# Anon, Sam, Ripley - Hello, Misery Department

Title: Anon, Sam, Ripley - Hello Misery Department
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Samantha, Ripley
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Anonymous
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The ringing of the phone sounds muffled to my ears. I’m sure it’s the cheap cell phone speakers, combined with the poor quality of the call. Maybe if I repeat that lie, I can make it sound like the truth. The phone rings once, twice, three times. I pray to Raptor Jesus they never pick up.
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“Hello?” Her voice is calm, but underneath I can sense her excitement. “Anon, is that you?” The sound of crashing waves forms a baseline to her voice, the cheap phone speakers making the normally soothing sound tinny and distorted. They were still on vacation…
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“Hi Sam, is… is Ripley there?” My voice is hoarse, and I can barely speak the words.
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“One second dear, he’s just getting our drinks.” A momentary pause, a voice half-heard asking Sam a question. “Okay, you’re on speaker!”
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“Anon, is that you, son? How’s my little granddaughter doing?” The joy in Ripley’s voice nearly causes the tears to return.
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“Yeah, s-she’s doing great. The, uh… the nurses say she can go home tomorrow. You’d love it, Sam, she’s got your eyes for sure.” Please, someone, stop me.
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“Oh, Anon, that’s wonderful!” I can hear Sam clapping on the other side, thousands of miles away from misery. “How’s Fang holding up?”
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“Yeah, Anon, put ‘er on! God, you two must be so proud, a daughter! I was so happy when Fang was born. What? Yes, yes dear, sorry.” Please, Ripley. Please stop.
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“Fang’s…” my voice breaks at the mention of her name. I immediately descend into uncontrollable sobbing, trying to wheeze out a response.
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“Anon? Anon, sweetie, what’s wrong?” Sam’s concern for me only makes me feel worse. “Please, Anon, what’s the matter?! Are you okay, is something wrong with the baby?”
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“No, it’s not…” I manage to take a shuddering breath. A large part of me is disgusted with myself, with the mere fact that I’m speaking of the unspeakable. Oh, how easier it would be, to simply hang up now, to crawl away and die.
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“Anon, pull yourself together, boy!”
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“It’s Fang. There was a… a complication, in childbirth. Something went wrong, and, and then… Oh Jesus, fucking Jesus…” The hand across my eyes does little to hold in the tears. “Sam, Ripley, Fang’s…. she’s gone, Fang’s gone.”
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For a moment, all I can hear on the other end of the call is the sound of crashing waves.
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“No! NononononoNONONOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Sam’s shriek is primal, a pure expression of total and utter despair. No one should have to make that noise, let alone hear it.
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“Fang’s…” Ripley can’t bring himself to say it. I can picture him, the powerful man who had commanded so much respect in his life, reduced to a magnificent ruin with just a phone call from across the ocean. Sam’s wail is quieter now, as if she’s fallen to the ground. I realize I’ve joined her, collapsing on the floor of the room I once shared with Fang, sobbing uncontrollable as the screams of torment continued to spill out of that damn phone. Ripley is just repeating her name, over and over and over.
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As I curl up into a fetal ball, it's all I can do to join him.