Supermarket Flowers

Chapter Twenty One

a/n – This chapter was very happy/sad for me to write - I hope you guys enjoy it. Thanks for your support and please feel free to leave reviews :)

All of the arrangements had been made, booklets printed, the venue booked. Everything was ready to go; the only thing left for them to do was wait. It was the day before the funeral and Henry was midway through polishing his good pair of shoes when the doorbell rang. He sighed and got up put his shoes on the floor and went to open the front door.

Blake Moran stood on the doorstep, as well dressed and groomed as always.

"Blake, hi." Henry said.

"Good morning Dr. McCord." Blake said.

"Please, call me Henry – you can come on in." Henry said, standing to the side to allow him to enter the house.

Blake shuffled indoors and stood in the hallway. He was holding a large bouquet of lilies in his arms which he handed immediately over to Henry.

"These are from me and everybody at work." Blake said.

"They're beautiful, thank you." Henry said, taking the flowers. He led Blake into the kitchen and sat the flowers in the kitchen sink, which he'd filled with a little water.

"I'm sorry for the mess." Henry said, indicating the vast amount of casseroles that covered every square inch of the kitchen counters and tables.

"Oh, not at all." Blake said. "Henry, I'm so sorry for your loss, Elizabeth was an extraordinary woman."

"She was." Henry said, handing Blake a glass of water. "She always spoke very highly of you, Blake."

"The feeling's mutual." Blake said, taking a sip of water. "Where are the kids?" He asked, placing his glass down on the counter.

"Will took them out for ice cream, as you can imagine – everything's a little crazy here lately."

"Yeah…" Blake mumbled. "Actually, Henry there's a reason I'm here." He fumbled about with his suit pocket and pulled out a stack of envelopes.

"Before she passed, Elizabeth asked me to hold onto these letters, there's one for each of you. She wanted me to give them to you after – well after she –"

Henry took the stack of envelopes, clearly shocked.

"She wrote these?" Henry asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes sir." Blake replied.

Henry flicked through the envelopes until he found the one which was addressed to him. He laughed, that was her handwriting alright.. He brought the envelope closer to his face and inhaled, the scent of her perfume still lingered on the paper.

"Thank you, Blake." He said.

Henry sat on the big windowsill in his bedroom. Little did he know this was the very place that Elizabeth had written the letter he was about to read. It had taken a week before he'd finally built up the courage to set foot in their bedroom, he had cried himself to sleep on his first night back in the bedroom as he hugged Elizabeth's pillow, which still smelt like her.

Henry had been to visit Elizabeth every day in the chapel of rest since she'd been taken away from the house. The undertakers had really done a brilliant job working on her, in place of the bandana that she'd grown so accustomed to over the past few months was a golden blonde wig, it looked almost exactly like her natural her and it had taken Henry by surprise, he'd grown so used to seeing her in the bandana.

Her make up had been done very tastefully, and really if Henry hadn't known any better, he would have thought that she was just sleeping. The kids had only come to see Elizabeth once at the chapel, it was too much for them to deal with, and Jason was already having nightmares from the eight hours he'd spent sitting beside his mother's body.

Henry had cried in the car the day that the casket had to be sealed, this was it – he was never going to see his wife again. He sobbed in the drivers seat as that realisation hit him, and now here he sat, clutching a sealed envelope to a letter that his wife had written him. He traced over her handwriting on the front of the envelope with his index finger, smiling.

He turned the envelope over and slowly started to open the letter, he took it out and unfolded it and braced himself for whatever he was about to read.

My dearest Henry,

It seems like a lifetime ago that we met on that cold winter's day in the library of UVA. I suppose by the time you're reading this, it will have been a life time ago for me. I thank God every day for bringing us together, and although I lost my faith many, many years ago I truly believe that we were always destined to be together.

You took me in, shook me off and welcomed me as one of your own into your family. It was overwhelming at first, I'd become so accustomed to being alone after my parent's death and being away from Will at college that it seemed so scary to open myself up again. After my parents died I kind of became a shadow of myself. You brought me back to the light Henry, and for that I'm eternally grateful.

Every day spent with you during this life has been a beautiful adventure, but now I must go on alone. It hurts me to think I'll ever be without you but we have to learn to come to peace with what's happening.

You and the kids are the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, maybe I don't say it enough but you are the reason I've lasted as long as I have. Whenever I feel lost and broken, I just remember that you're in my life and it brings me back from the edge.

You are an amazing soul and a wonderful father, I know you'll continue to raise the kids beautifully. Henry, I want you to be happy, even if that means you meet someone else and remarry after I'm gone. I only pray that she loves you every bit as much as I have in this life.

I hope you don't mind that I asked Blake to give you this letter, I just wanted to you have one last piece of me to remember.

Stay strong, I will always be with you. I'm waiting for you on the other side.

All my love,

Elizabeth

Henry hadn't realised it until a tear had fallen onto the page and smudged Elizabeth's name that he was crying. Elizabeth had always been so selfless, putting everybody's needs ahead of her own. This letter meant the world to him, he was beyond grateful to have this one last piece of her.