On a cold December evening, a man sat by his wife's bedside in the hospital. She was sick and had been battling cancer for 4 long years. It was Christmas Eve and the world was decking the halls and filling everyone with joy and happiness. The hospital was busy as usual and a bustle with the nurses and doctors wearing Santa hats to get into the spirit of the season and getting ready to go home to their families. Hallways and joining rooms were filled with cheer and good tidings on this wonderful time of year. Wonderful scents of cinnamon and gingerbread wafted from the nurses’ station and down the halls. Along with the enticing smells of the jolly holiday, laughter rang out and an occasional Christmas carol found its way into Room 843. However, in this particular room, the air was heavy and dense. The old man took his wife's hand in his as he wiped away a tear.
"Are you awake Stella?" He asked gently. Reaching over, the old man took his wife's fragile hand in his own, gently brushing his hand across her soft cheek with the other.
"I am darling, I was just thinking of some stuff." She turned to him and smiled. Even after all these years, whenever Stella looked into his eyes his world stopped spinning. Despite the pain that she had endured over the years, her eyes would never tell. They were as perfect and blue as the day he first laid eyes on her. Filled with happiness and love, they always gave him a sense of comfort in knowing that everything would always be alright no matter how bad the situation. They even gave him a small amount of comfort at this moment when he felt scared to death.
"What exactly would that be?" Carl inquired as he pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed the small, unbruised spot where no IVs had made its home in her paper-like skin..
With a heavy sigh, Stella turned her attention to the window and looked out disdainfully. "I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to actually see the snow this time of year..."
With a heavy sigh, Nick released her hand placed his arm over her shoulders and forced a smile, regardless of the pain that was tearing his heart apart. Carl and his wife lived in Arizona, Stella had lived here since she was born and had never been out of state. Carl, on the other hand, had moved here in the summer of 83. He had moved from New York where snow was inevitable each year. Blankets of white covered his property every year and that was the main reason he had moved to Arizona. Frankly, the snow annoyed him. It was trouble to drive in, and was always bitterly cold. Despite his hate for the powdery white substance, Carl had promised Stella that he would take her there next year around Christmas time. It was funny how you could make plans in your life and at the turn of a dime they could change in an instant. Those plans had completely dissipated when her health had took an unexpected turn for the worse With the way the economy was, it was just not affordable. Most of their nest egg had gone to paying for Chemotherapy that Stella had so desperately needed after the diagnosis. It was amazing how something that Carl had so much despised before, was something that he longed for now more than ever. Stella smiled gently as she looked up at him. Her steely blue eyes were filled with pain, but you really wouldn't be able to tell with her peaceful and calming demeanor.
"When I found out I had cancer, I was so angry Carl. Angry at God, angry at myself. It was like I had been cheated out of my life." She paused for a small moment to wipe her eyes and take a deep breath. “I can safely say all things aside I did live the most perfect life. I had you and two beautiful children. But I still have two regrets though."
Carl looked into her blue eyes his own filled with confusion. “What would that be sweetheart?"
She took a deep breath; one of the few that she knew would be her last. “My first regret is that I wish I would have met you sooner. I wished that we could have spent more time together. I loved you and loved being around you. My second regret is that I would have loved to see the snow, just once."
Carl gulped as he tried to fight back the tears. "Oh Stella, I wish we had more time together too. I wish there was a way I could turn back time and take you everywhere you wanted to go. If I could I would bring the snow to you." He said his voice cracking and thick with tears. Very gently, he laid his head on her shoulder as she shushed him.
"Quiet now, this is no time to cry. It is Christmas time, the time to celebrate and be happy." Stella informed him as she patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"No!" He said as he stood up and walked to the window his brown eyes staring out at everything and seeing nothing. "I refuse to be joyous and happy when I'm losing you, the one person that I love more than anything..." Closing his eyes, memories flooded through his mind. Memories of their first kiss, their wedding day. The moment she had told him that he would be a father...
"Carl, come sit down." Stella beckoned to him. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and walked back over to the bed. Sitting down he embraced her once more and held her tight as the tears streamed silently down his face. Shortly after, Stella finally fell asleep. As she slept, her dreams were not filled with the fear of dying...but the joys of the life that she had lived. Carl had given her everything that she had wanted in life. Stella had no doubt that she had lived a full life, all her wishes filled. Her only sadness now was leaving Carl and her children, who were not children but adults living their own happy lives.
When she awoke, Carl was not there. "Carl?" She whispered as her eyes scanned the room for him. This was so unlike him to not be here when she woke up, it was all he had done her entire ordeal. Darling are you-" It was at the moment that her eyes fell upon the window that had been opened that she lost her breath in the middle of the sentence.
“Mrs. Stevens, are you okay?" Stephanie, the night shift nurse asked as walked into the room to check her vital signs. Noticing the stunned look on Stella's face, he eyes followed hers to the window and let out a gasp. "Well, I'll be..." Stephanie said smiling. There, on that Christmas Eve night in Arizona, it was snowing. The flakes floated and whispered by the window, to their very amazement. As it floated across the sky, a sense of peace and serenity filled Stella's heart. Just then, Carl walked into the room and noticed their expressions.
"Carl look it's snowing!" She exclaimed as he sat on the bed beside her a smile plastered on his face.
"It sure is." He said as they sat holding each other and watching it together.
"I will leave you too alone." Stephanie said and made her way to the door but not before giving Carl a knowing wink. While Stella had been sleeping, Carl had secretly rented a snow blower just to make his beloved happy. After going to six different stores he finally had to drive to a different town in order to get it. But he loved Stella and would do anything to make her happy. And right now at this very moment, all the determination had been worth the while.
"I love you Stella." Carl whispered placing a kiss upon her cheek.
"I love you too, always." She replied as she snuggled deeper in his arms and rested her head on his chest. Together they sat there watching the snow until finally she fell asleep in his arms, a smile plastered on her face.
Stella did not wake the next day. With a heavy heart, Carl gathered her belongings. As tears ran down his cheeks, he picked up one last thing, a picture of them on their wedding day. As he stared into her eyes in the picture he could not help but smile.
"I will see that smile again someday, soon hopefully my love." He said as he placed it gently in the suitcase. As he was zipping it up, the Doctor Copeland came in the room and put his hand on Carl's shoulder.
"She went peacefully." He said softly. Carl smiled at him through his tears as he looked out the window.
"I know she did." He said as he picked up her bag of things and headed for the door. The long walk down the corridor, his very last one was sad because for once, he was not leaving with her on his arm. It wasn't until he stepped out the revolving doors of the hospital that a feeling of comfort surrounded him like a blanket. For there before his very eyes, tiny little white flakes swirled around him.
"Oh my God." He said with a small smile. It was snowing for the first time in Arizona! In awe and amazement he watched the snow swirl and dance against the grey sky and dance in front of his eyes.
"If only Stella were here to see it." But in his heart he knew she was watching him and letting him know that she was safe with God in Heaven. The snow, well this was her way of letting him know. That night he dreamed the sweetest dream. He was dancing with Stella in the snow in heaven. They were young and healthy again her cheeks rosy, and her wedding dress bright and as white as the winter snow. Laughing as the flurries danced right along with them, sticking in their hair and on their garments, they danced on into the night. That was Carl's last dream because now it was reality. Carl had passed peacefully in his sleep as well and was now reunited with his Stella in the magnificent kingdom of heaven. Now, he would dance with Stella forever in the winter snow.
![[send message]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/mail.png){kind=small}
![[befriend]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/friend.png){kind=small}
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Flag Writing
