The Only Constant is Change Ch. 14

"How did Gabby's date with that new guy go? What's his name, Mark?"

"She said he was nice enough, but there wasn't a spark there. She's not inclined to go out with him again."

"Oh. That's too bad," he said. And he meant it. Gabby had seemed excited to receive the invitation to dinner.

Then he said, "While I'm still lucid, I just want you to know how much I love you. You brought a light into my life when I was surrounded by darkness. After Ava and Joshua, I didn't know how I would move on. But you changed all that, and I'm so grateful to have had you in my life." As he finished, Jeremy closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

She couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. Every day now was a repeat of the one before. In a moment of clarity, Jeremy would give her the same message he'd just delivered. He didn't seem to recall that he'd said the same thing the previous day. It was beautiful that he wanted to tell her that he loved her so much, but it was heart-wrenching as well, seeing how much of her beloved husband was no longer there.

When Jeremy opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see Ava and Joshua at his bedside. He couldn't help but smile. "Ava! What a nice surprise! I thought you and Joshua were going to see your brother today."

Ava smiled at him and reminded him that she had gone to see her brother, more than 25 years earlier. Joshua climbed up onto the bed with him and threw his arms around Jeremy's neck. "I missed you, Daddy!"

Jeremy hugged him back tightly, saying, "I missed you too, big guy. I missed both of you sooo much."

Taking Jeremy's hand, Ava said, "I've missed you, my love. But it's time to come home. Are you ready?"

A tear leaked from Jeremy's eye. He had so much worry and regret about the family he was leaving behind. At the same time, he was so very tired of hurting and being weak. He asked, "Will they be okay?"

Softly, Ava said, "You've raised your children well, and they're as prepared as they can be. They're going to be fine. You'll see."

At his bedside, Cat watched as Jeremy raised his hand slowly, seeming to reach out for something. She took his hand and held it, but his eyes were on something she couldn't see. In a barely audible voice, Jeremy said, "Okay Ava, I'm ready." A moment later, she felt the life leave his body as he relaxed into death.

As the monitors began to alarm, she reached over and smoothed his hair one last time. Then she kissed his hand and said, "Go to her, my love. Tell Ava how thankful I am for the love she gave you. And hug your little boy's neck. But don't forget about me. I'll join you in a while, and I'll fill you in on everything that's happened since you've been gone. I love you, Jeremy, and I'm going to miss you every day until we meet again." Then she gently laid his hand at his side as the tears streamed down her face.

*****

Author's Notes:

So there it is. This is the end of the first story I've ever written, and it's been a strange and wonderful journey. Nearly 190,000 words, all together, it's quite a bit longer than most modern novels. I'm sure there's fat that an editor would want to trim. And there are better ways to tell the story, I'm quite certain.

The tale I set out to tell is not exactly the one I ended up writing, and like many authors I'm sure, there are places I would make different choices, smooth some rough edges, and otherwise polish the product. But, at the end of the day, I'm happy with what I've produced and proud to have carried it through to the end.

Hopefully, you've enjoyed watching as Jeremy's life unfolded. His story is not a fairy tale, and I know that's probably not what most of the readers here are looking for. But I set out to tell a story about a boy becoming a man, and how his experiences would shape him; I think that happened. I hope you'll agree.

Finally, I wanted to say thank you to the readers who've stuck it out through this journey with me. Many of you have favorited this story, some have commented, and a few have even sent me messages of encouragement. To all of you, I wish to express my sincere gratitude. I would not describe myself as an artist, so I've never really understood the importance of the audience as a source of inspiration and motivation; I get it now.

-MB