Snugglebunny Ch. 12: Endings

"Daddy..." Marilyn pleaded, tears falling down her face.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Don't cry for us," he managed to say. "We've made our peace and we're ready. We've had a long, wonderful life thanks to all of you." He turned and looked at Chloe. She was propped up, her head turned to him. He saw her extend her little finger and he wrapped one of his around it. She offered a weak smile.

"Happy birthday," she whispered. "Am... I... still..." She never finished her question. She wheezed a couple times, trying to get her breath then fell quiet. Chris looked at her still open eyes and realized she was gone.

Hot tears fell down his face as he realized that the love of his life was no longer with him. He thought he was prepared for this, but he realized that he wasn't. This was the first time in over a century that he was truly without her. He fell back on his bed, his face awash in tears. Everyone in the room was crying as well.

Suddenly, his eyes cleared and he stopped crying. He sat up and they watched him stare at a space between two of his grandchildren. He lifted one hand and smiled.

"You'll always be my Snugglebunny," he whispered before laying back down. Everyone looked at each other, confused. What had just happened, they wondered. Chris looked at Brian and smiled.

"It's okay, son," he said. "They're all there. Your Mom, your grandparents, Mike, Amy. Even Lynette."

"Lynette?" Brian asked. Lynette was Mike's wife, and Brian remembered what happened over 50 years ago when Mike came to the house after learning that she was cheating on him with a corrupt Army general. It was a sad episode in the family's history, and was rarely ever mentioned. Chris nodded his head in response to Brian's question.

"Yes," Chris said quietly. Brian could tell it took a Herculean effort for his father to speak. "And now it's my time. I'm going home, son. It's alright. I love you all so much." After that, the old man coughed a few times, then laid down, closed his eyes and took one last shallow breath.

Michael checked the monitors and ran his scanner one last time before officially recording the time his grandparents died. Everyone in the room cried and hugged each other, mourning the couple. Eventually, Michael covered them with a sheet and called to have their bodies picked up.

...

The memorial service and the graveside ceremony was well attended. Michael knew his grandparents were well-known, respected and loved by the local community, but he was surprised at how many people came out to pay their respects.

Of course, the local media was there, and he spotted reporters with camera crews from national outlets. He was also surprised to see a couple former presidents show up, along with a number of highly-decorated military officers. He pressed more flesh that day than he had in his entire life. Everyone had good words for his grandparents and he accepted their condolences with thanks.

The crowd finally thinned out and he looked up at the clear sky. For a moment, he imagined his grandparents walking hand-in-hand among the clouds, laughing and joking as they had always done.

Yes, he thought to himself, theirs was indeed a life well-lived.

...

Note:This is the final chapter in this series, but Chris and Chloe may appear in future stories.The incident involving Mike and Lynette were written about in "No Greater Love."The story of Jon and Rose Carlson was told in my series, "Rules."