FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Note: I've never had any experience with heart attacks nor have I ever witnessed one. Info found or used in this chapter is based on what info I could find about it online.

Late in the night, Tyler would be seen making his way to his son's room. He had gotten a call that it was important he made Gideon aware of, even despite the fact he knew the kit would not take it well. With a sigh, the elder fox pushed open Gideon's door, walked over and gently shook his son. "Gideon... Wake up, son..."

Gideon rolled over to face his dad. "What is it, Papa?"

"Get dressed. We need ta get ta the hospital..."

Immediately upon hearing those words, the kit quickly scrambled to get out of bed. Dashing over to his dresser, he put on the first thing he could get hold up, trying and failing to keep from getting teary-eyed as he did so. "Is... Is Mama o..." He stopped the moment he saw the saddened look in his father's eyes. "No... Please... no..."

Tyler hung his head. "Gid... Ah'll... Ah'll meet ya in the car, alright?" The elder fox's voice was cracking, trying hard not to lose his composure.

Gideon started trembling. "Alright," was all he could muster as his father left the room. The kit finished getting dressed and made his way downstairs. As he passed a bunch of pictures on the wall near the front door, Gideon looked to one of them. The one his eyes focused on was a picture of him and his mother the very first time he helped her to bake a pie. The two of them were smiling and Gideon was standing by the counter where the pie was sitting. "Please be okay," he muttered under his breath as another tear fell from his eye. He then made his way out the front door, using his key to lock it before he joined his father in their vehicle.

Tyler's facial expression was completely unreadable as he sat in the driver's seat, waiting for his son to buckle up. Once he had, the fox started the car and pulled out of the driveway. They'd only been driving for about a minute before Tyler spoke up. "Son..."

Gideon, still trembling, looked to his dad, whose eyes remained locked on the road in front of him. "Y... Yeah, P... Papa?"

"When we get there, Ah want ya ta..."

"Ah'm comin' in with ya!" Gideon practically shouted amidst his tears. "Ah wanna be there fer her!"

Tyler tensed up, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. He fell silent again and just nodded.

Several thoughts ran through Gideon's mind. None of them were good ones either. Had she gotten sick? Did she have another heart attack? Gideon shook his head, trying to keep the thoughts out of his head, but the silence around him was making it far too hard to keep them out. He tried to speak up, but, afraid of what he'd be told, he couldn't ask.

Tyler eventually pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car with his son in tow. He walked inside and went right to the elevator, getting in, and the two of them rode up to the floor Amanda was in. "Son..." He stopped at the door to the room.

"Ah told ya, Ah'm goin' in," the kit nearly shouted.

Tyler's eyes shot open. "Shh... We're in a hospital, remember? Keep yer voice down."

Gideon frowned and nodded. "Sorry... Ah gotta go in, Papa," the kit told his father. In a quieter, though still saddened, voice. "Ah wanna be there fer her... Ah have ta be..."

"Alright..." Tyler nodded.

Gideon opened the door and was met with the sight of a nurse who was tending to his mother. Gideon looked to the nurse, then he looked to Amanda before walking over to her. As he approached the bed, he saw his mother, who looked quite weak now. Even more so than when he had left her yesterday. "M... Mama?"

"Oh... Hello, sweetie," Amanda replied, her voice quiet and weak.

"Mama, are... are ya okay?"

"I'm... managing," she said, trying not to frighten her son any more than it was clear he already was.

The words brought no comfort to the kit at all as he tried and failed to hold back his tears.

Tyler stepped up behind Gideon, placing a paw on his son's shoulder but stayed quiet otherwise.

Gideon then turned to the nurse. "Is she... Is she gonna be okay?"

The nurse looked to him but didn't say a word. She didn't want to lie to the young fox but she knew telling Gideon the truth would hurt.

"Please.... Tell me she's gonna be okay. Please!"

"Gideon," his mother weakly spoke up.

"Wha..." Gideon turned to his mother. "What is it, Mama?"

