Death Takes No Holliday

   Charles Harding Chadwick, eighty five years young, had lived a long and wonderful life. He had three beautiful daughters that had brought him nothing but joy and happiness throughout his life.

He had watched as his wife of sixty years slipped through his grasp five years ago last June. Barbara Ann would have been eighty four next month but cancer stole her sweet innocent life and now it seems that the insidious bastard wanted Charles’s too.

Karen, the youngest sibling was sixty three and lived only a mile from her fathers home in Waterloo Iowa. Dianne, the eldest at sixty five now lived her life in England with her husband Thomas. And Anne at sixty four lived in Holly Wood. She had made it as an actress. This left Karen to take care of their aging father and she was not ready for the finality that would eventually happen.

One afternoon when Karen went to check up on her father she found him lying on the kitchen floor barely alive. She dialed Nine-one-one and stood by helplessly as first a cop showed up and then the paramedics. She sat there powerless, staring off in the distance as the medics took care of him. Her eyes stabbed by the flashing blue and red lights made her all to aware that this was no dream.

“We’re taking him to East Memorial,” the paramedic stated as they wheeled him past her.

She just stood there silent.

“Maam… MAAM!” she said loudly as she touched her shoulder.

“Huh? What?” Karen muttered.

“I said we’re taking him to East Memorial,” she repeated.

“That’s fine. They have all his medical records there,” Karen sobbed.

“He’ll be all right. The E M T's will take good care of your father until he gets to the hospital,” a cop offered.

Only he wouldn’t be all right. At his last checkup the doctor told him that his cancer had spread even further through his aged body. Karen had called her sisters to let them know. They made their feeble excuses and said that they would come and visit as soon as they could. That was a month ago now and still no sisters.

Karen called that day only this time she lied and said that he had but a few weeks left. It was a lie she knew. But she hoped that it would bring her sisters home so that she didn’t have to face him alone. Him wondering where his other girls were if he shouldn’t make it.

He spent four days in the hospital for dehydration and when he went home, Karen stayed with him. She cooked and made sure that he ate regularly and took all of his meds on time. He seemed to be doing much better.

“Did you call Dianne this morning like you planned?” Karen asked him.

“No,” he replied.

“And why not father?” Karen asked.

“I didn’t want to bother her so early in the morning,” he replied.

“It’s not early there father. It’s six hours later there than here,” Karen reminded him again.

“I’ll call now,” he stated and he reached for the phone.

“No you won’t,” Karen stated and took the phone from him. “It’s after ten pm over there. You call now and she’ll think the worst.”

“What of Anne? Can I call her? Or is it to late out in California as well?” he asked sarcastically.

“You can try. I doubt she’ll be home this early though. I don’t know what her shooting schedule is. It changes day by day,” Karen offered.

“I’ll leave a message to tell her to call her old man as soon as she gets home then,” He stated.

Anne did call back finally around nine pm or so. They talked for about an hour and then Charles went to bed. The next morning after breakfast Karen handed him the phone and told him to call Dianne. They talked for about forty five minutes before disconnecting.

It was the end of June and one afternoon a taxi pulled up outside Charles’s house. It was Anne, finally coming around to visit. Two days before the Fourth of July another cab pulls up and drops off Dianne. The nest was empty no more. They stayed for over as long as they could. Karen explained everything that had happened earlier and chewed their asses for not coming to help.

“What the hell were we going to do? It’s at least a twelve hour flight for me and Thomas. And that’s if we can even get a flight out,” Dianne offered.

“And I’m working damn near every day of the week with this new picture. I can’t just drop everything and rush home,” Anne stated.

“This I know. But I feel so damn powerless when I’m stuck here alone every time dad has to go to the hospital. And as bad as it sounds. One of these times he isn’t coming back home,” Karen stated and then she started crying.

They held each other and they cried for a little bit before wiping their eyes.

“I know it’s not fair for you to be stuck here by yourself,” Dianne offered. “Thomas has just started receiving his retirement and I’ve since applied for mine. In a few months we’ll come back and stay with dad for as long as it takes so you can have a rest.”

“And I won’t accept any more roles after this one either. We should be finished in a few more months as well, and I’ll come home for a while too,” Anne promised.

“Thanks you two. I really appreciate it. And I know dad will love having you here too,” Karen stated.

Anne stayed for about ten days and then she had to get back to LA for filming. And Dianne stayed for two weeks before flying back to England.

Around Thanksgiving Charles starting slipping and Karen called her sisters and told them that they had better get home now. Their dad was in and out of the hospital for about two weeks and he couldn’t remember who they were. The doctors told them that it was only a matter of a week if even that. They brought him home as it was only a few days now before Christmas. Friends and neighbors had decorated the house and made cookies and goodies for the family to help cheer them for whatever it was worth. The girls thanked their friends for all that they had done for them.

Karen sent Dianne to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for her. It was the day before Christmas and she needed it filled that day. Anne tagged along. Karen went in to give her dad his supper and he called her by name. She damn near dropped the tray. He hadn’t remembered anyone for almost three weeks.

“What did you bring me Karen?” he asked in a clear voice.

“A bowl of chicken soup, milk, coffee and a slice of apple pie,” she stated as she set the tray across his lap.

“I was wondering when you were going to get around to feeding me. Where did Dianne and Anne go?” he asked as he started eating.

“They went into town for me. They should be back in a half hour. And you know I always feed you on time so don’t even,” she scolded glad to have her dad back.

The doctors had told the family that he might never remember them. But added that in some cases the patient could have total clarity of thought just before they pass away.

“Did I mention that I saw your mother last night?” he asked as he took a sip of coffee.

“No you didn’t. How was she?” Karen asked trying to fight back her tears.

“Still dead. But she said that we’ll be together again. I told her that I was in no hurry,” he offered.

“And neither are we,” Karen offered as she cried.

“We both know that’s not up to us. The house looks nice from what I can see of it. You girls?” he asked.

“Some. We started but the Johnsons and the Jenkins and the Smiths, they all stopped by and lent a hand. Gloria made the pie,” Karen offered meagerly.

“Not as good as your maw’s or yours,” he offered.

“Thank you father. I appreciate that,” Karen stated as he finished the meal.

“Well. It looks like Dianne and Anne are back. I’ll send them in. Let me get this out of your way,” Karen offered as she picked up the tray and carried it out to the kitchen.

The four of them talked for as long as their father wanted to. It was good to talk. Around midnight he said that he was tired so they covered him up and headed out the door. As Dianne turned to shut off the light she saw him reach out his hand as if he were holding on to something and them it just dropped limp at his side. She screamed and they went in to check on him and he was gone. There was nothing anybody could do for him now. He was finally with their mother and they were powerless to stop it.