*FLASHBACK December 10th, 2003*
"I will be back later, baby. Leighanne and I are going to the mall for some Christmas shopping." Lacy Miller told her husband Howie.
"Okay. You be careful. The roads are slick." Howie said from the den.
Lacy smiled to herself. "Don't worry about me so much. I'm a good driver." She walked into the den and over to him.
"It's not you I'm worried about. It's the other losers I am worried about." Howie said hugging his wife.
Lacy kissed him. "Do you realize this is the first Christmas we're spending as husband and wife?"
"Yep. And I have everything planned after we spend it with our families." he said.
"I like the sound of that." she said.
"Me too." he said.
They shared a kiss again and he let her go.
"Be careful." he called after her.
"I will. I love you." Lacy yelled.
"Love you too." Howie said.
5 P.M. THAT EVENING
Howie was worried. "Are you sure you haven't heard from her?"
"No Howie. We parted around four. She said she was heading straight home to show you what she bought." Leighanne told him. "I will go out and look for her."
"That's okay, Leigh. Maybe she just ran into some friends." Howie said.
"You let me know if you hear from her." Leighanne said.
"Don't worry. You'll be the first to know." Howie said.
They hung up as someone knocked on the door. Howie went over to answer it and saw two officers standing there. His heart went up into his throat immediately.
"Can I help you?" Howie asked.
"Are you Howard Dorough?" one of them asked.
"Yes. What's this about?" he asked.
"Do you know a Lacy Miller-Dorough?" the second one asked.
"Yes. That's my wife." he said.
"Sir I hate to say this, but she was in a serious car accident. It was a head-on collision. She didn't make it. She died at the scene." the first officer said.
"What?" Howie asked not comprehending what they had just said.
"You need to come with us sir." he said.
Howie grabbed his stuff and walked out of the house following the cops in his car. He immediately called Kevin and told him to meet him at Orlando General. They arrived at the hospital and Howie knew what he had to do. He just didn't know if he could go through with it. The cops walked in with Howie slowly walking behind. He had been dreading this moment his entire life. He just didn't think it would be his one true love. Why his wife? Why couldn't it be someone else he'd known? Why did God have to take his one thing he lived for every single day?
"Can I help you?" the nurse at the desk asked.
"This is Howard Dorough. He's here to see his wife Lacy's body." one of them said.
Howie didn't hear a word. Everything around him had gone silent. He was in a world of his own. One of the cops pushed him forward as they followed the nurse down to the morgue.
"Mr. Dorough is only allowed beyond this point." the nurse said.
Howie couldn't breath. He didn't want to go in there and see his wife's lifeless body. He wanted to be in his home with her in his arms in a nice warm bed. This couldn't be happening. Not to him.
"Breath." the nurse said noticing he hadn't taken a breath.
Howie let it out.
"Are you going to be okay, sir?" she asked.
"Fine." Howie said.
He followed her into the hospital morgue. He couldn't believe that they had her down here already. They must work fast for a hospital. Tears automatically stung his eyes and fell down his face. Another doctor that had been there asked the nurse a couple of questions and they walked over and he opened it. There she laid with a white sheet over her body.
"You can collect her things when you are through." the nurse said.
"Thank you." Howie said.
The doctor moved the white sheet off her face. It was bruised and scratched, but nothing major had been injured on her face.
"What killed her?" Howie asked touching her forehead.
"A piece of metal that was lodged into her right lung." he said.
Howie cried. "Oh Lacy." He balled like a new born baby. This couldn't be so. Not his Lacy. His world came to a crashing halt. It would never be the same without her. Not his music. Not his life. Not even their home.
He stood there a minute longer, then left the room. He ran to the nearest bathroom and vomited. He couldn't stand the pain. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Kevin arrived moments later with the gang. Howie told them the news and of course it affected them so. But he didn't want to hear condolences or anything like that. He walked outside and into the rain.
"WHY?! WHY HER? WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN ME? HER LIFE WAS JUST BEGINNING WITH ME! AND NOW SHE'S GONE! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE BEEN THROUGH WITH HER AND MY OWN DEMONS INSIDE!" he cried out in anger. "YOU COULD'VE LEFT HER HERE FOR ME AT LEAST TO SAY GOODBYE!"
Kevin heard him and consoled him in the rain. He knew how it felt to lose someone in his life. He hugged Howie tightly as cried and screamed.
