Chapter Seventy-three: The Weight of Goodbye

Shiloh’s Point of View

Aunt Grace had always been the calm and reliable one in our family, but now she appeared frazzled and fearful. Even her boyfriend, our uncle, seemed terrified. They were trying to hide their fear from us kids, but we were more perceptive than they realized. We could read their body language and hear the tension in their voices. Despite their attempts to shield us, Onyx, Salem, and I could sense that something was very wrong. We may have been young but we weren’t oblivious to the situation.

My great-grandfather was shot and is currently hospitalized. We were on our way to meet him. Instead of riding in Aamon's vehicle, we were in a larger SUV with some intimidating men who seemed to be guards. At least, that's what we assumed, but none of us dared to ask. The tension in the vehicle was almost suffocating. Grace's eyes kept flicking towards Aamon as we raced towards the hospital. My brothers and I were squished onto the back seat while Grace sat in one of the seats in the second row, accompanied by another guard. We had just found out that Mom and Xavier were coming from a different location that was further away than expected, adding even more stress for Grace and Aamon.

“Is our great-grandpa going to die?” Salem whispered to Onyx.

“We all die, Salem,” groaned Onyx.

“I know that, but is he going to die today? I want to meet him and get to know him. We’ve never had a grandpa before. I’d kind of like one,” asked Salem in a small voice.

Onyx looked at me pleadingly, and I tried to respond as gently as possible without lying to Salem.

“Mom works at the hospital and cares for sick and injured people, right?” I asked Salem. He looked at me with big eyes filled with tears and just nodded.

“Sometimes, people are really sick and hurt very badly; even though the nurses and doctors try hard, they can’t save them. I think if we can see our grandfather, that is a good thing. We really won’t know anything until we get there. But, Salem, we have to watch what we say to Auntie Grace and Uncle Aamon, okay?” I said.

“I won’t say anything on purpose to make them mad,” frowned Salem. “But why do we have to watch what we say?”

“Well,” I said before pausing and collecting my thoughts to respond carefully.

“The grownups in this vehicle look very worried and are wearing frowns. What do you usually do when you see that with other grown-ups?” I asked.

“I stay out of their way. I’m extra polite and try not to do anything wrong,” Salem shrugged.

“Exactly. That’s what we do, okay?” I asked.

Salem bit his lip while he mulled this over and then nodded in agreement.

“Thanks,” whispered Onyx, looking relieved.

The SUV pulled into the hospital parking lot and drove to the front entrance. Aamon got out, followed by Grace, one of the guards, and then my brothers and I got out, too. We quickly entered and walked at a fast pace to the elevators. Salem struggled to keep up, but Onyx grabbed his hand and dragged him along so my youngest brother could keep up. It was a silent ride in the elevator, everyone looking down and uncomfortable except for the guard.

Aamon walked briskly down the hall, and we all followed him. He stopped in front of a room and asked Aunt Grace and the guard to stay with us for a moment while he entered the room. There was a catch in his voice as he did, and as much as Aamon tried to hide the worry and pain, it was etched on his face.

“I’m so sorry that everything is happening so fast. We wanted to introduce you to your uncle and great-grandfather slowly. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” Aunt Grace said.

I turned to Aunt Grace, trying to read her expression as the guard looked away. Her face fell, and her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Your great-grandfather is barely holding on. It's almost like he's waiting for you three and your mother before passing on," Aunt Grace paused, her eyes filled with sadness. "I can tell you this much about your great-grandfather, Kazimierz Brzezinski - he's a kind and powerful man. Don Brzezinski has always been merciful unless you wronged him or his family. But if you did, his vengeance would be swift and fair. You never want to experience his wrath."

"He's like a cool superhero, right?" Salem exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, he is kind of like a superhero. But remember, even superheroes can be dangerous," Aunt Grace replied with a hint of caution.

“He sounds nicely dangerous,” Salem whispered like he was sharing a secret.

“Yes, Salem. He is nicely dangerous. That’s just how he is,” replied Aunt Grace with a knowing smile and sad eyes.

"Did he actually want to get to know us?" Onyx hesitantly questioned.

"Yes, he did. He made a point of learning all about you three and your mother. Your great-grandfather has always been immensely proud of all of you, but it's been tough for him to show that love from a distance," Aunt Grace explained.

“I wish we could have met him sooner,” Onyx sighed. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. I feel like we are here to say goodbye.”

As Aamon pushed the door open, he revealed a guarded expression on his face, his eyes holding a haunted look that betrayed the turmoil within him.

“My sister isn’t here yet, is she?” Aamon asked Aunt Grace.

My brothers and I turned to look behind us as Aunt Grace shook her head sadly.

“We can’t wait any longer for her. Kids, I’m going to bring you in. Your great-grandfather is unconscious, but I’ve been assured that he can hear us. I’d like you to come into the room with your Aunt Grace, please,” Uncle Aamon said as he gestured for us to enter.

I inhaled deeply before stepping into the hospital room. An elderly gentleman was lying in the bed, hooked up to various tubes and machines - chest tubes, a feeding tube, a ventilator, and multiple monitors. Onyx had been right. This did not look promising.