You've grown son

Trigger Warning: death, (sad content)

“And? How much have I grown?” the boy asked his dad excited. “Let me take a look.” The father looked at the door frame with the white line showing the height of the son. The boy was jumping behind his father and wanted to know if he has grown a bit. It’s his sevens birthday and he’s already a big boy. “Uh! What have we got here? Who are you the big boy?” the father asked. The boy laughed. “Dad it’s me! Jack! Don’t you recognize me? Have I grown so much?” The father nodded and the sons eyes sparkled. “Yay! I’m a big boy now!” The father took his son in his arms and let him sit on his shoulders. “Here we go!” The father ran through their small flat and Jack smiled and laughed. Suddenly someone knocked at the door. Jack looked wondering at his father, but it looked like his father wasn’t waiting for anybody. “Wait here” the father told Jack in a serios tone. Because Jack was still small, so he didn’t feel worried or nervous. He just stayed in his room playing with his toys like his father told him to. Then he heard his father talking to somebody, but Jack couldn’t hear the other voice, so he continued staying in his room. The next moment the door to his room opened and two people came in.

“Happy Birthday!” his mom and dad shouted while holding a toy Jack always wanted in their hands. Jack screamed of happiness. “Thank you, mom and dad! You can’t imagine how happy I am!” he thanked. “No need to thank sweety! It’s your birthday!” His mom replied. After a while his mom left the room to prepare birthday food. After an hour everyone was at the table and was eating.

“Dad, can you help me later with the new car? I need some wheels for it.” Jack asked. “Of course!”

It was an amazing day! Or so thought.

“Done!” his dad held the toy Jack car in the hand and showed it to Jack. Jack took the toy car, and he couldn’t stop smiling so beautiful the car was. But he put the car on the floor and hugged his dad. The day couldn’t get better!

But it changed the next second. Out of nowhere his dad started to cough. In the beginning it was normal coughing, but it didn’t stop. Jack didn’t have any negative thoughts. He just thought that maybe his dad got a cold or something like this. But his dad didn’t stop coughing and soon his dad laid down on the floor and he couldn’t breathe. Jack started to feel scared and alone. What should he do? He tried to shake his dad in hope it would help, but no. His dad still laid on the floor and was coughing. He started to tear up and ran over to his mom, who just did the dishes. Perhaps she knew what to do? He ran to her and couldn’t say a word, so he just hugged her from behind and cried. “H-hey what’s wrong sweetheart?” she asked him worried. “D-dad!” he answered behind his tears. His mom looked worried at her son, he had beautiful brown eyes which had a wonderful sparkle in them, but now his eyes were red from crying. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked again but didn’t wait for Jacks reply, because she understood it is something bad if her son is crying like this. He has never cried, except he fell or got hurt, but now he wasn’t injured. He cried because of his dad. So, she took Jack andran her husband carrying Jack in her hands. Jack’s dad lay on the floor coughing blood. “Jack! Call an ambulance!” Jack’s mom put him on the ground and ran to his dad. She also started crying and Jack knew, Jack knew something was really wrong.

Even though Jack couldn’t see well through his tears he still found a phone in the flat and called an ambulance. What happened next was blurred. Jack just remembers sitting next to his mom outside the house looking at the doctors, who took his father away in a white car and lighting blue red. He observed everything and was fascinated by the doctors. They really knew what they were doing. Thanks to them his dad had a chance to live. “Look Jack. Because of you being such a clever and courage boy, your father may come back to us soon! God just made me a present by giving you to me!” his mom told him. He smiled. Perhaps dad will really be okay?  

“Jack have you already decided what you want to be when you’re older?” Jack’s mom asked him. “Hm, a doctor.” He replied. “A doctor? Wow! That’s interesting! Why though?”

“I want to save people. Even though the doctors couldn’t help dad, I am going to be the best doctor and will save people who are close to death like dad! And then they can go back to their families!”

