Greg's eyes widened. Amusement flashes his expression as Greg shakes his head—before he drops his head, laughter and whimpers echoes through him like thunder on the raging seas.

Finally, John looks over at the two figures watching from a distance, holding hands. Tyler follows his gaze.. and quickly understands. Giving his dad a gesture, he gently pulls his mom away from John's chest, intending to give the three of you space. Your dad weakly extended his hand, gesturing for you and your mom to come closer. And in a trembled voice.. he mutters,

"Cry or no cry?" he chuckles, acknowledging his 'no shit' rhetorical question.

You find yourself already running to him as he welcomes you with a cry. Soon, your mom follows, sobbing heavily into his cheek. "Let me see you both now. So that I'll remember my most beautiful decisions," John reaches out and cups you and your mom's cheeks—his voice starts to break as he adds, "so I can remember you two up there."

In a whimper, you falter, "I really hope we all get to meet up there, dad" before breaking into a series of wailing cries.

Your dad nods as he hugs you tighter. He and your mom pat your back until your cries begin to subside—before John gently pulls you away to look into your eyes. When he finally finds your gaze, he asks, "Your mom told me you wanted a constant?"

You freeze for a moment, as John smiles gently—warmth radiating from him despite his frail state. "For a constant to be found, you can't just wait for it to let it come to you, Emily." Next to you, your mom nods, her eyes filled with both sadness and pride as she listens to her husband as he declares, "You gotta earn that consistency. You got to mold it. Nurture it. For every constant, there's always a variable. Remember that."

After he notices your nod, he continues, "Even though everything feels like it has no meaning, if you keep searching, you will find it. Just put your faith in God—who's always with you.. and everything will make sense."

While staring at him with tears welling up in her eyes, Janet reaches out and places a comforting hand on your back—her touch grounding you. "Your name means strength, Emily. I know you're strong! Trust me, along the way.. you'll know what makes you who you are."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, you try to steady yourself. John's eyes shine as he gently cups your cheek as he says, "You will find your constant, I just know it. I trust you—" he coughs, trying to steady his voice before declaring,

"I'm proud of you, Winny."

Your eyes widen. Hearing him saying how he's proud of you for the first time.. saying how he trusts you.. It feels bittersweet. All the arguments you had—to earn those words.. all the times you were frustrated with his restrictions—now it all seems like it was for nothing. Fuck this! You'd rather have him here, fighting with you—

"No! You have to get better—you'll do it yourself—fight me! Bully me—ground me like how you used to—!" you cry out, desperation lacing your voice. Clutching the edges of your dad's hospital gown, your hand trembles as you helplessly bawl, "How do you know I will do well without you—!"

"Because you're my daughter."

His words break you. Sobbing uncontrollably, you feel your dad kiss your forehead—and you drop your head on his chest, desperate to feel his warmth and jar it in your mind forever.

"And you," he says, shifting his attention to Janet as he raises his hand to stroke her cheek to say, "my love.."

Your mom purses her lips, trying to hold back her whimpers. Tears spill down her face as she places her hand over his, leaning into his touch.

"You'll strive beautifully, Janet Cree."

He whispers, voice filled with admiration and love. Janet can't hold back her tears any longer as she grips her husband's hand. "Meeting you really felt like I was about to get sucked into a real life Die Hard movie, you know. Made me realize I'm actually John McClane since I was born," he jokes as he strokes her chin playfully. Janet manages a laugh through her tears, and the room—despite the sorrow, echoes with soft chuckles from Greg, Violet, and Tyler.

"Well, your dad did name you after him," she clarifies, and with a loving gaze, Janet strokes his cheek tenderly. She smiles as her eyes wanders across his face, yearning to remember every line.. every crease.. his beautiful round eyes.. trying to imprint every feature into her memory. "Remember? People called us the 2Js since they really couldn't separate us?" she says with a sniffle, her eyes never leaving his.

John nods in nostalgia, smiling despite the tears. "Funny how we ended up not having another J in the house," he continues, his gaze shifting to you as you wrap your arms around him tightly. "All thanks to that asshole over there." he jokes, nodding toward his brother.

Greg, tears beginning to subside, laughs. "Same goes to you, asshole," he replies, shaking his head as he wraps an arm around Tyler—who chuckles softly, his smile tinged with sadness.

John turns back to Janet, their gazes locking once more. Gently, he cups her face with both hands, thumbs brushing away her tears. "But meeting you was the best thing that's ever happened to me—because—" his voice chokes up, and Janet's brow furrows—tears falling faster.

"You know the feeling when you're looking at the world from above the clouds? At first glance, everything looks the same—but as time goes by, you notice how every little thing in your life becomes clearer. And by the time a sense of peace washes over you.. you realize your whole life finally makes sense."

For a moment, he pauses, drowning his gaze in her beautiful brown eyes, wanting to remember every detail. Janet's hand comes up to cover his, their fingers intertwining as they hold onto each other—her other hand moves to rest on his chest, feeling the weak but steady beat of his heart. She sniffs, a small bittersweet smile forming on her lips as his hand reaches up to brush a strand of hair away from her face. John's voice is barely above a whisper as he says,

"That's what loving you feels like, Janet."

Eyes widened, Janet whimpered before closing her eyes. "My life has been so beautiful because of you, baby," he says, his voice breaking. Janet starts to sob, unable to hold back any longer.

"There's no one—I love you more than anything—" John says, voice cracking as he finally breaks down. Janet leans in, kissing his forehead gently before resting her forehead against his. They stay like that for a heartbeat, sharing a breath, eyes closed—feeling each other's presence deeply.

"I love you so much, Johnny." your mom whimpers as the three of you embrace, clinging to each other. "We'll marathon the entire season of Die Hard for you, John," your mom promises, managing a teary smile.

John chuckles, stroking her head as the others laugh through their tears. And what feels like an eternity.. your dad looks around at everyone.. his eyes glisten with profound nostalgia. Before with big grin on his face, he gleefully shouts,

"Yippee ki yay, motherfuckers!"

And just like that..

The sound of the ER beeping loudly rang through our ears. It wasn't like the usual background noise—it was piercing, urgent—terrifying. They immediately rushed him to the operating room—and we had no choice but to wait for what felt like an eternity outside the doors.

My mom was the most frantic. Her eyes wide with fear and desperation as she paces right.. and left—left.. and right. Even touching her made me hesitate. Every time I asked her to sit, she'd immediately tell me to pray instead, not hearing a word I said. Violet looked confused, torn between comforting my mom.. or her husband. Everyone was in their own chaos.

And me?

I closed my eyes. Giving in to the exhaustion, I sat and rested my head on Tyler's shoulder.

But then doctors emerged from the room. I really thought they'd be there for a long time—but this time, they called my mom. I stood up abruptly—Tyler following suit. Mom, her face a mask of hope and dread, ran to the doctor. Greg and Violet followed quickly, fear etched on their faces. Tyler and I hurried over to them as they talked to my mom—

But she dropped to the ground. The sight made me freeze in my tracks. I turned my attention to Greg and Violet—only to see Violet already embracing my mom, and Greg supporting himself on his knees—before finally bursting into uncontrollable sobs.

My legs gave way. I felt Tyler's trembling hands holding me—but still, we sank to the floor together. We sat there, clinging to each other in great sobs.

And just like that..

He's gone.

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites

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The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

Cry or no cry?..

https://youtu.be/_CL1kWdUXEw