Consolation Parents - 1. Chapter 1

I was sound asleep when my cell phone began to ring. I always leave it on the nightstand where it will be easy to reach and the ringtone indicated the call was coming from my sister's house. Although I didn't have any idea what she might want, I figured it must be important for her to be calling at this hour. Fortunately, it hadn't awakened my boyfriend, Jeremy, but then again he can sleep through just about anything. I glanced over at his mop of dirty blond hair extending above the sheet, as I groggily reached over and answered the phone.

"Hey, sis. What's up?" I offered in greeting, slightly perkier than I though I was capable of at that hour of the morning.

"This is Officer Light from the Jefferson Police Department," the voice responded. "Are you Scott Fisher, the brother of Kelly Coleman?"

"Yes, I am. What is this about and why are you at her house?" I snapped back, totally confused. As I was saying this, I pulled my feet out from under the sheet and sat up on the bed.

"I'm here because there's a problem and I need your help," the officer replied. "The babysitter says she has to go home and can't stay with your nephews any longer, so she gave me your name. I was wondering if you would be willing to come here and watch them for a while."

"Of course. I'd be glad to. But where is my sister and her husband?" I demanded, even more confused than before. I was starting to panic.

"I'm afraid they were involved in an automobile accident earlier and have been taken to the hospital," he answered, without showing a great deal of emotion.

"Are they all right?" I basically shouted, definitely concerned. My mind was filled with horrible images, as I automatically envisioned the worst.

"That I can't tell you," Officer Light replied. "You'll have to call Mercy Hospital to get that information. I was merely sent here to check on your nephews and make sure they were being looked after. If you can't do this, then I'll have to call Child Protective Services."

"I told you I'd do it and I'll be there just as soon as I get dressed," I answered, before I hung up. I was slightly miffed that he hadn't been paying attention.

I quickly grabbed my pants and began to pull them on. As I finished dressing, I was unable to get the thought out of my mind that this wasn't really happening. It had to be a bad dream.

Once my brain cleared and I started to think more clearly, I realized I wasn't dreaming. Today, well actually yesterday now, was my sister's 15th wedding anniversary, so she and her husband must have gone out to celebrate and been involved in an accident. I just hoped Matt wasn't driving under the influence at the time.

When I was ready to leave, I gently woke my boyfriend to let him know where I was going.

"Hun, I've got to run over to my sister's house," I told the slightly incoherent form lying on the opposite side of the bed. "I'll call you in the morning, so I can fill you in about what happened. Talk to you then."

After saying this, I looked into his unfocused hazel eyes, bent down and kissed him on the forehead, before hurrying out of the bedroom. Jeremy merely grunted something I didn't understand in response, but I doubted he'd even remember that I'd spoken to him when he got up later. I then went outside and hopped in the car.

As I began to drive, I wondered if my nephews knew what was going on. They were 8, 10 and 12, so I was sure they'd be very scared and upset if they knew their parents were in the hospital. I'd always been close with the boys, so I hoped I might be able to help calm them down, if that was the case. As I pulled into the driveway of my sister's house, I saw the patrol car out in front. Since the babysitter had to leave, it was obvious Officer Light had waited for me to get there.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," he greeted me, as I walked into the house. He looked to be about my age, which meant he was in his late 20s or early 30s. He was also about my height, had ebony hair and beautiful, blue eyes. "Since the babysitter was in a hurry, I told her I'd stay until you arrived."

"Thank you for doing that," I confirmed. Even though I knew he couldn't have left my nephews alone without getting into trouble, I was still grateful he waited. "So you don't know anything about my sister or brother-in-law's conditions?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't," he answered, but this time his face reflected a pained expression. I could tell he felt badly that he couldn't give me any information.

"Have the boys been told about any of this?" I followed, since I was concerned how they were taking the news.

"No, they were sleeping when I got here, so I decided not to wake them. They didn't need their sleep interrupted just to receive upsetting news," he responded, as his face took on a somber expression.

"I agree and I'm glad you let them sleep," I offered, as sincerely as I could. "I'll stay with the boys and make sure they get off to school in the morning. I'll also run over to the hospital to check on their parents, as soon as the boys are in class. I plan on calling the hospital in a few minutes as well, because I want to find out how they're doing."

"I understand, and since you have a lot to do, I'll get out of your way," Officer Light agreed, as he placed a hand upon my shoulder. "I wish you and your family the very best and hope everything works out for the best."

