by GM Scherbert
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 GM Scherbert
All rights reserved. No part of this book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or used in any manner or form whatsoever or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the express written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This novella is intended for reader 18 and older as it contains adult themed sexual situations and inappropriate language.
Edited by: Wicked Babes
Cover design by: Taylor Sullivan at Premade Cover Cafe
Dedication
I would like to give thanks to all those people that have helped make this book possible. From my pimpers (Whynter, Nicole, Vicky, and as always my lovely PA Amanda), my dirty girls, my gagged up homies who spread the word as well as they spread other parts of their bodies, my holler back girls, you know I love you all.
Probably missing some and for that- I’m Sorry
I LOVE YOU LONG AND HARD.
YOU GUYS ROCK!!!
¤♥¤Oº°Thanks for everything°ºO¤♥¤
Shannon’s Silence
~Shannon’s Silence was first released as part of the anthology Fuck Cancer- A benefit for Elaine Holcomb~
By: GM Scherbert
Chapter 1 - Alex
When we were married Shannon and I were so in love, I can’t believe we still are after all these years. Three daughters later and we are going just as strong as we were back then. Working as teachers in Zion, a small suburb of Chicago, which has been our lifeblood since graduating college together sixteen years ago. Sitting next to Shannon in that math class sophomore year, was the best decision of my life.
I teach at the high school while Shannon is at the middle school right down the block. We are that sick couple that drive together to work every day, try to have lunch with each other as much as possible, and still are just as happy to spend time alone together as we would be to go out with friends. We were very lucky to find each other and have been extremely happy together all these years.
We are each-others whole world, well us and our girls that is. Audrey will be fifteen in a few months, Andrea just turned thirteen two months ago, and Annabelle is eleven and a half. If you have ever seen those old fifties shows on TV with the loving family that travels around singing together, well we are not quite that wholesome, but sickening none the less.
The last year has been somewhat challenging. Shannon has been constantly complaining about this or that ache or pain but won’t go to the doctor and I am at my wits end with it. I finally talk Shannon into going to the doctor, seeing that we are on Spring Break next week, and I have already made an appointment for that Monday early afternoon.
Thankfully we have Friday off and we spend the whole of that day and Saturday getting eggs dyed and the house together for the extended family that will be coming over on Easter Sunday. It is our tradition to have both of our extended families over to our house for Easter, and this year will be no different.
Heading to bed that night we are fucking beat. It has been such a long day with both of our families here and then us cleaning up after them, we cannot wait to get to sleep. Spring break and sleeping in here we come, well except for that Doctor’s appointment tomorrow early afternoon for Shannon.
Chapter 2
Shannon
Leaving the Doctor’s office, I can’t believe that all this will be changing soon and Alex will have to go on without me. We love spending time together as a family and I wonder how the girls will feel not having both parents around. Easter was the last holiday that we will have together with our extended family; thankfully we didn’t know it at the time.
The last year has really been a struggle for me. Constantly not feeling well and just struggling from day to day. I have just been in so much pain, my chest has seemed so tight at times, almost like I was having trouble breathing. Being me, however, I didn’t go to the doctor during this time. I only complained to Alex and was a real pain to live with, I’m sure. Alex finally dragged me to the doctor less than a week ago, the day after Easter and that is when we found out.
Stage four breast cancer, who the fuck gets diagnosed at 39 with stage four breast cancer? Isn’t that shit for older women? I don’t understand why this happened to me, to us. Alex is going to have such a struggle raising the girls alone, and just when they are coming into their teenage years. I don’t know how Alex will do it without me, but that is something that we will need figure out and quick.
The doctors are saying that I have six weeks to six months to live. How are we supposed to map out the last weeks of my life? Let alone try to tell the girls what is going on and have them deal with the fact that one of their parents will not be with them for all the important events of their lives like: prom, driving, dating, college, weddings, etc.
Talking with Alex for a few days after the doctor’s appointment we come up with a plan on how to tell the girls and how to spend the last good weeks that I will have together. No hospitals, hospices, or such unless it is absolutely necessary nearing the end. I will not be doing chemo or any of the other therapies that the doctors have suggested. After looking them up and doing some research most of them only prolong your life so long and usually people do not feel good during the treatments.
I want to be able to enjoy my last weeks with my family before it is my time without feeling sick. I don’t want to limit the possibilities of what I can do due to the treatments that the doctor’s have tried to recommend. We have decided that we will both take leaves from work and spend the remainder of my time, with the girls making memories together. We will have one last great adventure as the Wilson family to make memories lasting a lifetime.
