Emily had to stifle a giggle because
Joe had dots of mud all over his
face making him look as if he had
freckles. Joe glared at her but had
a hard time staying mad because her
smile was infectious. "Alright
Emily, it's not that funny." This
sent Emily into hysterics. She had
tears streaming down her face. Soon
Joe was laughing too because he
"Okay, we better get going, we're
late enough as it is." Joe pulled
back onto the road and headed for
the party which was only about a
mile down the road. Joe got some
pretty funny looks as he stepped out
of the car. Joe just shrugged it
off and walked around the car and
helped her out. Putting his arm around
her they made their way into
the party which was in full swing.
Everyone who walked by just stared
at Joe as he and Emily walked into
the ballroom. "There's Sav and Phil."
Joe lead her over to where they
were standing. "Hi Joe, Emily glad
you could make it." Sav said
grinning at Joe trying not to laugh
when he saw Joe covered in mud
from head to toe. "Playing in the
mud Joe?" Phil smirked. "Bite me
Just then the door opened and Viv
and Rick walked in. "Joe this is a
new look for you isn't it?" Viv cracked
up laughing even harder when
Joe gave him the middle finger. "Come
on Emily, let's go dance." He
led her to the dance floor. As soon
as he took her in his arms the
earlier evenings disaster was forgotten.
Joe loved Emily so much. He
He fell hard for her. The first time
he saw her he was coming off the
tour bus and just about knocked her
flat on her ass. He didn't see
her and bumped into her sending her
camera flying shattering on
impact. He couldn't stop apologizing.
Joe felt really bad because it
turned out to be a very expensive
camera. Turns out she had been
After apologizing a million times,
he immediately sent Malvin out to
buy another camera identical to the
one that got broken. After that
they became inseparable. Went out
every night talking for hours
sometimes till dawn, and sometimes
just stayed home and watched
videos. Countless times they just
held each other gazing at the stars
not saying anything. Without hesitation
she went to the studio with
him to watch him and the guys record
their music. Emily took pictures
of them recording and put them in
scrapbooks.
She went on tour with them most times
and others stayed at home. Joe
loved everything about her. She had
a nice figure, hair down to her
ass which she wore in a braid most
of the time and was the color of
coal. Her eyes were the deepest blue
which he could get lost in.
Emily fell in love with him not for
being the famous Joe Elliott, but
for who he was. She didn't care that
he was popular and they trusted
each other completely. She never
became jealous when he was mobbed
with all of the female attention
he received. She thought it funny
most times.
Emily looked up at Joe to find him
staring at her. "Joe are you
daydreaming again?" She ran her hands
through his silky locks smiling
at him. "I'm just thinking how much
I love you." Emily's smile
broadened and tilted her face up
giving him a kiss that told him how
much she loved him. Her kisses never
ceased to leave him breathless
and his lips felt as if they had
been scorched. Joe held her tighter
deepening the kiss. "I love you so
much Emily." He said caressing her
cheek with the back of his hand.
"I love you too Joe with everything
in me." I rested my head against
his shoulder swaying in time to the
music. It felt as if everything
at that moment stopped existing except
for them. The music stopped
and Joe gave her a kiss and led her
to the terrace. He put his arms
around her nuzzling her neck as they
stood looking at the night sky
and just enjoying being with one
another. From that moment on life
would never be the same. Tonight
Joe's life would change forever.
Joe pulled her into his arms to create
more warmth and to hold her
close. "It is beautiful
but we should go in luv, it's way to cold
and I would never forgive myself
if you got sick." "Please Joe just a
few more minutes. I just want to
enjoy this night and being alone
with you." Emily looked into Joe's
eyes and pulled him toward her
kissing him softly. Joe wrapped his
arms around Emily's wait wanting
the kiss to last. Joe deepened the
kiss his lips parting and his
tongue finding hers and exploring
each other as if they had never
kissed before.
Joe broke the kiss and looked at her
caressing her cheek gently
enjoying the softness of her skin.