I thanked Officer Light as he walked out the front door. Then, I quickly dialed the hospital.

"Mercy Hospital. How may I direct your call?" the receptionist answered.

"I'm calling to check up on my sister and her husband, Kelly and Matt Coleman," I began, while once again struggling to control my emotions. "I was told by the police that they were brought there after being involved in an accident."

"Just one second and I'll connect you with that department," the receptionist replied, after looking up their names.

"Emergency room, Alisha Newman speaking," the woman answered. "How may I assist you?"

I repeated my story.

"I'd prefer not to give that information out over the phone," she countered. "If you would come in to the hospital, then I'd been happy to inform you in person."

"Look, I'm currently at my sister's house watching her three young sons," I responded angrily, desperate for information. "I'd rather not have to wake them and then drag them down there to do that. Can't you just tell me how they are?"

There was a brief hesitation on the other end, while she decided how to respond to my request. Finally, I heard her speak again.

"I regret to inform you that your brother-in-law didn't survive his injuries and passed away before reaching the hospital," she began. "Your sister is currently in surgery and was listed in critical condition when she was brought in."

"Do you know how this happened?" I pressed, still unable to completely fathom the severity of this event.

"All we were told was that it was the result of a traffic mishap," she explained, which immediately raised the hackles on my neck.

Mishap? My brother-in-law was dead and my sister was in surgery, but she called it a mishap? I understood she probably said it this way to help keep me calm, but a mishap? That made it sound as if someone's vehicle had merely sideswiped their car as they passed or they had backed into another driver while leaving the parking space. Unfortunately, my sister and brother-in-law's injuries suggested that either two vehicles had crashed into one another or their car had smashed into something else.

"Would you please call and inform me when she gets out of surgery? I need to know how she is doing," I pressed, agitated that the nurse didn't know more. I was also deeply concerned about how my sister was doing.

She agreed to do that, so I gave her both my cell and sister's home phone numbers. Then I went up to my sister's bedroom to see if I could get a little more sleep. It was a futile effort though, since my mind was spinning. As it turned out, I was actually glad that I hadn't dozed off, because the phone rang less than an hour later.

"Mr. Fisher?" the voice asked, and I could already tell the news wasn't going to be good. It was obvious from the tone and unevenness in her voice. "This is Alisha Newman from the Mercy Hospital Emergency Room. I promised to call you back, but I have some bad news. I regret to inform you that your sister passed away from her injuries while in surgery."

After hearing the news, I immediately broke down and began to cry. Not only had I lost my sister, but her sons had now lost both of their parents. How were any of us going to get through this?

After thanking her for being kind enough to call back and giving me the news as delicately as she could, I numbly fell backward on the bed. My mind was reeling from everything I'd been told. What was I going to tell the kids in the morning and how were any of us going to survive this terrible calamity?

The family I grew up with was no longer around, because our parents had passed away previously. Our mother died of breast cancer shortly after Kelly and Matt's second son was born and our father suffered a massive heart attack at work a year later. In a way, that might be considered a blessing in disguise now, because they wouldn't have to suffer through the loss of their daughter. It also meant that I, along with Kelly's sons, were the only ones left on this side of the family.

Matt's parents were still living, although they resided in another state and weren't in very good health. His mom had MS and was confined to a wheelchair, so she had her good days and bad. His father had lost a leg to diabetes and could barely get around as well, but he managed to take care of both of them, with some help from home health aides. Now, I had a dilemma. Should I call Matt's parents and tell them the awful news or would the police or hospital take care of that? I was so confused, I wasn't sure what to do.

When I looked at the clock again, I noticed it was a few minutes after seven and decided to call Matt's mom and dad. I figured they might take the news better from me, rather than hearing it from a dispassionate doctor, nurse or police officer. I grabbed my sister's personal phone directory and looked up the number. I dialed it carefully, since I was both tired and upset. I certainly didn't want to reach a wrong number and then have someone go off on me about calling so early. After a few seconds, the call went through and was answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello," the masculine voice answered.

"Mr. Coleman, this is Scott Fisher... Kelly's brother," I began, my voice slightly cracking. "Has anyone contacted you yet?"

