Letting Go...

“Maybe it would be best if we just pulled the plug.”

“NO! I won’t let you do that!” he cried looking at his beautiful wife.

She was still young and one of the prettiest women he’d ever seen. Not because he was biased off love, but because she was just one of the most gorgeous people you’d ever see. Her personality matched her stunning exterior. Maybe it was because of her disease, or maybe she was just naturally a pleasant person.

“She’s only suffering like this. If you truly love her you should let her go.”

“She would never want me to give up on her. She would want me to believe in her right until the end.”

The doctor looked at the man in sympathy. He saw all the time people who lost their loved ones and he felt as if he could feel their pain. After a while it had started to dull down, but occasionally he felt almost their full pain.

“While that may be true, it would be better for her if we just pulled the plug.”

The man looked down sadly at his wife, while not wanting to let her go realizing the doctor was probably right. Should he hold onto his blind hope, or take the one he loved out of her pain?

Tears streamed unashamedly down his face. She was only twenty-five and had been ill for as long as he had known her. Yet, at the age of thirteen he’d fallen blindly into love. He remembered only a couple of years ago she had talked to him while lying in the hospital. She was still able to get around then and didn’t fall into a coma until a year and a half later.

She had a rare disease none of the doctors knew how to treat. They didn’t even know what to call it. The only way she was still alive was because of her own will to live. It was because of Aden that Day was still here. He was the one who gave her hope, who made her believe in herself, who kept her alive. Was he really going to be the one who let her go now?

He recalled the day that she had confessed her love for him and his faith very clearly.

“Aden? Aden, listen to me. I love you so much. I love how you have faith in me when no one else did. Please just promise to never give up on me.”

He pushed her beautiful golden hair out of her deep brown eyes and placed a light kiss on her pink lips.

“I’ll never give up on you, I promise. I love you Day.”

He flinched at the memory, torn that he had to go back on his word.

Then he recalled the day he’d asked Day to marry him.

“Where are we going, Aden?”

He looked at his beautiful girlfriend, hopefully soon to be fiancée. She was such a wonderful person. Even as she was dying of illness she worried about other people. She worried about how Aden would feel when she finally died. That was why he wondered if she would say yes. It wasn’t because he doubted her love for him, but it was because her love was so strong. She would never want him to be tied to death walking.

But without her life would be horrible, that was partly why she wanted him to let her go. Because if he spent even longer with her than now how much worse would it be when she died? Day was grateful to have even lived this long; she didn’t think she had that long left in her.

“Ah, we’re here,” Aden remarked, pulling into the parking space.

Day looked out the window and squealed with joy.

“The beach! I’ve never been to the beach before.”

Aden smiled at her pleasure and took her hand. He knew she’d always wanted to go, which had been why he’d brought her. He never really liked the beach that much himself, although he did tolerate it. It was much more enjoyable with Day here, as everything was.

They walked along and Day reached down to pull off her shoes.

“Come on Aden! Take yours off too!”

Aden looked at her grinning and wiggling her toes. It was such a beautiful and wonderful sight yet it was bittersweet at the same time. He valued every second spent with this extraordinary creature, but like everything, he knew it couldn’t last forever.

Day began singing softly under her breath as she often did and Aden smiled softly to himself. She was so carefree and innocent.

Just as the sun began to set after a day of walking around pleasantly Aden stopped suddenly.

“I have something to ask you.”

Day looked at him curiously, waiting for him to continue. When he got down on one knee her already wide eyes widened even further.

“Will you marry me?”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes and felt a great selfishness overwhelm her for the first time in her life. No was the first and most reasonable answer that came to her mind, but she couldn’t find herself to force it to her lips. Instead a, “Yes,” escaped her and for a moment she was befuddled with her answer.

But then she was swept into a sweet passionate kiss. Not rough, just passionate. And in that moment neither of them were worrying about her sure-to-come death.

The memories flashing in his mind made more tears well up in his eyes.

“May I have a moment alone with her?” he asked the waiting doctor.

The doctor nodded, watching him with compassion before walking out the door and gently closing it behind him.

Aden looked at her closed eyes. She looked so peaceful and beautiful. Even moments away from death he could see her aura shimmering.

“Day…I don’t want to give up. I don’t want to let you go, but this is for you…I’d rather not have you be tortured every day…”

While Aden went on rambling about how he didn’t want this something stirred inside Day. She could hear everything and it occurred to her that her love was giving up, just as he said he never would. She thought their rings would be the last tie to that promise and he would never go back on it. She would not let him go back on it.

Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she fought the battle with herself to make them open. She had to do it, for both him and herself. No, not even for herself, just for him. If she died he would die to. Maybe of heartbreak, maybe of suicide, maybe just his soul would die and he would just be an empty body walking around. But if she were gone he would no longer live, no matter how he wasn’t living and that was why she couldn’t allow herself to die.

And with that last realization she forced her eyes open and took in a deep breath.

Aden stopped mid-sentence and looked intensely at his wakened love.

“Aden, don’t give up on me…” she whispered weakly, “You promised.”

“Shhh…I won’t. Just rest.”

She squeezed his hand lightly and he started squeezing back. Then nurses rushed in at the sudden change in Day.

“I don’t understand what happened,” one of them murmured and the other’s agreed.

“If you don’t mind we’d like to check her. As soon as we’re done you’ll be able to see her again.”

Aden nodded. Although he wanted to spend every waking moment with Day he knew that they needed to examine her and make sure everything was ok. Her safety came above his wants.

A couple of hours later he was called into the room.

“She seems to have made a miraculous recovery, she should be able to live a few more years. Five at least.”

Aden glanced at her sleeping body, ashamed that he’d been about to let go.

Day did live. She lived to be forty-seven along with her husband Aden. Her health never permitted her to have children but they were just grateful for her to have lived long beyond expectancy. Occasionally Aden would think back to that day he’d been about to give up, thankful for the miracle.

They adopted a child only a few months after her recovery when her health was at its peak. They decided to name her Hope after the very essence of their lives.

Hope grew to be a beautiful young lady with a spirit just like her adoptive mother and a dedication like her adopted father. It was because of what they had been teaching her since a very young age, ‘Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.’

The optimism that surrounded her family echoed through her life. While she knew her mother was terminally ill the joy that surrounded her made her think anything but. So when her mother died when she was at the age of twenty-two she was shocked. Especially when she found her father crying distraughtly and the next day she discovered he had died in his sleep.

Their love that was so pure still lived in Hope’s heart. Everyone who knew them were sad, yet they knew now they were in Heaven where they didn’t have to worry about whether or not this would be Day’s last day.

Hope realized this too and was glad that her parents were finally happy, although she was tormented with sadness at both their deaths.

But Hope still had her whole life laid out in front of her.

Her parents meanwhile spent their days in Heaven waiting for her and enjoying their time together.

When Hope died at the solid age of ninety-three they welcomed her with open arms. Her life had been long and successful. She’d found love, in spite of the fact that it was not as strong as her parents. But everyone believed no one could develop a love as strong as her parents.

Their family was reunited and Aden and Day were together with no more illness to get in their way. They spent the rest of forever together in peace, relishing in their infinite love.