You Can Let Go Now, Daddy

Shannon drew in a deep breath, the wind blowing in her face. Her hair streamed behind her as her helmet tried its best to cling to her head. The sidewalk beneath her became nothing more than a grey blur. So this is what freedom felt like. She looked over her shoulder at the one person keeping her bike steady. Gabriel was running right beside her, his hand holding on the seat. She was taken by surprise that her father was still keeping up with the bike, she smiled at him.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Shannon felt a sudden courage. He smiled at her. Shannon drew another deep breath and then shouted as loud as she could over the wind, "You can let go now, Daddy! You can let go! I think I'm ready to do this on my own! It's still a little bit scary, but I want you to know, I'll be okay now, you can let go!"

With her reassurance Gabriel let go and watched as she went flying down the street, laughing when she didn't fall. Shannon leapt down from the bike and turned to find her father beaming proudly at her. "I did it, Daddy! I did it!"

Gabriel laughed as he hugged his little girl. He pushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes.

"I love you, Daddy."

He smiled in return. "Not as much as I love you."

Shannon stood, looking around. She wore a long white dress, decorated with beads and lace. Her hair was up in an elaborate style, with braids, twists, curls hanging from her bun and around her face. Her veil wasn't down yet, and her bouquet of red and white roses was held tightly in her hands.

Tate, her best friend and maid of honor, came up to her. "Excited?"

"Oh yeah," Shannon replied. "Have you seen Daddy? I haven't seen him since last night."

"Shannon Dawson, are you really worried about that?" Tate frowned at her. "You know as well as I do that your father wouldn't miss your wedding for the world."

"She's right you know," a voice said.

Shannon turned and smiled at her father, who was standing in the doorway. Gabriel walked over to give his daughter a hug. Tate left the room so that the two can have a moment alone.

"Daddy…don't let me fall…"

Gabriel looked into his daughter's eyes and smiled. "I promise I won't."

When they reached the doors and began the walk down the aisle she was beaming, Gabriel walked slowly, not wanting to rush a second of the last walk he had with his daughter, before he had to give her up, and she would never again be just his.

They finally reached the alter. She couldn't have been happier, as she stood between the two loves of her life, to one she'd been a daughter, and to one she soon would be a wife.

The music stopped and the preacher looked at them, "May I ask who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Shannon felt her father grip her arm tightly. She looked at him, his aqua eyes were filled with tears. She met his eyes and she whispered, "You can let go now, Daddy. You can let go. I think I'm ready to do this on my own. It's still a little bit scary, but I want you to know, you can let go now, Daddy, you can let go."

He smiled and let go of her arm. Then he said, "I do." Gabriel wiped the tears from his eyes, and went to take his seat.

It was killing him, she knew, wasting away to nothing in that hospital room. Lying there, hardly able to move, but still fighting death.

Shannon looked at her younger brother and sister, who were waiting with her. Aisling had tears in her eyes as she leant against Ronan. They were expecting the worst.

The night nurse approached her. "Sometimes I think he'll be in a lot less pain if he just stopped fighting," Shannon told her.

"You know he's only hanging on for you," The nurse replied.

Shannon gave her a sad look, but she knew she was right. "I understand."

The nurse walked away, and Shannon opened the door to his room. She could hear his raspy breath as he tried to turn his head and look at her. She was sure her heart broke in two as she crawled up in his bed. He managed a smile. She returned a half-hearted smile. He gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong?" He rasped.

Her voice wasn't doing much better than her heart as she said, in a voice just above a whisper, and weaker than she had ever let it get, "You can let go know, Daddy, you can let go know. Your little girl is ready," she choked, but her voice got stronger as she said, "to do this on my own. It's gonna be a little scary, but I want you to know, you can let go now, Daddy. You can let go."

He smiled at her. "Tell your husband I said... that if he ever hurts you... I'll personally tell St. Pete...not to open heaven's gates for him."

Shannon laughed through her tears, now streaming down her face. "Don't worry, he would never do that."

He smiled and took another rasping breath. Then he gave a wracking fit of coughing and when he was through, he looked back at his daughter. "Tell the others... I love them." Shannon nodded.

She looked into his aqua eyes for what she knew would be the last time. Then his eyes closed and she couldn't hear his rasping breaths anymore.

She realized then what she had forgotten.

Then she wanted to yell at him to come back, to stay for a few more seconds, not to leave her yet, but it was too late, his life monitor was beeping, and he was gone. Yet, she still felt she had to say it, so she said it to the air, in a voice no more than a whisper, "I love you, Daddy."

A breeze blew in through the open window, and she could swear she heard the response on it, in the words of her papa from so long ago, the voice of his young self right after her first time riding her bike without him holding onto the seat, "Not as much as I love you."