Famous Last Words

For the song, Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance, I have developed an interpretation. WARNING! SPOILER ALERT!





A boy sits on a hospital bed, unable to move as he's far too sick to do anything for himself. He's been here for a long time, simply wasting away. His family visits him every day, and though they obviously don't want to let him go, they know his time to leave is soon. The boy looks around the hospital room and finds the lights are far too bright for his liking. He asks the lights to be turned off and eventually dozes off.



While the boy sleeps, he hears his family talking about him. About how much they love him and how they don't want to let him go. The doctor and nurse gently intercept them and tell them there's nothing that they can do to change this. Whether they want it to happen or not, the boy will die.



Eventually, the boy slips into deeper dreams and drowns out the noise of the chattering in the room around him. He dreams of famous icons, such as Marilyn Monroe, the president of the United States, bands and singers, dancers, pop idol icons, and other things of the sort. While this happens, the boy wonders why he never was able to accomplish all that these people have. He wonders why he didn't get a chance to become famous. Did he even get a chance to ask for any of this? He feels as if he's been unfairly judged, but then thinks to himself, I've gotten more of a chance than some people ever do in life. And those of us that get unhappy endings... well, someone needs to be happy. Life can't be rainbows and butterflies all the time. He feels as if he's been cheated, but understands that he's had a good life... even if it was short.



The boy thinks about all he's done in his life time. For as long as he can remember, his life has been about giving and never taking. Though he's far from perfect, he knows he's given more of himself than most people ever give up of themselves. He realizes that he gave everything to those he loved, but eventually giving everything he could turned into him being unable to decide his own end. He was never able to stop and do something he wanted, and instead was held back by some invisible force.



As he wakes back up from his dreams, the boy realizes that one of his siblings is next to him, holding his hand. It is his little sister, far younger than him. He knows she shouldn't see him like this, but he is unable to tell her to look away. He is pasty and thin, merely a sliver of what he used to be. But his sister smiles at him. She tells him that it's alright. That he can let go. That he doesn't have to stay because she is strong and can live without him. She says that he's strong too, but that he doesn't need to keep holding on to his family. He can finally stop giving and sleep peacefully. Around him, his family breaks down in tears.



The little girl is taken away by the rest of the family, who steps out of the white hospital room and leaves behind one person. A girl. The girl walks up to the boy's bedside and sits down next to him. While the boy makes casual conversation with her, she eventually smiles and starts talking back, until eventually she's brought to tears by his nonchalance considering death. She tells him that she can't live without him. She tells him she wants him to stay with her. She loves him. Though the boy tells her that he loves her too, he also says, “You can't keep me from going home. Eventually I'll leave.”



The girl lets go of the boy's hand and leaves where the family left, rushing out in tears. The family re-enters, each sobbing, but quietly this time. The boy's father moves up to stand beside him, reaching out to touch his shoulder gently and lovingly. He tells him that he's proud of him for living through what he has, but that it's time to go now. He can let go.



The boy, as his father pulls away and stands back with his family, thinks about how he never got to do anything worthwhile again. He could have done a plethora of things, but he was always stuck trying to make someone happy because that was who he was. Then, he thinks of a woman – his previous love. He thinks of her and holds on to her memory as tears fill his vision. He thinks about how, soon, he'll be with her.



He thinks of what he'll say to her when he wakes up on the other side.



After thinking about his previous love, who died of cancer, he turns back to the rest of his family. He looks at them and takes them in. A few come over and give him a kiss to his forehead, saying they'll be back tomorrow as visiting hours are over. Some ask him to hang on just a little while longer. When they all head for the door, they hear him whisper one last phrase, “I'm going home,” before the boy falls limp and the sound of the heart monitor going flat fills the room.



Entry for this contest with this song as my prompt. Interpretation, characters, and plotline are completely unique and is a figment of the author's imagination. Any relations to actual persons, interpretation, and plot are merely coincidental. Song lyrics and title are copyrighted to My Chemical Romance in their song Famous Last Words. Please don't steal. Comments and recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time reading this story.