Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Dying Wish ❯ One-Shot

Dying Wish

 

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The hospital room was silent as the woman slept. The treatment given to her earlier that day left her tired and unable to eat. The doctors had told the woman and her daughter that chemotherapy was her last chance of fighting the ovarian cancer that had spread to other parts of her body. When the doctors first diagnosed her with cancer, they told the woman that removing the ovaries was not an option. After debunking the tumor to reduce its size, the doctors ordered a round of radiation therapy to shrink the remaining tumor. At first, they believed the treatment was successful and announced she was in remission. However, that was not to last. A small part of the tumor broke off from her ovaries and spread to other portions of her body. The tumors that resulted grew in size and took over her body becoming invasive. It was then the doctors ordered the chemotherapy leaving the woman weak, unable to eat, and with a loss of hair.

 

Outside the woman's room, one could hear the soft sounds of voices discussing the woman's condition.

 

“Kerry, I'm afraid your mother doesn't have much longer to live.” A male voice said, “We're on our third round of chemotherapy and we're no closer to beating the cancer than we were when we first began.”

 

“Then there's nothing you can do to help her?” Kerry, the woman's daughter, wanted to know.

 

“To treat the cancer, no. Right now, all we can do is make her comfortable in her last days. She's hanging on by a thread. I have some paperwork to turn in and then I'll come in to the room and talk to her.”

 

Kerry let out a soft sigh and watched as the doctor left the doorway. Trying not to hang her head low Kerry entered the room to find that her mother had woken from her nap and had turned on the television in the room.

 

“Tomorrow will be a balmy one out there with highs around ninety-three degrees and water temperatures at area beaches around eighty-five degrees.” The weatherman on the screen reported, “It's going to be a beautiful day to get out to Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel so get up early and beat the crowds.”

 

Kerry turned from viewing the television and opened the small brown paper shopping bag she had with her. Reaching into the bag Kerry pulled out a soft blue candle and a small white plate. She placed the candle on the plate and then lit it with a package of matches. While the hospital frowned upon smoking inside the building, Kerry had received permission to light a scented candle to help her mother relax after her chemotherapy treatments. As the candle burned filling the room with the soft scent of the ocean breeze Kerry heard her mother utter a single barely audible word.

 

“Sanibel.” Her mother whispered.

 

“Lizzie, I'm going to take you to the best spot around.” John said as they drove down the Tamiami Trail.

 

The doctor came into the room and saw Kerry standing over the now burning candle. The aroma of sea air began to fill the room giving it a calming affect. With a small sad smile on his face, the doctor made his way over to the woman's bed. The woman, sensing the doctor was there, looked up and smiled weakly at him.

 

“Doctor Martin, when do you think I'll be well enough to go back home?” the woman wanted to know.

 

With a sigh, Doctor Martin got right to the point of his visit to his patient, “Elizabeth I'm afraid there's not much more we can do for you. We haven't been able to beat this cancer and all we are doing for you outside of keeping you pain free is making your body weak and susceptible to disease. It's only a matter of time before your body gives in and you pass on.”

 

“I had a feeling I was dying doctor. You'd think by the third round of treatments I'd notice some difference in the way I feel.” Elizabeth, the woman, replied.

 

“Doctor how long does my mother have left?” Kerry chimed in.

 

Doctor Martin turned slightly to be able to face both Kerry and the dying Elizabeth and gave her his reply, “It could be days, weeks, or months. I'm not certain how long she has. Something's still keeping her here.”

 

Kerry looked from the doctor to her mother with a puzzled look on her face. What reason her mother had to cling to life for was a mystery to the woman.

 

“Sanibel. I want to see Sanibel one last time before I go.” Elizabeth told her daughter weakly.

 

Kerry could not believe what she was hearing. Her mother, in her weakened condition, wanted to head out into the heat and humidity during the worst part of the Southwest Florida summer just to visit an island she had been to for years. What was it about Sanibel that had her mother desperate to return there?