Amanda looked to Tyler who simply nodded. She then looked back to her son. "Gideon, I'm..."

Tears now flowed from the kit's eyes. "Mama... please... please don't say it. Ya can't... Ya can't d..." Gideon choked on the last word, unable to say it himself. It was only then that the kit took notice of the heart monitor in the room, which was beeping still but doing so very slowly. When he noticed this, the kit lost it. "No... No.... Mama... No...." He then looked to the nurse. "Please... help her!"

"We've been doing everything we can," the nurse said calmly. She paused, trying to think of the best way to say what happened. "She is very sick and she's not..."

"She's not gonna get better? Is THAT what ya were about ta say?!" The sadness was now mixed with a bit of anger. The kit was trying to stay calm but this was just too much. "There has ta be SOMETHIN' ya can do. Please! Ah'm beggin' ya! Don't... Don't let her d..." Again, the kit found he couldn't say the word.

"Gideon," his father spoke up.

"It ain't fair! Mama never hurt anybody," Gideon sobbed.

"Gideon," his father tried again.

"Please... Please save mah mama," the kit pleaded. "Ah need her..."

"Gideon!" Tyler turned Gideon to face him.

The kit sniffed back his tears, looking to his father. "Papa..."

When Tyler spoke, he found he could no longer hold in his own tears as several fell from his eyes. "Right now, we need ta try ta stay calm," he said solemnly. "Ah brought ya here so ya could be with her, and right now, she needs us."

"But Papa, Ah can't just..."

"Ya have ta," Tyler said. "We both do. Ya don't want her ta hurt anymore, do ya?"

Gideon's eyes grew in panic. "No! Ah love mah Mama! Ah don't wanna see her in pain..."

"Then right now, ya need ta try ta stay calm. Ah hate this too, but Ah don't doubt that everythin' the doctors CAN do, they have." Tyler sighed.

Gideon turned back to face his mother. The tears in his eyes continued to fall. "Mama... Ah... Ah love ya... So much..." He then reached out and took her paw.

"And I love you too, Gid. You're my pride and joy. I'm so proud of how you're growing up. And I know when you get older you're going to be a fine young man," Amanda said softly.

"Mama... Ah'm so sorry this is happenin'..." Gideon sniffled.

"And I'm sorry too, sweetie," Amanda told her son.

"What do ya have ta be sorry fer, Mama? This ain't yer fault," Gideon replied.

"I'm sorry you're having to see me like this," she said softly.

"Ah'd hate mahself if Ah didn't come. Yer mah Mama, and Ah wanna be here fer ya. Just like...." The kit sniffled. "Just like Ah know that ya would be here fer me if the situation were reversed."

"I want you to promise me something, Gideon," Amanda said softly, giving her son's paw a squeeze.

"Anythin' Mama," the kit replied. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise me you'll help your father. He's going to need you. Now more than ever," Amanda told him. "And I want you to keep baking. It always made me happy whenever we were making pies together. Don't stop doing it. Can you promise me that?"

"Ah dunno, Mama... Ah'm... Ah'm scared... and makin' pies without ya... isn't gonna feel the same," Gideon responded, his voice cracking.

"You won't be without me, sweetie," she told him. "I'll always be with you..." She let go of Gideon's paw and reached to his chest, where his heart was. "In here. And I will ALWAYS watch over you."

Gideon's body trembled as he nodded. "Ah... Ah'll try, Mama. Ah'll do whatever Ah can ta help Papa... And Ah... Ah'll keep bakin'. Ah wanna make ya proud."

"Good... And Gideon... I want you to enter your pie in the Carrot Days Festival contest when the time comes."

"But Mama.... Ah can't...."

Amanda interrupted. "Yes, you can. You're a great baker, and by the time the contest rolls around, I know you'll be even better."

Gideon sniffled again. He was silent for several moments before he spoke up. "Okay, Mama. Ah'll.... Ah'll do that fer ya. Ah promise."

Amanda then looked to Tyler. "Tyler?"

