History Main / DistractedFromDeath

* Similarly, in the 1936 film of ''Camille'', Armand holds the dying Marguerite and assures her that she'll get well and their future will be bright. As he talks, [[BigSleep her eyes close]], and when he finishes he looks down to find her dead in his arms.

-->'''[=BoJack=]:''' See, Sarah Lynn, we're not doomed. [...] Right, Sarah Lynn?" ([[Beat]] beat) "Sarah Lynn?" ([[Beat]] beat) [[PleaseWakeUp "...Sarah Lynn?"]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' has this in the penultimate episode of season 3. In one of the biggest [[TearJerker tearjerkers]] of the entire show, [=BoJack=] and Sarah Lynn are capping off a massive drug and booze bender they've been on for the past six weeks by a visit to the planetarium, a place Sarah Lynn had been begging they go to since the beginning. Sarah Lynn nods off after saying her last words ([[CallBack "I want to be an architect..."]]), and [=BoJack=] just keeps prattling on about existentialism. It's not until [[PleaseWakeUp Sarah Lynn doesn't answer him]] that [=BoJack=] realizes she has died.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' has this in the penultimate episode of season 3. In one of the biggest [[TearJerker tearjerkers]] of the entire show, [=BoJack=] and Sarah Lynn are capping off a massive drug and booze bender they've been on for the past three days by a visit to the planetarium, a place Sarah Lynn had been begging they go to since the beginning. Sarah Lynn nods off after saying her last words ([[CallBack "I want to be an architect..."]]), and [=BoJack=] just keeps prattling on about existentialism. It's not until [[PleaseWakeUp Sarah Lynn doesn't answer him]] that [=BoJack=] realizes she has died.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' has this in the penultimate episode of season 3. In one of the biggest [-[[TearJerker tearjerkers]] of the entire show, [=BoJack=] and Sarah Lynn are capping off a massive drug and booze bender they've been on for the past three days by a visit to the planetarium, a place Sarah Lynn had been begging they go to since the beginning. Sarah Lynn nods off after saying her last words ([[CallBack "I want to be an architect..."]]), and [=BoJack=] just keeps prattling on about existentialism. It's not until [[PleaseWakeUp Sarah Lynn doesn't answer him]] that [=BoJack=] realizes she has died.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' has this in the penultimate episode of season 3. In one of the biggest tearjerkers of the entire show, Bojack and Sarah Lynn are capping off a massive drug and booze bender they've been on for the past three days by a visit to the planetarium. Sarah Lynn nods off after saying her last words ([[CallBack "I want to be an architect..."]]), and Bojack just keeps prattling on about existentialism. It's not until Sarah Lynn doesnt answer him that Bojack realizes that she has died.

* In the first ''Anime/VampirePrincessMiyu'' OAV, a boy named Miyahito leaves his girlfriend Ryoko near the bridge she has to cross to go home. The moment he turns to walk away, Ra-en/Baku attacks her. When he turns back and rushes towards Ryoko, she's already dead.

* In ''The Kindly Ones'' (the 9th volume of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'') Rose Walker is taking care of and frequently visiting her friend Zelda, an AIDS patient very close to death. When Zelda passes along a message with apparently supernatural origins that Rose should go to England, Rose does, and comes back to find herself taking care of Zelda's funeral arrangements instead of hospital care.

* Deliberately invoked in-universe in one of Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'' books, when Elijah Bailey sends the robot Daneel Olivaw out of the room before allowing himself to die, in order to protect Daneel from the harmful effects of being unable to fulfill the requirements of the ''[[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]]'' in any form. The description of Daneel's internal reaction (because of course, he knows this is what Elijah is doing) is not-so-different from what one might expect of an actual human being who couldn't bear to watch an old friend die.

* In the 1994 ''LittleWomen'' movie Jo is distracted from Beth's deathbed by the wind opening some shutters. Jo walks over to close them, then turns back to discover that Beth has died. Obvious symbolism that Beth's soul has left with the wind.

-->-- '''Letty''', ''TeenageWorrier'' series

* ''BojackHorseman'' has this in the penultimate episode of season 3. In one of the biggest tearjerkers of the entire show, Bojack and Sarah Lynn are capping off a massive drug and booze bender they've been on for the past three days by a visit to the planetarium. Sarah Lynn nods off after saying her last words ([[CallBack "I want to be an architect..."]]), and Bojack just keeps prattling on about existentialism. It's not until Sarah Lynn doesnt answer him that Bojack realizes that she has died.

* Blessed Jacinta Marto, one of the Fatima visionaries, often said during her IllGirl tenure that she would end up DyingAlone. Her doctors, nurse and chaplain promised to stay by her side instead, but poor Jacinta passed away during the night when nobody was there. For worse, the girl had asked for the Communion and Last Rites that same day, [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt but the chaplain didn't take her seriously]] and told her he'd come tomorrow...

* In ''Theatre/LaBoheme'', Rodolfo is the only person in the room not looking at Mimi when she dies, for no better reason than tragic cliche.

* Comes up in ''Assassin's Apprentice'' by RobinHobb. [[spoiler:Fitz's dog Sooty]] is stabbed multiple times, and Fitz is aware of it from his psychic connection to him; he maintains that connection to monitor him while going back to save him. Unfortunately he's attacked on the way and in the process of fighting them off, [[spoiler:Sooty]] dies.

* Comes up in ''AssassinsApprentice'' by RobinHobb. [[spoiler:Fitz's dog Sooty]] is stabbed multiple times, and Fitz is aware of it from his psychic connection to him; he maintains that connection to monitor him while going back to save him. Unfortunately he's attacked on the way and in the process of fighting them off, [[spoiler:Sooty]] dies.

* Happens in ''Diamond'' by Creator/JacquelineWilson. Ellen Jane's mother is giving birth, so her older sister sends Ellen Jane to go to the pub and get their father to come back. He forces Ellen Jane to stay and show off her gymnastic skills for the crowd; and by the time she gets back, her mother has [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth.]]

* There's a minor example in the book ''Literature/HeartShapedBox'' by Joe Hill. Both the main character Jude and his dog Angus are injured in a car crash. Jude goes in and out of consciousness for awhile, but he comes to, (albeit in shock) and sees that Angus is still definitely alive (albeit barely) in the backseat of the car, and Jude briefly speaks to Angus and tries to encourage him, which Angus can only respond to with a miserable whine. A few minutes later when they reach their destination, he goes to get Angus out, and then realizes that Angus is dead. He is completely unable to believe it for several seconds, because it seems like Angus was definitely alive a few minutes ago and there was no noise or other sign to mark his death.

In most cases where this happens, a character is already near death for some reason. Maybe they've been [[IncurableCoughOfDeath seriously ill]], [[AlmostDeadGuy wounded in battle]], or are SecretlyDying. Whatever the case may be, someone else is taking care of them, and either briefly leaves or stops paying attention to the dying character for a moment, (maybe because they went to get help, grab supplies, or were distracted by someone else coming over to them or another situation coming up) and when they return or start paying attention again they find that the other character has died during the relatively brief time they were distracted.

->''So you wait by her bedside day and night, thinking if you can stay with her all the time and never ever leave to sleep or eat she'll magically get better. And she dies while you are having a wee.''