Epilogue

Final Chapter

Once In A Lifetime

by: Craig David

Enjoy!

:P

Some believe that when you die, you die. As simple as that. But is life and death that simple? Is it really over when it's over? Tommy chooses to think not. Simple, ha. A death cannot just be simple, because life is a huge complicated bitch. Some say, 'Life isn't fair, so shut up and deal with it' or the favorite quote, 'Life's a bitch, then you die!'. But life isn't that cruel and death shouldn't be either, right. Life is a journey. A unique one to everybody. And death, death is that climax end. The opposite of birth. And what happens next is special.

There is a place you go when you die, however is that heaven or hell, probably not. Hell could possibly be that place parents tell their children, bad people go, to get their children to be good, if only for that day. Is Hell is like Neverland? Only in dreams, nightmares actually. Who knows. But heaven. Oh, there is a Heaven for beautiful souls filled from wonderful people. And angels do walk the Earth. That is true. Tommy knows and believes that with his soul. He met one. He loved his angel and forever will. Kimberly in Heaven? That made him chuckle to even think that. Tommy always felt Heaven was never made for the likes of Kimberly Oliver. Not that Kimberly was too good for Heaven, though to Tommy, she was perfect. But something about her was truly unique and powerful. Their love was special… once in a lifetime.

It was raining in the openness of the night with a slight chill in the air. It was early morning, too early for one to be so wide-awake. Tommy smiled as he looked out through the rain in just his black PJ bottoms. He was awake, not being able to sleep these last couple of days. His thoughts go back to that tragic day in Paris over a year ago. The gunshots still ringing familiar in his head. A cold chill still runs up his spine. Many people were injured including himself, but none as scary as Kimberly. His wife, the love of his life, with multiple shots. The blood was sickening as he felt her life slipping away. She looked him in the eyes, deep in the eyes, to tell him her heart, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want her last words.

In the distance, he could see the Eiffel Tower. He proposed to Kimberly there. Her face when he asked her, though he kind of knew she had an idea about the proposal, having found the ring a week prior. But nevertheless, she did put on the face. Greece was absolutely perfect, the most romantic, ideal place for newlyweds to spend their first week together. Tommy's hand came up to the glass of the window. The rain was a comfort these days. Paris was his home nowadays. And though he missed his parents, brother, grandfather, other family and best friends still back home in the States; Paris was the right place for him to stay. His life belonged to this place and this home. Kimberly loves Paris.

"What are you doing awake?" As a hand touched his back from the soft voice came from behind him. Tommy's heart swelled. That wonderful voice would light any dark room. Tommy turned with a smile.

"Just thinking." Tommy looked upon the most beautiful sight. A mother feeding her baby. His son greedily sucking away at his mother's breast. Tommy placed his hands on his son's head and shoulder of his wife, giving her a kiss first before a soft one on his son's shaggy dark hair. His son was looking back at his mother with the same beautiful doe brown eyes. Though just 4 days old, their connection was true, real. She felt him when he was about to cry, why he was crying, even when Tommy didn't have a clue.

Flashback

"No! No!"

"Nous désolés." (We are sorry) Tommy looked at them.

"No. No, try again, please! Essayer encore!" (Please, just one more time!)

"Nous avons pour 10 minutes, monsieur. Je suis désolé, elle est allée." (We have been for 10 minutes sir. I am sorry, but she is dead)

"Un plus, cela est tout je veux!" (One more, please, that is all I want) John nodded.

"Éclaircir!"

"Eclaircir!" Tommy looked at the life support system still with the flatline. "Eclaircir!"

"One more!" John did.

"Eclaircir!" Tommy looked at the machine, knowing that was the end. They couldn't do anything else for her. Tommy bent down to Kimberly's chest, tears in his eyes still.

"Please, Beautiful. Please, don't do this. Please, just come back. Please, come back to me. I need you. I need you so much, I don't know if I can breath without you. Beautiful wake up! Wake up!" Tommy shook her. "Come back! You promised! You promised me! I can't live without you..."

There was a long flatline, then a slight beep. Tommy gasped.

"Kimberly?" Another beep popped on the screen.

