"And do you, David Strider, take John Egbert, to be your husband through sickness and through health?"

"I do." I say, smiling up at him, my now husband, John Egbert. A tear falls down his cheek and I can tell that he's happy, "You may now kiss." and we do, not deeply, nor sexually, but lovingly.

The kiss is full of love and sorrow full of the days we've had together and the days we haven't, I wish that it would never end. But like all good things it must come to an end.

It was a normal day, a few months after our wedding actually. I was sat in our room, waiting for one very important Mr. Egbert to come home. "I'm home!"

I jump up and rush to the sitting room, "John!" I give him a kiss and lead him to the kitchen, "I backed you a cake, but no Betty Crocker, I promise… Happy Birthday!" he shakes his head at that and laughs a little.

Once we've finished the cake we decided to go out for dinner, "We're doing this backwards you know", "I don't care, I baked an ironically awesome non-Betty Crocker cake and now we're having dinner, so shut up."

We finished our meal and start to head back to the car, then I hear a loud bang, like a gun.

I turn around and see John on the floor, clutching his stomach. "John? John! You can't die now, oh god… John just… just hold on, I.. I'll call 911." By the time they get here, he's unconscious with only a faint heartbeat.

I look around frantically, but all I can see is a figure running and a gun on the ground. I reported it to the police, but no one knows who it was. The culprit wore gloves so no finger prints and I didn't have a good enough description, they can't do anything about it.

I visit him everyday. And every time I step through the door I wish, wish that some nurse won't have to deliver the news that he passed on.

I don't want that to happen, but if worst comes to worst, I want to be there for him, I want to be the last thing he sees and the last thing he touches.

"Hey John," I say as I walk into his hospital room, he smiles back at me weakly, "Hey Dave…" his breathing hitches and he bursts into a coughing fit.

I rush over to him and can start to feel my eyes watering, the tears running down my cheeks, falling onto his bed. He wipes away a tear, "Don't cry." I smile up at him, his hand moves to my glasses, pulling them away.

"Dave, I know what's happening and you know it to–" his breathing comes out ragged and uneven "– But I want you to know that I love you, you were my first and you'll be my last, but please, take a man's dying wish-", "Don't say tha-" he cuts me off as I cut him off,

"Dave, please, listen… Take my dying wish, love again, marry again… Don't hold on just for me, there are plenty of people out there." He pulls me down and places a kiss on my lips, it's only a short kiss but sparks still fly like they did on the day of our wedding, he pulls away and whispers,

"Till death do us part, my love.

~By Nubs