"About what?" he replied, so I immediately knew they hadn't.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Kelly and Matt were involved in an accident while driving home last night," I informed him, while trying not to break down completely. "I don't have all of the details about what happened, but I've been in touch with the hospital. Regrettably, I was informed that both Kelly and Matt have succumbed to their injuries."

"Oh my God!" was his immediate and honest reaction, but then there was complete silence. After a lengthy pause, he finally spoke again. "Did they suffer?"

"That I can't answer with any certainty, because I don't know the details about what occurred," I confessed. "I was just told that Matt died on the way to the hospital and Kelly passed away in surgery."

Again there was another slight pause. I knew a lot was going through his mind, so I didn't rush him.

"I don't know how I'm going to break the news to mother, because I'm afraid it might kill her," he finally uttered, his voice choked with emotion. "What about the boys?"

"I'm at the house with them now, although they're still sleeping," I confirmed. "I'm not going to send them to school, but I'm still trying to figure out how to break the news to them."

"I certainly don't envy you that job," Mr. Coleman stated and I knew he sincerely meant this.

Before we ended the call, he and I agreed to plan the funerals together. He told me to pick out the funeral home and he'd find a way to get his wife and him there to help decide everything else. I told him that would be fine and gave him my cell phone number, so he could reach me if I was out running errands at the time.

Just as soon as I got off the phone, I called in to work and explained the situation to my boss. He told me not to worry about anything and advised me I'd be able to take the standard three bereavement days. I then asked if I could use some of my vacation time as well, so I could take care of the boys and deal with the many questions I had about what was going to happen to them. He agreed to work with me on this, so I thanked him before ending the call.

Once I hung up, I dialed my boyfriend next.

"Where are you?" he wondered, so I knew he hadn't understood what I'd told him a few hours previously.

I quickly filled him in about everything that had happened and he was deeply shocked and saddened as well. I could tell he was very concerned about me and wondered how I was holding up, because he offered to call into work and take a few days off too. He said as soon as he did that, he'd drive over to my sister's house to give me a hand, so I told him I'd appreciate that and would see him in a little while.

I was still in my sister's bed, trying to decide what to do next, when there was a knock on the bedroom door. It opened after I said, "Come in," and I quickly saw it was her oldest son, Tyler.

"Hey, Uncle Scott. What are you doing here," the 12-year old wondered, while looking in my direction. "Where's my mom and dad? It's late and no one woke us up, so aren't we going to school today?"

Tyler had auburn hair and brown eyes, just like his mother and me, but his hair was currently unruly and sticking out in all directions. In fact, except for the bad case of 'bedhead,' he looked a lot like his mother. He also appeared fairly cheerful, but I knew that wasn't going to last for much longer.

"That's a difficult story, so why don't you come over here and sit down beside me, so I can explain," I replied, hoping he wouldn't panic.

He looked totally confused, but did as I requested. I had no idea about how I was going to break the news to him, but I wanted to do it gently. On the other hand, I wondered if there actually was a good way to do it.

"Tyler, I got a call last night to come over here and stay with you boys," I began. "The babysitter said she had to go home and your parents weren't here yet, so I agreed. I don't know how to tell you this so it will make it any easier, but your parents aren't going to be coming home."

"What do you mean? Where are they?" he demanded, as his eyes grew wide.

"There was an accident last night and your mom and dad are both in heaven now," I offered, as gently as I knew how.

His face immediately began to contort into an unrecognizable grimace, as he broke down and started to bawl. Seeing this, I reached out and pulled him to me. I hugged him with all my might, as I cradled him against my chest and allowed him to release his emotions. He continued to sob for several more minutes, but eventually stopped long enough to ask a question.

"What's going to happen to me and my brothers now?" he wanted to know. I could read the fear that was currently registering in his eyes, along with the grief.

"I'll take care of everything and promise you three will be fine," I assured him, as best I could. "I won't let anything happen to any of you."

That seemed to calm him down slightly, until his next oldest brother entered the room through the open doorway. Marcus saw me hugging Tyler and then noticed Tyler's tear streaked face, just as soon as Tyler turned in his direction. That's when Marcus kicked into the panic mode too.

"What's wrong, why are you crying and why is Uncle Scott here in mom and dad's bed?" the 10-year old rattled off in one long run-on sentence.

Marcus had mousy brown hair and hazel eyes, which meant he looked just like his father. At the moment, however, he merely looked like a scared, little boy.

"Mom and Dad are dead," Tyler blurted out, before I had a chance to tone down the cruel reality of the situation.

