Oh, What I'd Do If I Had More Time With You

With the turn of a key, the roar of the engine went silent. The soft snores from the back passenger seats of the car fill the void.

          Cassandra smiled gently at her children, from her place in the front passenger seat. A boy and girl slept head-to-head sprawled on the center console wrapped in towels. Brown curly hair mingled together, on the warm spring day. “That waterpark really tired them out, huh.”

          “Yeah,” said the man, eyes locked onto his daughter’s sleeping face. “Tired me out too.”

  “Hopefully, you’re not too tired,” she said. Taking her eyes off her kids. Letting them roam over her husband. Taking in his dark legs and blue swim trunks with sharks and starfish that their daughter had convinced him to wear. Travelling up to his damp white T-shirt that clung to his body and sharp jawline and lips. She leaned in slowly. Pink lips barely brushed the other. “The kids are asleep, and if we can sneak them into the house without waking them up, we can have some fun of our own.”

          “Not now Cassandra” he said, getting out of the car and shutting the door. He opened the left backseat passenger door and gathered his daughter in his arms.

          “Come on, Charles. The kids have had some fun. Now we can have some fun. Relax. Unwind” she said. “We can even watch that disaster movie you love so much. The one about a tornado and flood that completely destroys a town. I swear you’ve seen it a thousand times already.”

          “No” he snapped. His daughter stirred but did not wake. He lowered his voice. “Stop asking. It’s family game night. And it’s Marcie’s turn to pick which game we play. Now get Nathan out of the car.” He glowered at his wife.

          “Fine,” she said, getting out of the car. She gathered the boy in her arms and took him inside the house.

          Once the children were dressed in pajamas and tucked into bed, Cassandra and Charles changed into more comfortable clothing. Cassandra then started to prepare dinner, while Charles gathered the games and laid them out on the brown coffee table in the family room. There was an assortment of board games, puzzles, and card games. He even prepared some video games that he knew his daughter would love.

          Soon the house smelled of homecooked pizza. One cheese pizza and one supreme pepperoni pizza with extra olives sat on the white kitchen counter to cool, while Cassandra set the table.

          Rushed footsteps sounded down the hall, as Nathan excitedly slid into the kitchen.

          “We’re having pizza for dinner!”

          “Yep. And I made your favorite kind. Supreme pepperoni pizza with extra olives.”

          “Yes!”

          “Now go wash your hands and help me finish setting the table.”

          Nathan nodded and did as he was told. The table was set in a matter of minutes. Four plates of sliced pizza and four bowls of salad sat on the dark brown kitchen table with utensils.

          “Great. Dinner is ready” she said.

          “Finally,” said Charles. He got from his place on the couch and headed down the hall. “I’m going to wake up Marcie.”

He strode towards his daughter’s room quickly. Opening the door quietly and flipping on the lights, he padded into the bright pink room. Carefully avoiding an assortment of toys that were scattered on the floor. He kneeled before the bed and gently shook his daughter awake.

          “M. Hey M. Come on cupcake wake up,” he said.

          The girl stirred groggily. “Daddy. We’re home.”

          “Yeah. The waterpark really tired you out, didn’t it? Did you have fun?”

          “Yeah. It was really fun. I liked it” she said tiredly.

          “I’m glad. We can go again if you want.”

          “Thanks, Daddy,” she said, falling back asleep.

          “Hey. Don’t fall asleep, Marcie. Your mom cooked pizza for dinner. You even have an entire cheese pizza all to yourself.”

          “I’m not hungry.”

          “Not hungry? Come on, Marcie. Get up.” He gently picked his daughter up and propped her up against a pillow. He quickly checked her temperature with the back of his hand.

          “I don’t think you have a fever. You’re probably still tired from the waterpark. A little food will wake you up.” He picked her up and carried her to the kitchen table.

          “What’s wrong with Marcie?” Nathan asked.

          “She’s just tired from the waterpark,” he said, placing his daughter in her chair.

          “Oh, Marcie honey, if you’re tired you can go back to bed. I’ll just put your pizza –“

          “That’s not necessary Cassandra. She’ll eat her dinner and then we’ll play some games.”

          “Charles, she’s falling asleep at the table. She’s exhausted.”

          “She’s fine. Now eat. The sooner we finish eating, the sooner we can play games.”

