Burned in the End

This work is 100% fiction. There is very little sex and no obvious signs of revenge.

Burned in the End

As I walked up to the indoor theater, I couldn't help but think of what had brought me here. My sister had been diagnosed with a rare disease a few months ago and had set out to complete her bucket list of items to do before she passed away. I had admired her courage in the face of her mortality to continue on with her dreams. I would always remember that about her. She was a person who would take on her challenges head on and stay entrenched until the bitter end.

Well, the end for my sister came a little faster than what she had intended. She had applied to sing in one of those national challenges that most of you should be familiar with by now. Hell, these things were all over the place on TV and the internet. My sister had an amazing voice and I knew she would have done very well if given the chance. Unfortunately her time had run out, but she had already secured her spot in the competition. A week before she was set to sing, she had passed away. This was the last item that I was aware of that was on her bucket list. Instead of letting the dream die, I called the talent coordinator and explained the situation. I asked if I would be able to sing in her stead to fulfill her last dying wish. The guy on the other line thought it would make a great story and signed off on my request.

Look, I will be honest. Singing is not one of my great talents. I didn't enjoy being on stage in front of a few people, let alone on TV in front of potentially millions of people. But for my sister, I would do my best.

I walked onto the stage in front of the judges and was all set to explain my situation. I'm not sure if the producers had clued them in or not, but the story had an impact.

"First, I would like to apologize in advance for my performance."

"Why would you do that before you even start?", asked one of the judges.

"Well, I need to explain. This was supposed to be my sister standing up here performing for you. She passed away last week and I decided I needed to be here for her. I took her opportunity to fulfill a dream of hers. I will be singing for her. I can't do justice to the voice she had, but I couldn't let this pass by without her being on stage."

With all that being said, I pulled out a small vile of her ashes and set it on a chair next to me. The looks I received from the judges were mostly disbelief. This might have been the first time someone had ashes on stage with them, but that didn't matter to me. My sister was going to be able to take the stage and perform for the judges, though now it had to be through my voice instead of hers.

I knew what song she planned to sing so that is exactly what I did. I couldn't tell you what it sounded like as every thought that I had was of her; every note was as if she was singing it. Once the song had ended, I was overcome by emotion and left the stage. It didn't matter to me what anyone else thought of the performance. This was for her and her alone.

As I left the stage, the producers stopped me and walked me back in front of the judges.

"Why did you leave?"

"I had finished what I needed to do for my sister. That is all that I came to do and now I just want to grieve for her."

"That was one of the most powerful performances that I have ever heard. You did your sister a great complement by being here today. What a wonderful tribute to her."

"Thank you very much, but anything that you heard today was all her. I was the body, but it was her soul that sang that song."

The judges were tearing up with each word I spoke. My emotions were all over the place and I couldn't contain my tears any longer. I sat down where I stood and started to cry. It was too much for me to handle.

"Michael, I can see this is very hard for you, but we would like to have you come back for the next round of the competition. We would like you to continue the story on behalf of your sister."

"Thank you, but I won't be continuing on. This was for her and her alone. I appreciate the offer, but I can't do this again."

And I walked away. I left the theater to take some time for me. I had completed her dream and I hoped she is now able to rest in peace. She deserved it.

A few details about me. My name is Michael Garrett. I am 28 years old and I am a firefighter for a medium sized town outside of Chicago. I had been a firefighter for just over 8 years at the time of this story. I am just over 5'10" and weigh just under 200 pounds. I am in great shape. I liked to compete in the fireman competitions and do pretty well. I am not of the caliber to be able to win the competitions, but I hold my own. My mother and father have already passed away and I just told you about my sister passing a week ago. I am the last of my immediate family.

After the funeral, I had asked for a couple of extra weeks off from work. I liked to travel to Chicago and walk amongst the crowd. I usually did this once or twice a year. Just a solo trip to clear my head. I know it sounds funny to clear your head in one of the largest cities in the US, but it worked for me. I loved to take in the museums and a baseball or football game. This time, I just wanted to walk the shores of Lake Michigan.