"Nous avons un rythme, nous avons un pouls!" (we have a rhythm, we got a pulse)

"Médicaments!" (medication!)

"Kimberly!"

"Eclaircir!" John picked up the paddles. "Si elle n'obtient pas à l'hôpital, nous la perdrons encore!"

"Just hang on, Beautiful." They reached the hospital just as Kim's heart went flatline again.

Tommy woke up with his head against a breathing chest. A constant beeping beside the bed. Something was stroking his head softly. Tommy raised his head slowly. He smiled and nodded.

"Hey, sleepyhead. I thought I was to be awaken by my prince with a kiss."

"It has been too long." Tommy reached up and placed a soft kiss to her lips.

"You should be sleeping."

"As should you, wife," Tommy said watching his son feed before another kissed on his head.

"Well, your son is hungry."

"He's always hungry. Sometimes, I wonder…"

"Hey!"

"What!"

"You had better not be implying…!"

"What? He doesn't get that from me."

"Right, so I expect he gets that from me, when someone will finish the box of cereal and put an empty box back in the cupboard."

"To remind you, we need cereal," Tommy said.

"You are incredible! The most…unreasonable, stupidest man I have…"

"I love you too." Tommy kissed his wife softly on the lips.

"Why did I ever marry you?"

"Because you love me."

"Whatever." Tommy looked down at his son, pulling away from the nipple. He was full. It was a wonderful sight to watch his wife breastfeeding their son. "Let me burp him."

"Oh, and change him and put him back to bed." Tommy took his son slowly from his wife's arms. His wife kissing his cheek.

"Of course. Go to sleep." His wife smiled as Tommy lifted his son to his bare shoulder to burp after a tiny kiss on the mouth. His son felt at home against his father's bare shoulder, closing his eyes immediately. Tommy's wife walked back toward the steps toward the bedroom upstairs. "Hey, I love you."

Kimberly stopped with one foot on the steps and turned to Tommy. She had a huge smile on her face. She walked back over to him, cupping his face. They kissed, not passionately as one might be granted, their love for each other spoke volumes. This was a kiss; passionate in it's own tenderness, filled with the love you read about in books. Love that is cherished.

"I love you too, tiger." Tommy gave her one final kiss. "Now come to bed, it's cold and I want my cuddly bear."

"Right behind you, Beautiful." Tommy patted Derek Thomas's back, watching Kimberly walked upstairs with that sparkle in her eyes when he calls her beautiful. Tommy waited on his son's burp looking out through the rain. "I love you little man, but hurry up so Mommy and I can cuddle." Tommy looked at his son, who eyes were open. "Stubborn, just like your mother."

The end

A TRUE END!

Thanks so much guys and gals. I wouldn't be here and doing this if it wasn't for your votes of inspiration and love. Thanks for taking the time to leave notes, wish I could tell you all how wonderful and great I think you are (i just did), but then again, don't want to swell your heads. Thanks!

To my muse, Milli, thanks for the alternate ending idea. Wouldn't have worked out so great, if not for you. Good luck with school, I know you will be fine. To my buddies PJ, Natedog, oh and of course…. you the fans! Thanks! All I do is for you, hope you enjoyed it as well!

Notes to fansPinkRanger4Evr: Here&Now is the next story on the blocks to finish, up to 10 chapters to that so far, gotta do the dreaded editing. Beautiful is done, finally chapter was them getting back together. Might come back to the story, perhaps, I don't really know. TrueRomantic: Don't cry too much, giving all the fans justthe perfect ending needed. I'm pretty sure everybody knows deep down, I got the true romance bug, where things find a way to work out!

Lastly, 'Best Wishes' sequel coming shortly, got first chapter done, it's looking to be a 3-chapter sequel, whereas 'Best Wishes' was just one chapter. Then I have another story in the works, get excited! 'White Ranger Series' sequeal to 'Power Rangers: Generations! And then gonna change it up with 'Sex, Lies & A Whole Lotta Loving', a bit of a change in the ranger world.

Well, once again thanks.

Final note: 'Let's go America! World Cup soccer! GOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!'