19. Goodbye Scott
Mitch, Kirstie, Matt, and Kevin sat patiently in the waiting room while Connie and Rick spent some time with Scott. After an hour they came out and let the gang in, but not before telling them what was happening, "He is on oxygen again. He is in a lot of pain too and the meds he is on are making him very loopy, but he said he wants to talk to you," Rick explained softly, trying not to cry in front of the kids.
The gang entered Scott's room and were relieved to see him awake, but he did not look okay at all. He was extremely pale, with bruises all over his body, and his eyes were bloodshot. "H-Hey guys," Scott whispered quickly. Mitch just approached him and leaned down to kiss him softly. "H-Hey, Scooter," Kirstie said, sitting next to his bed on a chair.
"You doing okay?" Kevin asked worriedly.
"I've been better. I am happy to see you all here," Scott said smiling weakly.
"We w-will m-miss you, Scotty," Matt sobbed. "I-I'll miss you guys t-too," Scott cried. The others got closer and gave Scott a group hug as gently as possible.
"I want to say goodbye," Scott said after the hug broke, the others nodded. "Matt...thank you for being the best roommate ever. Y-You have a light in you and your e-endless energy is what I admire the most of you...you are always smiling and I couldn't be more proud of you," he started. Matt just nodded and hugged Scott again.
"K-Kevin, you are the most intelligent person I know. You can m-make someone's day brighter with your wisdom and that is what I admire the most about you...thank you for taking care of us," Kevin cried harder. "I love you, Scott."
"Kitty, I love your b-bubbly personality and how it spreads joy...you are such a good friend who is not afraid of anything. I will miss our i-inside jokes and our silly moments," Kirsite kissed Scott's forehead and took his hand in hers.
"Mitchy...you have been my best friend since we were 12 and to s-say that I valued our friendship m-more than anything else is an understatement...you have changed my life and I'm proud to call you my b-boyfriend. You have become more confident in yourself and that's what I love about you...I-I want you guys to be strong and keep going with your lives," Mitch then kissed him again softly, crying even more.
"Do you want us to do something for you?" Kevin asked and Scott nodded. "W-Would you guys sing to me p-please?" Scott requested and the others started singing until Scott fell asleep.
Two days later, Connie and Rick were sitting next to Scott while he slept until he suddenly woke up and pointed at the ceiling, "Mom, look," he said and both of his parents rushed to his side. "What do you want me to look, baby?" Connie asked confused as to why her son was pointing at the ceiling. "The stars...they are beautiful," Connie sobbed and Rick told her to play along. "I'll call a doctor," Rick then rushed out of the room.
"They are, baby. Beautiful just like you," she said, lying down next to Scott. "They are bright, and the sky has so many colors. I wish I was a star," he said. "You will be one soon, honey," she said and then Scott's monitors started beeping faster, Connie realized that Scott wasn't breathing.
The Hoyings, including Scott's sisters Lauren and Lindsay who just arrived because they live outside of the city, were in the waiting room for a while until the doctor approached them and told them the latest news about Scott. "We had to intubate him, he is awake because we want him to see you. I'm sorry but... likely, he won't survive the night and...even if he does, he won't live past tomorrow. Talk to him and let him know that he will be fine. When his heart stops, we won't reanimate him, it's what he wanted anyway," the doctor said and the Hoyings nodded, entering Scott's room. Lauren and Linsday broke down crying when they saw the state their little brother was in.
Mitch came in that afternoon and when he saw Scott with that tube down his throat again, he knew it was time to say goodbye. Mitch held his hand and kissed his forehead. "Hi, Scotty. I-I came to say goodbye. The others are outside and they will say goodbye soon but I wanted to be first," Scott looked at him and squeezed Mitch's hand with the little strength he had left. "I love you. Thank you for teaching me the positives in life and being there for me when I needed you the most. I am proud and glad that you trusted me so much to be vulnerable with me. I will miss you s-so m-much. I-I will always have you in my heart and mind...I love you," Mitch cried, kissing Scott's forehead again. Scott then wrote something down in a notepad and showed it to Mitch. I love you more, it said.
One by one, the other three members of the gang said their goodbyes to Scott, telling him what he meant to them and that they were thankful for meeting such a joyful soul like Scott. Throughout the day, Dr. Hayes and some nurses came to say their goodbyes to Scott and it made him cry, he was going too soon because of a stupid illness that took away a lot from him. The Hoyings spent the rest of the day, remembering their best moments as a family.
Scott Richard Hoying passed away that night after a tough fight against cancer that he went through for over 10 years. Even in the darkest times, Scott had the power and strength to smile and make others laugh with his personality and his jokes. The Hoyings will make a memorial in his honor, but Connie and Rick have to go through one of the most painful things a parent can experience: the loss of the child. They lost their youngest child, the only son they had, their baby boy. And the gang...they lost their leader, the pillar of the group, they lost Scott.
A/N: There's an epilogue.