Chasing Life: No More Life To Chase Part 1

Plot: In this version Leo doesn't die. Instead it is the opposite, April dies. This was very hard for me to write because it made me think of my father who passed away from a rare but fatal skin cancer back in 2013 so part 2 may take awhile. Please feel free to leave reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chasing Life or it's characters.

Chapter 1

April Carver woke up next to her husband Leo Hendrie.

"Wake up sleepy head," April said.

Leo groaned.

"Do you want me to tickle you?" April asked.

Leo sprung awake.

"I'm up," Leo said.

"I was thinking," April said. "Life's too short. Let's have ice cream for breakfast."

"Okay," Leo said. "We'll eat it by the pool."

"You go ahead," April said, "I'll go get the ice cream."

Leo went to the rooftop pool and set out two lawn chairs.

April came onto the patio carrying the bowls of ice cream.

"Did somebody order vanilla or chocolate?" April asked.

"Vanilla," Leo said.

April suddenly stopped and stood still.

"April?" Leo asked. "Are you okay?"

"I feel..." April started to say before dropping the bowls and falling to the rooftop floor unconscious.

"April!" Leo screamed in horror.

Leo ran over to his wife and picked her up and ran laid her on a lawn chair and shook her.

"April!" Leo screamed. "Please wake up! April! Don't leave me now! Please wake up!"

Leo quickly grabbed his phone and dialed 911.

"911, please state your emergency," the operator said.

"My wife fell!" Leo screamed. "She's not breathing!"

Leo went into a state of shock and the next thing he knew, he was in the hospital waiting room sitting next to April's mother Sara, April's younger sister Brenna and April's grandmother Emma.

Dr. Hamburg came out of the Emergency Room and walked over to them.

"How's my daughter?" Sara asked.

Dr. Hamburg didn't answer.

"My daughter!" Sara shouted. "How is my daughter?!"

"I'm so sorry," Dr. Hamburg said with her voice breaking. "She's gone."

"No!" Sara sobbed. "Not my baby girl!"

"Oh my god!" Brenna sobbed. "This isn't happening!"

"How could this be?!" Emma sobbed.

Leo sat there motionless.

"Was it the cancer?" Leo asked shocked.

"No," Dr. Hamburg said. "It wasn't the cancer that killed her. It was an accidentally overdose."

"What?!" Sara screamed. "My daughter is dead because of the medicine you prescribed her?!"

"I'm so sorry," Dr. Hamburg said.

"You're sorry?!" Sara screamed. "You killed my daughter!"

"Sara," Emma said.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Dr. Hamburg said.

"Get out of my sight you murderer!" Sara screamed.

Dr. Hamburg walked off.

"My sister is dead," Brenna sobbed.

Leo got up.

"Where are you going?" Brenna sobbed.

"I have to call Beth," Leo said.

Leo walked into the restroom and dialed Beth's number.

"Hello," Beth said.

"Beth," Leo said.

"Oh hi Leo," Beth said. "Hey is April with you? She's not answering her phone."

"Beth," Leo said. "Are you sitting down?"

"Yeah," Beth said concerned. "What's going on?"

"I'm at the hospital," Leo said. "April overdosed on her medication."

"Oh my god!" Beth screamed. "Is she okay?!"

"She's dead Beth," Leo said.

Leo could hear Beth sobbing into the phone.

Leo hung up the phone, walked out of the hospital and hailed a taxi.

Leo quietly rode the taxi back to his apartment, paid the cab driver and walked into his apartment.

Once he entered his apartment, he saw April holding the bowls of ice cream.

"Where did you go?" April asked. "I thought we were having ice cream for breakfast.

Chapter 2

Leo froze and stared at April.

"Leo," April said. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

"I have," Leo said. "You're dead."

"I'm not dead silly," April said. "I'm very much alive."

"No," Leo said. "You're dead."

"No I'm not," April said.

"Yes you are," Leo said. "I'm just imagining seeing you."

"It's me Leo," April said. "Your wife, April Carver."

"You not her!" Leo screamed. "April is dead and you're not her! April is dead! She's dead!"

Leo grabbed a plate and threw it at the wall.

The vision of April disappeared.

Leo began angrily knocking things over. He the fell face down onto the couch and began crying.

Leo cried all day and all night and into the next morning.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Go away!" Leo sobbed. "I don't want company!"

"Leo," Dominic said from the other side of the door. "It's Dominic."