          Dinner was silent after that. Everyone ate without complaint, although Marcie ate a bit slower than the others. After everyone was finished eating dinner, the family gathered around the coffee table in the family room. Forgoing the couch and sitting on the floor instead.

          “Marcie, what game do you want to play?”

          “Ugh!” Nathan groaned. “Why does Marcie always get to pick first? She always picks some dumb board game. Besides she’s practically falling asleep. Why don’t we just let her sleep?”

          “Nope. It’s family game night. Which means we have to play games as a family.”

          “Charles, Nathan is right. Why don’t we just call it a night?”

          “No. Marcie, what game do you want to play?”

          “Do we have to? I’m tired” she whined.

          “See, she’s tired. Can’t we just do family game night some other – “

          “NO!”

          “Charles.” Cassandra started but was ignored.

          “You love checkers. How about we play a couple of rounds of checkers and then we can have dessert? There’s chocolate ice cream in the freezer. We can have ice cream sundaes.”

          “Sure.” Marcie agreed, annoyed.

          “Great! How about we do it tournament style? You can play against Nathan and I’ll play against Cassandra. The winner of both games gets to play against each other. Let me set up the board.”

          The tournament lasted around forty-five minutes with Marcie and Charles winning the first round. And Marcie ultimately winning the tournament. They had ice cream sundaes afterwards, although Marcie yet again didn’t want to eat. She ended up eating a single scoop of chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and crushed Oreos.

          Finally, it was time for bed. Charles kneeled before Marcie’s bed and tucked her in.

          “Did you have fun today?”

          “Yes, I just got really tired after the waterpark.”

          “I know. I’m sorry about forcing you to eat and play games when you didn’t want to. I just really wanted to spend time with you. It seems I’m always at work.”

          “But, you do spend time with me!” Marcie cried. “Like two weeks ago, when went to the aquarium.”

          “Yeah, but for years I was always gone on some business trip. Never getting to see my little girl. You were always asking about me” he said, carding his fingers through her soft curly hair gently.

          “But now you’re here.”

          “Yeah. Now I’m here.” He leaned down and kissed his daughter on her forehead. “So, what do want to do tomorrow.”

          “Tomorrow is Monday. Don’t you have work?”

          “I do. But we could still do something after I get home from work.”

          “But you’re always tired after. Maybe I can come to work with you.”

          He laughed softly at his daughter. “Are you asking me just so you can get out of going to school tomorrow?”

          “No” she cried. “It's just that I never get to leave the house, except for when you’re home. I don’t even go to a real school. I just sit in front of a computer all day.”

          “And that’s because you’re really sick right now. And you need all of the rest you can get.”

          “But we just went to the waterpark.”

          “Because you said you were spending too much time in the house.”

          “Can’t I just go with you to work for a little bit? It doesn’t even have to be all day.”

          “I’m sorry, Marcie. Besides, I work with a lot of heavy machinery. You could get hurt. Maybe, when you’re older you can visit my job.”

          “That’s what you always say. ‘When I’m older.’ But when am I ever going to get older.”

          “You will. You’ve just got to be patient. Good night, Cupcake.” He kissed her forehead again and walked out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

          He walked into the living room, finding the coffee table free of clutter and Cassandra sitting on the couch.

          “I’m headed back. Make sure she gets some rest.”

          “Yes, Charles.”

          With his daughter asleep, Charles vanished from the living room. Only to wake up in bed with a purple metal disk on the side of his neck. He took the disc off, placing it on the nightstand. He walked out of the bedroom and went towards his daughter’s pink bedroom. She was sleeping peacefully in a glass pod, with several tubes stuck into her. He stepped into the room and leaned over the pod, kissing it gently right above his daughter’s forehead.

“Goodnight, Cupcake,” he said, before walking out and heading towards the kitchen, where a blue humanoid robot greeted him.

          “I have picked up your dinner sir. It is in the refrigerator”

          “Thank you A-5.” Charles opened the grey refrigerator and pulled out a box of supreme pepperoni pizza. Getting a clean plate out of a dark brown cabinet, he placed two slices on it, to reheat in the microwave.

          “How was your visit?”

          “It was nice. We went to the waterpark. How is the experiment going?”

          “It is progressing, but there have been complications. Your wife and son sustained significant trauma to their head and abdomen during the car accident. Therefore, body tissue had to be regenerated to replace the lost tissue. The regeneration process for this has been completed. However, they are not alive.”