 

John pulled off at the end of McGregor Boulevard and turned off the car. Lizzie could not see why John had taken her to the small beach area. What was so special about it? Why did John want to show her a small beach that was not that wonderful to look at?

 

“This is it John?” Lizzie wanted to know.

 

“This isn't our final destination Lizzie. There's a ferry off Punta Rassa Road that will take us to an island not too far from here that I've read is worth seeing.” John explained.

 

“An island John?”

 

“Yes, we're going to Sanibel Island.”

 

“Mom you went to Sanibel just before you began your chemo. We stopped at the shops on Periwinkle and got you that really cute outfit from that Fresh Produce store and then we went to the Bubble Room for lunch. Why run the risk of making things worse than they already are by going out into that hot July sun?” Kerry argued.

 

Elizabeth looked up at her daughter with pleading eyes. They were eyes that spoke of longing and desire. While it was true that Kerry had taken Elizabeth to Sanibel before her first round of chemo treatments, that visit was in the late spring of 2004 just before the hurricane season began. Charley had changed Sanibel that year and Elizabeth could only see the photographs of the devastation that befell her beloved Florida Island. It had been two years since Elizabeth had traveled back to the island less than twenty miles away.

 

Elizabeth's life now resided within the grounds of Health Park and the hospital next to it. It was a place where people went when they were too old or weak to care for themselves as they recovered from surgery or wanted to be closer to a doctor because of a preexisting medical condition. It was a place Elizabeth moved to when she thought chemotherapy would remove the invasive cancer from her body. It was a place she and her youngest daughter Kerry, a single entrepreneur, had come to call home in one of its many town homes.

 

“Up until I began my chemotherapy treatments I used to go to Sanibel all the time Kerry. Your father and I took you children there on vacation. We retired down here in the winters just to be closer to that island. Your father proposed to me just after the war had ended on that island. Sanibel is where it all began and I haven't been there in two years.” Elizabeth explained.

 

“Mother I know, but I'm concerned for your health. You're not sixty-four anymore. You're in your eighties now and living with cancer. You can barely walk some days. I don't see why we need to go and see Sanibel now.” Kerry argued gently.

 

Doctor Martin watched as mother and daughter discussed the reasons in favor of and against driving to Sanibel. There were concerns about traffic and construction both on and off the island. While it was true summer was the low season for tourism and the visiting Snow Birds, or northerners, Kerry felt the trip would be too much on her mother. Doctor Martin took a closer look at Elizabeth as she voiced her desire to return to the island one last time. Her face had a look of longing and desire mixed with sadness as she spoke of the Sanibel she remembered from her younger days. It spoke of great pain for the island that endured so much after Charley robbed it of its beauty. It was then it hit him. Elizabeth was forcing her body to hang on long enough to see Sanibel one final time.

 

“Kerry, come with for a moment won't you. I need to talk to you alone for a moment about something concerning your mother.” Doctor Martin said as he placed an arm around Kerry and guided her out of the room.

 

Elizabeth watched as her daughter and her doctor left the room and sighed softly. She was determined to live as long as possible until Kerry took her to Sanibel. It had been nearly twelve years since her husband John had died of diabetic related liver disease. The small condominium they owned in Fort Myers became her refuge. While it reminded her of John, it was not as painful as living during the summer back in Wisconsin and the dairy farm that had been a part of his family for generations. Their oldest, Mark, and his family now ran the farm. In fact, Mark had been running the farm ever since Elizabeth and John retired in their early sixties. Now all Elizabeth wanted and longed for was to be with John once more. However, she would not let herself die without fulfilling one final wish. Elizabeth wanted to return to where it all began on Sanibel.

 

Lizzie could not believe her eyes. There before her was a sight she had never seen before in her life, a street lined with the most beautiful trees she had ever seen. While it was true they were just pine trees, they added something to the mystique of the island. The ferry ride over was magical yet all John could talk about was how his brother would write about getting sick at sea during the war. John was unable to serve because of his flat feet and a leg that been through a slight bout of polio when he was younger. As they continued down the tiny road on the island, Elizabeth could see why John wanted to take her to see the place called Sanibel.

