The moment of catastrophe

Timmy was scared. He woke up feeling cold and realized he was lying on a metal surface. Unfamiliar faces flashed before his eyes. A young woman with an older man on one side and two older ladies on the other side, all around him. As he started shivering, he thought of his mother. Where was she, he asked the woman on his right but didn’t get an answer. Then he caught a glimpse of the background and noticed they were in movement. He was on some kind of a vehicle and the others were walking and pushing him through some kind of a hallway. 

“Where’s my mom?” Timmy asked scared. “And dad?” 

“Lie down sweetie, everything’s going to be alright,” one of the old ladies assured him.

“Sister, add to his dose a little,” the man told the young nurse. Nurse. Of course, Timmy thought! It made sense. This must be the staff getting him to the surgery room. Although it made sense, it scared Timmy even more. He understood when his mother explained how his heart was weak and needed some fixing by the good doctors, but to wake up as they were taking him there, without her by his side…

He started moving around trying to get up. Tears fell down his cheeks as two pairs of hands held him down to the surface.

“It’s alright Timmy,” the old lady said again.

But it wasn’t alright, not for him. His tiny innocent heart that needed fixing told him so. 

He rose again and managed to sit. He made some random moves to the left and right to free himself, but the hands still held him tight. He searched for his parents with his eyes and moving his head, he saw them. He saw them standing at the end of the corridor. But the nurses weren’t pushing him towards them, they were taking him further away.

The boy started crying louder. He reached for his mother and saw her reaching for him too. His father was just standing beside her, watching them both with tears in his eyes.

Timmy was twisting around and calling for his mom, but the nurses didn’t stop moving. Then, as his hand was still reaching for his mom, Timmy felt his eyes closing and quickly drifted into a dream.

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Jessica Roy was watching her son being taken away from her, into the surgery room where he would be for 4 hours. She was preparing herself for those 4 hours of waiting, dreading and hoping. The uncertainty was just too much for her. What if she lost her son in the next 4 hours?

No, she wouldn’t think about that. She stood watching his weak and delicate child body on the big metal table, it was truly heartbreaking for a mother. But, the next thing that happened, she didn’t picture even in her nightmares and they were quite scary sometimes.  

Timmy woke up. He started screaming and fighting with the nurses. His cries were more terrible than anything. 

“He must be so afraid,” she thought. She must go to him. When she was about to run, however, Bob’s hands stopped her. He held her in his arms when she started crying too and she didn’t try to fight him at all. Of course, she couldn’t go to Timmy, what was she thinking?

So, she stood there, shivering because of the sight in front of her. The sight of her little angel crying for her, calling out for her. It took every bit of self-control that she had to stop her from breaking free and running to him. She saw him getting up and for the first time saw his face properly. His cheeks were very red and covered in tears and his expressions, she would never forget them as long as she lived, and she knew it. No mother should see her child suffering like Timmy was suffering sat on the table, surrounded by strangers. 

“Did he know what was going on?” she wondered. “Would they explain to him to calm him down?” 

Timmy’s eyes finally found her and they started producing even more tears. His mother, on the other hand, brushed of hers and tried to hold those that were on the way, so he wouldn’t see her like that. His little hand reached out for his parents and she reached her own. She couldn’t hold the tears, it was impossible. She let them fall and they took over her completely. Then one of the nurses took her son’s hand and as he fell asleep once again, placed it beside his reddened face. When the danger of Timmy seeing her lose control was over, she broke down completely. She fell on her knees crying out his name in pain and clutching her shirt and Bob was still by her side, clearing her tears away and just holding her. But the nurses didn’t stop moving, nor did they come up to say anything. They kept going further and further until finally, they reached the door on the other end and were out of her sight. Taking her baby with them.

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Bob always considered himself a strong man. He wasn’t the kind of man who said crying was for girls, no he was proud to show his emotions, but even he wasn’t conscious of the emotions shown on his face as he watched his son being taken to the surgery room. The thing that scared him wasn’t the operation itself, it was the 4 hours of not knowing what was going on and of course the result.

The doctors assured them that the surgery would be successful and that they would give everything they could. Bob was a man of faith and hope so he believed their words with all his heart. But still, the waiting was too much. Overthinking, losing hope, what was it going to be like? When they reached the first door of the empty corridor the nurses said they couldn’t go further, so he and Jessica stood there watching Timmy being taken to the other side. 

Then something happened that none of them was prepared for – Timmy woke up. Every cry that reached his father’s ears stopped Bob’s heart for a second and filled it not with oxygen, but with pain, he never knew before. He was a witness to Timmy’s tantrum and he felt his wife shaking beside him, so he just closed his eyes, clenched his fists and tried to control the pain.

“It will pass soon,” he thought, “surely they’ll give him something to calm him.”

Bob wasn’t wrong, it would pass, but not before it drained every happy thought from his mind, as well as his wife’s. After a particularly loud cry, he felt himself flinch at the sound and by instinct, caught Jessica just before she started for their boy. 

“You can’t go to him, love,” he whispered gently into her ear. She didn’t fight him off, but still, he held her in his arms to be sure. Also to comfort her as much as he could, to comfort himself. 

Timmy’s cries still echoed through the hallway, Jessica’s tears fell on his sleeve, but Bob had to be strong. His face spoke of agony and fatherly love, but he kept calm for his wife. When he took his eyes off of her, making sure once more that she wasn’t going to start running, Bob looked at his son again. Timmy managed to sit up and his eyes were even more alert for the sight of his parents. Bob saw the green eyes searching for them and wanted to yell “We’re here Timmy, right behind you!” but what good would it do. 

Timmy, finally noticing them, started screaming even more. He reached his little hand in their direction. Bob felt his wife gathering herself up and controlling her body. He watched with water in his eyes as she rose her hand too and hugged her even stronger. 

The next moment, silence fell. Timmy was put to sleep once again and the only sound was the chirping of the wheels on the hospital floor. Silence didn’t last, however. With Timmy asleep, Bob supported Jessica’s weight as it was her turn to scream. He was on the floor next to her, crying with her, holding her in his arms. Then the nurses went through the opposite door and left them there. Bob took one deep breath.

The wait just started.