"God how I love you Emily." Joe
loved the sparkle in her eyes when
she was happy. When she became sad
the sparkle went out like a flame
doused by a heavy rain. "I love you
too Joe." Emily snuggled close to
Joe wishing for this moment to last
forever. "Okay it's time to go back
in. It's freezing." Joe put his
arm around her shoulder and lead
her back to the house. Joe looked
at his watch and saw that it was
just after midnight. "Oh shit, I've
got an early band rehearsal tomorrow.
It wouldn't look good for the
lead singer to fall asleep in the
studio." Joe grinned and held the
door open for Emily following her
inside. "We'll just say our
goodbyes and be on our way." Joe
and Emily entered the ballroom where
they found the guys standing by the
bar having a drink. "Well guys we
are heading out. I will see you four
clowns in the morning." Joe
laughed.
"Okay Joe. Bye Emily it's always good
to see you." Sav kissed her on
the cheek and gave her a hug. "Good
to see you Emily. You will have
to tell Joe not to keep you to himself
so much." Phil chuckled. "I
can't help it if I don't want to
share my beautiful wife with you
guys. She might get the wrong impression."
Joe laughed and waved bye
"Damn it's freezing out there baby.
Kiss me and warm me up." Joe
grinned wickedly. Emily smiled and
pressed her lips to his feeing the
chill of the night air on his skin.
"You're lips are very cold
sweetie." Emily shivered slightly.
"Let's go home and snuggle in
front of the fire."
Joe grinned liking
that idea. "You got it luv."
Joe started up the car letting it
warm up. "I can't wait to get you
home Mrs. Elliott." Emily smiled
giving him a kiss. "Let's go home."
Emily settled back in her seat securing
her seatbelt as Joe headed
down the driveway. A few minutes
later they were well on their way
home and now the snow
was coming down pretty good and beginning to
stick. "Looks like it's going to
be a bad storm." Joe kept the car at
around 45 but was still sliding now
and then around the corners.
Devils corner was coming up and Joe
slowed the car to about 25
because this corner was a bitch and
could easily slide off into
oblivion as the teenagers were fond
of saying.
Joe and the guys often went to the
local coffees shop for an espresso
on those mornings when they had to
get up at an ungodly hour for
rehearsal. Joe, Rick, Viv, Phil and
Sav always got the same table in
the corner so they could sit without
distractions. They became
regulars as they found out that they
came up with some great lyrics.
At first they were all written on
paper napkins which were placed in
their pockets and later transferred
to music sheets. This soon became
a weekly ritual and many hours and
many coffees later they left with
the makings of some great songs.
Sometimes Emily came with them but
always felt she was a distraction
so she stayed home most days. Once
Phil spilled his coffee on the table
and it ended up on the napkins
with the lyrics smearing the ink
so it all ran together. Joe almost
got thrown out for swearing he was
so pissed at losing all the lyrics.
So they sat down and began again.
That day they ended up staying till
closing time before they got back
to the same place they were when
Phil spilled the coffee. Joe jokingly
told Phil he was not to drink
liquids while writing. Phil flipped
all of us the bird which sent us
all into fits of laughter. Some of
our best songs came out of that
One day while in the coffee shop,
Joe and Sav overheard a couple of
teenage boys talking about devils
corner and saying that a man &
woman were killed the other night.
Out of curiosity Joe asked the
boys about it wondering where it
was. They told him that it was on
highway 20 just outside town.
Joe took that route regularly since it
Joe looked through the windshield
trying to adjust his eyes to the
contrast between the darkness and
the blinding white curtain of snow
that impaired visibility. "Luckily
we only have about three more
miles to go then we will be home
making love in front of the
fireplace. Joe smiled remembering
the many nights spent with Emily in
front of a roaring fire making love
and sometimes just holding each
other till the first rays of sunshine
filtered through the bay window
over looking the vast countryside
that Joe never grew tired of
looking at..
Joe didn't let on to Emily that he
was worried about Devil's corner
that was just up the road about half
a mile. He didn't want to worry
her unnecessarily. He slowed the
car further as Devils corner was
fast approaching. Turning on the
wipers full blast Joe squinted as he
tried seeing the road ahead of him.
The snow was now coming down
thick and heavy. The road glistened
in the beams of the headlights
indicating that the roads were icy.