Marcus' face went completely ashen, just before he collapsed on the floor. I immediately jumped up from the bed and rushed to his side. After lifting his limp body, I carried him over to the bed. I then sat down and cradled him across my lap. I held him like that until he started to come to. Once that happened, I hugged Marcus against my chest and placed my right arm around Tyler's shoulder. While I was comforting both boys in this fashion, I allowed them to share a very emotional and painful release.

When I got those two calmed down a little while later, I answered all of Marcus' questions as best I could. I then decided I should go check on Ethan, their youngest brother, next. He was still asleep in his room, at least as far as I knew, and I would have to share the bad news with him as well. I wanted to do it alone, but his brothers were insistent that they wanted to be there when I told him. After getting both boys to promise to let me tell Ethan what happened, we all got up and started down the hallway.

Ethan was still sound asleep when we got there, so I sat down on the bed beside him. I observed him lying there for awhile, with his dirty blonde head of hair resting on the pillow, and was struck by how angelic he looked. Gently, I reached out and began to shake his shoulder, as his brothers stood beside me, staring at Ethan. When he began to open his eyes, he spotted the three of us and immediately realized something was wrong.

"Why are you guys crying?" the 8-year old demanded, as his brown eyes searched his brothers' faces and he bolted upright in bed. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"Ethan I have some bad news to share with you," I began, as I pulled him toward me. "Last night there was a terrible accident and God took your parents to live with him in heaven."

Ethan looked at me and then at his brothers, as my words slowly began to sink into his brain. Then his face began to screw up in a horrific expression of grief, as the tears sprang from his eyes. I held him as he dealt with his emotions, but I also signaled for his brothers to join us on the bed. After placing Ethan on my lap, I had Marcus sit on my left and Tyler on my right, so I could comfort all three of them at the same time.

We must have spent the next thirty minutes like that, as they released their sorrow and I answered the occasional questions they asked. Once we had waded through that minefield for a while, I took the boys downstairs, so I could fix them something to eat.

As they were choking down their breakfast, Jeremy showed up. He came into the kitchen and sat with us, so he could tell the boys how sorry he was. I was really glad he was there with us too, because now he could help me take care of everything.

Once the boys finished eating, I asked Tyler to give me the information about their schools. I then called each office and explained the situation to them. Once those details had been cleared up, Jeremy and I took the boys into the living room and sat with them on the sofa for awhile, as we tried to reassure them that they were going to be all right.

Once I felt the boys had calmed down enough to no longer need me, I asked Jeremy to watch them, so I could take care of some other matters. I explained that I had a couple of phone calls to make, a few errands to run and several other things I needed to do, as I arranged for their parents' funerals. Jeremy understood, and so did the boys, which allowed me to go into another room to make the phone calls.

I decided to contact Kelly and Matt's attorney first, to see if he had any information I should know. I happened to notice his name and number while I was searching for Matt's parents' phone number in Kelly's little book. The lawyer suggested that I make an appointment to stop by and see him a little later, so he could fill me in on everything I wanted to know. After that, I called Kelly and Matt's employers and informed them about why neither one would be coming in to work. Once that had been taken care of, I called the funeral home and made an appointment to plan their final arrangements.

As soon as I got off the phone, I kissed Jeremy and the boys goodbye and then set out for the funeral home. I chose to use the same place that had handled both of my parents funerals, because I liked the director and he'd always been very helpful and extremely considerate. Once he agreed to take care of everything, I went with him to the 'casket room' to select Kelly's coffin. I told him I'd bring Matt's parents around to pick out his casket later, just as soon as they arrived. I then gave him the information he'd requested for the obituaries, since he offered to take care of that for us as well.

From there, I drove to the florist shop and picked out several arrangements. First, I selected two floral bouquets, one for Kelly and the other for Matt, which would be from Jeremy and me. Then, I ordered two casket sprays that would be placed on the lower half of each casket, but those would be from the boys to their parents. I also picked out two floral crosses, which would he placed against the casket lining, just above each body. Once that had been taken care of, I headed over to the lawyer's office next.

His secretary was very sweet and consoling when she greeted me, but I had to wait in the reception area briefly, before I could see her boss. When he was ready, I was guided into his office and he offered his condolences as well. Then, he asked me to sit down.

