Once Simon grew a little bigger and stronger, Miles began bringing him outside with us. Jasper enjoyed taking his brother's hand and showing him around the farm. Miles stayed close by to watch them.

For the first few days of both of them being outside, I would walk by our home to see Maisie standing by the kitchen sink. She chewed on her fingernails as she stared through the bars of the windows. She initially argued about having both of them working on the farm, but Miles quickly silenced her. She never verbally disagreed again, but she always clung to her sons before they left and nervously watched by the window.

Over time, Maisie became comfortable with them being outside.

For almost a year, everything seemed perfect in our lives.

It all came to a sudden stop one afternoon when I struggled to breathe.

Jasper and Simon were giggling and chasing each other around the barn when the pain started. I took in a sharp breath when the pain bloomed in the centre of my chest. Episodes of this sudden pain had been occurring for the past few months but would subside after a few minutes. I did not want Miles to get stressed, so I would step away until I could regain my composure. I did not tell Maisie because I did not want her to get emotional, and I excused it to myself as an aging ailment. My father had similar bouts when he got older.

I held onto my chest and focused on my breathing as I waited for the pain to disappear, but it only got worse.

The pain transformed into a crushing weight, making it difficult to breathe. My head spun as nausea built in my stomach. I stumbled as I placed my hand on the wall in an attempt to keep myself on my feet. The pain spread up the side of my neck, causing my jaw to ache. A cold sweat broke out across my brow. The corners of my vision turned black before I lost the strength in my knees and collapsed onto the floor.

I must have fainted because I could hear Miles's distant voice before I opened my eyes. His words were an incoherent blur, but they sounded almost like my name. I was trapped in a darkness that I could not seem to escape. The pain did not leave my body, leaving me stuck on the floor.

A sudden sharp movement caused me to groan. My eyes barely fluttered open, and it took all my remaining strength not to slip back into the darkness. Miles put my arm around his neck and had a tight grip on my side, but at least I was upright again. My vision was blurry as he dragged me out of the barn. I struggled to move my legs, especially at his quick pace. I focused on breathing, but it seemed like I could not get any air into my lungs.

"Maisie!"

It was the first word I could understand. Miles shouted her name as he dragged me upstairs. He had to mostly carry me up the stairs because I could not move my knees. Everything was slipping away from me so fast.

"What is happening?" Maisie asked. "Is he hurt?"

I could not see her, but she had to be nearby. Her voice was so close to me and drenched in terror.

"Jasper told me fell," Miles said. "He is not waking up."

I fell into another moment of darkness and was brought out of it when something soft was underneath me. My clothes were drenched in a cold sweat, causing me to shiver. Soft hands touched my forehead, bringing me into distant memories of how Clara would care for me when I was sick. She was always so tender with me and our children. She was such a sweet angel.

When I opened my eyes, Maisie was leaning over me. My vision faded in and out of blurriness, but I could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. A cloth was brushing against my face. I clutched my chest, but the pain did not lessen.

"Joseph," Maisie said. Her voice was shaky as she fought back the tears. "Joseph, you cannot leave us. Please. Try to take a deep breath."

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I could push away the pain and get in a proper breath of air. A small hand grabbed mine, and a thumb brushed across my knuckles. I opened my eyes, and the woman above me was a blur. As she leaned in closer and came into focus, the familiar porcelain skin and light red hair made me smile. It was the girl I had fallen in love with at my church's Easter service when I was young.

"Clara."

My hand shook as I reached up to cup the side of her face. Her skin was as delicate as I had always remembered despite the warm tears. She was my angel watching over me. Her voice was like a distant echo in the back of my ears. I could not understand what she was saying, but her face came into sharper focus.

"Clara."

She looked just the way she did when I met her and fell in love. She wearing a green dress with ruffled sleeves. I always loved how it matched her green eyes. She had always been so gorgeous. She shook her head slightly but did not push my hand away. Her distant voice sounded like a desperate plea, but I could not understand any of the words.

It had been ten years since I had seen her face, but she was here now.

"I love you."

There was another voice. It was deep and masculine, but I could not take my eyes off my beautiful Clara. The crushing pain grew, and I wheezed for breath. My arm fell, and her soft skin disappeared from my palm. I needed to touch her, but I could not move. I was slipping back into the darkness. Each time I closed my eyes, it became more difficult to open them again.

Even though she was leaning in closer, her face remained blurred. Was she disappearing from me? How could I be losing her again? I tried to beg for her to return and stay with me. I tried to tell her how much I loved her and that she needed to come back. She could not leave me again. I had not seen her face in so long. For years, I had only been speaking to her grave.

The female voice was quiet, but the masculine one remained. Something shook my shoulder, but I could no longer open my eyes as I went deeper into the darkness. The same delicate hand grabbed mine. Clara was holding me again. She pressed the back of my hand against her wet cheek. Why was she crying so much?

The pain disappeared in a sudden flash before I slipped completely into the dark cloud dragging me under and bringing me back to Clara.