Givar, winter, 2005
Tobi is 33; Cameron Smith is 28, Ping, Aaron and Simora are 6; Matt is 2, Craig Smith is 3 simlonic months
Tobi sighed as he flipped the pages of the newspaper. He wasn't bored, not in the least bit. He just felt at a standstill. He couldn't go any higher with the force due to his lack of a university degree. Heck, the position he was currently in shouldn't be his thanks to the new educational requirements, thankfully he was grandfathered in. Tobi didn't want to be a detective all his career, but the bosses had made it clear that this was the last stop on the train for him. If he wanted something different he would have to leave the force and try a new career. Even if he returned to the force, he would never be able to climb as high as he was now.
Tobi tossed the paper aside and headed upstairs to spend some quality time with his son. Matt was growing bigger everyday. Currently the little boy was enchanted with his nose and the items he could pull from there as well as push in there.
His youngest, Craig, was entering the cooing stage. Tobi babbled a bit with the infant who responded in coos and drool.
The triplets were growing bigger every day. They were enjoying school and making friends. However, they were still each others best friends.
They perferred each other as opposed to outsiders.
They even made time for their younger brothers, which was a relief for Tobi. He didn't want them to become too wrapped up in their trio that they forgot about their other siblings.
Thankfully Julio was nearby whenever Tobi wanted some adult conversation. The Wilsonoffs had moved next door a few simlonic months ago which was a godsend.
Tobi finally had someone to chat with concerning the latest scores.
Not that Cameron wouldn't listen, she did, but she was busy with her new job. As soon as she returned from work she would spend some time with Craig before opening her books.
She insisted that she had to stay abreast of the newest algae species so that she knew what she was looking for. Tobi tried not to allow her to see his eyes glaze over.
Usually whenever she started talking about algae, Tobi did what he did best. Kiss.
He was getting over his ex-wife, finally. Li had turned down his offer for a family vacation, which was probably just as well as it allowed him to reconnect with Cameron. He truly loved her, he did. Didn't every sim go through a phase of wondering what they had left behind. The curse of the chouldas, shouldas and wouldas.
Funny, his thoughts never turned to Ginger. He hadn't seen her in simlonic months. He had heard that she was pregnant and that they had recently adopted a little girl. He smirked to himself, if he had ended up with Ginger perhaps the family would be eating better.
"After dinner you can play Puzzleit on the computer," Cameron offered Aaron who had completed all his homework on time.
"We should take the triplets out to celebrate," Tobi mentioned in light of their recent school reports.
"We could go to the movies,"
"Yea, the new LlamaRama movie is coming out. Please, please, please."
"I don't know...we'll have to discuss it." Tobi promised.
"Ping, you're quiet." Cameron noticed.
"I don't feel good."
"Why don't you lay down on the couch," Tobi urged concerned. He had recieved a note stating that Ping had tested positive for the Plumbbob Virus and as a result would probably feel tired.
Most of the family was upstairs, except for Tobi. He was washing dishes when he heard it. First a soft cough, then it got louder as though his son was choking.
"Quick, call the doctors!" He yelled as he tried to help his son take breaths of air.
Eventhough Julio and Suzanna arrived within minutes, it was too late.
Ping had breathed his last.
It was so sudden that it took the family by surprise.
The official report was that Ping died from complications of the Plumbbob Virus, but Tobi insisted that he wasn't that sick.
Aaron took it the hardest. Ping was not only his brother, but his best friend.
The morning of the memorial service, Cameron found Aaron sobbing in his room staring at Ping's empty bed. She tried to comfort him as best as she could, but she felt so inadequate in that aspect.
After the steady stream of visitors had died down, the family took a break and sat on the couch. Matt and Craig were asleep and the fridge was stocked of food. The voices of the visitors still rang in her ears.
"I'm so sorry for your loss,"
"He's in a better place,"
"Let us know if you need anything."
