Sunday 1st July 2029, 7:30am
Tom wasn't fully awake but he fancied a cuddle with his wife but as he turned over in the double bed, he hit the bare mattress rather than his wife's soft skin. That rendered him unable to get back to sleep because he was fully rested and he didn't have anything to do. So he got up, had a stretch and then went downstairs only his heart broke when he saw his wife kneeling on the carpet in the living room with Shadow lying on the floor in front of her on her side with her eyes closed. Sam hadn't noticed him but she was silently sobbing as she took short, quick pants and then a few deep breaths as she tried to compose herself but she'd then began breathing erratically again as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Sam, I'm so sorry sweetheart." Tom said as he knelt down besides her and put his arm around her shoulders. The two females had been through a lot together, for one they'd both had their first pregnancy together, then Shadow had been protective of Daniel and Ella all of her life and had had puppies - one of which saved her son's life from a dangerous dog - and Shadow had saved Sam when she was in her first trimester of being pregnant with Daniel from the same dog and if it hadn't have been for her, Daniel might've never been born.
"Can you um, take her to the vets and get her cremated please?" Sam requested. "I don't want the kids to see her and I'll just be a quivering mess." Sam managed to say what she needed to but the lump in her throat took over before she started crying again so she wrapped her arms around Tom's neck and he hugged her back as tight as he could to give her some comfort.
"Of course I can, if that's what you want." Tom whispered as he gently rubbed a hand up and down her back. "But just remember, she's 14 years old, she's had a good life and it would've been in her sleep with no pain." Tom said reassuringly.
"Can you um, jut tell the kids that I'm ill or something and not to bother me please?" Sam asked. "I'm gonna go back to bed for a while."
"Sam, they're old enough to know that people need time to grieve and I'm old enough to know that you're not going back to bed, you're just going to shut yourself away... They're going to be upset as well so they'll know how you feel. Heck I'm even gonna miss her."
"Can you please just go?" Sam choked out and he knew Sam would rarely admit that she needed him, but he knew how to recognise when she said something but she meant the opposite, and this was not one of those times.
"Sure." Tom nodded before he reached behind him and laid out a large, purple blanket with white cartoon bones all over it, on the carpet in front of him. He ever so gently lifted the lifeless animal across the carpet and placed it down on the bottom half of the blanket before he folded the top half of it over the body to cover it up. "I'll just go and get changed and then I'll go to the same place that they did Zoe." Tom stated as he got to his feet.
"Pay extra." Sam croaked.
"What?"
"Do what we did last time, pay extra so that she's in the furnace by herself and not mixed in with other animals." Sam ordered.
"Of course." Tom nodded.
10:30am
Ten year old Ella was sitting at the breakfast bar doing a crossword puzzle to pass the time when her fourteen year old brother strolled down in his pyjamas and grabbed the orange house carton out of the fridge which he took a gulp from and then replaced back on the shelf.
"You're disgusting." She grimaced.
"And you're way too OCD about everything." Daniel quipped. "Where's Mum and Dad?"
"Um, Mum is still sleeping and Dad must've taken Shadow out." Ella replied as she had knocked on her parent's door but that had only given a sobbing Sam time to climb under the duvet and close her eyes.
"Hallelujah! I got out of bed before mum!" Daniel exclaimed and Ella couldn't help but smile at the announcement because it was quite an achievement for him.
"Do you think something's wrong with mum? She's never been in bed for this long before and she always goes to the gym on a Sunday morning because that's when it's at it's quietest."
"Mum's fine. It's not illegal to have a lie in." Daniel stated and Ella let out a sigh of relief when she heard the front door open because she wasn't used to having no adult supervision.
"Where's Shadow?" Ella demanded alertly as her father came in the front door.
"I need to have a chat with you and Daniel." Tom said sternly. "Is he out of bed yet?"
"What sort of lazy person do you take me for?" Daniel shouted from the kitchen but he, unlike Ella, hadn't seen his father's solemn face.
"Why? What's wrong? Is it Mum?" Ella asked worriedly.
"No sweetheart, your mum's fine." Tom stated and he looked as Daniel padded in and so he took a deep breath. "You need to understand that Shadow was a very old dog and that it wouldn't have been painful at all okay... She passed away in her sleep this morning." Tom explained softly.
"No." Ella whispered.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, but you've got to remember that she has had such a happy life." Tom said as his daughter fell into his arms so he gave her a tight hug whilst Daniel stood and contemplated the event.
"How're you gonna tell mum?" Daniel asked to break the silence eventually. "She loves Shadow more than any of the other dogs we've ever had."
"Your mum already knows." Tom said gently. "I came downstairs this morning and she was sitting with Shadow where she'd found her. Where is your mum?" Tom asked concernedly.
"In the bedroom, but I thought she was asleep." Ella stated as she pulled apart and Tom's face fell when he realised that Ella had a tear rolling down each cheek; much like her mother, Ella rarely cried.
