Next to Normal: Barely Survive
Fandom: Next to Normal (not Feeling Electric. Yes, there is a difference.)
Title: Barely Survive
Author: Ai (armageddoni)
Characters: Dan, Diana, Gabriel
Pairing: Dan/Diana
Word count: 452 words
Genre: Angst
Rating: PG-13, for mature content
Summary: Someone simply said...
Notes: Prompt was: Gabriel-vulnerable. Owie. I know this isn't exactly according to the meme rules, but... yeah. Also? Never, EVER let me near Dan Brown again. For both our sakes.
Dedication: To Haley, for the prompt.
Disclaimer: I do not own Next to Normal; Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey do.
Four little words.
“Your child is dead.”
There were words before that, and there were words after, but those four words echoed in Dan’s ears, deafening him as his wife collapsed into sobs next to him.
His child was dead.
His son was dead.
Gabriel was dead.
Dan’s whole body was stiff as Diana clung to him, sobbing, screaming the baby’s name, screaming, screaming as they dragged her off him. His child was dead. Their child was dead.
His first reaction, after paralyzing numbness, was denial. No. No. There had to have been a mistake. The baby was fine, he was fine, babies cried…
His had stopped crying.
Diana’s screams could be heard down the hall. She had screamed for him too, just a few hours earlier. The baby, the baby, she’d left him for a second to fetch one of his toys, and when she’d come back, he’d stopped moving.
He’d stopped crying.
The baby had stopped crying.
He was so cold. It was April, April… April shouldn’t have been this cold.
“Mr. Goodman?”
A doctor. In his face, needing to make sure he didn’t need to be hauled off with Diana.
“Mr. Goodman, are you alright?”
No, he wanted to say. No, I’m not all right. My son is dead. My baby is dead.
Instead, he said, “I want to see him.” I want to see him. He didn’t, really. He didn’t. He wanted to just go home and have things be the same, exactly as they were before. He wanted his family back.
They escorted him to the empty room where they’d placed the body for the time being. The doctor prattled on about how they’d tried, but they had diagnosed it too late, they were too late. They had tried…
‘Not hard enough,’ Dan though bitterly, never taking his eyes off the bulge under the green blanket.
“I’ll just… leave you alone.” A door shutting.
Cold silence.
Dan reached out a trembling hand- he was shaking- and gently wrapped his fingers around the edge of the blanket. Oh god. His hand had brushed the baby’s head. He was so cold.
Slowly, Dan peeled back the blanket. There he was. The baby, lying face up, his small, precious eyelids closed, his hair swept over his had.
Eighteen months old.
Dan’s baby. His son. His…
Your child is dead.
Your child is dead.
Dan’s child was dead.
He looked so vulnerable, lying on that table in is diaper and t-shirt. So still. So cold.
Your child is dead.
Your child is dead.
Gabriel was dead.
Dan broke, gathering his son up in his arms, sobbing. “Gabriel,” he whispered. “Gabriel.”
So cold.
Dead.
Your child is dead.
Your child is dead.
Title: Barely Survive
Author: Ai (armageddoni)
Characters: Dan, Diana, Gabriel
Pairing: Dan/Diana
Word count: 452 words
Genre: Angst
Rating: PG-13, for mature content
Summary: Someone simply said...
Notes: Prompt was: Gabriel-vulnerable. Owie. I know this isn't exactly according to the meme rules, but... yeah. Also? Never, EVER let me near Dan Brown again. For both our sakes.
Dedication: To Haley, for the prompt.
Disclaimer: I do not own Next to Normal; Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey do.
Four little words.
“Your child is dead.”
There were words before that, and there were words after, but those four words echoed in Dan’s ears, deafening him as his wife collapsed into sobs next to him.
His child was dead.
His son was dead.
Gabriel was dead.
Dan’s whole body was stiff as Diana clung to him, sobbing, screaming the baby’s name, screaming, screaming as they dragged her off him. His child was dead. Their child was dead.
His first reaction, after paralyzing numbness, was denial. No. No. There had to have been a mistake. The baby was fine, he was fine, babies cried…
His had stopped crying.
Diana’s screams could be heard down the hall. She had screamed for him too, just a few hours earlier. The baby, the baby, she’d left him for a second to fetch one of his toys, and when she’d come back, he’d stopped moving.
He’d stopped crying.
The baby had stopped crying.
He was so cold. It was April, April… April shouldn’t have been this cold.
“Mr. Goodman?”
A doctor. In his face, needing to make sure he didn’t need to be hauled off with Diana.
“Mr. Goodman, are you alright?”
No, he wanted to say. No, I’m not all right. My son is dead. My baby is dead.
Instead, he said, “I want to see him.” I want to see him. He didn’t, really. He didn’t. He wanted to just go home and have things be the same, exactly as they were before. He wanted his family back.
They escorted him to the empty room where they’d placed the body for the time being. The doctor prattled on about how they’d tried, but they had diagnosed it too late, they were too late. They had tried…
‘Not hard enough,’ Dan though bitterly, never taking his eyes off the bulge under the green blanket.
“I’ll just… leave you alone.” A door shutting.
Cold silence.
Dan reached out a trembling hand- he was shaking- and gently wrapped his fingers around the edge of the blanket. Oh god. His hand had brushed the baby’s head. He was so cold.
Slowly, Dan peeled back the blanket. There he was. The baby, lying face up, his small, precious eyelids closed, his hair swept over his had.
Eighteen months old.
Dan’s baby. His son. His…
Your child is dead.
Your child is dead.
Dan’s child was dead.
He looked so vulnerable, lying on that table in is diaper and t-shirt. So still. So cold.
Your child is dead.
Your child is dead.
Gabriel was dead.
Dan broke, gathering his son up in his arms, sobbing. “Gabriel,” he whispered. “Gabriel.”
So cold.
Dead.
Your child is dead.
Your child is dead.