I was sitting on the train as it dropped us off in the loop. I was walking down the steps to the street level when I saw a lady struggling with her umbrella. Today was a rainy day in Chicago and the wind had taken its toll on her umbrella. The thing was never going to work and the handle finally snapped. It was obvious to me that she was headed to work as she had on a nice pants suit and shoes that couldn't have been too comfortable to walk in. I could see her frustration building. I walked over to her and raised my umbrella over the top of her head to shield her from the rain.

It must have taken her by surprise as she finally looked up and noticed that she was now under my umbrella. My umbrella was quite large and both of us fit comfortably under the canopy.

"Thank you."

"Sure, no problem. You looked like you could use some help."

"Yes, my umbrella broke and now I am going to be soaked for my presentation to the board this morning. My hair and makeup will never make it to the office and I will be a mess. My bag is already wet and my notes will probably be smeared before I get there. This is turning out to be a hell of a day and it just started."

"Well, I can help you out a bit with most of this."

"And how is that?"

"I'll make you a deal. If you can walk with me to that diner over there on the corner, let me buy you a cup of coffee and then you can use my umbrella to get to work."

"And what do you get out of this?"

"Coffee with a beautiful girl and her undying gratitude is all that I ask." I said this with the biggest smile I could produce.

"I don't have much time, but this the best offer that I could expect. I thank you for your very kind gesture."

"My name is Michael and if you stand a little closer I will make sure you stay dry until we get to the diner."

"My name is April and I thank you again."

April joined me for coffee and I sent her on her way with my umbrella to keep her dry. I didn't get much of a chance to talk with her, but she took my phone number thinking that she would somehow get my umbrella back to me. I didn't explain that I didn't live in Chicago, but I would explain that to her if she ever called. I didn't give it much of a chance that I would ever hear from her again, but that isn't why I helped her out. Simply stated, she needed the umbrella more than I did.

I guess I was wrong about April. I saw my phone ringing later in the week from a number that I didn't recognize. I normally don't answer calls like this, but I had received quite a few connections due to my sister's passing. I decided to answer the call.

"Hello, this is Michael."

"Hello Michael. This is April. The girl you saved by allowing me to use your umbrella the other day."

"Yes, I remember. How did the presentation go? Were you dry when you got to the office?"

"Yes, I was dry and the presentation was a success. The board agreed with my proposal and signed off on the add to the budget to fund it. Thanks to you, I was able to present in a dry suit. I can't thank you enough."

"It was my pleasure. Glad you were so successful."

"I would like to return your umbrella and offer to buy you drinks or dinner if you would let me."

"April, that is kind of you, but you don't have to do that. I would like to think that any true gentleman would have done the same thing that I did. Your thanks is enough."

"Michael, you had to have seen at least a dozen "gentlemen" walk by me and didn't even bother to try to help. No, what you did was very much appreciated. Please, let me meet you somewhere and at least buy you a drink. That is the least I could do."

"Okay, I can come to Chicago again on Friday if that will work into your schedule."

"Friday will work great for me. I will text you where we can meet and I will return your umbrella."

"Please, keep the umbrella, but I will meet you for a drink. Who knows, it might rain again and I know your last umbrella isn't going to be of use any longer."

"It's a date. Again, thank you Michael."

"Your very welcome. I'll see you on Friday.

I met up with April at a small bar that she suggested. I arrived a little earlier than she did and sat at a table. April walked in and I noticed how good she looked. I hadn't really noticed before when I gave her my umbrella, but today I was now well aware. April looked a little hesitant as she approached the table.

"Hello again April. It is good to see you and not have to worry about the rain."

"Thanks for meeting me and again, thanks for the umbrella."

"Glad I was able to help and happy you had such a successful presentation."

