my father

It has taken me awhile to return to my post. But here it goes...

As I drove to my brother's high school, I called my sister.
I didn't want her to panic when my son was with her, so I thought about what I was going to tell her. I went into Get Things Done Mode.
"Emily, this is what I need you to do," I laid out my plan of action to her step by step.
"Get dressed, then put Devyn in the car with his backpack. I need you to take him over to mom's house. Don't rush, you have enough time. Then you need to come over to the hospital. Today is the day."
"Will I get there in enough time?" she asked, close to tears but still managing to hold it together.
"I think so, I'm on my way to pick up Duncan right now. We'll be getting to the hospital probably around the same time. Don't forget to drop off the car booster seat with Devyn, so mom can take him to Kindergarten."
Devyn was blissfully ignorant to what was going on. In his 5 year old brain he knew his grandpa was sick, and probably going to die, but didn't know what death was. It was what happened to bad guys on cartoons, and as we all know bad guys don't stay dead on cartoons. He had no idea of the chaos that was swirling around him.

Then I called my father's twin brother, my Uncle Bob.
He answered after the first ring. I remember exactly what I said to him
"Uncle Bob? It's Sara, You need to come up to (the town dad lived) today."
There was a brief silence. "Is everything OK?" he breathed.
"I think today is The Day."
"I'm leaving now."

Next I called the High School. I told the woman who answered the phone that I needed to pull my brother out of class and that I was on my way over. Immediately she was suspicious, as is her nature as a high school official.
"For what reason?" she asked.
"We have a family emergency, his father is about to die and he needs to come to the hospital immediately." I said those words so calmly, but I was shaking. I have a knack of staying calm in all sorts of emergencies, but as soon as that responsibility is off my shoulders and someone else takes over, I pretty much fall apart. I was safe for now. I had things I had to do.
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
"What do we tell him when we pull him from class?" she whispered
"You don't need to tell him anything," I said, "he'll know whats going on as soon as you walk into class."
Duncan was a smart kid, really a genius. When he was a toddler, he didn't say much. We all thought he was a bit behind in the talking department. Then one day he just talked. In full sentences. Pretty much from that day on we knew there was something special about them. That and he never shut up from that day on.
I waited in the foyer of the high school.
The assistant principle escorted him from his class, and ass he approached I could see the worry on my brother's face.
"He's not dead", I blurted at him, "but we have to hurry."
The assistant principle looked uncomfortable, "let me know if you need anything Duncan"
We rushed to the hospital, while I filled Duncan in on the mornings events. When I was done, he told me he couldn't stop shaking. My dad and Duncan were like best friends, they did everything together. I'm sure in his mind he never really believed this day could come, that his dad would die.