Together

The Call

Well, this chap is a bit like Les Mis in the sense that the first half is happy and the second half, not so much. It's going to hit on a sensitive topic for some of you so please read with caution xxx
With that being said, I hope you enjoy in some ways, and I'll give you permission to kill me in the comments for this one haha.
-ab

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March 23, 2026

Patrick

"Well, Leo," I tell the little boy who is sitting across from me in the clinic, "I have some good news for you. I'd say that you've only got about two more weeks before I can clear you for performing again."

"Really?" he asks with excitement.

"Yep."

"So, can I talk to his director and have him start scheduling Leo in, then?" Leo's mum asks.

"I don't see why that would be a problem, as long as he keeps following the orders to stay off of it as much as possible."

"Perfect," she smiles. "Thank you so much."

"Thank you, Dr. Patrick!" Leo tells me.

"No problem, dude," I smile at him. "Make sure that you schedule your next appointment at the front desk, alright?"

"Okay! Dr. Patrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you and Miss Harper come to my first show back?"

"Well," I tell him, "I can talk to her about it. She is busy with Anastasia now, remember, buddy. I can come, but Harper might kill me if I went to see Les Mis without her. I'll ask her what she thinks, alright?"

"Okay," Leo smiles, content with my answer. "Mummy?"

"Yes, love?"

"Can we go see Miss Harper in Anastasia?"

"Sure, sweetheart," Leo's mum laughs. "I'm assuming tickets aren't very hard to get?"

"They're rarely sold out entirely, so you should be alright."

"Perfect. Thanks again, Patrick."

"No problem." At that, Leo and his mum leave the room, leaving me at my desk. I'm on lunch break now, so I slip on my light jacket and grab my wallet, then head out for my hour of time during which I have nothing to do.

Down the street, I order a sandwich at the Pret. A grilled ham and cheese sandwich, to be exact. Then, I sit down by the window and scroll through my phone as I eat. Once I'm done, I still have some time, so I decide to go on a walk through the little park near here.

The sun is shining. Spring is here, and there are lots of people taking advantage of that today. As there is a secondary school near here, there are lots of kids on their lunch hour. Everyone is happy. The students are all in their school uniforms, but many of the other women are in dresses and men in short sleeved shirts.

I'm rather startled, though, when I feel my phone start to vibrate in my pocket. Upon looking at the ID on the screen, I notice that Harper is ringing me. With a sigh, I know that I'd better take this. I'm not sure what it could be, as it's quite rare for her to call me, especially during my work day.

"Harper?" I ask, picking up the phone. "What's up?"

"Patrick, could you come home?" she asks.

"What?" I ask. "Love, what's wrong?"

"It's... um, Patrick, just come home. Please. I need you right now." Her breath is shaking as she talks to me.

"Lovie," I say to her, "I can't come home. I'm at work. Do you need to FaceTime or something?"

"That's probably not a good idea."

"What do you mean? Harper, I need you to talk to me. Use your words, love."

She takes a few deep breaths before finally mustering up the courage to say the words on the tip of her tongue. "It's my dad."

"Oh," is all that I'm able to say. After a moment of silence, "What about him?"

"He's not doing well, at all. They want me to go over and see him this afternoon before my show... they think it might be the last time."

"Oh my god," I say. I feel my heart beating faster as I think about the words that she's saying. "Love, you don't have to go if you don't want to. Everyone will understand if you'd rather your memories of him be when he was doing better..."

"No, I need to," she insists. "I really do want to go and have a last goodbye...I just don't want to be alone. I mean, I sort of do want to be alone, but I want somebody else there, and I'm just so scared and-"

"Sweetie, deep breath. It's fine. I understand. My schedule is booked solid this afternoon, until I'm off, though. How about I'll meet you at the hospital at 17:30?"

"I guess," she replies. "That'll have me cutting it close for my show tonight, though."

"It's okay. You've gotten ready very quickly before. You told me once that your record was 25 minutes or something like that. I'd bet that you can beat that, even. Can I send you to Taylor's until I'm able to get home, maybe? I don't want you to be alone right now, honey."

"I guess," she replies with a sigh. "I'd rather be with you."

"I know. I wish I could come home, but I can't. I'll see you in a few hours, though, okay? I'm going to let Taylor know that you're coming over."

"Okay," she says. "Patrick? I love you."

"I love you too, Harper. So much. Stay strong, sweetie. I know that it's hard, but you've got to be strong, for your mum, and even for your dad. Will you be okay to do your show tonight?"

"I need to."

"It's a reasonable excuse if you don't want to."

"It'll help me forget," she states. "I'm going to do the show."

"Okay," I say. "Is there anything that I can do right now?"

"No."

"Alright. I love you, Harper. I've got to get back to work, though. Get safely to Taylor's and text me when you're there."

"Okay. I love you too. Bye."

Click. She hangs up the phone.

I take a moment to breathe before I start walking back to work. I knew that this day was coming, but part of me wanted to pretend that it never would. I don't quite know how to help my wife. Of course, I'm sad about Cooper too, but I still need to be the strong one. I need to help my wife to cope with the loss of her father.

I try to push my fears out of my mind, as I know that my next client will be coming in any moment now, and I need to devote my complete attention to my job right now. I'll deal with everything else after I get off of work.