Undying Love

LIFE CHANGING

The one-year anniversary of Matt’s death was approaching. Kathy made arrangements for her and the baby to fly home for a few days. She needed to go visit the dock, and her mother understood. After she picked up the rental car, she and Matthew headed to her mom's house. Josephine was watching Matthew while Kathy went to the river.

She walked into the house, and Josephine was anxiously waiting to see her grandson. "Hey mom."

"Hi sweetheart. How are you doing?" asked Josephine. She took Matthew from her.

"I'm not sure how to feel," Kathy answered. "I'm still lost without him."

"I know, it's only been one year, and so much has happened between then and now," Josephine said.

"I know. I'm gonna go now while he is ready for a nap."

"Be careful," Josephine said to her as she left.

Kathy stopped for flowers on her way. When she got to the river, she went down on the dock. She sat and cried. “Oh god Matt, you have no idea how much I miss you. You have a son. I named him after you.” She cried out, “Why did this all happen? We were supposed to be together forever.” She sat there and said, “I guess you kind of are, baby Matthew keeps me busy and is a constant reminder of you. He looks just like you. I wish you were here to see him.” She set the roses on the dock and kissed one before putting it in the water. She said, “I will love you forever.”

She watched it float away, then went back to her rental car. There were cars pulling into the lot. She thought she saw Scott but hid her face. She figured they were there for the same reason. It broke her heart that she couldn't show Charlene the baby, but she had no choice.

She finished her stay and headed back to LA with Matthew. She was at the end of the spring semester and was very far into her degree. All she had left was her clinicals and finals to complete before she could take the NCLEX exam. Then she would be an official BSN. She planned on going home after the winter was over, but she wasn't sure if she would stay.

She buried herself in her clinicals. She always welcomed a distraction from her loss. The university had amazing childcare services. She managed to complete everything for her degree except her NCLEX within those two years. She was graduating magna c*m lade.

Spring had finally arrived, and the weather was getting nice back home. The second anniversary of Matt's death was approaching. Kathy made the plans for returning home. Josephine got the house ready for a toddler. She was excited to see her grandson again.

She and Matthew boarded the plane just after midnight. The seat was in a first-class pod, and she was hopeful he would sleep the entire flight back.

She got back the day of the anniversary, and this time she wanted to bring Matthew to the river with her. The flight arrived at six in the morning. Josephine picked them up from the airport.

“Did he sleep on the plane?”

“Fortunately.”

“Did you?”

“I tried, but no.”

“Let's get you guys home so you can rest. I know you're anxious to go later.”

“Thank you Mom. Did you get the flowers for me?”

“I did, one dozen white roses.”

When they got to the river, she had her mom wait in the car with Matthew while she put the flowers on the dock. She kissed one and dropped it in the river. She took one for Matthew to put in the water. There was a small beach area you could see just downstream from the dock. Kathy and her mom took Matthew there.

She stood there and watched Josephine playing with Matthew along the water’s edge. “Don’t go too far down,” she called out to her mom. She responded with a thumbs up.

She was wearing a flowing lavender dress that the wind kept catching. So she went over to a bench and sat there watching them for a while. With a rose by her side and eyes closed, she recalled that dreadful afternoon. She started to tear up. “God Matt, I miss you.” She covered her face with her hands. “You're my forever. It's so hard moving on. I still need you.”

Suddenly she heard her name called. “Kathy?” She knew she was imagining it because the voice was Matt’s. Her name was called again, “Kathy.”

Curious, she wiped her face and looked up. Coming towards her was a dark figure. She couldn’t make out a face because the sun behind them was shading their face. “Matt?” she cautiously asked.

The figure got closer. “It’s me Kathy.”

She thought she was hallucinating, “How?” she asked.

He walked up to her and took her hand. “Kathy, it’s really me.”

She could make out the face now. It was Matt standing there looking as handsome as ever in a white, mostly unbuttoned shirt tucked into jeans. She started shaking. “How can it be you? We mourned you; I mourned you.” He pulled her up and touched her cheek. Gently he placed his lips on hers. She melted in his arms and started crying. “Oh god Matt, how I've missed you, missed your touch,” she softly said.

“They said you left here forever.”

After a moment, she asked, “How is this possible? What happened?”

“After the water swept me away, I ended up quite a few miles downstream. Someone found me, but I had no idea what happened, let alone who I was. At first, I was in the hospital for a couple of months, then I was sent to a rehab center. After a few months there, everything was coming back to me.” He paused, then added, “Babe, you were the first thing I remembered.” She cried harder. He held her close. “When I got home, Char told me you had left and no one, not even your mom, knew where you had gone, and they said you weren't coming back. So I decided I would come back here every year on this day in hopes that one of these days you would come.”

“You have no idea how lost I was. I couldn’t live with not being able to save you.”

“I heard. Scott told me," he said. "Kathy, it was not your fault.”

“I just can’t believe it’s you, it's just so surreal.”

He pulled her chin up. “You know, I was going to ask you to marry me that day.”

Kathy leaned back and pulled the necklace up from between her breasts. She showed him the ring. “I know.”

“You found it?” Matt took the necklace off her and slipped the ring off. He got down on one knee and took her hand. Kathy gasped. “Kathy, would you please do me the honor of being my wife?”

She started crying. “Yes Matt, of course I will marry you.”

They embraced each other. Matt saw the rose in her hand and stepped back. He said, “It was you who brought the flowers?”

“Yes,” she softly replied.

Matt looked over and saw a woman down the beach chasing a small child. “Why does that look like your mom?”

“Matt, sit.”

“Why?” he asked suspiciously.

“Please.” She sat with him, holding his hand. “The day you disappeared, I took a pregnancy test. I was going to tell you at the river that I was pregnant...”

He interrupted, “Kathy, is that my child?”

“Yes Matt, that’s your son.” He was speechless.

“Oh god, I’m the happiest man on the face of this earth right now. What's his name? How old is he?”

“He's Matthew John Donner II. He was born early and on your birthday, and he is 18 months old.”

He looked at her with teary eyes. “You went through all that alone?”

“My mom came to help when he was born.”

He pulled her up to him. He held her cheek and gave her the most tender, intimate kiss. “I love you so much.”

Josephine saw her with someone and got concerned. She picked Matthew up and hurried over to her. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized it was Matt. “How?” she asked.

“It’s a long story, Mrs. C.”

“I'm sure it is.” She said, “Well I'm sure by now you know this is your son.”

He nodded and took the baby. “He’s beautiful.” His eyes welled up.

“He’s you,” Kathy said. She gave Matthew the rose and said, “Can you say Dada?” He repeated her.

“I can't believe this. Can we get out of here?” he said. “I want to go show off my family.”

“Yeah, about that. Your mother…”

He stopped her, “Oh, I heard all about it. She was wrong for what she said and did. She was set straight when I got back home.” He pulled out his phone and sent Charlene a message, ‘meet me at Kathy’s mom’s house.’

‘Why?’

‘Just do it.’

‘Has something happened to Kathy?’

‘Just go.’

Matt put the baby's car seat in his car. He opened Kathy's door. He was so proud to show off his family. "Ready?"

Kathy's mom said, “I'll meet you at home.” She drove their car back.