"Yes, Amanda," Tyler looked to his wife.

"I want you to help Gideon achieve his dreams. Do whatever it takes to encourage him. Whatever his dream may be," she told her husband.

"Ah will. Ah want that fer him too. Ah love mah son, and Ah give ya mah word that Ah'll help him however Ah can," Tyler told her.

"Mama," Gideon sniffled again. "Ah... Ah really DO wanna become a baker when Ah get older... Do ya really think Ah can do it..."

"I don't THINK you can, sweetie. I KNOW you can. You're a bright young man and if you set your mind to it, you can do anything."

A few more tears fell from his eyes. "Ah love ya, Mama..."

"I love you too, my sweet little boy..."

Gideon forced himself to smile even while still in tears, though he wasn't able to do so for long. He looked to the nurse. "Uhhh... Ma'am... how... how long does she..." He shook his head. He couldn't even ask. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. He just grew quiet.

The nurse looked to him. "All I will say, young man, is that we will be monitoring her until it happens."

Gideon frowned again and gave a nod. "Th.... thank ya," he said with a small whimper. He then looked to his dad. "Papa, Ah don't wanna leave until it happens... Is... Is that okay?"

Tyler gave a small nod. "Alright... Ah don't know how long she's got, but we'll stay."

"I'll be coming in to check on her again soon, but if she needs anything, just page the nurse's station and I'll come back, alright?"

Gideon nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he said as his voice cracked again.

"Thank ya," Tyler told the nurse, who then left. Tyler then walked over and grabbed a chair from the corner of the small room. He put it down next to Gideon. "Sit down, son. Ah don't want ya ta fall over."

The kit nodded and pulled the chair closer to his mother's bed before plopping down in it. "Mama... Be honest with me... Are ya in pain right now?"

Amanda looked to him. "A little bit..."

"Is there anythin' Ah can do ta help," the kit asked.

"Would you grab that rag beside you, please," she asked, indicating the rag that was folded up and set on the table beside the bed.

Gideon nodded and reached over, grabbing it quickly. He then gave it to her.

Amanda then used that rag to dry the tears from Gideon's eyes. She then smiled.

"Ah'm not sure how that helps ya, Mama..."

"Well, I need to keep my boy looking handsome, don't I," Amanda said softly, setting the rag aside.

"Ah guess..." Gideon said. "But yer the one who needs takin' care of. Not me."

"It makes me happy to do it," Amanda stated.

Gideon nodded. "Okay..." The kit couldn't help looking up at the heart monitor again. He didn't like what he was seeing or hearing from it, but the fact it was still going at least brought him a little comfort. He then looked back to his mother. "Mama... Ah'm scared..."

She nodded. "I won't lie to you. I am too. As long as I have you and your father here though, I know I'm not alone."

Gideon nodded as well. "If there's anythin' ya need... Anythin' at all, just tell me and Ah'll help ya, okay, Mama?"

"There is something you could do for me," she said. Could you pull back the blinds on the window?"

"Sure Ah can." Gideon then walked over and pulled the blinds covering the window back. The early morning sun was just starting to brighten up the sky. "How's that, Mama?"

"Perfect, Gideon. Thank you, sweetie," Amanda gave him another soft smile.

Gideon walked back over to his mother's bedside and sat down again. "Anythin' else ya need?"

"Not right now," she told him.

Gideon nodded. He and his father stayed at Amanda's bedside for several hours, talking to her. During that time, Gideon noticed that the same nurse that he had seen earlier came back and checked on Amanda several times.

It wasn't until early afternoon that Gideon's cell went off. He suddenly looked embarrassed. "Sorry... Ah guess Ah didn't think ta silence it."

"Don't worry about it," Amanda told him.

Gideon took it out, and refused the call, but, noting that it was Travis who had called, he then texted the ferret, letting him know where he was. He then slid the phone back into his pocket.

"Ya didn't need ta do that, Gideon," his father said.

"Right now, Ah don't wanna be distracted. Ah wanna talk ta Mama," the kit replied.

