After all he went through, he never imagined his life would end up like this. So calm, so peaceful. He always imagined fighting someone alongside her, knowing that this was his destiny. He never imagined not being with her every single day. Fate just didn't agree with his ideas.
"Tobias, Tobias…can you hear me?"
Tobias Eaton opened his eyes after it felt like a lifetime of darkness. Everything was blurry, one big blob after another. After a minute his sight adjusted. Someone was holding his hand. He looked up.
A pretty woman with crimped, brown hair and green eyes looked at him.
"Sophie?" he murmured. His pregnant wife smiled.
"The surgery was successful darling. They just want you to rest now," she said. Her hand moved up to his forehead. She gently stroked it, "Go to sleep and you'll be better quicker," Then, he descended into darkness.
His dreams her filled with her, her blond hair and penetrating eyes. The way she would sacrifice herself for someone she loved, or for the greater good. He missed her. He truly missed her. Especially when he felt weak. Even though it had been 20 years, he still loved her.
ONE WEEK LATER
"Daddy! You're home!"
Tobias smiled as his two children ran up to him the second he stepped foot in the door.
"Uriah!" he cried, giving his eldest son a hug, "you finally lost that tooth!" His five year old son laughed. His front tooth was missing. It had been knocked loose by a football a few weeks ago.
"Daddy! Pick me up!" demanded my three year old son, Micah. He was very persistent. He laughed and picked him up. Micah wrapped his arms around my neck and turned around and stuck out his tongue at his brother.
"Daddy, why did you go away for a week?" Micah asked, after Tobias sat him down. Tobias sighed. He had explained this to his sons three days before he went into surgery. They both still didn't understand. It made sense, though, they were both young.
"I had something called cancer," replied Tobias, "I had to get it removed so I would be able to spend time with you."
"In the olden days, when people got cancer, they didn't live. Now, it's just like treating the stomach virus," added Sophie, as she sat down in a chair in the corner of the living room. Tobias gazed at her. Her hand gently went up and down her large stomach. The baby was due in a month. Sophie was hoping it would be a girl. She really wanted a girl.
When Tobias had been diagnosed with melanoma, or skin cancer, he felt emotions he'd rarely felt before. His first thought was fear because in the city, when you got cancer, it was a death sentence. Then he remembered that cancer wasn't a big deal here. You could be treated in a matter of weeks, days even. It was reassuring because he knew he'd be able to live a long, full life.
"Daddy, can you read me a bedtime story?" asked Uriah as Tobias tucked his son into bed.
"Yes Daddy! We love it when you read to us!" exclaimed Micah from his crib in the corner of the large bedroom. Tobias smiled. He couldn't say no.
"What do you want me to read?" he asked, going over to the bookshelf where a large assortment of book lie.
"What about A Child's Dream?" suggested Micah. Tobias scanned the shelf and pulled out a thin book with a cover of a little boy sleeping. He went over to Uriah's bed and sat on the edge of it.
"Once, there was a little boy named Sidy. He hated going to bed at night. He was extremely afraid that monsters would come and kidnap him every time he went to bed..."
Tobias kept on reading. Every once in a while he would stop, thinking that his sons were asleep but they would keep pestering him to read more. Finally, he finished the book and discovered that his children and finally fallen asleep.
Quietly, he put the book back on the shelf and slipped out of the room. He made his way to his bedroom, where he found his pregnant wife laying on the bed, reading on a tablet. He layed next to her and gave Sophie a peck on the cheek.
"Whatcha reading?" he asked sleepily.
"A child's care magazine," she replied. Confused, Tobias sat up.
"Child's care? We have experience. After all, we already have two kids," Sophie laughed.
"Better be safe than sorry," she murmured. Tobias settled down under the covers, fatigue getting to him already. He was just about to fall asleep when the doorbell rang through out the house.
"Who could it be at this hour?" asked Sophie. Tobias shrugged.
"I'll get it," he said. He got up and walked out of the bedroom, crossing through the hallway and into the living room. Then, he got to the door. He opened it. He couldn't believe his eyes.
The beautiful blonde hair, piercing eyes. The small yet muscular frame. The body radiating fire. It was her.
