31_days | [February 8] [Silent Hill 4] Waiting

Title: Waiting
Day/Theme: February 8/Knowing only departures, never returns
Series: Silent Hill 4
Character/Pairing: Frank Sunderland
Rating: G
Word Count: 369
A.N. Based heavily on my personal fanon for Frank and influenced by an RP in which I play him.

Everyone always goes, Judith.

I know you had to... I know you stayed as long as you could. And you were in so much pain. I didn't want to let you go but I had to.

But the one thing you told me was always to take care of James. He was so little, then, when you left us.

I tried. I really tried. I fed him and clothed him and I made sure he had everything he needed now that he didn't have a mother. Answered all his questions about whether he'd ever see you again, even though I could hardly keep from crying myself.

I'm not going to say I was a mother and a father to him. I was working; maybe I was barely a father, but I did what I could.

I raised him up, tried to teach him respect. Made sure he went to school even though I never finished. (And I think he was a little ashamed of me, that his old man was a high school dropout.)

And he got married... I remember talking to you about that. (Do you remember? Are you even there?) She was so pretty. I went to the wedding, in a tuxedo and everything. You'd have loved Mary.

But now they're gone and I don't even know where they ended up. Silent Hill, but... Mary must have passed away. (You'd know that better than I would if you're listening.) And James... never came home.

I've waited and waited. Maybe he's there with you too.

Sometimes I can't wait for it to be me. To just let go of this world, be in a place where there are no cares... if I even deserve to go.

But then I ask myself, what if James is still here? What if he's looking for me?

I'm sure he's not. But I keep waiting for him to knock on the door, to tell me he's sorry for leaving me all alone.

Even the detective I sent after him (and I could barely afford it) told me to give up, to forget.

James will never come back, any more than you will.

But I'll be here, as long as I can, wishing.