He's Never Gone

As Mary undid her braid, she thought about the last few days. Tears started streaming down her face as she thought about everything. The accident, the call, the funeral and then the looks everybody gave her while she was there.1

Everything was wrong. He was supposed to stay with her. He wasn't supposed to die, not like this. She only just got him back, she wasn't ready to lose him yet. Not again. Mike was it, her true love and after 10 years of him being gone, he came back and wanted to be with her. He can't be gone already.2

Mary started sobbing and someone put their arms around her. Her sobs became violent and turned to face the person. It was her older brother, Dave, and she turned into his chest, soaking his shirt. He just held her as she cried and made sure she knew someone was there.3

When Mary regained control, Dave kissed her head and gave her another squeeze. Mary just sat there in his arms as she cried silently.4

When Dave started to pull away, she looked at him and asked, "Will it ever be okay?"5

Dave shook his head, "I can't say, I don't know what it's like to lose the one you love most."6

Mary nodded, "Could you please leave me alone for a little bit?"7

"Yeah," Dave said, and kissed her head again, "I'll be down stairs if you need me."8

Mary stood after Dave left the room. She walked over to the closet and grabbed one of Mikes sweat shirts, one that she would often steal for sleeping in and just wondering around the house. She stared down at it and the tears came back.9

Sitting on the bed, she cried over the shirt. After the sadness was controlled, she proceeded to change. Putting the tear stained shirt on. Laying down on the bed, she started to drift off into a fitful sleep.10

Her dreams were filled of Mike and the accident. Her running through the hospital. Holding his hand as he died. Mary woke with a start.11

Her sobs must've been heard because Dave and her other brother, Nick, came in. Both men sat on either side of her and held her as she sobbed. When exhaustion took over, Nick and Dave laid her down to sleep.12

The next morning, Nick and Dave were still there, sleeping beside her. Mary got out of her bed carefully, so not to wake her sleeping brothers and went downstairs.13

When she reached the bottom, Mary saw the pictures. They were the pictures from the service the day before. One was only a few weeks old; their wedding picture.14

Mary walked over to the photo and stared at it. She didn't know how long she stood there, tears brimming her eyes again, when Nick came up behind her.15

He grabbed her up in a big hug that only he could do with his large physique. Then he lead her away from the picture and towards the kitchen.In the kitchen was her last sibling, her sister, Anna.16

Anna was at the stove making breakfast. She turned and gave a small half smile, "Morning kiddo."17

Mary just nodded and sat down where Nick put her. Dave walked into the kitchen and sat next to her, giving her shoulder a squeeze as he did.18

When Anna placed the food on the table, Mary stood up, "I'm not hungry," and she went back to her room and locked herself in.19

When lunch and dinner came, her siblings tried to coax her out to eat and she just screamed at them to leave her alone. As night came, she decided to take a shower.20

Letting the water run down her bare flesh, she touched her belly. Her sobs came back in full. She sat at the bottom of the tub, with her knees up in her chest. When the water started running cold, she turned it off and sat there.21

Mary fell asleep in the tub and woke up in her bed, wrapped in a towel. Her bedroom door was open and Nick was sitting at her vanity, sleeping on his hand.22

She quietly dressed in some sweats and again, crept out of her room. When she was at the bottom of the stairs, she noticed that the pictures were gone.23

Dave was asleep on the couch and, from the sounds of it, Anna was in the kitchen again. Mary walked into the kitchen, "Where are the pictures?"24

Anna turned away form the stove, "We put them away for now. We didn't think that you needed that kind of reminder."25

"It wasn't your choice," Mary's voice shaking with anger and sadness. "They're my pictures and I want them back!"26

Anna jumped when she shouted. At that point, Nick and Dave were awake and in the kitchen. 27

Mary started screaming for the pictures. When Nick, Dave and Anna tried to calm her, she started throwing things. Once her kitchen was a mess, she sat at the table and started sobbing again.28

"He wasn't supposed to leave me. Not like this. Why did he abandon us? I ever even got to tell him..." she mumbled.29

Nick squatted next to Mary and put an arm around her, "What did you not get to tell him?"30

Mary shook and taking a deep breath she told her siblings, "That I'm pregnant."31

Her siblings stared at her and she just continued, "I found out that day. I called him and told him that I had good news for him when he got home. I wanted to tell him in person so I could see his face. We both wanted kids but, neither of us thought we could have kids and now, now I'm having his baby and he's not here."32

She started crying again. Anna walked over behind her and Dave took her other side, oppisite Nick and they all hugged her. 33

"We'll help as much as we can," Anna said.34

"Yep, and I'm sure the rest of the family will too," Nick agreed.35

"We're here for you Mary," Dave added.36

3 YEARS LATER37

"Mikey, put that down," Mary told her two year old son. He was playing with her book and tearing it up as he played.38

Mary watched her son as he played and smiled. He looked like his father. They had the same eyes and hair. And as she watched little Mikey play, on the three year anniversary of her husbands death, she realized that he would never be gone.