Your Memory Will Carry On

Day: September 1, 2011
Time: 6:47 pm
Location: Central Hospital

"Good morning, Mr. Toro. How are you feeling today?" The young man on the hospital bed looked up, expecting yet another nurse. Instead, there stood his girlfriend, Lisette, standing in the doorway with her usual sad smile.

"Oh, hi, Lisette." He said sadly, looking down at his pale, thinning hands. She walked over and took one of those hand and ran her thumb along the now-prominent knuckles, remembering all the wonderful songs those hands used to play on guitar not too long ago.

Much had happened in the past year. Ray had been feeling bad and went in for a yearly check up, hoping that everything was okay. Sadly, not everything was.

The doctor sent Ray to the x-ray room because of his complaints of a severe pain in his head. A tumor was found on the left side of his brain, and he was checked into the hospital the next day, September 2nd.

Lisette had constantly told herself that everything would pass, that everything would be okay. But as the days turned into weeks, and then turned into months, and Ray was gradually draining away, Lisette began to doubt herself, despite how much she didn't want to.

"Lisette, did you hear me?" She blinked a couple of times to get back to reality, back to her Ray.

"I'm so sorry, please repeat that?" Ray sighed sadly.

"The doctor said that I don't have much longer to live. I could die any day now." A single tear rolled down his sunken cheek as the seriousness in his voice just about made Lisette topple over. But she had to stay strong for her love in order to stay with him until his final breath left his lips. She squeezed his hand extra tight.

"Stay strong, Ray. You just have to stay alive, for me, for your family. Ray, you have to stay strong for our baby." Because of the confused look on his face, she brought the hand she was holding onto to her slowly growing stomach. Ray's eyes lit up with wonder and glistened with tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he breathed, still gazing at her stomach. She sniffled a bit, feeling tears start to form in her eyes.

"It was going to be a surprise for when you got better." Her voice caught a bit.

"Lisette, stay with me tonight. Please." The tone in his voice, the heart break, the sadness, was obvious. She nodded and he scooted over to let her lay next to him in the small bed.

She held his frail body as he drifted off to sleep, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She started to cry as the heart monitor started to slow. She knew it; he wasn't going to make it past tonight.

"Your memory will always carry on. I love you, Ray, and I always will." She kissed his forehead one last time as the beeping from the monitor slowed down to just one continuous beep, which drowned out the sounds of Lisette's gut-wrenching sobs as she felt his final breath linger on her cheek.

Her Ray was gone, and he'd never come back, but Lisette would forever keep in her heart the memories they shared.

Five months later, Rayne Manuela Stone was born. She looked so much like her daddy that Lisette knew Ray was always going to be with her.

Day: July 15, 2017
Time: 10:03 am
Location: Lisette and Rayne's home

One day, while her and Rayne, nicknamed Ray by Lisette's friends, Frank, Gerard, Mikey, and Bob, were making a bouquet to take to Ray's grave, Rayne looked up at her mother with those familiar chocolaty brown eyes.

"Mommy, tell me what daddy was like again, please?" Lisette smiled down at her now six year old daughter.

"I'll tell you on our way to see him." She took her hand and together, they walked to the cemetery, reminiscing on the best moments with Ray.

They got to the graveyard and walked down the familiar path to Ray's resting place. Rayne placed the bouquet against the granite headstone.

"I love you, daddy. Happy birthday." She kissed the stone and then turned around to wrap her small arms around her mother.

Lisette looked up at the sky, somehow sensing that her love was watching down on them. A sense of calm blanketed them as they stood there, embracing in front of Ray's grave and watching the birds fly around. For some reason, it seemed like life was finally going right. Though Lisette missed Ray more than she could describe, she knew that Rayne needed her mother.

"I love you, Ray. You will never be forgotten." They soon walked back home hand in hand, talking about all the good things in life, knowing that Ray would always be with them and that his memory would always carry on.