Things to do in Salem When You're Dead
Chapter Thirty-Eight
"So, what's the verdict, Doc?" I ask Craig who is shuffling through my papers and test results.
I hope everything is okay because I am sooooo ready to get out of here. I have been in the hospital for far too long. First, I had to endure the chemotherapy treatments and the endless isolation. Then, once the cancer was gone, there was the transplant. I am so proud of my little niece. She didn't even cry during the harvesting process. Brave little trooper. After that there were the weeks of waiting to see if the transplant took.
It has been a long, hard road to recovery but I am almost as healthy now as I was a year ago. I've been undergoing physical therapy to get my legs back in working order. I've also regained a lot of weight. Actually, I'm surprised I'm not huge; I've been eating like there's no tomorrow (Sophia smuggles food in to me; I'm not touching this hospital crap.)
There's color in my cheeks, and my hair, which had fallen out during the last round of chemo, is now as thick and shiny as ever. It's also really short. The ends don't even reach my ears. It's such a weird feeling, but I know it will grow.
So now I've just been waiting to get the final word on whether the transplant worked. Which Craig is going to give me. Any minute now.
"Um, Craig? Waiting."
Craig looks up from his papers. "What? Oh, sorry. I've just been thinking about this past year. How hopeless everything seemed. Despite my 'unwavering optimism' I was so afraid I was going to lose you. And now."
"Yes?" Hope rings in my voice.
He smiles and cups my cheek. "The transplant was a complete success, Chloe. There is no sign of the cancer and healthy new cells are forming at a good rate. Your progress has been amazing. In fact, I'm going to recommend that you be released today."
"Today? You mean I can leave? I can get out of here? I don't have to look at these nasty beige walls and sickly green lights anymore?"
"Um, yeah. You get dressed and I'll get your release papers together."
"Is Brady out there?"
"Yeah, I'll send him in." Craig stands for a moment, just looking at me. His brown eyes twinkle. "I can't tell you how happy I am right now." He gives me a quick hug and a kiss on my temple. "I'll be right back."
He leaves and Brady enters. "Hey beautiful," he says and his warm arms wrap around me. He pulls me close to him as his lips descend on mine. We kiss sweetly, wondrously, breathlessly. Oh, how I've missed him.
We break our kiss with an audible Pop! Brady smiles at me and his face is lit up with joy.
"I take it you've heard the news."
"Yeah, you finally get to go home. That's the best news I've heard in a long time."
"Yeah, it is."
"Of course I'll have to send my other girlfriends packing."
"Funny."
Brady smiles as he continues holding me. "So, Mrs. Black, now that you have your entire life in front of you, what do you want to do now?"
"I'm not sure, Mr. Black. But I'm pretty sure it involves the words naked and bed"
His cobalt eyes darken with desire. "Oooh, I like that plan."
"I thought you would. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Only 46 days, 3 hours and 15 minutes. Not that I've been keeping track or anything."
I laugh. "Poor baby. You really missed me, didn't you?"
"Hello? Sexual energy, dam. We discussed this." (chp. 31)
"So I guess we better get you home before you explode."
Later.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Brady asks as he holds me in his arms.
I stare at him incredulously. "We just finished."
"I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking big picture what do you want to do with your life now that you're going to have one?"
My fingers wander aimlessly over his bare chest. "I really just want to stay here in Venice for a while. I haven't gotten to spend much time with my family. I just met them and I had to go into the hospital. I want to get to know them."
I pause for a moment as the wonder of it all sinks in. "I have a family, Brady. Do you know how amazing that is? I feel connected now - a part of something. Yes I had my mother before, but this is different. It's a different part of myself that I've been seeking so long and now I finally have it. Family, Brady. I have aunts and uncles, cousins, and the best grandmother anyone could ask for. I'm just not ready to leave them yet."
Brady gently strokes my hair. "That sounds great. We could stay through Christmas, or longer if you like."
"Wow, Christmas already?"
"Well, it's still a few weeks away yet. Mmmm, Christmas dinner at Grandma Sophia's. Can't wait. That woman can cook."
Brady wasn't kidding. I've never seen such a spread as the one she laid out for us Christmas Day. There were so many people there. She even opened her house to Nancy and Craig so they could spend Christmas with me. It was so great, being around so many people and knowing that they are my family.
But as great as that was, I can't wait to begin my life with Brady, building a family of our own. Don't get me wrong; we aren't planning on having children just yet. But we're still a family, just the two of us.
"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" The exasperation is thick in my voice. I slide a finger under the dark fabric to scratch my nose.
"We're almost there," Brady's voice assures me.
"I can't believe you're doing this to me. So unfair."
"Excuse me? You had me blindfolded, on the day of our wedding so I wouldn't know where I was. This is payback."
I hear the jingling of keys and the clicking of a lock. He leads me inside the building and takes the blindfold off. "Okay, open your eyes."
