Til You Come Back to Me Again - A Love Story

Accepting the Inevitable

Accepting the Inevitable

It was our last morning in Mackinac when the pain began to worsen. We had just awakened when I sat up, releasing a low groan and taking a few deep breaths, the pain hitting me harder than normal.

Angelo kissed my brow. "Sweetheart, the Tylenol and ibuprofen are not going to work anymore."

I looked at him sadly. "I know." The worsening pain had been inevitable. He wiped my tears away, attempting to keep his own emotions at bay. "Will you get me my meds?"

Kissing my cheek, he into went to the bathroom and I was grateful we had gotten the prescriptions filled. In place of the over-the-counter medicine, I would now take morphine, a low dose antidepressant, and another medication to control the nausea. I had put it off for as long as I could. Now there was no choice. I had to take the stronger meds. The doctor told us he had been amazed that I'd stayed healthy for as long as I had. He attributed it to regular exercise and a good diet. That may have been true, but I was pretty certain God had something to do with it as well, and I would never stop thanking Him that Angelo and I realized our love for each other before it was too late.

He returned with a glass of water, the meds and supplements. He dumped the pills into my hand and I took them all at once. I lay my head against my loving husband's shoulder and he held me gently, trying not to hurt me. He would never want to cause me additional pain. He reached for the bakery box on the nightstand and gave me the last sweet roll to eat since I was supposed to take the medicines with food.

I took two small bites and chewed slowly. "I'm sorry, amore," I said, touching my face. "As soon as the meds kick in I'll shower and dress and we can go."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. We can do whatever you want. I just don't want you to overdo it, all right?"

"I won't, but I don't want to spend our final day stuck in the room. Even if we just go out for a little while, I'll be happy."

"Just promise me you will let me know when you need to come back."

"I promise."

There was so much sadness and pain in his blue eyes, but I knew he wanted to be strong for me. I was determined to enjoy our final day in Mackinac and he would help me do that. Drawing back a little, I looked up at him, and he smiled, kissing my lips. I gave him a brave smile in return, disguising the sadness I also felt.

"I think I can go and shower now."

"Okay, and while you are showering I'll order up some breakfast. Hopefully it will be here by the time you're done."

"Okay." Standing, I leaned down to kiss him. "Ti amo, Angelo," I whispered against his lips.

"I love you, too, dolcezza."

I managed to shampoo my hair and tame it into a loose bun, feeling no desire to attempt anything else. I dressed in one of the new outfits I'd bought the day before, wanting to look nice for Angelo. Of course, he always thought I was beautiful no matter what I wore.

When I came from the bathroom, Angelo had everything ready and we sat down at the table to eat. I looked at him a long moment, not missing the fact that he'd been crying. He smiled and I smiled back, tears filling my tired eyes. The medication was affecting me already. I suggested that we go sit out on the porch for a while and people-watch and Angelo grinned and said, "Whatever you want, tesora mia."

* * *

Taking a seat in the row of white rockers on the porch, we did sit and people-watch for a while. The view of the sea from where we sat was incredible. We held hands and silently enjoyed the soft morning sounds.

Yawning, I said, "I think we need to get up before I fall asleep."

"All right," Angelo said, standing and helping me up. "Let's go and browse the gift shop once more."

In the little shop, Angelo purchase a Grand Hotel music box for me. It was a replica of the one Elise owned in the movie, and when you opened the lid it played the beautiful Rachmaninoff theme from the movie. I in turn bought him a replica of the pocket watch Elise gave to Richard. On the face was a picture of the two lead characters.

"Thank you for this," I said, kissing him. I hugged the package containing the music box, so excited to have it. "Thank you for an amazing honeymoon." I gave him a loving smile. "I feel like Elise and you're my Richard."

"Thank you for the watch, and for marrying me." He pressed a hand to my cheek. "And I doubt Richard could love Elise any more than I love you."

I wrapped an arm around his waist and we stood holding one another. I wished so much that I could find the words to tell him exactly what he meant to me.

We went back to our room and I lay down to rest for a while. Angelo curled himself around me, drawing my body protectively against his and napped with me. Later, when we awakened, we ordered dinner in and began to pack. By the time our meal arrived, I needed to take more pain medication. After we ate, we undressed and got into bed, deciding to leave the rest of the packing until the morning. Angelo held me for a while and we talked.

He lightly ran his fingers across the scar on my arm from the burn I'd gotten as a child.

"I probably should have had something done to it," I said, raising my eyes to his.

"I'm glad you didn't." He raised my arm to his lips and kissed the scar. "It is a part of you and I wouldn't want you to change it."

I smiled. "I can still remember the day a little. I vaguely remember getting the burn, but I do clearly remember trying to wake my mother up. Then you were there . . . and you made everything better. You always made everything better."

Angelo was quiet, lost in thought, and I could almost see what he was thinking. He and Suzanne had been arguing that day before coming for me. Years later, he told me why.

My eyes began to burn, my vision of his face blurring. "I'm so sorry that I can't give you a child, Angelo –"

"Don't be sorry," he said, brushing his lips over my temple. "You are enough."

"But when I'm gone –"

"I will have my memories of you. And I will look forward to the day when we can be together again."

"We will be together again."

Swallowing hard, he softly said, "We will."