Angel From My Nightmare

Jack knew what the call would be even before he answered it, when your phone starts ringing at 4am it’s never good. It was news he’d been expecting for some time now, he wiped the tears away as he stumbled out of bed. Pulling on the first clothes that came to hand, stuffing his phone and car keys into his hoodie pocket he left the save haven of his bedroom. Driving to the hospital Jack had to keep blinking away the tears, the realisation of what had happened was hitting him. When he pulled up outside the forbidding grey building the sun was just appearing. Pulling his hoodie tighter around him Jack shivered, peering up at the now picky sky he sighed, it was now officially the day he’d been dreading for some time. Jack stepped through the hospital doors, a sight he’d been all too used to over the last few months, the nurses all knew him by name now. He slowly climbed the stairs, almost trying to put off what was in front of him, Jack hands were shaking as he reached for the door to the last room off a long corridor but finally he pushed it open.
Jack barely stepped into the room before he was being engulfed in a hug from his big sister. She started sobbing on his shoulder and Jack held her tighter, burying his face in May’s hair.
“It’s okay” Jack tried to say but his voice cracked and he was crying too.
“Jack? Is that you?” a voice called from across the room. May stepped away from Jack and he had to use all his strength not to start sobbing, in front of him was a large hospital bed. Lying upon it was his mother, her skin pale and frail looking, her eyes closed and the beeping he’d gotten so used to was silent.
“Jack” Bassam Barakat was sitting beside the bed, Jack’s mother’s hand still in his“Come here”
Jack edged himself around the room, kneeling downside his father. At twenty two and Jack was already lot taller than his father.
“I’m sorry son” Jack just nodded, as his father reached across to grab his hand.
“It’s all going to be okay, she’s no longer in pain” taking a slightly shaky breath Jack looked over at his mother on the bed, her chest no longer raising as she takes a breath, he reached over and placed his hand to hers. Her skin slowly going cold as the mother Jack knew fades away.
“I love you” he whispered as sobs threatened to rack his body. Fuck cancer.

It was raining; the water fell in waves from the sky. Jack was staring out the window of the church; he wasn’t really paying attention to what was being said. He didn’t enjoy funerals (Not that anyone really did) everyone kept repeating how his mother had fraught bravely against her cancer but sadly had lost. He just continued to stare out the window, remembering when he was a small child and his mum would watch Disney movies with him on rainy days. His tears fell silently as May read out a poem. He knew that this day would come, they all did from when his mum had been diagnosed but now it was here Jack was having trouble keeping himself together, getting emotional is something Jack had always tried to avoid, he had to get out of there. Without looking behind him he quickly exited the church, standing outside leaning against the stone wall, trying to calm his breathing as the rain beat down upon him. It didn’t take long for the rain to soak him through, his dark hair dripping water but at least now it disguised his tears. He sniffed and ran a hand through his rain soaked hair, looking out on the misted grave yard he saw a person. A person was standing out in the rain in front of one of the graves; they were staring away from him towards what seemed to Jack like a newer grave. Jack continued to stare at the person; he couldn’t face his father’s disappointed face just yet, his heart sunk just thinking of him. He promised he’d try, he promised he wouldn’t run away from his feelings this time, he promised he’d show respect for his mother but he couldn’t do it.
“I’m sorry mum” he yelled into the rain. The person who’d been looking away from Jack suddenly turns as they hear the outburst. Looking up Jack catches sight of them for the first time, it’s a boy about his age with caramel coloured hair and the most chocolate brown eyes Jack had ever seen. The boy was staring at him and as Jack made a move towards him the boy ran. He went after the boy; it seemed like something had scared him but as Jack turned the corner of the church he gone. Jack looked around, through the rain and mist but he was most currently alone like the boy had just vanished into thin air.