Leo got up and opened the door.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here Dimples!" Leo screamed.

"Leo," Dominic said. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

Dominic began to cry.

"No!" Leo sobbed loudly. "She was my wife! I get to cry my eyes out because she was my wife! Not yours! Mine! And you were just the ass who broke her heart! You have 15 seconds to leave or I will punch you so hard you will no longer have dimples!"

Dominic walked off and Leo slammed the door.

Leo fell back onto the couch and continued to cry.

Chapter 3

A week later, April's family, Leo, Beth and April's former co-workers included her former boss Raquel attended April's open casket funeral service.

One by one, everyone attending walked up and gave a touching eulogy.

When it was Beth's turn, she walked up in tears.

"April Carver was very my best friend," Beth said tearfully. "Actually no she wasn't."

Beth put her left hand over her eyes.

"She was my sister!" Beth sobbed. "When I first moved to Boston I didn't have any friends. But the April came along. She was kind, generous and was always willing to put up a fight for what she wanted. And even though she and I had our differences, I will miss her each and every day. No matter what new friend comes into my life, I will never have a sister like I had in April. Rest in peace Sis."

Leo went up after Beth.

"For those of you who don't know me," Leo said. "I'm Leo Hendrie, April's husband. I first met April in an unusual way. I was riding my motorcycle and almost hit her. I was also suffering a brain tumor. When I found out April was in my support group, I was a jerk to her. But then I grew to like her and we fell in love. April talked me into having the tumor removed. Then I was stupid and started doing drugs. But I overcame it and April was there for me. We were married a month."

Leo burst into tears.

"And it was the best month of my life and I will never forget her," Leo sobbed. "April may be gone from this world, but she still lives in my heart."

Emma went up next.

"Hello," Emma said, "I'm April's grandmother. I remember the day she was born, I was so thrilled to be a grandmother. I watched her grow up from a baby to a toddler, from a toddler to a child, from a child to a teenager, and from a teenager to a young woman. I always figured I'd die first. Never did the thought occur to me that my granddaughter would die first. But I know my granddaughter is no longer in pain. I'll see you soon baby girl."

Brenna went up next.

"Hello," Brenna said. "I'm Brenna Carver, April's younger sister. We were very close. She comforted me everyday after our father died. She was the best sister in the world."

Brenna began crying.

"And now she's gone," Brenna sobbed. "My sister is gone and she's never coming back. Why do people have to die? I don't understand why my sister had to die. I'm sorry, this is just too hard!"

Brenna ran out of the church and Beth chased after her.

Brenna ran made it down the block before Beth grabbed her and wrapped her arms around her.

Brenna and Beth cried in each other's arms.

Back in the church, Sara went up.

"Hello," Sara said crying. "I'm April's mother Sara Carver. My daughter was the sweetest girl. She always thought of her family before thinking of herself. When I found out she had cancer, I was devastated. But April wasn't going to let cancer destroy her life. She was going to beat this thing."

Sara looked to see Dr. Hamburg sitting in the back row.

"But in the end it wasn't the cancer who killed my baby!" Sara shouted. "It was her medicine! Her medicine that Dr. Hamburg prescribed her! The medicine that was supposed to help my daughter feel less pain killed her! Dr. Hamburg murdered my daughter!"

Sara ran over to Dr. Hamburg.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here!" Sara angrily shouted. "Murderer!"

Sara went and sat back down.

After the funeral service, the Carver family held a reception at the Carver house.

After all the guests left, Leo and Beth stayed to help clean up.

"You know Sara," Leo said, "I can stay here tonight if you want."

"It's okay Leo," Sara said. "You don't have to do that."

"But I want to," Leo said.

"No," Sara said. "You have an apartment."

"Please Sara?!" Leo pleaded. "Don't make me go back there!"

"You can stay the night at my place," April said. "I don't want to be alone either."

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Beth said.

Beth opened the door to see Frankie.

"Frankie," Beth said.

"Is Leo here?" Frankie asked.

Leo walked over to the door.

"What are you doing here?!" Leo asked angrily.

"Leo," Frankie said, "I heard about April. I'm so sorry."

"No you're not!" Leo screamed. "You're not sorry at all! You hated her! And you hated to see me happy! You're happy that she died!"

"You should leave!" Beth shouted at Frankie.

"Beth, Leo," Frankie said.

Beth slammed the door.

To be continued