Chapter Text
It felt weird, being with people he didn't even knew at their last moments, where they were at their most vulnerable state....
Father Jud walked the white, neat halls of the hospital, looking for a specific room. Monsignor Wicks was sick today so he send him to do the last rites. Jud mentally review every single prayer that he knew, all while his own heart ached for the family of the woman he was going to see.
The young nurse who guided him took a moment to collect herself, before she sniffed and nodded. “Come along, Father, they're in here...” She said weakly with a small smile, and Jud knew exacly why.
That woman, Greta... He didn't knew much about her but he had heard some stories from her friends and the hospital staff, she seemed to have becomed a very loved patient for the doctors and the nurses equally, they definetly were sad to see her go...
A feminine voice, light and clear as the day, was narrating something inside the small room, and Jud assumed it was the hospital television, only half paying attention as he approached the room and opened the door.
“Sacred moments, when heart talked to heart in the silence of the night, turning affliction to a blessing, which chastened grief and strengthened love…” He heard.
His throat tightened a little at the sight of a young woman’s back, a brunette in a teal and brown stripped top, by the bedside of Greta Usher, reading aloud to her. He didn't recognize her voice nor her face, so she definetly wasn't a member of Wicks' flock.
The young woman looked over her shoulder, her gaze hardening upon looking at Jud, there seemed to be a hint of recognition on her face, she didn't seemed happy to see him there but she didn't spoke a word.
Jud suddently remembered how to speak.
''Uh- H-hello! Good morning, my name is father Jud Duplenticy and im with the church Our Lady of-'' He was cut off my the young woman, who got up from the bedside, book still in her hand as she got closer to him.
''Oh no, no no no, absolutly not...'' She said matter of fact-ly as she shook her head ''Na-ah, we're not done here yet, get out.'' She pointed at the door, completly serious.
"Uh- Excuse me?" Jud was taken aback by the young woman's abruptness. He looked at Greta laying weakly in the bed behind her, before turning his gaze back to the woman.
''Listen I get that you have to do your thing and I respect that!'' She said with a hand on her chest as she nodded ''I really do, but I haven't finished my thing here so please get out and -at least- let us finish the chapter...'' She explained, her voice flat as she pointed at the door, it was obvious she didn't wanted him there but she was trying to be polite for Greta.
Jud was tempted to tell her off, to remind her that this was a hospital, and he was there on official business. But something stopped him. Maybe it was the sincerity in her voice, the genuine concern and love for Greta, or maybe it was something else.
With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright..." he said gruffly. "I'll wait outside... Just finish your chapter, then we can talk...."
Jud reluctantly stepped back through the doorway, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed by the young woman's insistence, but he had to admit that there was something admirable about her determination to finish the chapter, like she was giving Greta a last moment of peace.
He waited outside the room, his eyes fixed on the door as he listened intently for any sound coming from inside.
A few minutes later, the door opened and the brunette woman peeked her head out the door.
''Okay you can come in now...'' She told him and stepped aside to let Jud come inside.
Jud pushed off the wall and stepped back into the room, his eyes immediately going to Greta laying on the bed. Her frail form looked even more fragile now, her face pale and gaunt. Despite everything, she still managed a weak smile as she saw Jud.
Jud approached her bedside and nodded respectfully to Mrs. Usher, greeting her with a “Good morning, Greta, may I call you Greta?”
The woman smiled, her head moving in a slow nod.
Jud felt a pang of sadness at the sight of her weakness, but he quickly pushed it aside, focusing on his task. "That's nice, Greta" he said, his voice soft but clear. "I'm here to perform the Last Rites for you, are you ready?"
''Yes, Father…'' Greta muttered before she started coughing.
Before Jud could say or do anything, the young woman quickly helped her sit up, one hand firm on Greta's back and the other holding the water bottle as Greta drank from it.
Jud watched as the young woman helped Greta, her touch gentle and reassuring. Despite his initial annoyance with her, he couldn't help but admire the way she cared for the older woman, her every action filled with devotion and kindness.
When Greta stopped coughing, the young woman tucked the blanket around her with a small sigh before stepping back, allowing Jud to continue.
“Would you like to start with a certain Bible verse, any petition?” he asked softly, his eyes tender as her bottom lip trembled, as she tried to speak, but-
''She likes the Hail Mary one…'' The Brunette woman suggested without looking at Jud, her face, serious and saddened, looking at Greta ''Just saying…'' She muttered with a small srugg.
Jud acknowledged the young woman's suggestion with a nod, appreciating her input. "Very well..." he said. "In that case, let's begin the Hail Mary..."
He began reciting the familiar words, his voice steady and soothing. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." As he continued the prayer, he glanced at Greta, noticing the slight upturn of her lips in acknowledgement. A subtle sign of comfort and contentment. He could feel the young woman's eyes on him, studying his every move, and he couldn't help but wonder… Just who was she?
When he finished his prayer he looked down at Greta, laying completly still, her eyes closed, her skin pale and cold and her hands at her sides… It was done, her soul had finally left this world…
The young woman stepped closer, one hand on the bed rail while she looked at Greta, her eyes glassy.
''Amen…'' She whispered on Greta's behalf, then, she gently tapped something hanging from the small bonsai tree on the nightstand three times, making it clink.