Chapter 3
Alex
Having to tell the girls together has to be one of the toughest things that we have ever done together. They have all had lose in their lives before both my father and Shannon’s mom have passed away in recent years, cancer fucking sucks, so it is not something that they are unfamiliar with. Having a parent die at such an age though, will be difficult to say the least. That is why Shannon and I have already spoken with Human Resources and gotten our leaves of absence all set up.
We sit the girls down on Friday evening after dinner, and have the hardest talk of our lives with them. It starts off with tears and they keep up throughout the entirety of the discussion. Audrey, Andrea, and Annabelle are all in shock and have a million and one questions for us. Which we take turns answering as best we can, before telling them of our plan for our adventure.
The girls are very taken aback and confused but we keep talking with them until they have come to grasp a better understanding of what our plans are. How we are going to pull them out of school for the time being and travel making memories as a family for as long as possible. We will be on the road making family memories together for as long as Shannon is feeling well. The girls struggled, but slowly understand that there will be no treatment, no hospitals nor hospices until the very end.
We will give the girls a few days to be able to talk with their friends and be able to settle up their lives somewhat. We in turn need the same time with our extended family and friends as well. We have invited the extended family over for dinner again on Sunday and will tell them of the cancer and
our plans as a family before we get ready to leave, early next week.
I’m sure the extended families are all shocked to have gotten the invite over to dine with us again seeing as it was only a week ago that we had everyone over. The girls helped us decide that having the family together was the way to tell them, all together to support each other.
As we ready the house again for visitors we find ourselves stopping to hug and tell one another how much we love each other frequently. These last few weeks will be filled with lots of emotion and affection if these first few hours are any indication.
Chapter 4
Shannon
Telling the girls was rough, but we got through it together. Alex and I take turns trying to explain what the doctors have told us and what we have decided. How the cancer is treatable but not curable. I would only be prolonging a more painful and sick life with the treatments that they have spoken about. How we have decided instead to spend what good days, weeks, and/or months that we have left together.
As we ready the house for the invasion of our family, yet again on Sunday, I find myself drawn close to Alex and the girls. We are never far from each other and I know that this will be the way of my life from now on. Spending the last days of my life surrounded by my loving family is something that sounds good to me and I am glad that it was a decision that Alex and I could make together. It is only hard to know that those days have already been numbered.
When the families start to arrive on Sunday I usher them into the house taking coats and getting drinks for people as everyone arrives. As the last of our family enters our home the mood turns somber as I start to tell them of my recent diagnosis. I think that the most difficult hit was my dad, having just lost my mom, and Alex’s mom seeing that she recently lost her husband.
Rounds of “Cancer fucking sucks” “Are you sure?” “Maybe they will be able to treat it” “Why you?” “I can’t fucking believe this” and “Shannon, not you, you are so young and healthy” are heard throughout the room. Nodding my head I take Alex’s hand as I continue to tell our families of our future plans. How we are pulling the girls out of school for the time being and we will be starting a family trip making memories until I can no longer do so.
Outrage and shock plays through the majority of our family members at this. The decision to give into the cancer instead of fight is something that they are having a very difficult time coming to grips with. I try to explain our, no my, reasoning and am meet with nothing but disdain.
My father was the first, “Why would you just take it? You are not going to fight the cancer so that you could stay with your family? Have you given up so easily? You know as well as anyone what cancer can do to the body so why would you just give up like this?”
“Dad, I am not giving up. I have stage four cancer; you know what it did to mom. We watched her struggle with treatments for how long and there was never any relief from her pain. There is no treatment that is going to make it go away, or make me better. I waited too long to see the Doctor and they were not able to catch it sooner, that is on me and me alone. The treatments that the Doctors spoke of, will make me live longer that’s true, but that life will not be enjoyable seeing that my body would be put through the ringer. I have chosen to spend the last good weeks of my life enjoying the time that I have left and making memories with my family. Please just be happy for me and let me know that you will come with on an adventure or two with us?”
Squeezing my hand Alex steps in talking to my father, “this is a decision that was not made lightly I can tell you that much, Edward. Shannon made a hard fought decision and we would be happy if you could do nothing but accept it and help to make it come to fruition with us. This is not something that we have entered into lightly.”
“Alex, how are you so calm about this? You will be left to raise these three girls by yourself. You will have no one to help you. You understand that? What, you don’t want Shannon to fight at all, you are letting it just end like this?”
Alex speaks again, “I am not the one with cancer so it is not my decision. It is Shannon’s decision to make and Shannon’s alone. I will stand by and do whatever I can to make the situation as easy, enjoyable, and least painful as possible. We would truly enjoy your help with this, wouldn’t we girls?”