"Well she asked for some time alone this morning so she's probably just trying to think things over." Tom stated. "Listen, people deal with grief in different ways, some people like to be by themselves, others can't stand being alone so you do whatever will help you deal with what's happened." Tom said softly.
"I don't want to be by myself." Ella sobbed.
"I'm not gonna leave you darling." Tom said reassuringly. "Why don't you two go upstairs and get dressed while I check on your mum, and you can pick out a few DVDs that we can watch to take our minds off it yeah?" Tom suggested and the kids nodded so he walked upstairs and they went to their room so Tom slowly opened his bedroom door and closed it behind him. "Right, I kept that for you." Tom said softly to his wife who was lying in bed with red, puffy eyes clutching one of his pillows in her arms, as he placed Shadow's purple collar on her bedside table. "The vets will ring within 72 hours and I'll go pick the ashes up." Tom explained and Sam gave a small nod so that he knew she'd listened to him. "I've told the kids so I think we're just going to watch movies all day and eat popcorn or whatever to keep them occupied alright?"
"Mmhmm." She mumbled.
"I'll bring you up some breakfast in a little while, what do you want?" Tom asked softly as he crouched down besides her side of the bed.
"I don't care." Sam mumbled.
"Well I'll bring you up a couple of bits so you can eat them whenever you want." Tom stated as he knew he wasn't getting much out of her so he slowly backed up and left the room to comfort his children whom he knew would want his presence unlike Sam who understandably wanted some time alone.
A/N If you want to see the place Sam and Tom are staying at, just google 'Seaglass Cornwall' and it's on the 'unique home stays' website :)
Friday 24th August 2029
It was a couple of days before Sam's birthday and almost two months since Shadow's death and though Sam continued on like normal, she did occasionally have to go outside at work to get some air or have some time to herself but she was dealing with it well. Saying that, Ella and Daniel hadn't actually been as bad as Tom and thought they'd be, though he guessed it was probably because they still had Alex and Panda to play with.
But it was Sam's 43rd birthday and it was also going to be Sam and Tom's 15th wedding anniversary in December so he decided to so something for just the two of them, without the fuss of having to look after the kids or the dogs so that they could focus solely on each other - and Sam was yet to find out. Sam drove her husband home from work just like any other day but once Sam had stepped out of the car, she was greeted with her two children, the two dogs and Tom's red range rover sport was filled with suitcases and bags in the back seats from what she could see.
"What's going on?" Sam queried.
"Well, it's your birthday next Wednesday so we decided to give you a little surprise and it's a bit of an early anniversary present for the two of us too." Tom stated. "Now you know I can organise holidays because I've done it before so all I ask, is that you say good bye to the kids, take my hand and get in the passenger seat of my car and let me drive." Tom grinned.
"They're not staying at home by themselves are they?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Not if I have anything to do with it." Fletch quipped as he came out of Sam's front door pulling Ella's suitcase. "They're coming to live with us for the weekend, as are the dogs." He stated. Daniel's secondary school was just down the road from Ella's primary school so usually they would walk home together and then Daniel would be in charge until Sam and Tom got back from work.
"Oh um..."
"Just say goodbye to the kids!" Tom laughed as his dumbfounded wife whilst he opened the passenger car door for her.
"Be good for me, and don't wind Uncle Fletch up too much." Sam smiled as she simultaneously hugged her children.
"How much is 'too much'?" Daniel asked cheekily and Sam chuckled slightly as she pulled apart.
"Um, I'll ring you or skype you or whatever I can okay?"
"Mum just go!" Daniel ordered.
"In you get." Tom smiled as his wife sat down in the passenger seat of his car before he put a travel pillow and folded up blanket on her lap and closed the door but the window was wide open so she gave Ella a kiss on the cheek.
"Come on." Sam smiled and Daniel reluctantly, leant in and let his mother kiss him on the cheek too.
"Right, we'll see you both on Monday okay?" Tom said as he hugged both of his kids at the same time.
"Yep, have a good time." Ella smiled.
"But not too good." Daniel added and Tom gave him a stern look as to say 'not with your sister here' because his son obviously knew what his parents would get up to on a mini-getaway.
"Bye." Tom said finally before he went and got in the car. He started the engine and after final goodbyes, Sam and Tom set off to their destination.
"Where are we going?" Sam asked as they got to the end of their cul-de-sac.
"I wondered how long you'd last before you asked that." Tom laughed.
"Well?"
"I was thinking off going somewhere like the Maldives but it's like a 10 hour flight and I only wanted us to have a little holiday for the weekend and it wouldn't be worth going abroad for that long."
"So we're staying in England." Sam concluded. "Is it... The Lake District?"
"Nope. Cornwall." Tom stated. "We've got a cabin on the seafront in the middle of nowhere." He stated smugly. "Trust me, it's a beautiful, beautiful place. It's a short walk down to the beach, there's a outside shower with enough room for two people, a log burner, BBQ, veranda, and all the walls of the cabin that face the ocean are pretty much bi-fold doors so you can open the wall right up and just get some nice fresh air while you're lying in bed, looking up through the glass ceiling at the stars."
"Tom that sounds great." Sam said gratefully.
