her family in Heaven when they joined her.
“Max you have to promise me to take care of the kids when I am gone.”
“What the hell kind of a thing to say? I'm their father, I am not going to run off just because you are not around.”
“Oh I know you will be there for them, but I know how you are too. I want you to promise to make sure they continue, you know, in the church, if it is possible. It is what I want.”
“The church? What church? We will be lucky if the kids live to have kids, the way things are going.”
“I know but promise you will, if you can?” Sarah's face was pale and still sweaty.
“Dammit I thought I was going to get to weasel out of that.”
“This isn't a joke and you still haven't promised, it is my dying wish Max!” Sarah said seriously.
Sighing heavily, like a good martyr, Max replied, “I will do my best, you don't expect me to be all biblical on them right?”
“No, I couldn't squeeze blood from a rock, but you have to promise me that you will bring them up in the church. Say it.” she pressed.
“I promise I will do my best to raise our children in the church. There, good enough?”
She nodded and leaned back against the pillows piled behind her.
“That is just like you to make me promise that. I mean who says 'dying wish' anymore? That is only the stuff you see in movies!”
Sarah smiled, “I win another battle after all these years.”
“Oh you've won your share and we both know it.”
The smile stayed on her face and she nodded, “Sure, so have you, that is what being married is all about. Give and take. We had some good times?”
“We never made it to Hawaii.” Max said regretfully.
“Think about what we did do. We have two great kids, we took them all over, me and you traveled around like vagabonds after college before settling down. We have a strong family.”
“Yeah, I guess we do. It was Nick who settled us down as I remember.”
“Oh yes, he gave me pains developing and gave us pains the first six months of his life, the kid never slept!” said Sarah.
“Remember the drum set?” Max asked. Sarah's dad had given Nick a junior drum set for Christmas when Nick was four. “I just about banned your dad from the house after that!”
“Yeah but he gave us the car, it was the way his humor worked. Still I wasn't too sad when Nick 'lost' his drum sticks after a couple weeks.” said Sarah.
“Oh, I took one of them. I just couldn't stand it after awhile.”
“That's alright, I took the other a day later.”
“You did?!” Max was surprised.
“Yeah, I figured out you had snagged the first one, so you left me to finish the job. Typical really. I always wondered why you didn't snag both of them?”
“Well, I thought it would be suspicious if he lost them both at the same time. I actually thought he lost the other one on his own.”
“See? We are still learning things about each other. Well, you about me anyway.”
“Yeah, you were always the sneaky one, me? I am a straight arrow, predictable and reliable.”
“You come around eventually.” Sarah conceded.
Max just looked at his wife for awhile, then started crying again. “What am I going to do? What am I going to do without you?”
Sarah hugged him close and whispered, “Live. Take care of the kids, but live your life.”
They stayed that way for awhile before Sarah finally said, “Max, I want to go to the attic.”
“What?”
“Lets go to the attic, then, if you have to do it, no one will see and you can just leave me here in our house. I know you aren't going to stay, right?”
“We haven't made plans yet.”
“You didn't come to get me and the kids so we could all stay here, I know you are going to go somewhere. You can leave me in the attic, let me stay where I had so many good times.”
“In the attic?”
“Max.” Sarah said sharply, “You know what I mean. The attic is closer than most people get to be to their homes when they die. Say a prayer over me for the kids and then just go. Come on, lets move up there now.”
“Is it time? Already?”
“No, but I keep feeling weaker and I don't want you to have to carry me up there. Where we slept should still be there, I will just curl up and go to sleep. I will be okay and you can do what needs to be done after.”
They went out into the hall together and Max pulled down the stairway ladder using the rope he had tied to it again. As they went up Max noticed someone had cleaned all the fallen insulation up out of the hallway and put a piece of wood over the hole on the attic side to keep more from falling out.
Sarah settled down among the kid's sleeping bags and stuffed animals, then pointed at the kid's pillows, “You better toss these down, Jessica likes her own pillow and I don't want her to come looking for it later.
Stewart's head popped up at the attic access. “Everything okay up here?”
“Yeah, Sarah is going to settle in here.” Max replied.
“I…yeah, okay, I can see that makes sense. How are you doing Sarah?”
“I have been better, I feel weaker by the minute, maybe you can ask Amelia what comes next?”
Stewart didn't shy away from the question, “I did. You die. Then come back. I am really sorry Sarah. I wish there was something I could do.”
“It isn't your fault Jane.”
“Do you need anything?” Stewart asked.
“For tonight? No. But take care of Max and the kids for me, will you?”
“I had planned to, once we figure out what we are doing from here. I think we will talk about that… tomorrow. Well if you don't need anything else I am going to duck out of here. Max…don't do anything foolish, okay?”
“Me?”
Stewart just nodded and climbed back down the ladder into the house. Max heard her talking softly with Amelia, then they moved off out of hearing range.
Max turned back to his wife, “So, how are you feeling now?”
“Achy. Do you know if it gets worse?”
Max shook his head, “Why don't I go get some acetaminophen?”
Sarah shrugged her shoulders, “I guess it won't hurt anything.”
Max climbed down to retrieve the medicine. Amelia and Stewart were at one end of the hall, opposite of where Max was heading, he stepped over to them to see what they were discussing.
Amelia saw him coming and asked, “How is Sarah Max?”
“I don't know, feverish, sweating. Amelia how was it with…Diane? Is Sarah looking like she did before she…died?”
Amelia's small smile faded and she looked towards a hallway wall, she nodded slowly, “I am sorry Max, she is going through the same thing, the same way.”
“It's okay Amelia, I just wanted to know, you know?” Amelia nodded.
Stewart asked, “You look like you came down for more than to shoot the breeze Max, what are you after?”
“Acetaminophen.” Max shrugged, his eyes were watery and wet, “I know, not likely to be the cure-all we need, but if it eases the pain.” He shrugged again.
“Sure Max anything. You have some here or do you want me to go get some?”
“What? Oh no it is after dark now, I wouldn't dream of sending you out for any. Anyway we have a ton of the stuff, we bought a jug of it from the warehouse store awhile back.” Max walked back to the linen closet just inside the bathroom.