Joe's knuckles turned white from
the grip he had on the steering wheel,
his muscles tensing as Devils
corner stared them right in the face.
"Hey luv we're almost home.
Still cold?" Joe reached his hand
out patting her on the hand while
keeping his eyes on the road. Joe
slowed the car to a snails pace as
it began making it's way around the
corner. This part of the road was
very narrow & very sharp. Even
in the daytime you couldn't see beyond
the edge of the large rock cliff
that towered high above the road.
He was just about all the way around
when suddenly the car began
losing control. Joe tried easing
on the breaks and it only caused the
car to slide more. "JOE LOOKOUT!"
Emily screamed. Joe tried steering
the car around to avoid the guardrail
but it was too late. The car
slammed front end first through the
guard rail and down the
embankment. "Oh shit we are going
to hit that tree, Hang on Emily."
The last thing Joe saw was the tree
looming menacingly in front of
him before the car slammed into it.
The sounds of crunching metal and
shattering glass was the last thing
Joe heard before blacking out.
Sav and Phil had left not too long
after Joe and Emily had gone home
so they were probably not that far
behind them. Joe and Emily
probably had at least a fifteen minute
head start. "I hate this road.
I can certainly understand why they
call it Devils corner." Sav
remarked as they approached the corner
Joe and Emily took only a few
He could barely see the tail end of
the car in the blackness as he
peered down below trying to make
out any movement inside the car.
Seeing no signs of life, he decided
to climb down the embankment
which was no easy task considering
how steep and how slick. He
started to head down the slope when
Phil put his hand on his
arm. "Don't go down there Sav. Paramedics
are on their way. I don't
want to have you in the hospital
as well." Sav decided that Phil was
right so he stepped back watching
the dim glow of taillights that
seemed to be fading as the minutes
ticked by at an unbelievable slow
pace.
Phil stood next to Sav looking at
the car silently praying whoever
was down there was still alive. After
what seemed like an eternity,
they could hear sirens in the distance
growing louder as they came
closer. "Damn it's about time. I
just pray it's not too late." Sav
looked up as he saw the flashing
lights reflecting in the darkness
and the first part of the rescue
team arrived. The police cars
followed by two fire engines screeched
to a halt and soon the air was
filled with the sounds of the rescue
crew issuing orders as they
filed down the hill to rescue whoever
was down there. Sav and Phil
felt helpless as they watched the
men work. They had to use the jaws
of life because the car was so badly
mangled.
It took about 30 minutes before they
got it open enough to free
them. "We've got a man and a woman
in here. Get those stretchers down
here on the double." The paramedic
reached in placing his fingers on
the mans neck feeling for a pulse.
He had a pulse but it was weak and
thready. Moving around to the other
side the paramedic checked for a
pulse on the woman. There was none.
"Where are those damn
stretchers?" Andrew in all his years
of being a paramedic had never
seen an accident this bad. He didn't
hold out much hope that the
woman would make it but the man had
a good chance.
The stretchers finally arrived and
the man and woman were put on the
stretchers and they began CPR on
the woman. The man was breathing on
his own but still unconscious. By
the time they reached the top of
the slope the woman still had no
pulse and her chances were quickly
dwindling. Sav and Phil were watching
the paramedics bring them up
and at first they couldn't see their
faces because they were
surrounded by the rescue team. As
the men walked past them Sav got a
good look at the man's face. "Oh
shit it's Joe and Emily." Phil
whipped around at Sav's announcement
and watched in horror as his
best friend and his wife being loaded
into the waiting ambulance. Sav
paled when he saw that the paramedics
were working frantically to try
and save Emily's life. Sav and Phil
jumped in the car and followed
the ambulance as it sped away to
the hospital.
"Oh god. Why did this have to happen
to Joe and Emily of all people?"
Phil slammed his fist against the
car door out of anger that this
happened and out of fear for his
friends life and Emily's. It took
forever for the ambulance to get
to the hospital cause of the snow
and slick roads. Sav and Phil were
right behind them when the
Sav and Phil were ordered to go wait
in the waiting room and the
doctor would come out when he had
some news. "Oh god, what if Emily
doesn't make it? Joe will die without
her." Sav ran his hand through
his long hair as he paced the floor
wondering if they would be
telling Joe the worst news of his
life. Phil must have had 20 cups
of coffee before the doctor that
had been tending to Joe came out.
