First - verybighugs to all who reviewed. You made my night, guys, seriously. Second - last chapter. Waaah. Third - I'm ill. So excuse any slight babbling. I wanna get this posted 'cos I have plenty of fic here to post for... well, however long it takes my ill and lazy ass to actually post it. Okay, well, I have nothing more to say...
We're still thanking delga for the beta and Katie Melua for the lyrics. And I still don't own the characters, much as I would love to, although if anyone would like to send Gary Sinise (or indeed Melina Kanakaredes, y'know, whatever!) for my birthday in a couple of months, feel free. Okay, fic now.
The Sky Cried For You
Without you now I see how fragile the world can be, and I know you've gone away but in my heart you'll always stay.
The memorial service is the toughest day of his life; tougher than he ever imagined life could be. He's always imagined growing old with his wife – he's always thought that he'd die first, peacefully, quietly. He never wanted to spend a day without her and he curses life, the world, God and the higher beings he's never believed in for being callous, so cruel and so harsh and for taking his love - his life - away.
He doesn't remember much of the day. He remembers her name being called and he remembers breaking down in the far left corner (he couldn't bear to sit at the front), Stella by his side, biting her lip in an attempt not to break down in tears herself. He remembers leaving halfway through, stumbling blindly towards Central Park. He vaguely recalls Stella sitting by his side some moments later, wrapping his cold hand in her own gloved ones; he recalls looking into her red-rimmed eyes and realising she'd been crying.
He doesn't remember, but Stella told him of it, that they spent the latter part of the day in a bar, he drinking himself silly, and Stella brooding over numerous cups of coffee. He does remember the next morning and the accompanying hangover, and he does remember falling to his knees in front of the wedding photograph on the wall and crying himself to sleep.