 

John turned off the main road and drove down a side street. He wanted the day to be perfect. The young couple had traveled for days from the farmlands of Wisconsin and arrived in Fort Myers for a spectacular vacation. People had thought they were married which was far from the truth but they were just as in love with each other as any married couple. John wanted to make people's misperceptions into reality and ask Lizzie to become his wife that day on that island.

 

“We're almost there Lizzie.” John said.

 

Within a few moments of turning off the main road, John stopped the car, turned off the engine, and got out. Lizzie followed suit wondering if they had finally arrived at their destination. The moment she turned her eyes from John to the beach before them Lizzie was awestruck at the sight before her.

 

“Oh John it's beautiful.” Lizzie commented as her eyes began to tear.

 

Kerry came back to the room to find her mother sitting there with her head hung low and tears falling down her face. Kerry thought her mother was crying over the fact that she was going to die. What she didn't know was that Elizabeth was crying over the prospect of never being able to see Sanibel again. It pained Elizabeth that Kerry would refuse her the one wish she wanted to have fulfilled. Sanibel was everything to Elizabeth and never being able to see it again broke her heart.

 

“Mom, are you okay?” Kerry wondered as she walked over to her mother's bedside.

 

“I'm fine. It just pains my heart so that I won't be able to return to my beloved Sanibel.” Elizabeth quietly told her daughter.

 

“Mom, you're just too weak to travel right now. Maybe when you're a bit stronger we'll go and see Sanibel again. I can take you to the Dairy Queen and we can take a drive through the reserve. You'd like that.”

 

Elizabeth let out a soft sigh before answering her daughter, “I don't particularly wish to go to the Dairy Queen, and the reserve doesn't have very many birds this time of year. I just want to go to Bowman's Beach and see the sunset one last time. That's the only thing I wish to do.”

 

Kerry looked at her mother with sad eyes. Doctor Martin had told her that Elizabeth should have died a long time ago but something was keeping in her in the land of the living. It was obvious from the looks of pain on her mother's face when she mentioned Sanibel what that one thing was. Elizabeth would not allow herself the pleasure of death until she saw Sanibel one final time. It was her ultimate dying wish.

 

“Okay mother we'll go to the beach and see the sunset. How about we see the lighthouse while we're at the beach.” Kerry said hoping to cheer up her mother.

 

“No, it has to be Bowman's Beach. Your father proposed to me on Bowman's Beach. We went to Bowman's Beach. I want to go to Bowman's Beach.” Elizabeth replied tiredly emphasizing each word she spoke.

 

“Alright, alright we'll go to Bowman's Beach and watch the sun set.” Kerry responded calmly.

 

John led Lizzie past a few small shrubs and trees to the sandy beach on the other side. Before them, seashells literally covered the sand. Lizzie had never seen such a sight before in her life. Growing up in Wisconsin on a farm Lizzie was used to apple snails and the tiny snails found in small lakes. Now she saw a few people here and there walking along the beach stooped over looking down at the shells.

 

“Welcome to Bowman's Beach Lizzie. I heard about this place from a guy back on the mainland. Not many people come here so we'll almost have the place to ourselves.” John told her.

 

“Oh John I couldn't ask for a more beautiful place to come to.” Lizzie remarked.

 

John took a few steps forward not seeing the roots that were under the sand and caught his foot on one of them tripping into the sand. Lizzie watched as John dove head first into the sand getting it all over his face and clothes. Letting out a small chuckle Lizzie commented on John's situation the only way she knew how.

 

“Oh John.” Lizzie said between chuckles.

 

Kerry watched as her mother calmed and her blood pressure dropped to a comfortable level. The television in the room switched from the news broadcast to a series of commercials depicting developments in Naples and a place that sold appliances with a crazy Asian man yelling about his love for the home electronics. Kerry shook her head, reached for the remote control to the television, and turned it off. She could not stand the Asian man on the television. With the room quiet once more, Kerry went over to the shopping bag and pulled out a black wooden box an intricate blonde wood inlay upon it. She then turned to face her mother and smiled gently.