I gaze around me in wonder.
"Isn't it great?" he says excitedly. We're standing in a beautiful, large, loft styled apartment. The building is old but has recently been renovated.
I crane my neck. "Look at those high ceilings! And exposed beams!"
"I know! Of course, changing the light bulbs will be a bitch."
I walk down the shiny hardwood floors and check out the spacious kitchen. "Brushed stainless steel appliances!" I cry out. "I don't know how to use them but aren't they pretty?!"
"Wait till you see the bathroom."
I run to the large bathroom. "Claw foot tub!" I jump and down. "And look how big it is!"
"Yeah, room enough for two. But you haven't seen the best part."
I follow him into the living room where he draws back the shades covering a large window. Oh. My. God. What an incredible view! We're looking down on the SoHo Arts District and the beautiful skyscrapers of NY stand in the distance. "AAAAAAH! I love this place!"
Brady smiles. "And it's only a few minutes from Julliard."
I turn to my husband with devilish eyes. "What about the bedroom?"
"I'll show you." I follow him up the curving metal staircase to the loft. The room is large and airy with yet another spectacular view from the windows.
We stand side by side looking out the window and it's like we're looking into our future. Brady goes back to work and heads the NY branch of Basic Black. Belle, who has also moved to NY, helps him out while attending Columbia. She and Shawn share an apartment and Shawn is top of his class at the police academy here. I enjoy Julliard greatly. I learn more about music and opera than I ever thought I could.
Of course I go on to become a great opera and recording star. I use the word "star" because that's what others call me. Fact is, no matter how "famous" I become, I'm still the same inside. I'm still just Chloe Lane, a small town girl with big dreams. Brady manages the business end of my career and we have two beautiful children: Victoria Isabella and Wesley. They are both precocious and stubborn. I don't know where they get it from; I blame their father.
It's a busy life, juggling the duties of wife, mother, and career. People ask me all the time how I do it. "How do you do so much and not lose yourself in the process?"
My answer is always the same. I had to "die" to learn how to live. There's something about death that gives you an appreciation for life. I think back on those months when I was dying. I lived more in those months than many do in their entire lives. I learned what was really important. Love, happiness, family. Everything else: careers, money, possessions, it's all just window dressing.
This is the lesson I've learned. And every night I kiss my sleeping children's heads and crawl into bed beside my loving husband. I say a prayer of thanks and this truth echoes in my mind.
Some things are more important than life.
The End
Chapter Thirty-Eight
"So, what's the verdict, Doc?" I ask Craig who is shuffling through my papers and test results.
I hope everything is okay because I am sooooo ready to get out of here. I have been in the hospital for far too long. First, I had to endure the chemotherapy treatments and the endless isolation. Then, once the cancer was gone, there was the transplant. I am so proud of my little niece. She didn't even cry during the harvesting process. Brave little trooper. After that there were the weeks of waiting to see if the transplant took.
It has been a long, hard road to recovery but I am almost as healthy now as I was a year ago. I've been undergoing physical therapy to get my legs back in working order. I've also regained a lot of weight. Actually, I'm surprised I'm not huge; I've been eating like there's no tomorrow (Sophia smuggles food in to me; I'm not touching this hospital crap.)
There's color in my cheeks, and my hair, which had fallen out during the last round of chemo, is now as thick and shiny as ever. It's also really short. The ends don't even reach my ears. It's such a weird feeling, but I know it will grow.
So now I've just been waiting to get the final word on whether the transplant worked. Which Craig is going to give me. Any minute now.
"Um, Craig? Waiting."
Craig looks up from his papers. "What? Oh, sorry. I've just been thinking about this past year. How hopeless everything seemed. Despite my 'unwavering optimism' I was so afraid I was going to lose you. And now."
"Yes?" Hope rings in my voice.
He smiles and cups my cheek. "The transplant was a complete success, Chloe. There is no sign of the cancer and healthy new cells are forming at a good rate. Your progress has been amazing. In fact, I'm going to recommend that you be released today."
"Today? You mean I can leave? I can get out of here? I don't have to look at these nasty beige walls and sickly green lights anymore?"
"Um, yeah. You get dressed and I'll get your release papers together."
"Is Brady out there?"
"Yeah, I'll send him in." Craig stands for a moment, just looking at me. His brown eyes twinkle. "I can't tell you how happy I am right now." He gives me a quick hug and a kiss on my temple. "I'll be right back."
He leaves and Brady enters. "Hey beautiful," he says and his warm arms wrap around me. He pulls me close to him as his lips descend on mine. We kiss sweetly, wondrously, breathlessly. Oh, how I've missed him.
We break our kiss with an audible Pop! Brady smiles at me and his face is lit up with joy.
"I take it you've heard the news."
"Yeah, you finally get to go home. That's the best news I've heard in a long time."
"Yeah, it is."
