A Furious Chick

Eternal Flame

I had to listen to Alina ramble on and on about my wife and how much they were sisters more than friends. About how her and Kaleb were a never ending love story. I heard the council thank my wife for protecting the country, thank Kaleb for being as gentle and deadly as he was. I heard Dom speak highly of Katherine. Everyone said their goodbyes. I didn't want to say goodbye. I didn't ever want to say goodbye to Katherine. It was my turn and I don't know how I managed to drag my feet up to the podium but I did and suddenly I was in front of everyone, staring at Katherine's casket, Kaleb's casket beside her.

"I met Kaleb Howard at a time when I already had my family. I had my team. I had no reason to add someone else. But that was the thing about Kaleb. You would never expect to love him but then it hits you. He was a great guy. Truly. Had his demons but you could always count on that man to lift you up..." I took a deep breath. "And I'll forever miss him."

I saw Brooke in the audience clutch onto Alina. Ruby was oblivious, Quinn was sleeping and Jonathan was quiet with his eyes on me. How am I supposed to do this?

"She was known as the worlds deadliest weapon. The assassin that couldn't be defeated. She wasn't a human in the public eye, she was a monster. But to me, she was the ray of sunshine in my life. The things Katherine could do. She could cause pain and could break a wrist with her eyes closed. She could hurt someone's feelings just by looking at you. But she was also capable of love. Shocking, hmm? The love she showed me is something only in books and movies. I felt safe when I was near her. I felt whole. I wasn't always great to her but I loved my wife more than any of you could imagine. We planned for one baby. One baby. And had three. Our daughters Brooke, Quinn and Ruby. And then later on, our boy came along. Jonathan. We were happy in our beach house, with our children and our love. And now she's in that casket, alone. She'll forever be alone. Katherine made me a better man, a better person and a father and there won't be a day that goes by that my wife isn't on my mind. She was my solid in a world full of liquid. And to you, Katherine....you didn't deserve the life you got. The life of pain and misery. You deserve peace and love and happiness. Who would've thought that Mr. Nobody assigning the team to protect this wild and dark creature would lead us into a journey of friendship, laughter, pain, blood and love? We all gained a sister, a friend, a companion. And we lost exactly that. I never knew I would need Katherine until I lost her. And for that, it's going to be really long days without her. But Katherine, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again."

-

"It's all right, Daddy."

A voice seeped through my consciousness.

"We'll be okay. I'm heading to the Gymnastics Finals, Quinn is going to the Olympics next year, Ruby's Disability Gym is opened and blooming and Jonathan's garage is selling. You did good with us. So just go, okay? Don't worry about us."

I was tired. Really tired. Like life was slipping  me. Like I couldn't grasp on any longer. I had one foot in and one foot out on life.

"Do us a favor, though." Jonathan came into my mind. "Give Mommy a kiss for us."

And with that, I went crashing through time full of fighting kids, game nights, lonely nights that I stayed awake crying only to see the sun rise and wipe my tears to give my kids the biggest smile. Women over the years trying to get me to smile but the only thing that could was my wedding video that I watched everyday. Years spent without my person...

-

"What are you in for?"

Pitch black, nothing. Is this death? I thought I'd be looking at big golden gates and maybe some harps playing in the distance. Instead I was in pitch black. Until I saw her.

"Brain cancer. Surgery went wrong." I looked at my body. I wasn't old and wrinkled. I was young and I could breathe on my own. I looked at her beautiful face, shinning through the dark. Kaleb appeared beside her.

"You did well with our children, it seems." Katherine gave me a soft smile. "I'm proud of you."

"You managed to keep Alina from going crazy, too." Kaleb laughed.

"She's in Dubai now." I expressed to him. "Living her days to the fullest."

Her mother and her father and Nobody appeared. I was in the dark but they were all nightlights.

"Wanna come tell me about those long days?" Katherine held out her hand.

I gave a small smile and took her hand. And we ventured off. Into a eternity of us.