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They were sorry, they had said, but there was nothing they could do. There were no medicines, no surgery to save him. Two months at best. At age 37, they sent him home to die.
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As the steely gray dawn approached, Tom awoke to see his Helen asleep in the chair beside their bed. Sleep had been a rare commodity for her lately, and he was careful not move,(as if he could), so as not to wake her. His strength had left him days ago, and since the fateful prognosis that interrupted their lives the sun had set 67 times.
Something felt different today, he couldn't put a finger on it, but it lingered there,underneath the surface.
If death came calling, he was prepared. As he watched her sleep, her long auburn hair spilling down both sides of her, he felt a peaceful calm rush over him. He knew there was nothing left unsaid between them, they had loved more in their nine years together than most do in a lifetime. There were no doubts, nothing to question. He longed to hold her close one more time,for all time.......he slipped off again to sleep.
Almost as quickly as he fell asleep for the final time, Helen awoke in her chair. Quickly glancing at Tom, she smiled as she saw him breathe deeply in and out.
Outside, she could hear the autumn wind gather muster as the trees lazily swayed back and forth. Something felt different today and it scared her. She gathered her quilt around her and climbed into bed with him, laying her head next to his chest. Gently gliding her hand against his cheek, she listened to his heart beat, hanging on every one of them.
Her thoughts were of this man who had been more than she could have ever hoped for. They always said they were made for each other, and the sobering reality of life without him hurt beyond measure. She was ashamed of herself for this selfish pity, and thoughts of his reassurances put a smile on her face as the tears rolled down her cheek. She now knew that her memories of his love, of their precious love, would sustain her through all times.
As they lay there in the dawn, with the leaves floating to the ground outside their bedroom window, life escaped him.....
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death