It looked like Tyler wanted to argue, but he just nodded. "Alright then." He then smiled. "Ah'm gonna go get somethin' from the cafeteria, Gid. Did ya want anythin'?"

Gideon's stomach growled. "Yes please."

Tyler nodded. "Ah'm gonna go down and see what they have, alright? Stay with yer Mama."

"Ah will. Ah won't leave her side," the kit told his dad.

Tyler smiled. "Amanda?"

The vixen looked at Tyler. "Hm?"

"Ah love you."

She smiled. "I love you too."

Tyler gave Amanda a soft kiss before disappearing from the room.

Gideon went quiet then, just gently rubbing his mother's paw. Things were quiet for about five minutes before the kit heard what sounded like a grunt of pain coming from his mother. He looked at her, a little bit panicked. "Mama?!"

Amanda tensed up a little, but seraxed again several seconds later. "I'm... I'm alright, sweetie. My chest just hurt a little bit for a moment."

Gideon was not convinced though. "Hang on! Lemme get the nurse!" Before Amanda could tell him to stop, Gideon pressed the nurse call button.

Seconds later, the nurse's voice was heard. "Nurse's station. Can I help you?"

"Mama's chest is hurtin'," Gideon said, trying to stay calm. "Can ya give her somethin' fer it, please?"

"I'll ask the doctor for you and we'll see what we can do," she told him.

"Thank ya," Gideon remarked.

His mother then looked at him. "Sweetie, you didn't need to do that."

"Ah did it because Ah don't wanna take any chances, Mama," Gideon told her. When he looked to her, there were tears in his eyes.

Amanda didn't have the heart to argue when she saw that and softly nodded. "Thank you."

Gideon sniffled a bit, drying his eyes. "Yer welcome, Mama."

A minute later, the nurse came in. "Amanda, how are you doing?"

"Just a bit of chest pain. That was all."

The nurse nodded. "I've got something to help with that."

Amanda held out her paw as the nurse gave her a little pill cup. The vixen then swallowed the pills inside it with a sip of water. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome." The nurse then checked on her vitals and wrote down the results before she left the room.

Tyler came in another minute later, handing over a sandwich to Gideon. "Here, Gid."

Gideon took it and unwrapped it. "Thank ya, Papa. the nurse just came in ta give Mama some pain meds. Her chest was hurtin' her again so Ah got some help."

Tyler turned to Amanda, who just nodded, before turning back to Gideon. "Yer a good boy fer watchin' out fer yer Mama."

Gideon smiled. "Ah just wanna keep her safe."

"You're doing great with that," Amanda told him.

Gideon's smile grew as he took a bite of the sandwich he had. "This sandwich is pretty good fer it bein' hospital food."

Both his parents chuckled at that.

Gideon smirked as he ate. "Ah love ya both, ya know that?"

"We know," they replied.

Aside from a couple minor incidents, there were no issues well into the afternoon and early evening.

Gideon, in that time, had fallen asleep in the chair he was sitting in and Tyler and Amanda were talking back and forth to each other as the kit slept. When another pained grunt came form Amanda though, almost immediately Gideon snapped awake. "Mama?!"

This time though, the pain didn't subside. Amanda was seen panting quite heavily and was sweating.

Tyler reached for the nurse call button again, but Gideon beat him to it.

"Nurse's station, how can I help you?"

"Mama's hurtin' again! Please! Come help It ain't goin' away this time," Gideon practically screamed.

Tyler put a paw on Gideon's shoulder. "Gid, calm down."

This time, though, Gideon paid no attention to his father's words. Not even waiting for acknowledgement from the nurse, he walked over to his mother's beside again. "Mama? Mama, please... Breathe..."

"I'm... trying..." Amanda said weakly, panting heavily.

The nurse stepped into the room then, quickly coming over to the bed.

"Gid, we need ta let the nurse get ta yer Mama," Tyler told him. "Get outta the way..."