Of course, they rarely directed their words to her. As if she didn't feel grief for the boy she considered her soon. No, those words were reserved for Li and Tobi. Tobi with his worn face etched with deep wrinkles from nights spent sobbing and Li standing nearby with her stony empty eyes. It was the only time Cameron didn't feel intimidated by her, instead she felt sorrow for the woman.
Cameron sat down after putting the last pie in the fridge. She felt numb to the events surrounding her. Her ears could hear Aaron asking if Ping would haunt them like the scary movies and Tobi's response.
She heard Simora's muffled sniffles as she cuddled close to her mother
and Aaron cuddled in his father's arms.
There was no one for Cameron to cuddle with and she felt out of place. As if she didn't belong in the midst of the family's sorrow.
She excused herself as the familar wave of nausea came over her. She didn't know when she would break the news to Tobi that they were expecting again. She had planned to tell him that night...the night Ping left them and of course she didn't...and she couldn't bring herself to say anything now. This baby was surrounded with sorrow and she wondered if she would even be able to carry it to term.
It wasn't something she could dwell on. She would tell Tobi soon, not tonight and probably not tomorrow, but soon she would tell the family. For now, she just sat and felt the sorrow wrap around her and at the same time she swore she could hear Ping's laughter, as if he would come running downstairs too fast as he always did. How she wished he would come running through the house too fast.
---
Ping died as the ROS. I never had to do this for a child
Aaron really took it hard. He was crying all the time. He could be eating and then start crying or walking to bed and start crying. I was ok with the death until I saw Aaron break down like that.
Posts
Oh, how heartbreaking for everybody! I'm feeling for Cameron a lot too, having this wonderful happy news to share and no one she feels she can share it with right now, as well as not having her own grief acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteHaving to kill a child as an ROS is tough. The youngest Sim to die in my hood was a teen but that was accidental (illness).
Oh, poor Ping. I actually didn't want to continue reading but I made myself. And now Cameron is pregnant again! Good, od woman, haven't you hear of birth control! LOL Was this an "woops" baby or planned? Their little family is growing nicely.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how this is going to effect Li? I know when Newton Novak died in my hood, his mom took it the hardest out of everyone, then his sister Nadya. They cried all the time. Up until a sim year later.
OMG!! I was like..."Whaa?" It happened so fast!! Shocker.
ReplyDeleteI am really feeling bad for the whole family, but Cameron touched my heart in the last few moments of this update. I really feel for her not being able to feel included. And because nobody is making her feel like she is a part of this grieving process, too.
I can't imagine the stress of holding back the news of another baby coming and grieving at the same time...gotta be an awful situation.
Now, I see why you were so sad that time we emailed each other. Wow, I don't know if I could take a child with ROS. Probably would...but I don't really know.
Oh, how sad. Poor Ping. :( I'm not sure I could go through with an ROS like that. I feel bad for the other triplets and for Cameron. She always seems to be the odd one out in the family. Ping's death certainly casts a shadow on her happy news of the new baby.
ReplyDelete-Carla, it was tough, I waited until the last possible second to fulfill the ROS.
ReplyDelete-Riverdale, I'm not sure if the baby was planned or opps. My sims breed behind my back thanks to ACR. I was playing them and setting up the dinner scene and I saw Cameron grip her belly and I was like "what the freak!". Those two could have tried for the baby or it could have been an opps-no telling with those two. We'll see how Li responds pretty soon.
-SH, with everything that has been happening in the hood (Ana Rayne and the the patients in ICU with the virus) I couldn't bear to draw out the issue with Ping. The sad part is that I didn't really get a chance to know Ping, he was so young.
-Em, Cameron is the odd one out, I'm not sure how her future looks in this family.
Oh, this is so sad. :( The pictures of Aaron crying are heartbreaking. I feel bad for Cameron, being excluded from the grieving like she wasn't a mother to him too. And also the news that should be a happy event is just wrapped up in the sadness of the family. :(
ReplyDeleteThat is so sad... I really feel for the family. It is so hard to kill children Sims. Since you want them to grow up and develop their own personality.
ReplyDeleteTobi and Cameron need to talk about some sort of family planning. I don't think they can really afford to have anymore kids.