Eternal Love

Make you Proud of Me

"Hun, I just got of the phone with Shayne and Julie, they are coming over for the baby shower and are staying for a week," I said as I walked into the lounge room where Brooks had been stationed for the past 4 hours doing paper work. All he did was grunt in agreement, "I was also thinking maybe I'd shave my hair off," to which he grunted in agreement. I ran over to him and flopped on the lounge with my legs on his lap. Brooks put his hand over my now bulging stomach, now six months along and I now find my self wearing a lot of Brooks shirts. He rubs small circles with his thumb, "Did you hear what I said?" I asked.

He nodded, "Shayne and Julie are coming over for a week while we have the baby shower and you want to shave your head," he said with out even blinking as he typed things into the calculator. The cattle prices had been pretty low for a little while and its putting pressure getting rid of the weaners because we cant justify the money to keep feeding them for what they are worth and it had been stressing Brooks out, "Aren't you spose to be on call this weekend?" he asked.

"No Jackson swapped me around, so I'm next weekend, his wife has a surgery next weekend when he was spose to work," I answered rubbing my thumb over the crease between his brows. I hates seeing him stressed like this, "Babe come for a bath and just relax for 5," I grabbed his hand and played with his fingers and he kissed my fore head, "I love you."

"and I you," he said in return before picking my up bridle style and carrying to the bathroom for a relaxing bath.

Brooks and I were sitting the bath tub, him behind me massaging my back, I was in heaven. Brooks even had soft music in the back ground from my phone. We were in there until the water went cold. I was in the bed room about to get dressed when my phone rang, it was Jackson.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Aud, I need you to take over this weekend, My my wife, she um, she had a relapse with her cancer treatment and I- um I have to take the kids to say good bye," and he broke down crying.

"Oh my goodness, go take you kids to see your wife, I never got the luxury of saying good bye to my mum, go, you don't even have to ask twice. Leave the work phone in your mail box and I'll come and get it. I'm so sorry for what you have to go through."

"Thanks Audrey" he sniffled.

"That's alright, good bye, and Im so sorry."

And I hung up. There was a hollow feeling in my heart and I fell to my knees under the weight of it. Those poor children.

Jackson wasn't there for work on Monday or Tuesday. His wife's funeral was on Wednesday. There was much death. I wore a knee length black dress to the funeral and Brooks wore his best black shirt. There was sad music and happy stories and lots of tears.

It was the day after his wife's funeral at work when Jackson spoke to me about him moving away, there was to much memory of his wife here, and he needed someone to take over the business.

"Why me though Jackson, I've only been out of uni a year I don't have enough experience to run this place," I said, I was willing to take over this place but I wanted to make sure that he had thought about this.

"Audrey do you understand how hard it is for young vets to keep roots, you seen to be pretty set in staying here, all the other vets will move on eventually but I can see it in your eyes that you are going to raise a beautiful family here. I can trust you with this place. There are more experience vets that work here that can help you if you get lost and I will run you threw all you need to know paper work wise over the next 3 weeks before I leave," he said putting his hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

I looked at him properly since his wife died, he looked old for 35 years, I could see the flecks of grey through once blown hair, and the wrinkles around his eyes and laugh lines seem more prominent, Ashley's death really took it out of him.

"I'll do it for you Jackson," I said patting him on the back. I mean how hard could it be to run the business.

The weeks of my training flew by and Jackson left. I pretty much had it all under control. I was sitting in the lounge room chewing on the end of my pen as I figured out how much money there was in the bank. Jackson had the cheapest prices this side of the range, and I could see that it was hurting the bank. What was I going to do? If it kept going this way then we would go bankrupt. Damn Jackson and his kinda heart.

Brooks came up behind me and started to rub my shoulders and I relaxed into it, "Stop stressing Aud you'll stress out little Brently," he said continuing rubbing my shoulders. Yes the baby is a boy, we found out last week and Brooks was happy to say the least, he had already named him. Though it was up for debate, "I haven't seen you this stressed for a while, how did you cope with Uni?"

I rotated in my seat, "I played my guitar and sung to me self, or I blasted the tunes and had a one person party," I said laughing at the memories.

Brooks looked at me blankly and then walked away. Thanks for the support darling, I think to myself. I looked down at the paper work. I had so many bills to work out and its just a lot of stress for a pregnant women! I single tear rolled down my face, how am I going to do this?

Just as I was about to throw my pen threw a wall when I heard a quiet strum of a guitar.

"In my next life, I'm gunna be your hero," sung a soft voice that I new was Brooks. I looked up at him through my lashed and whipped away the tear.

"Something better than I turned out to be," I sung with him. My worries already drifting away, "I've lived this life behind a plough and harrow, in my next life I'll make you proud of me."