Topic: Regret Unforgiven

Frank Granger

Date: 2011-11-27 21:01 EST
"Mom?" He shook her, but she was unresponsive. "Mom, wake up!" His voice grew frantic as he tried his best to revive her. "Mom, come on!" Frank held his mother, rocking her as he sobbed uncontrollably. Her skin slowly turned from blistering hot to room temperature, then to cold. They were alone in the house, Cian had a hockey game and their father had taken them. Mother was sick with the flu and Frank had promised to take care of her.

Frank squeezed his eyes shut and recalled the last few hours with his mother.

"We'll be fine, Dad." Frank assured his father for the hundredth time, it seemed. "Go watch Cian kick some butt and bring home that trophy." He patted his twin upon the back and wished him luck. Though Cian didn't seem to need much luck, at least Frank didn't think so. And just like that, Frank was left alone in the house with their mother. Gabrielle was at a friend's house doing make overs or whatever teen age girls do. Left to his own, Frank made busy work to help his mother out. She kept a tidy home, and Frank did what he could to keep that order for his mother.

The kitchen, however, was a disaster area. He had found his mother's cook book and decided to create chicken soup for her as a surprise lunch. Bits of chopped carrots and onions lay about the counter. Spots of chicken stock dotted the stove and surrounding counters. Chicken bones lay upon a plate where Frank had burnt his fingers pulling the meat from the bone.

Frank Granger

Date: 2011-11-27 21:02 EST
The pot on the stove top gurgled as steam rose from it. To Frank, it smelled divine. He turned his back to it for only a moment. To make dumplings or not' The thought was too tempting not to attempt. And while his back was turned, the family pet, Spanky the cat, jumped up onto the counter. The chicken bones looked mighty tasty.

"Get down!" By the time Frank noticed the cat, the plate of bones was a scattered mess. "What am I going to do with you, huh?" He shooed the cat away with his elbow. The dumpling mix was finished and he heaped tablespoon after tablespoon into the chicken soup. A lid was placed onto the pot and he turned down the heat. Lunch would be ready in ten minutes.

In the interim, Frank retrieved the wooden bed in breakfast tray as well as a large mug, a soup spoon and napkin. He arranged them neat as a pin on the tray until he was satisfied. His mother spent sixteen years taking care of Frank, Cian and Gabrielle. It was his turn to give back. Cian gave back by winning titles and trophies. Gabrielle was their sweet daughter who excelled at everything she did. But Frank was a dullard. In his own young eyes, he simply existed in his sibling's shadows.

The chicken and dumplings were placed into the large mug and Frank carefully made his way towards his parent's bedroom. Felicity looked up from the book she was reading and smiled tiredly at her son. "Frankie, you did all this, for me?" Pride showed in her tired eyes as she held her hands out to help him place the tray over her legs. "It smells wonderful, Frankie."

Frank basked in her praise and snuggled next to her. "I used your recipe from the Ancient and Secret Felicity Granger Cook Book." He smiled at her and looked at her adoringly. "Here, try some!" He picked up the spoon and ladled the soup out and up to her mouth.

Felicity laughed softly, then opened her mouth for the spoon. She smiled around it and shared a loving look with her son. As Frank removed the spoon, Felicity's eyes went round. Her hand went to her throat. She made quiet gurgling sounds as her legs began to thrash. The tray flew, the bowl of chicken and dumplings spattering on the coverlet, the walls, Frank.

"Mom! What's wrong?" Frank was frightened, watching and not knowing what to do. He reached around and hit her back, hard. It was natural reflex. "Nnngh! Nnngh!" he pounded harder and harder.

The tiny bit of chicken bone, shattered and ragged by Spanky's chewing only lodged deeper into her throat with each pound of a fist to her back. Felicity writhed, she couldn't get air into her lungs to even cough. Her face began to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

Frank Granger

Date: 2011-11-27 21:04 EST
"Oh God!" Frank jumped away from her and ran to the phone. He stared down at it and then back to his mother, heaped over in the bed. Snatching the phone up, he dialed the emergency number and explained the situation. He was frantic and crying; scared out of his young mind.

Racing back to his mom's bedside, he crawled in and pulled her back to his chest. Brushing the hair from her face, he sobbed in agony at her dull, lifeless eyes. Her lips, so blue that they matched the cornflower colored print on the wallpaper. "I'm sorry, Mommy, I'm sorry!" he cried over and over as he rocked her.

The emergency squad arrived in time to pry the young man from his mother. Gordon was called and they placed her into a body bag. Frank had been secluded into Gabrielle's room, an EMT there to make sure he did no harm to himself. Suddenly it seemed the house was full of crying, agonized crying. He could hear his siblings, his father.

"This is my fault," he kept repeating. Rocking in a chair, he hugged himself. His tears dried and his face gained that of one with no expression at all.

At the funeral, Frank did not shed a tear. He neither laughed, nor cried. He looked down at the body in the casket as if it meant nothing at all that his beloved mother lay there. He watched as Cian, Gabby and their father wept bitterly.

And so it began?