A rough topic, but just had this conversation with a coworker and it made me realize how alien the idea of "rallies" are. For those that don't know, a rally "is an unexpected return of mental clarity and memory, or suddenly regained consciousness that occurs in the time shortly before death".
A: (Excited and happy) "Do you two remember my friend that has been sick for the last few months? The one that they didn't think would make it? ...He woke up! They said he is even eating and talking to people! Isn't that great? He might even get to come home soon."
H1: "I am so sorry... What are you doing here? You need to be there with him."
A: "What do you mean? This is a good thing. He is getting better."
H2: "...It is called a "rally". We can explain on the way. I will drive."
We made it in time thankfully. He passed about 3 hours after we got there. -- SilverRey
Human Oz activated the siren. Human Zak removed the limiter and buckled Tyko into the padded seat. "Take your calm pills," said Oz, "We're driving like maniacs."
Tyko took their medicine as directed and, before the lassitude took their ability to talk, said, "I do not understand. Human Quen is improving."
"Yeah, you don't understand," said Oz, clinging to both safety harness and the roof of the vehicle as if her life depended on it. "The technical term is terminal lucidity, and it can happen just before a Human passes."
Zak swerved erratically around the people and things that had not got out of hir way, not even sparing the time to yell at anyone. Ze just muttered, "The siren's made to get into everyone's awareness, damnit. There's hazard lights and everything."
"This is a regular occurrence?"
"Irregular. Not always..." Oz broke off to audibly wince about Zak's driving. "Not always a guarantee, but if a human's been sick for a long time, and then make a miraculous comeback. Well. It's only so they can say goodbye."
"But. Sometimes they do make a miraculous recovery, right? Sometimes they get all the way better."
Oz said, "I don't want to ruin your optimism," and did not follow that phrase with any other words.
They arrived with a squealing of brakes and tires. Oz quick-released both herself and Tyko's entire seat, holding the Havenworlder high and yelling "Dying friend! Make a hole!"
Oz made it most of the way to Quen's ward before the Medik's swarmed. Honestly, a phrase like dying friend is fraught with misunderstanding.
Human Quen was still alive. Sitting up. Bright, as the Humans were wont to say, as a button. They even waved a greeting. "Hey, it's my favourite little lizard. Oz, did you highchair them here?"
"Heard about how you were doing and I had to." Finally and at last, after the last Medik had sorted out the confusion, Oz released Tyko from the safety chair. "I know what this is."
The Humans shared a Look. "Yeah," said Quen. "Time to say the important things, buddy. Like: Looking after you has been a blast. I'm sorry I did this to myself, but other than that... I wouldn't change a thing."
"I do not want to believe you are dying," confessed Tyko. "My life is poorer without you."
"None of us want a you-shaped hole in our lives," said Oz. "Zak's getting the talk from Security. Just in case ze can't be here, ze said," here, she read off a comms message on her datareader, "Of all the assholes in my life, you were the best one."
Quen died laughing. Literally. Only the Humans agreed that it was a good way to go.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / rootstocks]
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