Gideon reluctantly stepped back, though the fear in his eyes was evident.

The nurse walked over to Amanda's side. She was quickly joined by another nurse as well as a doctor, who came in with a machine, which they brought over.

Gideon's fear rapidly grew as the nurses and doctors blocked his view of his mother. HE tried to step closer but Tyler put a firm paw on his shoulder. "Papa, Ah don't want..."

"And neither do they, Gid," Tyler said, cutting him off. "We need to stay back and let them do their work."

Gideon winced when he heard another pained gunt from his mother. "Please... Please, Mama... Don't... Don't give up." He looked up at the heart monitor for the first time in a long while. What he saw only made him even more scared.

When Tyler noticed Gideon's face, he forced the kit to look at him. "Gid... Yer only gonna make yourself feel w..."

Gideon cut his father off. "Mama's gonna die... Isn't she..." Gideon sniffled.

Tyler badly wanted to say no, but the truth was he didn't know. He simply gave his son's shoulder a squeeze. "We don't know that yet. Just let the doctor and nurses take care of it." He hadn't meant to, but he did look up at the monitor, which was beeping very slowly. He was not happy when he did. "Gid?"

Gideon sniffled. "Yeah?"

"Come with me... We need ya let the doctor do his work..."

"But Papa..." Gideon tried to argue.

"No buts... C'mon. It'll be much easier fer them ta work if we're not in the way," Tyler told him.

Gideon turned toward the door, took a couple steps toward it, but then stopped, turning back around. "Mama.... Ah love you... Please... Please be okay..."

Tyler led Gideon out into the hallway and the two of them took a walk that lasted about half an hour. The entire time, Gideon was shaking like a leaf. When they came back to the room, to find Amanda and her bed not there, Gideon freaked out. "Where's Mama?!"

"Breathe, Gideon... The doctor probably took her ta get her checked out," Tyler commented.

"Do ya think she'll be okay, Papa?"

Tyler sighed. "Ah sure hope so..."

"Ah'm scared," Gideon said, his eyes wet with tears again.

Tyler opened his mouth to speak, but it was several seconds before he did. "Me too, Gid..."

Gideon grabbed hold of his father and buried his head in the older fox's chest, whimpering.

All Tyler could do was hold him. Hold him and wait.

The two stayed in silence with Gideon resting against his dad for some time, before a nurse stepped in. "Tyler? Gideon?"

Gideon turned his head to the nurse. "Y... Yeah?"

The nurse looked to the kit, and when she did, though she hadn't meant to let it happen, a tear fell from her eye.

"Where... where is she," Gideon asked.

"We're bringing her back in now," the nurse told him.

"Is.... Is she gonna be alright," the kit asked.

As much as she didn't want to, the nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry, but..."

Gideon's eyes grew in horror. "She's... She's d...."

"No," the nurse said. "She's not. Not yet. But she's growing weaker..."

"No.... No..." Gideon's body trembled.

When Amanda was being wheeled back in, Gideon stepped up to the bed, looking at his mother, who was currently unconscious. Gideon looked to the nurse. "Ah thought... Ah thought ya said she wasn't..."

"She's not, Gid. If ya listen, ya can hear her breathin' still," Tyler told him.

Gideon leaned in closer and did, in fact, hear her still breathing, though he couldn't help noticing the slow heartbeat she had. He reached over and took her paw. "Mama... Mama, Ah... Ah love ya..."

Tyler didn't stop him. He went to her other side and took her other paw. "We both do."

Several minutes passed before Amanda was heard regaining consciousness, but she was quite weak. Unable to sit up, she turned to her side, looking at Gideon and Tyler.

"Mama! Yer awake!" Gideon squeezed her paw again.

"Gideon... Sweetie..." she said, weakly.

"W... what is it, Mama," Gideon asked, nervously.

"I want... for you to stay strong for me... and for your dad," she said in a soft, weak voice.

"Mama," Gideon looked confused for a moment then caught on. When he did though, he started tearing up again. "Yer... yer not gonna..."