Sav and Phil rushed up to him bracing
themselves for the worst. "Well
your friend is one lucky man. He's
got some bruising and lacerations.
He has a severe concussion however
& we will be monitoring him for
the next 48 hours to make sure the
swelling in his brain doesn't
increase. He also has a broken leg
and some trauma to his spine so he
may not be able to feel his legs
for a few days due to the swelling.
He is still unconscious and probably
will be for awhile.
Although I am very concerned with
the head injury, I am also
concerned about the swelling in his
spine. If the swelling doesn't go
down we will have to operate to relieve
the swelling. My main concern
is that he will have at least temporary
paralysis. Those are the
worst of his injuries but he is by
no means out of the woods. That's
She is in surgery now. She has internal
bleeding, her left lung
collapsed and she has a skull fracture.
Her heart stopped for a long
time. It was over thirty minutes
before we could start it. She
possibly could have damage to her
heart. We will know more after
surgery. I will tell you that her
chances don't look good. She will
be lucky to survive the surgery."
The doctor walked away leaving Sav
and Phil to absorb all the bad news.
"Oh god Phil Joe's going to be
devastated if he loses Emily. She
is his life. What will he do
without her?" Sav put his head in
his hands, tears forming in his
eyes as he realized how much his
best friend was going to lose. It
was several hours later when Emily
finally came out of surgery. Sav
and Phil watched as they wheeled
her into intensive care. She was
hooked up to numerous machines including
a respirator. Phil felt
heartsick for both Emily and Joe.
They walked back over looking into
Joe's room as the nurses changed
his IV and checked his vital signs.
Just then the doctor walked past them
and Sav stopped him. "When can
we see Joe?" Sav's voice shaky from
the emotions he was
feeling. "I'll do a quick exam then
you can see him for a minute, but
don't expect him to hear you." The
doctor entered the room shutting
the door behind him. "Sav I think
it's going to be a very long time
Sav stood looking out the window watching
people below going back and
fourth not realizing how fortunate
they truly were. "I am going to
get some more coffee, want some?"
Sav just nodded not turning from
the window. Sav was lost in thought
when Phil came up behind him
handing him the coffee. "Thanks Phil."
Sav turned back and sat back
down in the chair sipping his coffee.
"Even though we will be here
for Joe if he loses Emily, there
is no guarantee that he will reach
out to us. You know how Joe is. He
keeps it all bottled up until it
explodes." Sav's expression saddened
remembering how hard Joe took it
when Steve died. He had lost one
of his closest friends and he
blamed himself for not being able
to help Steve when he was in crisis.
"Yes he does keep it all inside, but
we can't force him to talk
unless he wants to. He will come
to us eventually but he has to do it
on his own." Phil swallowed the last
of the coffee and walked over
and tossed the cup in the trash can.
"All we can do is let him know
we are here for support and that
he can talk to us anytime." Sav
closed his eyes silently wishing
that this day had not happened and
wishing he could spare Joe the emotional
pain he was about to suffer.
The doctor returned and told them
Joe needed some rest so they could
come back later.
Sav and Phil went to the waiting room
where Phil began making phone
calls to Emily's family so they could
come to see her. Emily's mom
was the first call and then he called
her father since her parents
had divorced when she was only five.
After making the calls Phil
literally collapsed in the chair
nearest him and began to cry. Those
were the hardest phone calls he ever
made.
Sav put his hand on Phil's shoulder
in attempt to comfort him. "I'll
make the calls to the rest of the
guys." Phil looked up at him
silently thanking him because he
would be afraid that he wouldn't be
able to get the words out. Sav made
the calls then sat down beside
Phil to wait. After about an hour
Rick and Viv showed their faces
showing the sadness they felt in
their hearts. "How's Joe and Emily?"
