Victoria's Two Hearts

Victoria's Two Hearts: Chapter 7

Victoria and Samuel drove to the military ball, him talking about his speech. He had been so wonderful all week but she could tell that it was a facade. He wasn't doing well. She hated having to watch him slowly suffer. He began to cough.

"Samuel, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I already said yes so I am going. I will be fine, didn't I tell you to stop worrying so much?"

"If I didn't worry no one would."

"I do worry my dear, I just hide it better than you do. And I worry about other things. Every thing dies, there is no use fretting about that. What I worry about is the things that have to live after my death."

He looked at her with a deeper meaning in his eyes.

"I will be fine."

"Not alone you won't. You will take Max and hole up in the house, consumed by you mourning, until the world either ends around you or until you end it. I know how your mind works, Victoria. You need someone there for you to lift you back up. I will not have my death destroy you. You are too young and beautiful for that. I don't even know why you married an old man like me anyways."

He winked at her and she gave him a small smile.

"I wonder myself sometimes..." She winked back and he lightly jabbed her. "You are a beautiful person too, my love. You where there for me when I was broken and you are always kind and loving. I don't know what more I could have asked for in a partner."

"Maybe twenty or thirty years younger I suppose."

"Hey! Don't judge my taste in men. You would only be insulting yourself. If I wanted an immature twenty something I would have married one. I didn't. I wanted you. The strong, determined, mature, Rear Admiral who has commanded ships. Not some inexperienced fool who hasn't been in charge of his own life. I picked you, Samuel, and I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"Even after all the pain that I am going to cause you?"

She paused her eyes getting teary.

"Even with all the pain. I wouldn't change a thing."

"What of Elijah? Would you change meeting him?"

She looked at her husband, the tears staying in her eyes.

"Samuel... you promised." Her voice was quiet.

"I just don't want you to throw him to the side so quickly. He is a good man I can see it, I can hear it in his voice. He reminds me of myself twenty five years ago. Don't let the fear of punishment change the way you feel. If I had then we wouldn't be married."

"Samuel..."

"I know. I know. I promised. Just make me a promise... You won't push him away just because you are in pain. He cares for you..."

"He loves me."

The car got quiet. Samuel spoke.

"Good. He's a better man than I thought."

"What?!"

"A man who can love a woman that he knows that he can't have but he still lets her leave and doesn't fight his reality is a good man. He loves you yet he lets you go every time knowing that you are coming home to me. That is a good, strong man. He will always trust you completely."

Victoria had never thought about it that way but she didn't want to speak about it any more. She wanted to enjoy her time with Samuel. The doctors had given him six months and that had passed three weeks ago. He was now living on borrowed time. That's why this party tonight worried her so much. It was a lot for him to do in one night. Max nudged her from the back seat, the loyal service dog sensing her anxiety. She patted his head and they pulled into the parking lot.