"And best of all, there's no kids." Tom joked.
"How long will it take to get there?"
"About two hours. So we'll get there around 7pm, but I'll get the BBQ going straight away; you don't mind a bit of a late dinner do you?"
"No, I had a big lunch."
"Well then Mrs Kent, sit back and relax." Tom smiled.
"Sleepy head... Come on, wakey wakey." Tom smiled as his wife slowly opened her eyes and looked straight into his. "We're here and we're all unpacked. Dinner's going to be about twenty minutes."
"What?"
"I've already got the BBQ going." He chuckled as Sam slowly got out of the car and then had a good stretch. It was fairly light because it was only August but all Sam could see in front of her was the modern beach hut. As she walked around the side of it with Tom, she was awestruck by the incredible view they had where their decking ended; there was a sandy beach, then the ocean and a full moon was beginning to appear. They had a 180° panoramic view of the bay in front of them and there wasn't another building in sight.
"Wow." Sam whispered.
"I'm good at this holiday stuff aren't I? Maybe I should take it up for a living." Tom quipped as he took her hand and sat her down at a table and chairs for two, but with the view on one side of her, she looked to the other where there was the bedroom and living room with a single white wall separating them, and the bi-folding doors had been opened. Everything was coloured with pale blues or whites, and it looked incredible.
"Maybe you should." Sam nodded.
"Right, that's our little hamper. They charge about £120 for a gift basket with jam and scones and a few sweets so I made one for us, and it's got all of our favourites in it and of course, a bottle of champagne." Tom stated as as he placed a wicker rectangular basket in front of her. She opened it to reveal it packed with little bits and pieces that she liked to nibble at when she would allow herself to have unhealthy food and then a green bottle with gold foil on it and two champagne flutes.
"Tom this is such a nice idea, thank you." Sam said gratefully.
"Well I just thought you could do with cheering up after what happened with Shadow." Tom said as he stood by the BBQ, not far from her to check on their dinner. He had brought all of the food (and alcohol) that they would need for the week in the car so that they wouldn't have to leave the place until it was time to go home. "Plus, I know how difficult it is for us to try and get some time alone without being worried about getting caught." He added and Sam smiled as she looked over at the double bed when she noticed two boxes of condoms, one that had dotted condoms, and the other that was rigged, both for extra stimulation and next to them was a small red bottle of Sweet Strawberry Play lubricant, all by Durex.
"How many do you think we're gonna need!" Sam laughed. "There's like 12 in each box and we're only here for the weekend aren't we?"
"Yeah, we leave on Monday morning but you never know, I wouldn't want us to run out." Tom smirked.
Later on, both were naked after a love making session that had gone on, and on and on. But they had closed the cabin up for the night and laid under the thin duvet as they stared up into the dark night sky with glistening stars dotted around it through the thin glass ceiling.
"I've been thinking," Tom began. "And, I know it's what I've done for your birthday before but I wasn't sure if you'd like the idea or not, but if was thinking that if you want to, we could get another dog." Tom explained. "It wouldn't have to be a border collie, or it won't even have to be a puppy, we could get a rescue dog or something like that-"
"Tom, it's too soon." Sam interrupted as she kept her eye on one particular pulsating star that fascinated her. "Maybe in a few years time... But not now."
"Okay." Tom nodded as he put one arm around her shoulders.
"Y'know I think you're right."
"About?" Tom questioned.
"Bringing two boxes. We probably will need them." Sam stated before she launched herself on top of her husband and kissed him passionately. He smiled as he didn't break the deal between their lips whilst he reached besides him and grabbed one of the ribbed condoms which he had found brought new pleasure for both of them. And they made love once more under the stars.
Monday 27th August 2029
As usual, Ella and Daniel were walking home from school together and where heading for Fletch's house because that was where they were staying when they suddenly noticed Tom's car on their driveway.
"Mum and Dad're back!" Ella exclaimed excitedly as she ran up to the front door. She opened the front door, threw her bag down and then ran up and hugged her mother.
"You alright mate?" Tom asked as he hugged his son.
"Yeah. How was your holiday?"
"It was good yeah, though your mum was too scared to dip her toes in the sea." Tom chuckled.
"That's because the water was freezing!" Sam protested. "There's some fudge and shortbread in the kitchen for the two of you to share; we got it from a village shop along the coast."
"Ooh!" Daniel grinned as he walked through into the kitchen whilst Ella had only just released her mother.
"I missed you." She stated as she reached up and hugged her father.
"Yeah, we missed you too." Sam smiled. "How was school today?"
"Fletch dropped us off but we were nearly late because Daniel wouldn't get up." Ella stated.
"Snitch." Daniel shouted with a mouth full of food.
"Trust me, he'll get up tomorrow or I'll throw cold water over him." Sam smiled.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Trust me Daniel, she would." Tom grinned. "And if your mum doesn't, then I will." He added.
Coming up: Sam has a health scare when she finds a lump, but will her fears be unfound? Or is there really a cause for concern?
Thanks for reading, please review :)