Disclaimer: Same old stuff. I do not own anything.
Chapter 25: Death in the Family
I woke up because someone was fiercely shaking me. A panicky voice was telling me to get up because it didn't know what it should do. I wanted to ignore it and head back into the comfort of sleep, but the voice wouldn't let me. I was tempted to hit the voice, but how do you hit sound? I slowly found my way from the dream world to the real one. Erik was leaning over me, horror written all over his face.
"Elizabeth, wake up. Wake up. Something's wrong with Louise. Come quick. Please!" I was out of bed in a flash. I knew this had been coming. The previous winter, Louise had a bout with the fever and it had nearly claimed her. She was, after all, in her nineties. It was a miracle she had even lived this long. I rushed past Erik and down the stairs. I feared finding her already dead in her bed.
She wasn't, however. Just very close. Her face was a pasty white and her breath was coming up in ragged gusts. I fell down next to her bedside, trying not to go into hysterics. She had been a mother to me when I had lost mine to time. I didn't know what I was going to do without her. Erik stood next to me, hand resting on my shoulder. I heard him taking in deep breaths, fighting tears.
"Elizabeth, my dear." Louise whispered, her aged hand finding mine. She smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. "Don't be sad, dear. It's the Lord's time for me to leave. He's calling me home. Don't fret." I smiled in spite of the tears that had managed to sneak out. Trust Louise to still be as straight to the point as possible.
"Do you want me to send for a doctor?" I asked, hoping she would say yes.
"No. No. No doctor, please. I already told Master no." She smiled up at my husband. "It's been a pleasure serving you, monsieur. Thank you for all the wonderful years and memories. If only my Philip could have been here to meet you. But, I shall soon see him in heaven. Good-bye, dears. Don't be afraid of the future. Live life and enjoy each other." She squeezed my hand one more time and then was gone.
I stood, the shock of her death rolling over me like waves, and turned toward Erik. He held me in his embrace as I cried. I knew people had to die. I knew we all would die someday. I'd just never been this close to death before. My grandfather had died when I was very young, but I hardly remembered that. Louise's death also brought to mind that my husband was getting old. What would I do without him?
Her funeral was a few days later. It was raining, rather appropriate if you asked me. It always needed to rain for funerals. It made you think God was crying along side you. Jack, his family, and Alex's family attended the funeral. Alex was in England with his blushing bride. He sent his condolences, though.
A day after the funeral, I was still somewhat in shock. I missed Louise and now that she was gone, all the cooking and cleaning and mending fell to me. I didn't mind, but every time I made soup or mended a shirt or cleaned the kitchen, I thought of her. And then I would burst into tears again. Erik found me that day making bread and crying.
"Now, now, you don't want to mess up the bead with more salt, do you?" His attempt to make me smile failed horribly. But I appreciated the effort. "You really miss her, don't you?" He asked, stroking my hair and holding me. I never wanted him to let me go.
"Yeah, I miss her a lot. She was like a mother to me. And when I cook, all I can think about is her. I can hear her telling me to add more salt or more pepper or more this or that. I would still be a terrible cook if it wasn't for her."
"Do you wish she was still alive to be with you?" He asked. I had to stop and think about it. Did I wish she was still alive? I did, but at the same time I didn't. A thought nagged at the back of my mind. Some historical event was shoving its way to the front of my still shocked brain. An event I would never have wanted Louise to live through.
"What's the date? Erik, what's the date?" I yelped, looking up at him. The event was now in the forefront of my mind.
"It's September 13, 1900. Why is it so important?" He looked perplex. There were a few things from the past I had kept secret. And this was one of them. I breathed a sigh of relief, though. I had fourteen years to plan for it. Something else dawned on me at that moment. One other event would occur within that time span. A warning in my heart bade me not mention either.
"It's not important. At least, not now. But, no, I wouldn't want Louise to be alive right now. I don't think she would like where the world is going to go." He opened his mouth to ask what I meant, saw my look, and kept the question to himself. It was better he didn't ask. Time would soon tell what was going to happen. Nations were going to go to war. And the first love of his life was going to die.