Jud looked at the source of the sound, it looked like a Christmas ornament, full of small silver bells, clustered like a bunch of grapes… It made a really nice sound in Jud's opinion.
Jud stood in silence, moved by the quiet reverence of the moment. The soft chime still lingered in the air like a whisper from another world.
He looked at the young woman -really looked at her- for the first time since entering. There was sorrow in her eyes, yes, but also strength. A kind of sacred fatigue, like someone who had kept vigil far longer than anyone should have to.
"Was that… Part of a tradition?" he asked gently, nodding toward the little bell cluster "The chiming?"
''No…'' Said the woman, still looking at Greta ''She just hated all the sound that hospitals made… But the one she hated the most was the silence… So I bought her this…'' She explained as she carefully grabbed the ornament from the bonsai branch ''You must think its stupid but hey, she liked it… She said it sounded like a... Bunch of baby angels…'' She murmured while looking at the ornament on her hands.
Jud’s breath caught softly, like the bell's chime had reached his ribs.
"Its not stupid..." he said, voice low and sure. "It's beautiful, like a quiet promise… that she wasn't alone."
The woman finally looked at him then -just for a second- and in her eyes was all the grief of someone who’d spent her last moments reading to a dying friend instead of saying goodbye out loud.
He didn’t reach for his prayer book again. Not yet. Some silences weren’t empty, they were full of love too sacred to rush through.
"…Do you think...” he asked gently “... That she heard it? The angels?”
She swallowed hard, clutching the bells like they might ring again on their own.
"…I hope so” She whispered.
Later, when the nurses came inside the room to take care of Greta's body and Jud and the woman walked out of the room to let them do their work, Jud walked out of the hospital, intending to go back to the church, but before he reached the hospital's entrance, he heard a voice calling out for him.
''Hey! Priest! Wait!'' When Jud turned around he saw the same young woman walking up to him.
Jud stopped, his eyes widening in surprise. He hadn't expected her to chase him down, not after how she'd dismissed him so readily earlier.
"Yes?" he said, waiting for her to catch up, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black pants.
''Uh… Listen I… I just wanted to say thank you for… Y'know, letting me finish my… Whole thing back there…'' She confessed, it kinda hurt her ego to be thankful to a priest but hey the truth had to be said.
Jud chuckled softly, feeling a little amused by her obviously reductant thank you. She had a unique way of showing gratitude.
"You're welcome..." he said, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I must say, you were quite the fierce guardian for Greta back there… Also- I didn't asked you, was she your... Mother? Grandmother?"
''Oh no she-'' She breathed out a chuckle ''She wasn't anything mine... No, Im just the doula... Her children hired me because they were 'too busy' and they didn't wanted their mother to be alone on her last moments… Im Nia by the way!''
Jud blinked, processing. "A doula?" He'd heard the term before -someone who guided women through birth- but this was different.
Nia shrugged “Yeah... A death doula though'' She clarified ''I help people leave gently instead of coming into the world.” She gave a wry smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I like to think its a poetic symmetry, but no holy sacraments or prayers, I just… stay with them.”
Jud's eyes widened "A death doula," he repeated softly, a new kind of respect in his voice. He wasn't used to such a thing.
"No prayers or sacraments... So just... Company?" he asked, the idea of such a normal farewell seemed both foreign and liberating to him, a stark divergence from the rituals and prayers he'd been taught.
"Yup" She nodded
Jud was quiet, digesting her words. His life had been steeped in faith, faith that found comfort in tradition and the certainty of prayer, to witness someone like Nia, who provided comfort without them, was both intriguing and a little challenging to his faith.
"And people... pay you to do this? To be there... at the end?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Yeah...?" She asked confused "Wait you didn't know?"
Jud rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling lightly.
"Honestly? No, I mean I've heard of... Normal doulas but not... Death doulas..." He admitted
Nia looked him up and down.
"I don't think I've seen you before... You're new to the church are you?" She asked, she was surprised Wicks didn't said anything mean about her.
"Wow... Its that obvious, huh?" Jud said, his smile widening a bit. He was amused by her observation and bluntness.
"Yes..." he conceded. "I'm new, just a few weeks, actually."
"Im surprised Wicks lets a newby do his job..." She smiled
"Wicks isn't exactly the... hands-on type when it comes to certain topics..." Jud said with a wry grin. "Let's just say he delegates generously...."
Nia snorted, then quickly covered her mouth. "Oh so that's why he sent you to do last rites?"
Jud laughed -really laughed- for the first time in weeks. “Yeah..." he said, shaking his head, “I hope I wasn't so bad back there...''
Nia smirked. “Hey, you passed the test.” She paused, then softer: “…Greta liked you too, even if she didn’t say it.”
The air between them shifted, lighter now, warmer.
Then she shrugged and stuck out her hand like they were sealing a deal.
"Welcome to the neighborhood… Father."
Jud shook her hand, his calloused palm against her own. "Thank you..." he said, voice softening.
He found himself genuinely liking this woman. The way she spoke, her no-nonsense attitude, the way she'd stood her ground about Greta when his first instinct had been irritation… The more they talked, the more he recognized a kinship he hadn't expected.