Rick asked sitting beside Phil. "Joe
is stable, but Emily is in bad
shape. The doctors don't expect her
to live." Phil said choking back
the tears that threatened to overwhelm
him again. "Oh god, poor
Joe." Viv fought back his own tears
as they all sat silently waiting
for the axe to fall. An invisible
cloud of silence hung in the air
as they waited for the arrival of
Emily's parents. Phil just prayed
that when they did arrive it wouldn't
be too late.
They were all saying their own silent
prayers when suddenly nurses
and doctors were rushing into Emily's
room wheeling in
machinery. "Code blue. Code blue."
One of the nurses voice came over
the intercom. "Oh god, EMILY!" Sav
rushed toward her room doctors
rushing past him in their hurry to
get to Emily. "Oh shit. Please god
let Emily be alright." Phil said
out loud knowing that would be the
last thing Emily would be. They all
stood close to the door of
Emily's room feeling totally helpless
as they all felt that Emily's
life was slipping away. Time seemed
to stand still as they waited to
see if the doctors would be able
to save Emily's life one more time.
The doctors worked on Emily trying
to start her heart working
feverishly as they knew time was
not on their side. "Okay people
we've got a pulse." Sav and Phil
breathed a sigh of relief and hoped
that Emily's parents would get there
soon.
The doctor came out of the room his
expression grim. "Well we got her
heart going again. Did one of you
call her family?" Phil nodded his
head not able to speak. "Good, cause
I am afraid that she doesn't
have much longer. Even though we
revived her her pulse is weak and I
am afraid it will only get weaker.
She is too weak for her body to be
able to heal itself. I'm sorry."
The doctor's eyes were sympathetic
and felt his heart go out to them.
"Can we see her? Her family
should be here anytime." Sav said
pleadingly. "Yes I think it would
be good. She probably won't hear
you but maybe she will know you're
there. Sav and Phil entered the room
and stood beside Emily's bed and
each took one of her hands squeezing
them affectionately hoping that
their presence would somehow reach
her.
Sav leaned forward and planted a kiss
on her forehead before placing
her hand back down on the bed and
walked toward the door. "I'm going
to see Joe. I pray he wakes up so
he can say goodbye." Sav left the
room choking back the tears as he
went to his friend's side to see if
Joe was awake yet. He dreaded the
look he would see when he was told
that Emily wouldn't have long to
live. Sav entered the room and saw
that Joe was still sleeping. He went
to his bedside and put his hand
on Joe's shoulder and began to weep.
Sav was lost in a cloud of
sorrow and pain when he heard Joe
groan. Wiping the tears from his
cheeks he tried to smile as Joe's
eyelids began to flutter and open. Joe reached his hand up and put it
on his forehead wincing at the
pain.
"Hey buddy. You gave us quite a scare.
How are you doing?" Just then
Phil walked in his cheeks wet from
his tears for Emily. Seeing Joe
was awake he wiped his hand to dry
his face and smiled weakly at
Joe. "Good to see you awake buddy."
Phil walked over and patted Joe
on the hand. Joe looked up at both
of them and saw a look that he
didn't like. "What's wrong? Tell
me Sav, Phil. What the hell are you
holding back?" They gave each other
a look and began to tell him the
news.
"Joe, Emily was hurt pretty bad in
that car wreck. She suffered a lot
of injuries." Sav paused not wanting
to tell him but knowing he had
to. "Joe, the doctors say that Emily
doesn't have long to live. Her
body is too weak to fight." Joe looked
at him, his face showing the
horror of what Sav just told him.
"I want to see her. I want to see
Emily. Sav get me a wheelchair and
take me to her. NOW!!" Joe tried
getting up and Sav knew that Joe
needed to see her so he left the
room to get the doctor and a wheelchair.
"Joe I know you must be
hurting, but the doctors say she
isn't in any pain. She is not
suffering." Joe looked at him as
if he could kill him.
"Not suffering. NOT SUFFERING!! How
in the FUCK can you tell me that
she is not suffering? She is going
to be fine. She just needs time.
She just needs some ....." Joe choked
on his words as the news of
Emily's condition hit home and he
began sobbing as he realized that
he was losing the love of his life.