          “Not alive? Why?”

          “I believe it is because they do not have a soul.”

          “No soul? Are the bodies in the stasis chamber?”

          “Yes, sir. They have been put into the stasis chamber so their cells will not die. And they are receiving life support.”

          “Good. I want you to upload their memories to their brains and start cellular ionization. See if that starts to get their cells to divide and replicate on their own.”

          “Sir, cellular ionization has only been theorized and has not yet been tested. It could cause tissue damage and – “

          “Do as I say! They’re already dead. If some tissues get damaged, well just generate more.”

          The microwave beeped and Charles took the pizza out. He sat down at the brown kitchen table to eat.

          “Yes, sir. However, there is something you should know.”

          “What is it?”

          “Your daughter’s heart is failing.”

          “What? I thought we gave her a new heart last week.”

          “Yes, we did. However, the new heart is failing again.”

          “So, give her another.”

          “Sir, her heart has failed three times now. Her liver and kidneys have failed five times and her lungs have failed twice. She is facing chronic systematic organ failure. It is my suggestion that we take her out of the cryopod, the virtual world, and restore her memories.”

          “No, we can’t do that. Her mother and brother aren’t here yet.”

          “Sir, it could take years, before they are.”

          “Years! I thought you said the only risk was tissue damage. What do you mean by years? We’ve already been at this for five years.”

          “You did not let me finish. While there is a risk that the procedure could cause tissue damage. There is a higher risk that the procedure will not work. Cellular ionization is a theory, sir. It has not been tested.”

          “What is the chance of it working?”

          “Twenty percent, sir.”

          “Twent - Twenty percent!”

          “Yes, sir. I am sorry. It is also why I am suggesting that you take your daughter out of the cryopod and the virtual world and spend time with her in the real world. There is a high chance that if we replace her heart and take her out of the cryopod, she will be able to lead a healthy life.”

          “No. No. No. There has to be another way. Restore her memories? She doesn’t even remember the accident that killed her mother and brother. And you want me to restore her memories of it? She’s happy there.”

          “There is not another way, sir. Your daughter has not aged in five years, surviving off a feeding tube, and has spent those five years living in a false reality. This has taken a toll on her health. If this continues, I do not expect for her to live past a year.”

          The pizza suddenly tasted stale in his mouth, as the words settled. A familiar void opened in his chest.

          “You know I thought if Marcie, never aged and kept living in that virtual world, I’d never have to say goodbye. I thought if I created a virtual world with my son and wife in it that we could be happy. That I could do all the things I should have done” He sobbed. “But that didn’t work. So I pivoted. Now we’re two years into bringing my son and wife back to life and you’re telling me that Marcie, the only family I have left, might die anyway!” Tears streamed down his face, at the thought of losing his daughter.

          “Death is a natural part of life, sir.”

          “Natural part of life says the robot. What do you know about life?”

“You know I had this plan. When Cass and Nate came back, I’d do everything they wanted me to. I’d pick the kids up from school sometimes just like Cass wanted me to. Get them an after-school snack. Brownies. Cass would hate it, but M and Nate love brownies. We’d go on vacation together. Trips to the beach or the city. We’d camp and go hiking like Nathan wanted. And we’d play lots of games just like Marcie wanted. It would be perfect!”

“I’d be everything they wanted me to be.”

          “Sir, I understand that this news may be troubling for you. However, I must remind you that, while time may have stopped for your wife and son, you still have time with your daughter. If you let it resume, you will be able to see her grow up, graduate, start a family, and be happy. Are these milestones that you do not want to see?”

          “No. I do want to see them. I do. But -”

          “Then take your daughter out of the cryopod and virtual world and let time resume for her.”       

          Charles looked down at the pizza on his plate. He let his head fall in his hands and roughly tugged at his hair. Growling in frustration at the decision he’d have to make.

‘Take Marcie out of the cryopod? Let her live in the real world? I’d have to explain so much to her then. She’d be confused, angry even. It would be much easier if I just left her in the pod, and wake her when I get her mother and brother back. Yeah, Cass would be much better at explaining it to her. But Marcie doesn’t have that long. She might die too. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do,’ he thought.

He sat at the kitchen table like that for hours. The pizza lay cold and forgotten on the plate as night turned into day. The sky slowly brightened and the sun worked its way past the horizon. A new spring day had begun again.