Close To You

Chapter 11

"Do you remember this place?" Sean asked Ellie as he carried her through the sand. She tried to look around her, but the setting sun kept glaring at her, hurting her eyes. When she realized where he brought her, she nodded, smiling. Skylar ran ahead of them, going to build a castle like she always did when mommy and daddy brought her to the beach. He stopped right where the incoming tide could barely reach their feet, making sure she could look out over the horizon to watch the sun as it set over the crystal-clear waters. He looked down at her, at her eyes that could barely stay open, at her chest that was ever-so-slowly inhaling slower and slower. Finally, the tears that had been tearing at his soul for the past two years broke down the self-imposed barriers, falling down his face and onto Ellie's. She looked up at him, and the same smile made him shiver.

"Don't...cry, honey. Please..."

"I can't...I can't stop, Ellie."

"Eleanor."

"What?" Sean said, smiling through his tears.

"You're a hopeless case, Sean Michael. So, I might as well, just this once, let you call me that." Sean nodded, offering a soft laugh. He kissed her forehead, bringing her hand to touch his face. Though he had never before done it front of her, he began to sing.

"Why do birds suddenly appear everytime you are near? Just like me they long to be close to you." Ellie, finally beginning to cry, smiled and joined him as best she could. "Why do stars fall down from the sky everytime you walk by? Just like me they long to be close to you." Her voice gave out, and she could only watch and listen as Sean sang the rest of the song to her through the tears he was fighting, and the ones that had already fallen.

"I love you, Sean, forever and always."

"I love you, too, Eleanor." She smiled, then, with one last look into those sad brown puppy eyes she had grown to know so well, her life drifted off with the setting sun over the horizen.

* * *

Sean looked out across the field, which, to him, represented much death and suffering on the parts of ones so innocent, but there was nothing he could do to stop or comfort the broken hearts. He looked down at the single rose he held in his hand, and suddenly, it meant nothing to him, only a simple, pathetic gesture to somehow bring about a bit of comfort to his tortured soul.

"Daddy!" the voice called from behind. He turned and saw Skylar, looking beautiful as always, running towards him. Long, curly light brown hair framed her face, large brown eyes standing out in bright, elegant contrast. She has the grace of her mother, Sean realized as he hugged her close. Looking further, he saw Paul walking up to him.

"You should have seen her at practice, Sean. She's gonna knock those guys' heads off!" He exclaimed, picking her up and setting her on his shoulders. "We have a regular lil' soccer genius on our hands, you know that?" Sean still couldn't help but smile at the mention of we. It had seemed that, ever since Ellie passed away, Paul had all but take her place in the parenting department and, while he might not be able to explain everything to the child, he could at least try to cover what Sean had trouble doing. Sean looked at his charming, beautiful little girl. Could she really be ten? he asked himself as he took Paul's hand to lift him to his feet. Looking once more down to the grave he had been at, he laid the rose atop the headstone and kissed it with no embarrassment. Running his hands over the engravement, he felt tears sting at his eyes. He read them aloud to himself and all the way back to the car with Paul and Skylar.

"With love and honesty, to a loving wife and mother whose life was cut tragically short. Just like me, we all long to be close to you."