"I've pulled your sister and brother-in-law's wills and read them over," he began. "They're both in order and here's basically what they state. Other than a small bequest for Matt's parents, if they are still living, everything else has been left to you. You are listed as their primary beneficiary and guardian of their minor children."

"What?" I responded, totally shocked. "They never said anything about that!"

"It's all in their wills," he explained, while attempting to calm me down. "Your parents had originally been listed in that role, but once your mother died, it went from the two of them to just your father. When he passed away, your sister and brother-in-law changed everything over into your name. I thought they had informed you about this."

"They never said a word," I mumbled, while still trying to comprehend what it meant.

"Well seeing they were both young and healthy, they probably thought you'd never be needed to assume this responsibility, so they chose not to apprise you," he offered in return, while noting my reaction. "Unfortunately, life has a strange way of springing unwanted surprises on us and this is one of them. Am I correct in assuming you are willing to honor their wishes and take over custodial responsibility for your nephews?"

"Of course I am, even if I wasn't planning on it," I answered. "I just had no idea that I was my sister's backup plan if anything were to happen to her and her husband."

"They obviously trusted you or they wouldn't have given you such an important responsibility," he stated, while trying to sound comforting.

"I won't let them down, but I just didn't expect this," I replied.

"I'll do everything I can to assist you, so the transition will be as easy as possible," he offered. "I'll see to it that the house is transferred over into your name and I'll prepare the legal documents for you to take custody of the boys. I'll also make sure the insurance settlements get to you, along with whatever money was left in their personal financial accounts. Just in case you weren't aware of this, Kelly and Matt had also prearranged for their cemetery plots. If you'd like, I'll contact the funeral home and give them the information for you."

I agreed that would be helpful, but he told me the details as well, just so I'd know.

"I wish you the best of luck and please contact me if there is anything else I can do to assist you," he added, once our business was concluded.

I thanked him for his help and assured him that I would let him know if I needed anything else. After I left his office, I got in the car and quickly called Jeremy on my cell phone.

"Hun, you're not going to believe this," I began, as I told him the story about what I'd just found out.

"That's fine and we'll do this together," he promised. "I'm very fond of your nephews and enjoy being around them. I've always wanted children, so this will work out for all of us. Don't worry about a thing. We'll be the best consolation parents we can be."

I had to chuckle at the way he phrased this, because that's what we were - the consolation prize. Even so, we would be the best parents we could possibly be for the boys.

Matt's parents arrived later that afternoon, after one of the agencies they relied upon for assistance helped to arrange their trip. Shortly after they got to the house, I took them to the funeral home and florist shop, as I retraced the steps I had taken earlier. Then we contacted the church Kelly and Matt had belonged to and planned the service with the minister.

After I took Matt's parents back to Kelly and Matt's house, I explained everything else to them. The Colemans then told me they were glad Kelly and Matt had named me the boys' guardian, because they knew Jeremy and I would do a great job raising them. I thanked them for their support and told the Colemans they would always be welcomed in our home. Jeremy and I also promised to take the boys to see them from time to time.

The funeral was very rough for each of us to get through, since we all took the deaths so hard. It's difficult enough to cope with the loss of someone who was old and had lived a full life, but when we lose those who were young and vital, it just makes it that much harder to accept. In this case, Kelly and Matt were only in their mid-30s. As expected, the boys took it the worst, but I have to admit the three of them held up better than I suspected. They were all good little troopers throughout the entire ordeal and did their parents proud.

Even though Jeremy and I stayed with the boys the entire time, we only brought enough of our things with us to survive for a few days. Once the funerals were behind us, Jeremy and I returned to our place, packed up the rest of our belongings and then moved everything in with the boys. It only made sense, since our place was so small and this would allow the boys to remain in familiar surroundings and have their own rooms.

Jeremy and I slowly got comfortable in our new roles as parents. I'm not saying it was easy or everything went perfectly, but we managed to survive. The boys, Jeremy and I have shared a lot of good times in the process, but there have also been a few struggles, as the boys tested our limits. I guess that was to be expected though.

I've also established my own backup plan with the same lawyer. When I made out my will, I named Jeremy as my beneficiary and guardian for the boys, if something should happen to me. He and I also got permission from two of our best friends, who are actually a couple, to list them as the backup to the backup plan. We did this just in case something were to happen to both of us at the same time, as it had with Kelly and Matt. For the boys' sake though, I hope that day never happens.

THE END