 

“I thought this would help get your mind off of the treatment today.” Kerry told her softly.

 

Elizabeth smiled when she saw the box. She knew instantly what its contents were. For years, she had kept the box placing in it every little trinket she had kept during her years with John. Inside the box were tiny charms representing her grandchildren, photographs, a few letters, some pins, and a single solitary tiny scalloped seashell. Elizabeth opened the box, took out the delicate shell, and smiled.

 

“John, you have no idea how happy this tiny little thing made feel that day.” Elizabeth said as though she were speaking to the shell.

 

John and Lizzie walked along the beach copying the few beachcombers they saw hunting for shells. Hunched over they looked down upon the many shells trying to find something that caught their eyes. A good number of the shells they saw were in pieces all broken and imperfect. John did not want any ordinary shell he wanted one that was in very good condition. After minutes of walking and looking, John saw something that caught his attention. Stopping, John crouched low and began to sift through the sand. Lizzie was unaware John had stopped and continued along the beach. A moment later John stood up, picked up his pace, and caught up with Lizzie.

 

“Lizzie look. This shell has your favorite color on it.” John said as he held out the perfect tiny little scalloped shaped shell.

 

“It's beautiful. It's all purple and white on one side and purple underneath.” Lizzie commented with excitement as she turned the shell in John's hand.

 

“I found it just for you Lizzie.” John told her with a loving smile as he placed the shell in her hand.

 

The late afternoon sun shone down upon Periwinkle Road. Kerry softly complained about the construction and the six-dollar toll to get onto the causeway. It was worth it though to be able to see the island her mother loved one last time with her. In the passenger side of the Saturn SUV. Elizabeth began crying. Sanibel was no longer the same place she had remembered it to be. The tall Australian pines that once lined Periwinkle Road were gone. Hurricane Charley had ripped the beautiful shade trees out from their roots and knocked them over upon Periwinkle. As she looked out of the window, Elizabeth could see houses and businesses that were not visible from Periwinkle until after Charley. Blue tarps still dotted some of the roofs along the road and Elizabeth, like many residents, wondered if they signaled damage from Charley or from Wilma last October.

 

“It's changed Kerry. Sanibel has changed. I knew it wouldn't be the same from the images I saw but I never imagined it would be like this. They're gone. Those beautiful trees are gone. Sanibel and I can never be the way we once were.” Elizabeth said between sobs.

 

The auto continued along Periwinkle Road reaching the shops at Periwinkle Place. Elizabeth looked out her daughter's window and noticed the banyan tree that was the hallmark of the small outdoor shopping center. It was smaller than it once was and several large two by fours held together its large trunk. The once beautiful tree was fighting for its life just as Elizabeth had fought for hers against her cancer. Elizabeth knew that at least one of them would win the fight they both fought. The tree was going to survive.

 

Kerry looked over at her mother and smiled sadly. She could see the heartache written across her mother's face. She knew how much the island had meant to her. It was a place of romance, a place of fun, a place of healing, and a place of hope. It was a place where Elizabeth had finally returned after two long and painful years. Turning her eyes back on the road Kerry saw the sign for Bowman's Beach and made the left-hand turn down the side street. After a short drive down the road, Kerry pulled into the parking lot, parked the car, and pulled out her mother's wheelchair.

 

John and Lizzie walked down the beach hand in hand strolling past a lone beachcomber. From time to time, they would look at one another with faces full of love and all the hope in the world.

 

Kerry slowly helped her mother out of the car and into the wheelchair. She made certain her mother's neckerchief was secure upon her head before placing her large straw hat over it. With a smile and a soft sigh, Kerry began to push her mother towards the beach.

 

John stopped walking causing Lizzie to do the same. Looking into her eyes John smiled and leaned in to give Lizzie a small kiss upon her cheek. Lizzie blushed slightly and giggled a bit in response to the tender show of affection.