Jack’s mom looked at him with a warm smile and tears in her eyes. “Oh Jack! You have grown up so much!” Jack smiled. He wanted to make his mother proud. It isn’t easy for her after his dad died, so he tried his best to help her. He helps her in the household, has good marks and wants to find a part-time job job besides school and one day he will be a doctor and if something happens to her, he will help her and save her!

“Okay, the food is on the table. Eat it before it gets cold. I have to go to work. Love you!” with this words his mom ran out of the house. He went to the kitchen and turned on the TV. A few days earlier he found a new TV show. It was about medicine, and he watched the show all the time if he had time. If he learns something about medicine before going to college, it will be easier for him there, so he started studying.

Years passed by Jack became a popular doctor that saves many lives. People from everywhere came to him. He enjoyed work even though it was hard. He liked to see happy faces of the families when the patient went home. Because he often has parents as patients, he often sees small children. In some of them he sees himself and in these moments, he is even more motivated at work and he is even happier to be a doctor.

Jack has also a private live. He has his own house, a pretty, nice wife and a small daughter. He still helps his mother, and they often visit her.

“Granny!” Wendy shouted when she saw her grandmother. “Hello dear!” she replied. “Hello mom!” Jack said to his mother. His mother hugged him and invited him and his family in the kitchen. They ate together dinner and just wanted to drive home, but they couldn’t. Wendy fell asleep at her grandmothers’ couch, so they had to stay at grandmother’s. “That’s not a problem dear! Wendy will sleep at the couch, she already likes the couch and you and Sara can sleep in your old room, there is still a double bed, so it won’t be a problem!” his mother told him. And so they stayed overnight. But the whole night Jack couldn’t fall asleep. Why? He decided to go and drink some water and silently he sneaked out of the bedroom.

On the way he saw something white on the door frame. What’s that? He came closer and saw something he has forgotten a long time ago. That were the lines he and his dad drew to see how much he has grown! Tears came up in his eyes. This door frame awoke memories. Good memories but it was sad because he had to think of the death of his father. He saw how small he was when he was younger and wanted to see how much he has grown so he took the first marker so he could have found and drew a new line on the door frame. Much bigger, he realized and had to smile. Suddenly he saw a strange man standing in the corner. Jacks heart stopped working. He couldn’t breathe anymore. He wanted to jump in the man’s arms, but he was afraid of him at the same time. In the corner was his dad.

Slowly his dad raised his hand and showed to Jack’s bedroom. Jack didn’t understand what the ghost meant and looked at his bedroom. Nothing. He turned back and realized his dad was gone. What did he want to say? Jack started panicking. In his bedroom was his wife, Sara! He ran to his wife and saw her that she couldn’t breathe. He was doctor he knew what to do, but he still needed an ambulance, so he shouted through the whole flat. “Mom, call an ambulance!” His mom wasn’t questioning it and did what’s told.

At the end Sara survived. Was his dad warning him? Jack wasn’t asking himself this question. He knew his dad was watching over him and that was enough.

“You’ve grown up, son…” Jack heard his dads voice in his head. Jack smiled.

“Mommy is back!” Wendy screamed of happiness. “I have a suggestion, Wendie.” Wendie looked at him wondering. “Come with me.” He told his daughter and she listened to him. “Okay stand at that doorframe and close your eyes!” he told her. She did as told. “Open them!” as she opened her eyes, she saw a line at the doorframe. She looked at Jack and then at Sara. “What does that mean? And why did you draw on a doorframe?” she asked confused. Jack smiled and kneed in front her. “You see, every year we will make lines like that and every year you’ll see how much you’ve grown! And one day you’ll already be a big girl and come visit us and you’ll see how small you were and how big you’ve gotten!” Jack explained to his daughter. He saw her eyes sparkling just like his eyes sparkled when he and his dad did the same. “Yay! That’s an amazing idea! When will we do the second line?” she asked excited. Jack and Sara laughed. “On your birthday sweety, right honey?” Sara answered and Jack nodded.

“And then you’ll see how much you’ve grown!” Wendy jumped around the flat and sang something from happiness.

“Just like me.” Jack thought. “Just like you.” He heard his dad in his head again.