Looking to the side my eyes meet those of our daughters. There are tears in their eyes but they are nodding their heads in agreement. “We are going to do whatever mom and dad would like for us to do and right now. We will go on this family trip and make memories that will last us a lifetime. We will enjoy what time we have left together as a family.”
Chapter 5
Alex
The families have a quiet meal as everyone thinks over what Shannon and I have discussed with them earlier. It is difficult to think that this might be the last time that we are together as a family, well with our extended family at least. We try to enjoy the meal and the company for as long as possible, before family members start to slowly leave. Making their ways past both Shannon and I we receive lots of hugs, kisses, and lots of wishes of happiness and love.
Cleaning up the house, while the girls are talking, chatting, and messaging with their friends, Shannon and I get the house together in short time. We have spoken with a few friends about watching the house and keeping an eye on the yard and such while we are gone. Thankfully the neighbors on either side of us, we consider friends and they have been nothing but helpful and supportive about taking turns with the lawn and keeping an eye on the house.
We are really proud of how well our girls have been doing, and have been so supportive of our decisions about the future. They have all talked with their friends and started to pack their bags for this adventure that we will be embarking on. We even took it upon ourselves to make sure that they have the tests, quizzes, and content that will be taught until the end of the year so that each of the girls will be able to be “home” schooled while on the trip. Which the girls are not so excited about, but they understand why it needs to happen, so that they are not behind in their studies.
As the girls head to bed that night, Shannon and I start to pack up some of the things that we will need on this trip. Not knowing where we are heading or what we will be doing has made it somewhat difficult. It is spring so hopefully we will not have horrible weather and Shannon and I are thinking about heading south to begin with so warmth is on the horizon. As a family we have been to Florida a few times and have always had a great time, so that is where we have decided to start our trip.
Making sure that we have everything packed that we could need we go over the girls bags to make sure that they have each packed necessities. Necessities for this trip will include swimsuits, comfy clothes, shorts, and a few nice outfits as well because we don’t really know where we might end up or where we could find ourselves.
Chapter 6
Shannon
Leaving our house early Wednesday morning we start what will end up being eight weeks of some of the greatest memories we could have given to our kids. Thankfully Alex and I have been saving money since the girls were little, a rainy day fund that has come in handy during this trip. We are also each on FMLA leave from work and still bringing in paychecks each week. We have been constantly chatting with family and friends on our phones, Skype, Facebook, and such.
The first place we head for is Florida. We head down to the Keys and spend a few nights living the island life. The girls really enjoy seeing Hemmingway’s house and all the six toed cats running around there. Then we head to Orlando and do it up in style. Staying there for about a week and a half, we go to Disney, Sea World, Universal, and a few of the other parks as well. Our youngest, Annabelle really loves animals and has talked about being a marine biologist, so we make sure to take her to a few different colleges that have good programs while there. We also make sure to stop at a few of the aquariums and even stopped at Mote Marine Lab so she could see what it was like there.
Leaving Florida, we head up the Eas
t coast stopping here and there before hitting New York. Being able to drive along the ocean and stop whenever we would like to dip our toes in the water is really something amazing. Everyone is excited to see Times Square and be able to experience the Big Apple, we get there within four days of leaving Florida. We are able to take in a few plays in on Broadway. Audrey has a real passion for music and the theatre so she spends a couple extra afternoons watching some different plays as we are off seeing the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Central Park.
Heading out of New York it is hard to believe that we have been gone from home for close to four weeks already. We have made some great memories together and that will only keep going, as long as I am still feeling well. I have checked in with my Doctors a time or two and they would like for me to check in with a Doctor the next time it is feasible. We have decided that we are heading to the West coast to Seattle, so I make a plan to see my doctor as we drive through Chicago on our way west, that will be in two days time and I set the appointment up.
Alex is driving the majority of the route from New York to Chicago on the first day so I find some great places for us to stop once we leave Chicago again after my doctor’s appointment. The girls have each found a weird little road side attraction that they would each like to see on the next leg of the trip as well.
Stopping in Chicago on Wednesday late morning, we make our way to the house and everyone gets out for the few days that we will be at home. We have let our extended family know we will be home and everyone is bringing a dish to pass so that we can have a family dinner on this first night that we will be home. Seeing the family and sleeping in our own beds will be a real treat for everyone before we hit the road again in a few days time.
Alex and I leave the girls at home as we go to the doctor’s appointment later that afternoon. They have nothing new to tell me other than the cancer has spread. They give me information on end of life choices and also how to set up a living will. We thank the doctors and let them know I will keep in touch and see them again when we return from the West coast leg of our adventures.