Joe's shoulders shook as he felt
"Oh god, I can't lose her. I love
her so much. I can't live without
her." Joe felt as if someone had
hit him with a train. His heart had
been ripped in two. The nurse came
in with the wheelchair and Sav and
Phil helped him into it. Once Joe
was settled Sav wheeled him out the
door to Emily's room. Upon entering
the room Joe sucked in his breath
at the sight of his beautiful Emily
lying there hooked up to so many
machines. Sav wheeled him to Emily's
side and Joe picked up her hand in his and kissed the back of her
hand. "Help me up Sav and Phil."
Phil moved beside Joe with Sav on
the other side and helped Joe to
his feet. Joe bent over and placed
an affectionate kiss upon her
"Emily. I love you so much. What am
I going to do without you luv?"
Joe wiped his eyes as the tears streamed
down his face wishing he
could hear Emily's voice once more.
Viv, and Rick came into the room
and right behind them was Emily's
parents. "Oh god my baby girl."
Emily's mom came rushing to her side
gasping in horror at the sight
of her daughter lying there with
all those tubes hooked up to her
precious little girl. Emily's father
went to the other side and
placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'm
here baby. Dad is here for you."
Joe, Phil, Sav, Viv, and Rick all
stood side by side along with her
parents holding hands as they began
to pray for the woman, daughter
and friend they all loved and cherished.
Joe began sobbing again as
he held Emily's hand squeezing it
and rubbing his thumb over the back
of her hand. "God how I love you
Emily." Joe placed a gentle kiss on
her mouth and smoothed back a lock
of hair that had fallen over her
eye. Joe felt suddenly very tired
and he sat back down in the
wheelchair not letting go of her
hand. Joe was looking at her face
smiling as he remembered all the
times they shared and how she made
him laugh even when he was depressed.
She always had a knack for
that. Joe held his breath when he
saw her open her eyes. "Emily." She
opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"I love you Emily." She nodded,
squeezing his hand, & closed
her eyes for the last time.
Joe's shoulders shook with grief as
he held onto her hand not wanting
to believe that he had just lost
her. "I can't believe she's gone. I
keep thinking that she is only asleep
and she will open her eyes any
minute and tell me she's alright
and that I shouldn't worry." Joe
looked up at Sav his face still wet
from the tears he shed. "I wish I
Joe swallowed hard as he tried to
get out the words he wanted so
desperately to say. "I love
you so much Emily. I loved you from the
moment I set eyes on you. I am really
surprised you even wanted to
talk to me after I broke your camera.
From the moment I looked into
your eyes I knew I wanted no one
else. It took some convincing to get
you to go out with me though. I thought
sure you would turn me down
flat." Joe's words seemed to echo
in the silence of the room as he
choked back tears to try and finish
what he wanted to say. "I
remember our first date and how it
ended up being a total disaster. I
ended up having to call Phil and
have him go to my house and get the
wallet I left behind when we got
ready to leave the restaurant. Went
to pay the bill and I didn't have
the money. Thought sure the waiter
was going to make us wash dishes."
Joe chuckled then became sad as he
realized him and Emily would never
experience another moment like
that again. Joe placed his hands
on his face the tears once more
flooding his eyes.
Joe took a deep breath and wiped the
tears off of his face with the
back of his hand and began again.
"Emily I don't think I can go on
without you. What am I going to do
without you? I need you now more
than ever." Joe kissed her hand and
tenderly placed it on her
stomach. "I love you so much. We
shared a lot you and me. You were
there so much for me. You helped
me a great deal when Steve died. I
would have drowned in a pool of self
pity and guilt if you hadn't
shown me that I wasn't at fault and
that there wasn't much I could do
for him. Steve was a great musician
and friend. You came into my life
when I was dealing with some pretty
heavy issues. You brought me out
of the darkness. Even though you
didn't get to meet Steve, I know you
and him would have become great friends."
A fresh river of tears
flowed down his cheeks as he looked
at Emily not taking his eyes off
her knowing that she would now only
exist in his heart and in his
memory.
Joe stood and bent over Emily as far
as he could and placed a tender
kiss on her mouth and whispered in
her ear. "Goodbye my luv. I love
you more than life itself. I will
never love another the way I love
you." Joe sat back in the wheelchair
and just then Phil and Sav
opened the door peeking in to make
sure it was alright to come in.