 

“Lizzie, you know I love you very much. I'm lucky to have you in my life. You love me for who I am, the son of a Wisconsin dairy farmer.” John told her.

 

Lizzie smiled even more as the blush got brighter upon her face and replied to his kind words, “I love you too John. I love you because you're gentle and caring and very giving.”

 

Kerry stopped the wheelchair and set the breaks. She then draped a light blanket over her mother's legs and gave her a small kiss upon her cheek.

 

“Mom you know I've been very lucky to have you in my life. You were always there for me and you supported me when I wanted to go into business for myself. I just wanted to thank you for that. You're a true friend and I couldn't have asked for a better one.” Kerry said trying not to cry.

 

Elizabeth looked up at her daughter and saw the tears trying to form in her eyes. Motherly instincts took over as she reached over with a wrinkled hand and took Kerry's hand into her own.

 

“Kerry, it's okay to cry. It was hard when your father died and I know it must be hard now seeing me so close to my own death. Just know that I've always been proud of all of you children and I thank you for being there for me as I went through all of this.” Elizabeth replied letting a few tears of her own to form.

 

Kerry turned from her mother to face the beach before her. All along the shell covered sand, silver haired couples and families walked along hand in hand and in love. Looking to the sky Kerry saw the sun begin its beautiful nightly ritual to the southwest of their location. The sky began to turn a beautiful shade of red.

 

John stopped their walk once again and glanced to the west. The sky had begun to turn a brilliant shade of red as dusk began to settle in.

 

“Lizzie look.” John said pointing to the sky.

 

“John it's beautiful.” Lizzie remarked.

 

The sun moved lower into the sky as the red became even more intense. Elizabeth began to cry as she watched the beautiful event take place over the Gulf of Mexico. This was going to be the last time she would see the sun set over the water. Elizabeth gave Kerry's hand a reassuring squeeze ever the mother even in the last hours of her life.

 

As the sun moved lower in the sky bathing it with an even darker more intense red John took Lizzie's hands into his own. Lizzie looked at John with confusion upon her face wondering what he was doing.

 

“John?” Lizzie asked getting his attention.

 

Kerry did not hold back her tears when she felt her mother's hand gently squeeze hers. Turning to her mother Kerry looked upon her with a sadden tear stained face. Elizabeth looked up and smiled gently as she let a few tears of her own fall down her cheeks. The sun had become even lower in the sky and bright oranges and soft yellows now joined the brilliant red.

 

“I'm not ready for you to die mom.” Kerry admitted between sobs.

 

“I've lived a long and good life Kerry and after a long battle with cancer it's time for me to go. You have given me the greatest present any daughter could give her mother. You gave me Sanibel.” Elizabeth replied.

 

“Lizzie I have another reason for bringing you here. I've loved spending all this time with you traveling here. I want to make this last, you and me. What I'm saying is, Lizzie will you marry me?” John replied proposing to Lizzie.

 

The sun moved ever closer to the horizon and the water. The colors bathing the sky became even brighter and more beautiful. As the sun began to kiss the horizon Lizzie smiled at John and gave him her reply.

 

“Yes John. I'll marry you.” Lizzie replied causing John to smile brightly.

 

The sun sank ever closer to the horizon and the water. The colors bathing the sky became even brighter and more beautiful as mother and daughter watched in saddened silence. All at once the red overtook the orange and yellow bathing the sky in one last brilliant wash of color.

 

“I'm coming John.” Elizabeth whispered softly.

 

As the red overtook the orange and yellow bathing the sky in one last brilliant wash of color John leaned in and gave Lizzie a kiss upon her lips. The kiss was soft and gentle pouring into it all the love, joy, and hope he had for Lizzie and their future life together as man and wife.

 

The sun dipped behind the horizon leaving behind the reds, oranges, and yellows. The sky began to show off soft shades of blue. Kerry stood there in silence letting the tears fall freely and without abandon as she held on to the now limp hand of her mother. Elizabeth and John were together once more.