Serendipity (Book 2)

iShould've Told You by Edio

Chapter 12

@whoringly ~ This is it. The last chapter of this installment. Thank you for those who read it, even if it was quite long and the characters were OOC. For those who skipped over, it's fine. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. And hey, maybe one day, when you have the time, you'll read it back to back. The ending is not what you think it is. Personally, I think it was very touching and realistic. Enjoy!

***

Sam was glad that was over. No matter how many times she'd done it before, she never got used to speaking in front of an audience. As she stepped back from the mic stand, she scanned the crowd. They were still applauding. There must have been at least a two thousand people in attendance already. They were sitting or standing on the grass covered lawn in front of the stage. A lot of them were wearing the same light blue colored shirt with the same design. She smiled and waved again before walking behind the stage. Finally she could relax and let out a sigh of relief. She could almost hear her husband telling her, "You started it. Now you have to live with it." She guessed so, but that wasn't entirely true. They both started this thing together. The people behind the scenes congratulated her and some who knew her better gave her a hug. She marveled at the amount of work it took to produce this event nowadays. Sam spoke with them a few minutes, making sure to thank them all for their volunteer work before leaving backstage.

She and Freddie had started it together almost a decade ago. It was an annual event that gathered their charity's supporters for a ten mile march that finished with a night of music and entertainment at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA. They had just finished the march and were now getting ready for the performances. They originally called it the Pacific Northwest Lymphoma and Leukemia Research Foundation's March for the Cure. She gazed up at the banner across the top of the stage. She liked what it was called now a bit better. Before she could finish the thought, however, her cell phone vibrated at her hip. She grabbed it and checked the text she received from Carly.

hi - we r here. freddie is with me and spencer - heard the last part of your speech - u were great! c u at the usual spot.

Sam smiled and looked up at the top of the hill towards the back of the large crowd. It was quite a ways off but she could make out three familiar silhouettes beside a lone tree. Before she could start making her way there, however, a few of the people in the crowd recognized her and called out her name.

"Dr. Benson!" someone shouted and she went over to visit a patient she recognized. Hugs and kisses were all around. She spent some time meeting with other patients and their families and slowly worked her way through the crowd. The same scene was repeated over and over again. It never ceased to amaze Sam how many people they were able to reach out to and affect with their charity foundation - and it was growing every year. She remembered a day when it only took the four of them to arrange this. Every time she'd talk to her husband about it, he would usually just shrug and say, "It's all you babe. You're the doctor not me. You save lives. I just help put on a show and made a movie."

Never mind that the movie he was talking about was a Golden Globe nominated documentary. It was an eye-opening film about the plight of cancer patients in the third world.

After keeping his promise to marry her, Freddie had become involved in a lot of different causes that championed cancer research and development. When he finished college with a degree in cinematography, he pursued his interests and traveled around the globe. He spent his time documenting and filming the struggles of doctors and hospitals in the poorest parts of the world. He was amazed at their strength and resiliency as they tried to cope with a terrible disease without the proper facilities or funding. Sam herself joined him on a couple of his trips. The experience spurred her on in her own studies to become an oncologist. Although they were apart for months at a time, they both knew they were always going to be together in the important ways. When he finished filming, she was in her residency at Seattle Pacific Hospital. Freddie set to work editing his movie and presented it at local film festivals where it got noticed. It was a short hop from there to awards and accolades. They were able to use the publicity to create this charity event. They were so young and idealistic then. Sam guessed that never really changed. Looking around her at the fruits of a life well spent made her proud.