Finn's father, Josh Graham, was typically an easygoing person, but sometimes he would be as stubborn as a mule. When his stomach started to hurt every now and then, he always said that he was just hungry and laughed it off with a joke.
Finn and his mom Helen Graham tried making him go to the hospital, but he didn't like hospitals, so he always convinced them that it would get better by itself.
This went on until December 15, when Finn and his parents were celebrating Finn's 20th birthday.
His mother baked him a delicious-looking chocolate cake topped with whipped cream. On the cake were two candles, one in the shape of 2 and the other in the shape of 0.
Being already 20 years old didn't stop Finn from still enjoying celebrating his birthday with his parents because it allowed them to spend valuable time together as a family.
Finn was just about to blow out the candles when his dad suddenly collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the doctors told Finn and his mom that there was a tumor in Josh's stomach. To survive, he needed immediate surgery.
Upon hearing this, Finn's mom, Helen, fainted and was helped by the nurses to lie down on one of the hospital beds.
Finn, still shell-shocked by the news, agreed to his father's surgery and was asked by the doctors to wait next to his mom.
The procedure took 12 hours, and to Finn, these 12 hours felt like an eternity. He felt like his heart was being repeatedly stabbed, and he was short of breath.
Nobody deserves to have their father on the brink of death with his life or death unknown.
It also didn't help that his mom was lying unconscious in front of him and that today was his birthday.
The only plus side was that he didn't invite his friend over to his house that day, thinking that they would celebrate the next day.
But Finn didn't care about his birthday right now. All he wished for was that his dad would make it out alive.
And after 12 long hours, the doctor finally finished the operation and went to the room Finn and his mom were in.
When the doctor entered, Finn saw his bitter expression and felt his heartbeat intensify.
"I'm sorry, but it was too late. His tumor had already developed to the point where the chance of the operation succeeding was less than 10%, and even when we did our best, we still failed. I know this is extremely hard for you, but you must stay strong.
Finn had a blank expression, with tears rolling down his cheeks as he felt like his world was falling apart. After the doctor told him it was too late, Finn didn't hear anything else. It was as if his brain was overloaded and not able to process anything else.
The doctor saw this and knew from his long experience that whatever he said now would just fall on deaf ears. So, after checking on Helen to make sure she was okay after fainting, he left the room.
"Impossible… Impossible… a joke… it must be a joke… it's my birthday, I get a birthday wish, right...? So, I want my dad to hug me right now…"
Finn kept weakly mumbling to himself, refusing to accept the harsh reality.
Only after hearing his mom wake up did he leave his shocked state and hugged her while crying and screaming, with tears and snot running down his face.
His mom didn't hear the doctor as she was still unconscious by the time he left, but she instantly understood what happened after seeing Finn's state.
She knew that she was supposed to be Finn's pillar of support, but when the love of your life suddenly leaves you like this, no sane human would remain calm. She hugged Finn and also started crying.
They didn't know how long they had stayed like this, but after some time, the nurse told them the hospital was closing for the night and politely asked them to leave.
Finn and his mom slowly got up and took a cab home. When they arrived in front of their house, it was already dark outside. The streetlamps flickered, and the moon shone on the empty streets.
The Graham family lived in a two-story house with a big garden in the front. It had a trampoline that Finn used to jump on when he was young. But since Finn grew up, nobody has used it, and nowadays it was covered by a tarp.
Finn always believed that the house was sufficient for his family of three, despite its small size. It contained two bedrooms, which was plenty for their needs.
The house was painted in Helen's favorite color, yellow. Usually, the house would look bright and welcoming. Now, though, as Finn entered and looked around, it felt empty, cold, and lonely.
The living room that normally had a TV on with his dad watching a show and laughing was now silent and dark.
Finn helped his mother to the second-floor's main bedroom, which had a large bed, and put her to sleep. After crying for so long, she fell asleep instantly.
He was also exhausted, so he went to his room and also fell asleep.
The next day, he woke up with the sunlight hitting his eyes through his window and the birds chirping in the trees.
Knowing that he was now the man of the house, he had to stay strong, not only for himself but also for his mom.
He got up and went downstairs to get breakfast like every other morning, but when he entered the dining room, the chair his dad usually sat on as he read today's newspapers was empty.
His mom also wasn't there or in the kitchen, so Finn decided to go wake her up, as now they only had each other.
Opening his parents' bedroom door, he saw his mom still sleeping. He opened the curtains to let the sunlight in, but she still didn't wake up.
"Mom, wake up. I'll help with the breakfast."
After a minute of his mother not waking up, he tried to shake her by the hand, but he noticed something was wrong. She was too cold, and it was like there was no blood circulating in her body.
Finn panicked and immediately dialed 911.
"911, what is your emergency?"
A female voice sounded from the phone.
"It's my mom, she… she… isn't waking up."
"Alright, sir, calm down. Just tell me your address, and we will immediately dispatch someone to help."
The female on the other side was an experienced dispatcher and immediately noticed that something was not right.
After giving the lady his address, Finn was still trying to wake his mom up, but to no avail.
When the medics and the police arrived, they pronounced her dead, with the cause of death being a heart attack caused by grief and shock from losing her husband.
The police called Finn's uncle, and after hearing about everything, he promptly agreed to go pick him up.
After the police left, the room remained silent, with the only noise being a slight mumbling sound.
"Mom… wake up… you can't do this to me… I already lost dad yesterday... I can't lose you too… please mom, wake up… tell me it's all going to be fine like you always do…"
After some time, his uncle arrived, and after hugging him, he led Finn to his car and drove him to his house, which would become Finn's new home for the next 5 years.
---
"Finn, come down! Breakfast is ready!"
Being woken up from his memories by his mom's shout, he swung his bedroom door open and rushed down the stairs. He ran straight to the dining room, where his parents were having breakfast.
His mom was wearing an apron and had long blonde hair flowing down her back. She had ocean blue eyes that Finn got from her when he was born. She usually wore a kind smile, and even though she was nearing 50, she still looked very young and pretty.
Sitting next to her, his dad had raven black hair and a beard that was well trimmed. His bright green eyes complimented his easy-going smile as he read today's newspapers while eating the bacon and eggs his wife made for breakfast.
Finn immediately hugged Helen as he felt a forgotten sensation that he thought he would never feel again, his mother's warmth. He tightly hugged her to hide his sobbing face.
"Oh my, were you lonely, Finn? I keep telling you to find a girlfriend already."
His mom smiled while also hugging him.
"Looks like our Finn is still a kid, even though he is already nineteen!"
A loud laugh came from the head of the table, where Finn's father was reading a newspaper.
But Finn didn't care about their comments. When he felt his mom's warmth and heard his dad's laughter, it was at that moment when he decided that he was going to change the future that had previously left him broken.