A Time in the Future

Rhys’ *pov*

Urgh. Gavin does my head in sometimes, yes we are all aware that he doesn’t like Ian but for fucks sake. Violence. I will not accept that kind of behavior in my house; he is not twelve years old. He better be in a better mood when he comes back or I’m going to blow up, he doesn’t understand how much stress he is putting on me. Now I’m left with three four year olds, all who have a load of fucking energy at this time. AHHHHHHHH! I will die from a fucking heart attack and then let’s see what happens to them, they’ll probably rot.

“LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! OWWWWWWWW!” Winter’s screams echoed out into the air, just what I need for my pounding headache, fighting children.
“ASHLEIGH STOP IT!” Yes I hate shouting at them, but I want some bloody peace and quiet is that too much to ask for? A little bit of time for myself? And where the hell has Sean got to, he was meant to be back by now or Ian was meant to be looking after them at least, but no.
Oh great tears, why are these children convinced that crying will get them out of trouble. I blame Sean he always was too soft on them, never ever getting mad at them no matter what, just taking it out on me and Gavin instead. “Ash stop crying! Just don’t hit or kick or pull hair alright? Please for me? Can you be really good for me today? Yeah, then we can go out tomorrow, Grandad just doesn’t feel very well right now.” Yep tears are still streaming down her cheeks, I want to cry myself. Fuck it I’m gonna cry, I don’t care anymore; no one cares about me so why should I bother with them.

Brrrrriiiiinnnnngggg Brrrrriiiiinnnnngggg Brrrrriiiiinnnnngggg Brrrrriiiiinnnnngggg.

I hate that phone, all it does it ring at the wrong time. The middle of the night after I’ve only just got to sleep, when I’m on my own with my hands full, when I feel like shit. Great timing.
I can barely keep it still; my hands are just shaking uncontrollably, a mixture of anger, stress and upset. This better be important or I am going to kill them.
“Hello?” I must sound like a maniac; my voice is hardly concealing how I feel.
“Hello is this Mr. Lewis speaking?”
“Yes it is, who this is?”
“I’m ringing from the hospital, I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”

CRASH

“Mr. Lewis? Mr. Lewis are you there? Mr. Lewis.”
This cannot be happening; the last words I said to him cannot have been get out, no! I should have told him I loved him, told him how he meant the world to me. How I would never be able to live without him, because he was my everything. Please let him be alright.
“Ash, Winter, Ben. C’mon darlings we have to go out, quick now, it doesn’t matter about shoes.”
I’m not listening to that woman on the other end, she doesn’t sound sorry or upset, I need to get to Gavin as soon as I can, the longer I stand around listening to her the less time I have with him.
Hurrying the triplets out of the door, I belted them up as quick as I possibly could, I don’t know how I’ll be able to drive but I’ll have to try my best. Oh god, please be alright.

***
It’s so white, so clean, so filled with the smell of death. How can I bring three small children into this, it’s not fair on them, but I don’t have a choice. Hell is a place on earth. “Gavin Butler! Is he alright?” The woman on reception just looked startled, like I was trying to rob a post office or something.
“I’m sorry can you speak a bit slower please.”
“Is. Gavin. Butler. Alright?”
NO! Don’t type on that fucking keyboard, tell me, tell me now! Quicker! Why is she so god damn slow!
“I’m sorry no one by the name of Gavin Butler had been admitted.”
“RHYS! Oh god Rhys! Is he alright?”
“G… Gavin? What the…”

This doesn’t make any sense, if Gavin’s alright then… N… No it can’t be… It’ll just be Ian, yeah that’ll be it after Gavin hit him. Yeah Ian will just have broken something, that’s all it’ll be.
“Is Sean alright?”

The world stopped still. I felt numb, my whole world collapsing. Tears cascaded down, my legs giving way beneath me. The cold, hard ground greeting me. Not my baby boy, my baby boy cannot be hurt. They have to have got it wrong, it can’t be Sean, he wouldn’t get himself into something like this.
“Rhys? Oh god Rhys! C’mon babes, we have to see him. It’ll be alright. I promise.”

LIES!

I let him lead me down a corridor though, a doctor showing us the way, all these people lying there practically dead. No my Sean couldn’t be here, our Sean’s just too full of life to ever be in a place like this. There is no way, it’ll be him. They’ll have just made a mistake, that’s all. It’ll just be a horrible, horrible mistake.
My baby boy is not here!

Blonde hair splayed across a white pillow, blood red bandages sprung across every possible limb, drips and tubes stuck in every little patch of skin that could be seen. This is not what he deserves.
“SEAN!”
My legs can never carry me fast enough, my hands will never grasp hold of his cold skin quick enough, my pleas for him to hold on will never be enough. I need my baby to keep a hold of his life. I need him, Gavin needs him, Ian and the triplets need him. So many people need him. My tears will never stop flowing from this day onwards.

Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep………………………………………………