"Of course I'll have to send my other girlfriends packing."
"Funny."
Brady smiles as he continues holding me. "So, Mrs. Black, now that you have your entire life in front of you, what do you want to do now?"
"I'm not sure, Mr. Black. But I'm pretty sure it involves the words naked and bed"
His cobalt eyes darken with desire. "Oooh, I like that plan."
"I thought you would. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Only 46 days, 3 hours and 15 minutes. Not that I've been keeping track or anything."
I laugh. "Poor baby. You really missed me, didn't you?"
"Hello? Sexual energy, dam. We discussed this." (chp. 31)
"So I guess we better get you home before you explode."
Later.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Brady asks as he holds me in his arms.
I stare at him incredulously. "We just finished."
"I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking big picture what do you want to do with your life now that you're going to have one?"
My fingers wander aimlessly over his bare chest. "I really just want to stay here in Venice for a while. I haven't gotten to spend much time with my family. I just met them and I had to go into the hospital. I want to get to know them."
I pause for a moment as the wonder of it all sinks in. "I have a family, Brady. Do you know how amazing that is? I feel connected now - a part of something. Yes I had my mother before, but this is different. It's a different part of myself that I've been seeking so long and now I finally have it. Family, Brady. I have aunts and uncles, cousins, and the best grandmother anyone could ask for. I'm just not ready to leave them yet."
Brady gently strokes my hair. "That sounds great. We could stay through Christmas, or longer if you like."
"Wow, Christmas already?"
"Well, it's still a few weeks away yet. Mmmm, Christmas dinner at Grandma Sophia's. Can't wait. That woman can cook."
Brady wasn't kidding. I've never seen such a spread as the one she laid out for us Christmas Day. There were so many people there. She even opened her house to Nancy and Craig so they could spend Christmas with me. It was so great, being around so many people and knowing that they are my family.
But as great as that was, I can't wait to begin my life with Brady, building a family of our own. Don't get me wrong; we aren't planning on having children just yet. But we're still a family, just the two of us.
"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" The exasperation is thick in my voice. I slide a finger under the dark fabric to scratch my nose.
"We're almost there," Brady's voice assures me.
"I can't believe you're doing this to me. So unfair."
"Excuse me? You had me blindfolded, on the day of our wedding so I wouldn't know where I was. This is payback."
I hear the jingling of keys and the clicking of a lock. He leads me inside the building and takes the blindfold off. "Okay, open your eyes."
I gaze around me in wonder.
"Isn't it great?" he says excitedly. We're standing in a beautiful, large, loft styled apartment. The building is old but has recently been renovated.
I crane my neck. "Look at those high ceilings! And exposed beams!"
"I know! Of course, changing the light bulbs will be a bitch."
I walk down the shiny hardwood floors and check out the spacious kitchen. "Brushed stainless steel appliances!" I cry out. "I don't know how to use them but aren't they pretty?!"
"Wait till you see the bathroom."
I run to the large bathroom. "Claw foot tub!" I jump and down. "And look how big it is!"
"Yeah, room enough for two. But you haven't seen the best part."
I follow him into the living room where he draws back the shades covering a large window. Oh. My. God. What an incredible view! We're looking down on the SoHo Arts District and the beautiful skyscrapers of NY stand in the distance. "AAAAAAH! I love this place!"
Brady smiles. "And it's only a few minutes from Julliard."
I turn to my husband with devilish eyes. "What about the bedroom?"
"I'll show you." I follow him up the curving metal staircase to the loft. The room is large and airy with yet another spectacular view from the windows.
We stand side by side looking out the window and it's like we're looking into our future. Brady goes back to work and heads the NY branch of Basic Black. Belle, who has also moved to NY, helps him out while attending Columbia. She and Shawn share an apartment and Shawn is top of his class at the police academy here. I enjoy Julliard greatly. I learn more about music and opera than I ever thought I could.
Of course I go on to become a great opera and recording star. I use the word "star" because that's what others call me. Fact is, no matter how "famous" I become, I'm still the same inside. I'm still just Chloe Lane, a small town girl with big dreams. Brady manages the business end of my career and we have two beautiful children: Victoria Isabella and Wesley. They are both precocious and stubborn. I don't know where they get it from; I blame their father.
It's a busy life, juggling the duties of wife, mother, and career. People ask me all the time how I do it. "How do you do so much and not lose yourself in the process?"
My answer is always the same. I had to "die" to learn how to live. There's something about death that gives you an appreciation for life. I think back on those months when I was dying. I lived more in those months than many do in their entire lives. I learned what was really important. Love, happiness, family. Everything else: careers, money, possessions, it's all just window dressing.
This is the lesson I've learned. And every night I kiss my sleeping children's heads and crawl into bed beside my loving husband. I say a prayer of thanks and this truth echoes in my mind.
Some things are more important than life.
The End