We were making small talk when I sensed that April was a bit apprehensive.

"April, you look like you have something to ask or say to me. Don't worry, I don't bite."

"When we first met, you looked a little familiar to me but I couldn't place it. After I made it home, it finally hit me. You were the guy on the talent show that turned down the judges. I don't think that has ever happened before, but you are all over the internet. I heard you tell the story and I just want to say how sorry I am about the loss of your sister."

"Thank you. I hate that I am receiving any type of acknowledgement over this. I honestly only did that for her. It felt right, but now I get recognized for something that was so personal to me. I didn't try to be famous. I only wanted to honor her the correct way."

"For what it's worth, I thought the way you honored your sister was very well done. I didn't even want to mention it to you, but I wanted you to know that I felt you did an amazing job."

We stayed at the bar for a little longer and then I offered to buy her dinner. We went to a mom and pop type of restaurant who served some very good food. It turned out to be a wonderful night getting to know April. Although she set out on buying me a drink to thank me for my kindness, I ended up with a girlfriend. This was the start of my courting of April that did lead to us getting married 15 months after we first met.

The first 4 years of our marriage went by without a hitch. We were very compatible. April was a sexual dynamo with a very high libido. 3 or 4 times per week was a slow week for us. I thought after the first year or so that this would taper off, but it really didn't. The only time our sex lives took a break was when I had to work an extended schedule. My shifts at the fire department varied as we would go through a stretch of 24 hours on; 48 hours off and then shift to 3 to 4 days of 12 hour shifts. Often while I was off, April would be working and vice versa. There were days that would go by that we didn't see each other, but we would make up for it once we were together.

Things started to change into our 4th year of marriage. It finally seemed that our sex lives were slowing a bit. We were both a little older and it seemed natural. Nothing crazy as we were still having sex a couple of times a week, but it wasn't as hectic or as exciting. It was more loving between the two of us.

After about the first 6 months into our 4th year, I started to feel a bit "off". I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was fatigued more than usual and just lacked energy. I had spoke with April, but we couldn't really pinpoint what was going on. She suggested that I see my doctor, but I had put that off. Then after another month or so, "it" happened.

April and I were in bed and starting to make love. We loved foreplay and had started on each other. I had April naked and loved to kiss and suck on her tits. She had a large b / small c cup and very sensitive nipples. When she was excited, her nipples would stick out almost a full inch off her breasts. I would spend a good amount of time enjoying myself in her bosom. I would then slowly make my way down between her legs. April's smell and taste were like an aphrodisiac to me. I would make sure April had at least one orgasm while I was eating her out. Sucking on her clit was almost a guarantee of an orgasm for her.

I had just brought April to an orgasm when she started to return the favor. All of a sudden, I lost my magic. Lil Mike was deflating faster than after I had cum. This was a first for me as it had never happened in the past. April tried to reassure me that things like this did occur, but it sounded hollow and I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I decided to give her another round of oral before we cuddled and went to sleep. I knew I needed to see my doctor after that epic failure.

My doctor was able to see me later in the week and ordered a round of tests. My family history was concerning to my doctor, but not something that he wasn't already aware of as I have seen him for years. I left the office with the understanding that we would get together in another couple of weeks to go over the results.

I was able to return to work and perform up to the normal standards for a fireman. No one was picking up my slack, nor would I expect them to. But when I got home from my shift, I was dead tired and would often head straight to bed. April was concerned and was good about letting me sleep. I felt awful putting her through all this anxiety and stress. I was hopeful that I would be able to gain some sort of idea what was wrong with me when I saw my doctor.

