Sheila Dool Contemporary Romance Author

I have posted the first chapter of my eBook Alive for your viewing. I hope you enjoy it

Chapter 1

Another dream, or was it? Annalisa was not sure if they were dreams, or visions. They just seemed so real. "Of course it’s not real." She told herself. "Edward is gone." Her husband had passed away a year and a half ago, but when she dreams, it’s like he has never left. He talks to her and she can almost feel him with her. "It has to be a dream. I can't be going crazy." Annalisa lay there, staring at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face while she remembered the night Edward died.

It was late when she went to get into bed. She tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake him. He hadn't been sleeping well for a few days now. She had tried to get him to the Dr. to get the headaches checked out that he was also having but he was such a stubborn man. “I’m fine Annalisa; it’s just stress from work. I have to get this car finished for the client since he will be here day after tomorrow to get it and I can't seem to get it done. I make two steps forward on it, then three steps back and it’s just getting to me, but when it’s done it will be worth it. I'll tell you what; I'll take you on a vacation. Anywhere your beautiful heart desires. Where would you like to go love?"

Edward was such a sweet loving man, and as he held Annalisa in his arms and stroked her hair to comfort her, she felt so at ease and decided to leave him alone about going to the Dr. for now at least.

"Anywhere? We can go anywhere I want?" She was so excited; it had been 3 years since they had been on a vacation. Edward was such a hard worker; he never seemed to have time to take off for pleasure. Annalisa had not worked for about 4 years now, since she had, had cancer 5 years ago she had not been the same. The chemo had ravaged her body and made her so ill she could no longer work. Edward had told her they would be fine, that her health was more important than anything. But with her not working they lived pay check to pay check now, so no more vacations.

Edward had started a small car restoration business and they knew that it would be even tougher now until he started to turn a profit. When this car was done, they would finally start to see that.

"Are you sure that we can afford that Edward? Or should we just put it in the bank and wait?" She worried that they needed to get some money to fall back on before they took off somewhere on vacation.

"Love, I really need this break. I can relax and refresh with you and Cole. Then since summer is here and he will be out of school, when we get back I can get him in the shop with me and teach him, so that he can help me with my next restoration." Annalisa knew he was right, he really needed this. Maybe his headaches would go away and he would be able to get some sleep.

"Ok, let’s do this! I want to go to Hawaii!" Edward smiled at her with his huge handsome smile, and his kind grey eyes. Oh how she loved him. "Anything for you love. Should we go tell Cole?" Cole was their teenage son. A very quiet, handsome sweet boy, he looked just like his father. A good boy who always did what his parents asked. They have two daughters as well. The girls were older, and married to men that Annalisa and Edward loved as sons. Their daughters were beautiful girls. Karisa was a blond, grey eyed beauty with a heart of gold and Sahara was a redheaded green eyed beauty just like her mother. She was just a beautiful as her older sister, but whereas Karisa was calm and easy going, Sahara could never stop going. Her poor husband could barely keep up with her most of the time. Annalisa’s children all had a mix of their mother and fathers traits. Even with all of their trials, they really had a wonderful life.

They told Cole, who was so excited, he couldn't wait to go call his friends and tell them where he was going to be for the summer.

Edward really wanted to take the entire family on this trip. Who knows if this would be the last one for a while or not, so he really wanted to make it a great one. The girls and their husbands were super excited as well and couldn't wait to start planning for the trip. Edward had told Annalisa that he was pretty worn out and he was going to go on to bed. “Ok sweetie, you go get some sleep. I’m going to do some research on tickets and hotels and things we can do while we are there."

About two hours later, Annalisa told Cole goodnight and checked all the doors and the lights and went to go to bed. She snuck in quietly so she would not wake Edward and went into her bathroom and closed the door. She was still a little keyed up and excited so she thought if she took a bath so she could whined down a bit so that she could sleep. She started the bath water and began to undress when she heard Edward speak to her.

"Ok my goodness, Edward you scared me to death." She laughed but soon her smile faded. “I didn't even hear you come in. Are you ok sweetie? You look sick.” She could tell something was wrong so she reached down and turned the water off so she could see what was wrong.

"Annalisa, you know how much I love you right?" She stared at him for a couple of seconds, what was that all about? Of course she knew he loved her.

“Yes Edward, you know how much I love you too right?"

"Yes love, I do. I knew I loved you from the moment I saw you when I was 20 years old. I knew you were young, but I told myself at that moment, I am going to marry her. I have never met anyone as beautiful as you and I knew I would spend the rest of my life with you." He had tears in his eyes which made Annalisa’s heart ack. She started to get a lump in her throat and started to cry herself. Edward was a very kind man but he had never told her that before. He just didn't open up like that.

"I never knew that Edward, thank you for telling me that, but what’s wrong, why are you telling me this now?" His expression was still soft but she could tell there was something else that he needed to say to her. They just stared at each other for what seemed to be minutes when Edward finally spoke again.

“Annalisa, I’m so sorry love, but I am not going to be able to take you to Hawaii like I wanted." She was very confused, what had happened to make him change his mind?

"You see it’s not that I don't want to, but I’m not going to be here. I am so very sorry love. I should have listened to you and went to the Dr." Annalisa was so confused at what he was saying, where was this coming from?

"It’s ok sweetheart, I know you are a stubborn man, but you are probably right, after some rest and relaxation, you will be much better." He was not smiling at all anymore, he was crying. Edward doesn’t cry. What is going on, why is he crying? Why was she feeling like something terrible had happened?

“Love, you need to sit down, please. I cannot take you, because, I died." DIED!!! What is he saying this for?

"Dead? Baby your right here please stop this, your scarring me!" His voice was so soft now it was just above a whisper.

"Love, I’m not really here. I’m in the other room in the bed. I wanted to tell you how much I loved you one last time and to say how sorry I am for not being here to take care of you. I had an aneurism Annalisa, and I did not survive. It was not painful though love. I went to sleep and it happened. I didn’t feel a thing."

Annalisa could not believe what she was hearing. How could he be saying this? He looked so serious and so sad though. "NO! NO! This is not real. I am dreaming. Your right here Edward, you are not dead! Please stop doing this to me! You know there is no way that I could ever live without you. EVER!"

Edward put his head in his hands and cried. He wanted so badly to be there for her and take care of her always, but he would no longer be able to do that. "Annalisa, please you’re getting so upset and that is why I wanted to talk to you before I go. I want you to know how much I love you and our children. I know we had our problems over the years but I would never have wanted to be with anyone else but you and you always made me a happy man, even if I didn't always say it. I should have done a better job at making you feel loved and for that I am very sorry. I have to go now love. Please, look at me Annalisa."

She was still in shock but when he asked her to look at him, she realized she was actually crying very hard and shaking. She tried to calm herself, and look at him. She looked at this beautiful man that she had been married to for the last 25 years and looked into his calm, sad grey eyes and she realized in that moment, that he was telling her the truth. The love of her life was gone.

"I love you so much Edward, I will never love another man. You will always be my soul mate. I will cherish you forever my love." He smiled at her and leaned to kiss her on the forehead, and then, he was gone. Annalisa stood there for a time, she didn't even know how long, before she reached to open the door. She walked into her room and saw he husband laying in their king size bed, looking like he was peacefully sleeping. Even though she knew he was gone, she crawled into bed and curled up next to him with her arms around him and broke down and cried beyond belief. The pain was more then she had ever felt in her entire life. The only man she had ever loved was gone.