A New Life, A Big Change {N.H} Book 1

Nick

My oldest brother's name was Nick. He joined the army when he was only eighteen, and he loved it a lot. We saw him every two months or so when given the chance to come home.

He got engaged when he was twenty-one to his longtime childhood girlfriend Megan. They were such a cute couple. I have always been jealous of them, of their love, because the love they had for each other was amazing.

The way Nick always looked at her and talked about her was great.

He always talked about her like she was an angel, always praising her, and no one could say anything bad about her. He always stood up for her as a real man would do.

Megan had this sparkle in her eyes whenever she talked about Nick, which was so beautiful. She was a down to earth girl, always standing by Nick's side through the good and the bad.

Nick always said that you know you are in love when, whatever that person does even when they chew with their mouth open, that still is beautiful.

One year later, they got married. At the age of 23, Nick and Megan had their first born's, twins, Emily and Ryan, and they were such cute babies.

I visited Megan a lot since Nick was away a lot with his army duties. She didn't mind me visiting because she didn't like the feeling of being alone at home.

They lived close to us, and I could just get on my bike and paddle the short distance to visit them.

I liked it when I visited with them because Megan always made you feel so at home.

She liked to bake cookies or cake, only to make the house smell good. It always felt and smelled like I visited a bakery when I was there.

Megan was a kindergarten teacher, and she loved children very much. So, when they had Ryan and Emily, she was the happiest person in the world.

Nick was a great Dad, and Megan was a really good Mom.

On the morning of April 21st, there was a knock on the door of Megan and Nick's apartment.

It was a Cop, he held his hat in his hands as they do in the movie, and that is when I feared for the worse.

Megan calmly invited him in, and he just stood there, staring at her, as if he couldn't get the words out, and that is when he uttered those dreadful words.

"Mrs. Carter, I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your husband Nick passed away this morning, he passed away as a hero, trying to save people out of a burning building in Iraq, but after saving everyone, he collapsed and he never woke up again. We think he might have inhaled too much smoke." He said, with sadness audible in his voice.

"I am so very sorry, Mrs. Carter." He clutched the front of his hat really tightly.

Megan just stood there, not saying anything, she may be thinking that she was living in some kind of dream and that the cop was only making a joke, that Nick was going to walk into the room at any moment now, hug her, pick up Ryan and Emily and even hear them say their first words, but deep down she knew it was not true.

I could see the tears forming in her eye, and it broke my heart. She sat down and soft, nearly silent sobs escaped from her.

Shaking her head at the cop she did not want to believe what he had just told her.

I sat down beside her, hugging her close, and that is when my pain and heartache of the loss of a very important part of my life crashed into me, and my tears mirrored that of Megan.

I hugged Megan tightly, and I knew that I didn't have the right words to say to her, but I knew just being there really helped.

Nick is... Was my brother, how can he be gone? Just two months ago, he was here, still alive, hugged me, and told me that he loved me, but now... Now he is gone, my oldest brother gone.

I am never going to see him anymore, the boy who taught me how to ride a bike, and the boy who taught me to kick a soccer ball. He is gon. Hee really is gone.

Live changed so much since he was taken from us. The aching gap that was left haunted us all.

After the funeral, we didn't see Megan that much anymore since she didn't want to be reminded of Nick.

It took her five months before she started visiting us again. I missed not seeing them that much anymore.

Nick was the one who kept us together as a family because whenever he said that it was a family weekend, we listened.

We enjoyed spending time with them or anyone in the family.

The 21st of April was one of those days that we as a family never wanted to remember. Whenever it came around, we always tried to forget that day.

Megan took it really hard, you could call her, or text her and she would never answer, she always brought the twins over to our house, went home, locked herself in her room and cried it out.

When she came back to pick up the twins, you could see the sadness in her eyes.

I never said anything to he because I was scared of saying something wrong.

We supported her where we could. Being a single parent was not fun or easy. She still was a great mother, and she loved the twins a lot.

Even with Nick not being there, she always told the twins about their Dad and how he was a hero.

*Stay sweet Xoxo ✌