Phil walked over to Joe and gave
him a hug. "Come on buddy. Let's get
you back to your room. The doctor
said you might get to come home
today." Phil placed his hands on
the wheelchair and began to wheel Joe back to his room.
Joe reached his hand out taking Emily's in
his. He held onto her until her hand
slipped from his and he looked
back at her one last time before
Phil wheeled him out the door.
Emily's parents said their farewells
and the doctor released Joe. Sav
took Joe back to his house because
Joe didn't want to go back to the
empty house that would never to be
filled again with her laughter &
her smile.
Phil and Sav helped Emily's parents
with the funeral arrangements so
that Joe could rest as much as possible.
The doctor told him in no
uncertain terms that he was to take
it very easy. The funeral was set
for the next day and Joe stayed in
bed till just before the funeral
started. The doctor had given him
sedatives and he was usually out
for a few hours. The morning of the
funeral, the house was filled
with all of the friends and family
on both Joe's side and Emily's
side. "I'll go get Joe and we will
head over." Phil went to the
bedroom and knocked softly. Joe mumbled
for him to come in. Joe had
managed to put on his suit he was
wearing to the funeral and was
sitting on the bed tying his tie.
"Here let me help you with that."
Phil tied his tie and stood back
to look at him.
"You look very good Joe." Phil smiled
weakly in hopes to get any sort
of reaction. "Thanks." Joe sighed
and reached up to loosen the tie
because it suddenly felt as if he
were choking. Joe grabbed his
crutches and they headed for the
funeral home. Family and friends
from all over had come to pay their
last respects. Joe appreciated
all the kind words and was very moved
by all the love everyone had
for Emily. Joe along with Phil, Sav,
Viv, and Rick all sat in the
front pew along with Emily's parents
and grandparents waiting for
the ceremony to begin. Joe sat staring
silently at the coffin that
contained the only woman he had ever
loved and would never get to see
again. Tears ran silently down his
face as the minister came out and
began addressing the family and friends
that had come so far to say
"Friends, family, we have all come
together not to say goodbye but to
guide Emily along her journey into
the lords kingdom where he has
embraced her and will watch over
her. Emily was more than a daughter,
friend, and wife. She was a kind
soul who never hesitated to help
someone in a time of crisis, withheld
judgment and doubt, and put
aside all her own worries and fears
to help her family and to be
there as a friend. By the many faces
I see here before me she was
very much loved and will all live
on in your hearts and memories. Now
the family will come up and say a
few words." The minister stepped
aside as Joe came up to stand before
everyone.
"As my friends will tell you when
I first started dating Emily, all
else seemed to stop existing. As
far as I was concerned the world
stopped and we were the only ones
in it. From the first moment I saw
her I knew I wanted her to be my
wife. When Emily came into my life I
was going through a lot of turmoil
and I was lost in a black cloud of
self pity and grief. Emily reached
out to me and pulled me out and
saved me from a life of wondering
what I could have done differently
in order to help a friend that was
himself lost in a tunnel with no
way out."
Joe took deep breath before he could
go on. "She was also someone who
wouldn't hesitate to tell you what
was bothering her and she could
always tell when something bothered
me and wouldn't let me drop it
until I told her everything. She
had a gift for being able to see
through the walls you build around
yourself for protection and she
Chapter One
Joe and Emily arrived at the party
an hour late because the car got
stuck in a deep snowbank and Joe
had to push it while Emily drove. It
took about ten tries before the car
finally came free, but not before
spraying Joe with a mist of snow
mixed with mud. "Damn it, my tux is
ruined." Swearing under his breath
he got back in the drivers side
trying to wipe off the mud splattered
on his suit and face.
did actually look pretty funny now
that he got a glimpse of himself
in the rearview mirror.
Phil. You too Sav." Joe was beginning
to tire of this charade real
quick. "Have Rick and Viv arrived
yet?" Joe asked scanning the room
of faces in search of his friends.