"I'm not going... to lie to you, Gideon... I feel very weak... and very tired..." She tried to squeeze Gideon's paw but didn't have much strength. "I want you... to go home. I don't want y..."

"Not a chance, Mama," Gideon interrupted. "Ah'm not leavin', no matter what. Ah... Ah wanna be here fer ya..." He brushed his tears from his eyes.

"Gid," Tyler looked at him. "If ya don't wanna leave... then..." He paused a moment. "Let's make yer Mama as comfortable as we can."

Gideon nodded. He and Tyler spent several minutes, along with the nurse, helping her with whatever they could.

Eventually, about half an hour later, Amanda spoke up. "Gideon... I love you."

"Ah love ya too, Mama," the kit replied through his tears. "Ah'll say it as much as Ah have ta. And Ah'll be right here."

"Gideon, yer Mama is," Tyler started but Gideon stopped him.

"Ah... Ah know, Papa... Ah... Ah can feel it," the kit said, choking back a tear. He looked to his mother. "Mama... Please, d... don't f... fight it. Ah d... don't wanna see ya in pain anymore."

"My brave... brave boy," the vixen gave a small smile. "I'm so proud of you..."

"Fer what, Mama?"

"For staying strong... You're gonna be... a great man when you get older," Amanda replied.

"Ah... Ah hope so, M... Mama." Gideon started to tremble.

As they stood there, the same doctor that had come in before came in and joined the nurse, monitoring her.

Both Gideon and Tyler looked at each other, frowning. Neither one was happy because they knew what was about to happen.

"Mama... close.... Close yer eyes. It..." Gideon sniffled. "It'll be okay, Mama... Ya won't be in pain anym..." Gideon broke, and started bawling.

Neither the doctor nor the nurse spoke so much as a word.

As the kit stood there, crying, he looked through his tear-filled eyes at his mom.

"It's like ya said, Gid. She's gonna go ta sleep, and her pain will be all gone," Tyler replied. He looked to Amanda, as his own eyes filled with tears. "She'll go to sleep, and she'll be better."

"Tyler... Gideon... I love you," came Amanda's weak voice. Her voice was now little more than a strained whisper.

"We love you too," they both said.

"And we always..." Gideon sniffled. "Always will..." Gideon leaned in and kissed his mother on the forehead, with Tyler doing the same. "Go... Go ta sleep, Mama. We're... we're right here with ya."

Amanda let her eyes close then. "Thank you."

No one said another word from that point forward. The only sounds heard came from the heart monitor, which beeped slower and slower until eventually Amanda's heartbeat stopped.

Almost instantly after, Gideon leaned in and kissed the top of her head again. "Rest in p... peace, Mama. Yer always gonna be in... in my heart."

Tyler was quiet as Gideon spoke, and just brushed Amanda's cheek.

The doctor briefly spoke with the nurse, who wrote something down, before turning to Tyler and Gideon. "I am very sorry for your loss."

"Thank ya," Tyler replied.

Gideon looked at the doctor. "It... It isn't fair..." He sniffed back several tears. "But... at least she doesn't have ta suffer now."

"That's right. She's pain-free now." The doctor nodded.

The next several minutes were spent with Tyler speaking with the doctor about what needed to be done from that point. Eventually, Tyler took Gideon's paw and, after they both kissed Amanda's head one last time, he led Gideon out of the room.

"Papa... Ah hate this," the kit said, sniffling.

"Ah know... Ah hate it too, but we're gonna get through this together. Ah promise," Tyler told him as they walked.

"Papa... When we get home... Can Ah... just go ta bed. Ah don't feel like Ah could eat dinner," Gideon said with a frown.

"Ah understand. Ah don't think Ah'm feelin' all that hungry either," Tyler replied.

The two made their way back to their home, with Gideon quickly texting Travis, as well as Alizar, to update them. When he got home, Gideon went to his bedroom, and, much like the previous night, Gideon undressed, climbed in bed and cried himself to sleep.