Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Today, though, I knew that it would be her last day.
I wouldn’t have to worry about her eating, drinking, or having enough pain medication.
I wouldn’t have to worry about her being in so much pain that she cried dry tears.
All that was left was for her to be free.
“Where do you want to ride to, my love?” I asked.
“Out to the lake.” She smiled. “Is it too cold for you?”
It’d never be too cold if she wanted to go riding with me.
Especially not on the last day that she would be there with me in body and spirit.
“No, never,” I lied.
It would be freezing.
It was, according to the weatherman, a La Niña year. It was apparently going to be much colder and wetter than any previous years.
Meaning, when we got outside, it was cold as all hell.
Even through the leather jacket, I knew that I’d be freezing.
I carried my wife out to the side car I’d purchased a year ago when she’d first gotten sick and couldn’t hold on to me anymore.
She smiled when I planted her in the seat.
When I reached for her helmet, she shook her head. “No helmet, Dix.”
I froze, the helmet in my hands, as tears started to prick my eyes.
“You’re sure?” I asked. “It’ll help you see.”
She pointed at the goggles that were there for her when she was having a bad eye day. “Put those on me only. I want to be free one last time, Dix.”
I closed my eyes as the tears blurred my gaze.
Instead of putting the helmet on her—something I’d done from the moment that we met—I put it on the grass next to where I usually parked my bike.
“I’m gonna run inside and get you some blankets,” I said.
“I’m good, Dix,” she said. “I’m not cold at all.”
My head dropped to my chest.
There was just no way she wasn’t cold.
I was frozen solid, and I wasn’t the one dying.
“Please?” she begged.
Since she didn’t put the helmet on, I didn’t either.
Pulling my skull cap out of my pocket, I tucked it on to her head and cupped her face once it was on.
“You need to stop, just tap my hand, okay, darlin’? It’ll be right here.” I placed it within easy reach.
I’d only take it away if necessary.
And it better not be necessary.
There weren’t going to be too many people on the road this time of day.
It was six o’clock on Christmas Day.
Everyone was home spending time with their families—or should be.
Our own family had gone home after we’d asked them to, even though they hadn’t wanted to.
Mary had wanted a night with just me, and I was more than happy to give it to her after the amount of people we’d had at our house over the last month after she’d said she wanted to stop treatments.
Her decline had happened fast after that.
She’d held on only because it was the holidays.
Secretly, I knew it was because she wanted to give me one last Christmas and anniversary with her there.
I knew that she’d held on as long as she had because of me.
My sweet heart. My best friend.
“Ready to ride, sweet thing?” I asked as I started the bike up.
She gave me a smile, then allowed her head to fall back against the head rest.
At first, she’d hated the side car on my bike.
She’d missed being up against me.
I’d hated it, too. But I’d do anything to keep her close to me, and if I couldn’t have her on the back of my bike, on the side of it would do just fine.
We started slowly out of the driveway, my eyes and ears alert as I watched her and our surroundings.
The farther we got out of the city, the more she smiled.
Her cheeks were a bright red, but that smile was still in place.
The sound of bikes had me glancing up to my rearview mirror, and sure enough, my brothers hadn’t let me take this final ride alone.
They surrounded us, just like they’d done a hundred times before.
I nearly cried when I saw Stetson and Jonesy, Sage, Bomber, Copper and many others joining us.
“Ohh,” I heard my Mary with the wind.
I looked down and over at Mary to see the most serene smile on her face.
She looked up at me, then offered me her hand. “Let’s really ride. One last time.”
I closed my eyes, then throttled the bike up and took off.
The members of the Dixie Wardens MC kept pace. Some Tuscaloosa. Others the new Benton chapter.
All of them my brothers.
My wife, Mary, let out a laugh, as I opened it up.
I didn’t look over again, though.
I couldn’t.
Because I knew.
I could feel it with each continued breath.
Each accelerating breath I took, she took one less. Like I was sucking the life right out of her with my emotions starting to overtake me.