"Not yet. They should be here
anytime." Sav looked at his watch
thinking they should be here by now.
knew he wanted to marry her the first
time he laid eyes on her. They
had met ten years ago at a gig in
LA. They dated only a month before
getting married.
hired to take pictures of the band
that would be published in Hit
Parader magazine.
to Rick, and the rest. Joe opened
the car door for Emily and then
walked around to the other side to
get in. Joe hunched his shoulders
looking up at the sky as first snowflake
entered his vision. He
shivered and quickly got in shutting
out the cold.
coffee shop and we were all well
known and our table was always
waiting for us. People rarely bothered
them there and those that
talked to them just treated them
as ordinary people which was nice.
was the shortest distance between
his and Sav's house. When Joe was
alone in the car the journey didn't
bother him but when Emily was
with him he was always extra cautious.
minutes before. "Yes it is a dangerous
road. I'm glad you're driving
buddy." Phil grinned and his smile
faded when they rounded the corner
and saw the guard rail had been torn
to bits. "Oh shit another
accident." Sav slowed to a stop and
parked as much off the side of
the road as he could and he and Phil
stepped out to see what had
happened. Sav looked over the side
to see if he could see the car.
ambulance pulled into the lot of
the emergency room and Sav screeched
into a parking space. They jumped
out racing toward the entrance to
the emergency room. They rushed them
into two separate rooms across
from each other and the paramedics
were still performing CPR on
Emily. Joe was now being worked on
by the doctors and nurses hooking
him up to Iv's and oxygen. They tended
to his cuts and bruises & the
doctors ordered an immediate cat
scan to check for skull fractures
and swelling.
why we'll be watching him. Head trauma
is our main concern at the
moment." The doctor's expression
became grave as he thought about
whether or not to tell them the worst.
Sav and Phil caught
this. "What about Emily doctor? Is
she alive?" Phil's voice asked
shakily knowing it was bad. "She's
alive, but she was more severely
injured.
before our friend will recover and
I don't mean physically." Phil and
Sav leaned against the wall of the
corridor to wait for the doctor to
finish his exam in stony silence
waiting for the worst. After the
doctor came out they were allowed
in for a few minutes. Sav pulled up
a chair and sat beside Joe's bed
but Phil just stood looking at his
friends still form willing him to
wake up but at the same time hoping
he would sleep because he would be
dealt a heavy blow. "I am praying
with all my heart that Emily will
pull through. Joe will be fine
physically but if Emily dies he will
die emotionally."
his heart breaking. He knew Phil
was telling him the truth but he
didn't want it to be true. Sav came
into the room with the doctor
behind him. "Well good to see you
awake. I know you want to see your
wife. A nurse is bringing you a wheelchair.
I am sorry I can't tell
you better news Mr. Elliott. Her
injures are just too severe. She
can't fight." The doctor could see
the pain in Joe's eyes and felt
very bad about it all.
lips.
David had always tried to see that
his daughter was given lots of
love and always tried to provide
her with a loving stable home. Even
when him and Kathy divorced they
always made sure that she was loved
just as much as if they lived together.
Now he was losing his only
daughter and he felt the grief beginning
to set in.
could take away your pain Joe, but
I know that Emily is no longer
suffering. She is at peace." Sav
told him wanting to ease the sorrow
Joe was feeling and the void in his
heart left by Emily's death. Sav
bent down and gave Joe a hug and
patted him on the back. Joe suddenly
felt completely numb. "Listen can
I have a moment alone with Emily. I
want to say my goodbyes. Then you
can take me back to my room." Joe
looked at Phil pleadingly and Phil
nodded and they all filed out into
the hall leaving Joe alone to say
his farewells. Joe looked at Emily
thinking how peaceful she looked.
goodbye.
helped you knock down those walls
and ease your fears. Emily will
always be with us in our souls and
in our memories. I love you
Emily." Joe picked a single white
rose from the bouquet, kissed it
and placed it on top of the coffin.
Joe put his hand on the casket as
tears once more brimmed his eyes.
"Goodbye my luv." Joe walked back
to his seat as Phil stood walking
past him giving his shoulder a
squeeze. "That was wonderful Joe."
Phil took Joe's place and stood looking out at the sea of faces as
he began his eulogy.
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