The next couple of weeks went by very slowly. I was stressed about what was happening to me and why I felt so tired all of the time. April started to spend more time away from me, which was a bit confusing. I tried to not think too much of it, but it didn't help with my level of stress. Towards the end of the two weeks, I was starting to see my work suffer as well. I was definitely lacking energy. Captain made note of it with some off handed comments such as "pick it up" or noting that I was falling behind the other guys. He even pulled me aside to ask me if there was anything wrong. I let him know that I had went to the doctor's office and was awaiting test results. I wanted to be truthful with him and not put others at risk if I wasn't able to carry my weight.

During these past couple of weeks, April was very supportive, but also a little distant. At times she was right there with me with her undying support. But there were also times where she was distant. I noticed it most after a BBQ that was thrown together by some of the other firemen and women within our department. April and I would always attend if we were around. As I was talking with some of the fellow guys from the station, I noticed April was talking to the newest and youngest fireman in our department. He had just joined recently and didn't know many people other than the guys he had been working with. There were times when I thought there was some flirting going on and light touching of their arms and shoulders. It didn't progress beyond that from what I could tell, so I didn't mention it directly to April. There were enough things going on that I thought were more relevant at this point. No one within this group knew of my health issues at this point and I wouldn't have shared unless there was a need.

I was set to work a 24 hour shift when my doctor called. I was able to switch shifts with one of the other guys so I could get my results. I was waiting in the lobby of the doctor's office thinking about everything good in my life. I even thought of my sister at that moment. I hadn't thought too much of her in the past couple of years, but I still missed her. I was up next when the nurse escorted me back to the personal office of my doctor. This meant it was a conversation instead of more tests.

The long and short of it was that my doctor only had bad news for me. I was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. That means that the cancer has spread to multiple parts of the body. In my situation, my doctor commented that I probably only had a few months to live. He referred me to an Oncologist, but he didn't give me much hope that there would be anything they could do for me. He left me alone in his office for a little while to absorb what I had just been told.

Acceptance of this type of news is extremely hard. I was most concerned about telling April and worried about how she would take it. I asked a few additional questions from my doctor when he came back into the room and he handed me a printout of my results. Most of it wasn't comprehensible to me, but I thought I could look up some of the stuff on the internet. I drove home to wait for April to get home from work and give her the bad news. This wasn't a conversation that I was looking forward to having with her.

As shitty as the day was going, it only got worse from there. As I turned onto my street, I saw April coming from the opposite direction. She turned into our driveway and had a passenger in her car. She parked in the garage and they both exited the car and went inside as the garage door finished closing. I recognized the guy she was with as he was a newer recruit for the fire department. Lance had only worked there a few months. He was the one that I saw April flirting with at the BBQ a few weeks ago. All of my thoughts were bad, but decided to wait a few minutes before heading inside. I was hopeful that nothing was happening between my wife and Lance, but I knew better than that. After about 10 minutes, I parked and carefully made my way inside my house.

I didn't see anyone on the main level and there were no voices that I could hear in any of the rooms. That meant they were upstairs where there were only bedrooms and bathrooms. I was getting madder by the minute and decided to scare them a bit and grabbed a boning knife from the butcher's block we had on the counter. I quietly made my way upstairs listening as I went. I heard noises from the master bedroom. I grabbed onto the door handle and turned it to the point where all I had to do was push it open. I steadied myself and pushed open the door.

April was standing by the bed in only her bra and panties. She made eye contact with me right away as she was facing the door. Lance was ahead of April and was completely naked with his hand on his erect cock. April gasped as I walked into the room. She noticed the knife in my hand and immediately started to plea with me. She was starting to cry and yell out that it wasn't what it looked like; this has never happened before; put the knife down. Lance just stood there not knowing what to do.

I pulled my cell phone and took a quick picture of the two of them. I put my phone back in my pocket and just stared at the two of them. I still hadn't said a word as of yet. I put the doctor's letter on the dresser and pulled out the necklace I wore with my wedding ring attached. I didn't wear my wedding ring on my finger due to the risk of it getting caught on something. I wore it around my neck where it settled close to my heart. I thought that was fitting and was always a part of my thoughts. Not anymore.