for now, but you can’t just stay in here. i love you guys, but not that much,” he joked, and his bold laugh was refreshing.
they accepted his offer after much debate, kissing him goodbye and gathering the various chargers and food wrappers that had been strewn across the room by the three of them in the past day or so.
they passed one of his grandad’s nurses, and if george wasn’t so tired he would’ve thought that the second glance he received was a little rude, but his sleep deprived brain refused to let him think about anything for more than a second at a time.
just getting across the street and into a room was a struggle for the both of them, but they got it eventually, flopping down on their respective twin beds and snoring in unison within minutes.
and it was just like old times when they felt grandad’s presence not too far away and they slept in the peace of each other, knowing the other was just a few steps away. some days, he wished he’d been one of those guys that stayed living with his parents until he was 30, paying rent from their basement.
but his mother never would’ve accepted that, and he knew it was for the best. she always knew best.