tears in heaven

March 2043 - Andrew Carter and Kate Myers are 40, Harper Myers is 17, Avery Myers is 10.

It starts out like any other morning. Their parents are both gone before they leave for school, so Harper makes sure they have breakfast and leave for school in time. When both of your parents are doctors, you get used to taking care of yourself at an early age.

There still isn't anyone home when they get back from school, and there aren't any messages on the machine.

"Are Mom and Dad going to be home for dinner?" asks Avery.

"I don't know. If they aren't, would you rather have pizza or Chinese food?"

"Chinese."

The phone rings. "It's probably Mom," Harper says as she runs to answer it. "I'll ask if we can order Chinese food."

But their mother doesn't want to talk about dinner. "Your father's been admitted to the hospital," she says. "You and your sister should come see him."

When they get there, neither of their parents seem that concerned.

"What's wrong Dad? What happened?" Harper asks.

"It's just the flu, sweetie. But don't get too close, I don't want you to catch it. I'll be fine. I just need some rest."

But the flu turns into pneumonia, and a few days in the hospital turns into weeks. Their mother makes them keep going to school, but the rest of the time they're in the hospital, eating meals out of the vending machines and taking naps in the waiting room.

And then one night their mother comes into the waiting room while Avery is trying to sleep.

"Can you wake your sister up?" she asks Harper. "I need to talk to you girls."

"What's going on? Can we see Daddy?" Avery asks.

Their mother is quiet for a moment, then finally answers, "Your father's dead. He died a few minutes ago."

After weeks in the hospital, it's strange to be eating dinner at home. Their neighbors have brought over food, and the refrigerator is filled with casseroles and cakes. They don't say much at dinner, the three of them chewing in awkward silence.

They go to bed early, but Harper can't sleep. She lies awake for hours, staring at the ceiling. Her father is gone. He's dead. It still feels unreal, like he's just working late at the hospital. Any minute she'll hear his car pull into the driveway. But both of the cars are in the driveway and the house is quiet. It's just the three of them now.

*****

Andrew Carter rolled the second ROS this round - death by illness. It will be interesting to see how this affects his wife and daughters. Harper is going to college soon, but Avery is only ten, and in a few months it will be just her and her mom.