*THE FUNERAL*
"I'm so sorry for your loss." had been the famous words throughout Lacy's funeral 3 days later. Howie had been quiet. His family and her family had been supporting towards and left him alone. Once they got back to the house, he stayed up in his room not wanting to see anyone. He stared out the window just holding the last which she had been wearing: a locket. He had given it to her just before their 2nd anniversary of dating. She had always worn it and never took it off. That was Lacy. Once you gave her something (jewelry wise), she'd never take it off.
"Howie..." It was Leighanne's voice. He looked up at her not saying anything.
"Would you like anything to eat?" she asked.
"Eat?" he asked. "How can anyone eat when she's dead?!"
Leighanne flinched at his yelling. She had never seen Howie so upset.
"No! I dont' want that stupid food down there! I don't ever want to eat again! Not as long as she's gone!" Howie yelled.
"I know how you feel." Leighanne said.
"No you don't." Howie said. "She wasn't your wife! She wasn't your lover! Your companion! Your best friend! Your life! So no you don't know how I feel! My life is over!"
Brian was comping up the stairs when he heard the noise coming from Howie's room.
"NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND THE PAIN!" Howie screamed and threw a vase of flowers across the room and into the mirror.
"Leigh!" Brian yelled.
"It's okay, Brian. I'm okay." Leighanne said as she hugged Howie.
Brian walked into the room and saw an exhausted man pining for his wife.
"Howie..." Brian started and Leigh hushed him.
"No words will comfort him right now, Brian. Just save it till later." Leigh said.
After Leigh left the room, Howie saw the broken glass and just left it. He didn't care. He got up from the floor and sat back in the same chair staring out the window. 'Come back to me Lacy. Come back.' he thought.
*END FLASHBACK*
Howie walked through the cemetery. It had been a year ago since the whole ordeal happened. It was the anniversary of her death. He saw her headstone and kneeled down beside it.
"Hey it's me. I know this is the first time I've been out here since you died, but the fellas insisted I come out, so here I am. I miss you. I miss your arms, your smile, your love. I miss everything. Nothing has been the same for me." he said. "I just wanted to let you know that I love you and that I will never love anyone." With that last statement, he stood up and walked away.
Lacy watched as Howie walked away from the cemetery. "I want to go back. Let me go back."
"You can't Lacy."
"But I am ready to go back. If Howie says he needs me I want to go back. Can't I get a second chance?" she asked.
"Only if Howie asks for you in one simple prayer, I will grant it to you."
Lacy smiled and watched her one true love drive away. She knew she had to put it in his mind to pray.
Howie walked into the darken house. No laughter came in this house anymore. No smiles. No music. No lights. No nothing. He had stayed in the dark since the funeral and he was going to stay that way. He walked up the stairs and into his bedroom. He crawled into bed without even bothering his clothes.
"God, I know you're up there. It's Howie. I know I sort of went berserk when I saw Lacy that night at the hospital. I screwed up by blaming you. So hear my prayer. I want Lacy back in my life. I need Lacy. My life hasn't been the same without her. So if you grant me this one little prayer I would be thankful. Amen." Howie said softly as he fell asleep.
"Yes!" Lacy cried out in joy. "He said it."
"Just this once I will grant you this. But if you come up here again, it will be for good. Understand?"
"Yes." Lacy said.
"Good. Now get going. He needs you."
Lacy walked into the bedroom. "Howie?"
Howie woke up seeing Lacy standing there. "You must be a dream."
"No. It's really me. I'm back." Lacy said.
"What?" he asked.
Lacy turned on the light for the first time in over a year. The light shined brightly through the bedroom as she stood there. Nothing was wrong with her. No scratches or bruises. Everything was perfectly normal.
Howie got out of bed and touched her face. "It's really you? You won't leave me will you?"
"Not unless you want me too." Lacy said touching his face.
He felt the warmth of her hand against his face. It was her touch. "You are real?"
"Like I've always been." Lacy said.
"But how did you? You died." Howie said.
"You asked that one simple thing in your prayer and he sent me back." Lacy said.
Howie picked her up and spun her around. She laughed and that was music to his ears.
"Oh my god. THANK YOU!" he screamed out.
"I'm glad to see you happy again." Lacy said.
"You have no idea." Howie said just holding her as they sat in their chair. "I believe this belongs around your neck."
Lacy smiled. Tears were beckoning to fall. It was the locket. She snapped it around her neck and kissed him. It was a nice feeling.
"How are we going to explain everything to everyone?" Howie asked.
"Well here's the thing. Only you and me will remember what happened. By tomorrow morning no else will remember that I even died." Lacy said.
"He can do that?" Howie asked his eyes wide.
Lacy giggled. "Just by the snap of his fingers."
Howie smiled and kissed her again. "Thank you for bringing her back to me."
THE END!
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