All I Ask of You

Chapter 53

It was the next evening when Erik and I took a walk on the beach. We strolled hand in hand on the sand almost as if we were in a movie. Finally, Erik stopped and turned to me, "Caroline, I must tell you something."

"Yes?" I asked. I couldn't stop from smiling. I loved seeing his whole face.

"Caroline, you must know I'm am getting up there in years."

"You can't be more than 65!"

"Darling, I don't know how old I am, but 65 is old for this era."

"Erik..." My voice shook, "What are you saying?"

His eyes filled with tears, "My dear, I'm sick..."

"Erik, no."

"Caroline, listen to me. It's not going to be long. I prayed that I could make it through Genny's wedding... The pain has gotten much worse as have the symptoms. I assume it's some sort of cancer..."

I began to sob into Erik's arms. I knew it would happen eventually, but I had hoped I would be allowed to die first. I had suffered so much loss that I hoped I could be allowed to go first. If it hadn't been for our girls, I would've asked Erik there and then for us to go out like Romeo and Juliette. Georgette was so young, Genny was pregnant, and Gisele wasn't married yet. Then there was Gustave and Marguerite...

"Caroline, you must pull it together," he said shakily, "I can't go through this alone. I'm fearful of death."

"Erik..." I choked.

We sat down in the sand and stared at the water. His arm was wrapped around me protectively. He cleared his throat and took a small box out of his pocket, "Here, as a token of my love and gratitude for all the years you've given me."

I opened it to find an onyx stone surrounded by diamonds. I slipped it on my finger and kissed Erik, "Black is your favorite color after all."

He laughed, "This will be our secret until the girls absolutely have to know..."

I nodded and buried my head in his chest. He groaned, "Did I hurt you?"

"Some pain is worth it, darling."

We sat on the beach for hours. It was a swan song in a way, sitting there together knowing that it would be one of the last times that we were able to enjoy together.

Finally, I began to shiver. Erik stood and reached for my hand to help me up. Silently, we made our way back to our home. It was late at night, rather early in the morning. I hadn't realized how long we had sat by the water. That night when we went to bed, I held onto Erik tightly. I knew that our time together was ending, and I wanted to take advantage of what we had left.

Author's Note:
Yes, sadly it is almost over... Please comment if there's anything you'd like to see before the story ends!