By: Lisa Anne Hetu
Disclaimer: Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, Sean McCann and Darrell Power are members of Great
Big Sea and are property of themselves. Anne is my middle name that I used for the female
character in this story.
Anne Smith was a young girl, only 19 years of age. She had recently been
hospitalized due to an accident. The doctors had said she was bleeding internally
ever so slowly, but there was nothing they could do about it. Eventually, Anne was
going to die, they said, but they couldn't tell when; she could live for a week or a
year, they said. Either way, Anne was now a permanent resident at Ottawa's
General hospital, room 400 on the fourth floor.
Anne didn't seem to upset or stunned that she was going to die, in fact she
had accepted it automatically. Anne's only trouble was that she couldn't listen to her
favorite Great Big Sea CD's or look through her GBS binder. All her little requests
were granted by her parents and soon the white hospital room was filled with Anne's
most precious belongings.
On the wall in front of her bed, Anne's mother had posted all the little pictures
Anne owned of the band. On her bedside table was her tim whistle and her journal
and pen. Beside the table was, in its case, Anne's bodhran that she never learned
to play yet. Inside the table's drawer was placed the GBS binder, a book to read,
and a framed needle point that Anne had made.
Everyday, Anne's parents would come to visit her, and occasionally her
brother was also present. It was August 26, 2000, one week before Anne's 20th
birthday; Anne was listening to her disk man. She was listening to Great Big Sea's
debut album, the song she heard was "Time Brings", one of her favorites. Then it
dawned on her; Anne would never get to see GBS again. She had known and loved
them for three years, but had never met them personally. She had been to many of
their concerts, and now, even if they came, Anne was confined to this room in the
hospital.
"What's wrong?" asked Anne's mother, seeing her cry for the first time since
her confinement to the hospital room.
"I just realized that I'm never going to meet the four boys I love most," sobbed
Anne, "I'll never even get to see them again."
Anne thought for a while and remembered the chat line where all the fans
posted messages to other fans; she also remembered how intensely GBS cared for
their fans. Quickly, without speaking, Anne ripped a page from her journal and
began to write. Then she gave the page to her mother with a set of instructions.
Anne's mother was to enter the chat room and post the message on the board.
Anne's mother read the message:
From: Anne Smith
Tittle: My last wish... Please Help!!!
I want to say good-bye to all of you, my chatroom friends; my world is
ending, I'm dying. Like the guys would say "It's the end of the world
as I know it, and I feel fine" Don't feel sad for me until I'm gone;
right now I really need your help. Being confined to a hospital room
(my mother is typing this message), I can not see GBS at all, ever. My
dying wish is that the guys might visit me here at the Ottawa General
Hospital, room 400, 4th floor, before I die. I'll try to get their
attention too. If you wish, all you Ottawa residents can visit me as
well if you like. Once again, Good-bye and God Bless; thx for your
help and support my brothers and sisters.
Hugz from Anne.
Two days later, August 28, one of the nurses came to see Anne. "Anne, " she said,
"You have company"
"But my parents are downstairs having coffee" Anne said.
"It's not your parents dear" said the nurse heading out the door.
Anne had tears rolling down her cheeks when she saw GBS walk in. "Don't
cry love, we just got here" said Séan smiling.
"I'm sorry," said Anne wiping her cheeks, "I'm just really happy to see you."
The four men each gave Anne a hug. Alan took the vase of flowers they had
brought for Anne and placed them on the bedside table; Anne thought the flowers
were beautiful. Anne then told the boys how much she idolized them. They were
everything in the world to her, and her greatest joy, she said. Then, Anne opened
the drawer and pulled out the needle point. It was a yellow frame with a picture of
Dabs, the little man on the front of Play, on it. Beside Dabs was written these
words:
May your success bring joy and happiness for years to come.
Anne passed the frame to Séan and said "I made this for you boys a while
back, hoping to give it to you at a concert. I want you to have it now."
Séan looked at the gift in awe and wonder, and the others gathered around
to see. "You did a good job Anne," said Darrell, "This is a very thoughtful gift, and
we like it very much."
"It must've taken a while to make," said Bob, "It's very nice"
"Yes, it's the most wonderful gift we've ever received" said Alan.
"We'll keep it with us to remember you by" said Séan.
Then, Anne took the binder out of the drawer and opened it to a blank page,
except for the balloon border. She reached for her pen and asked a favor "I
promised myself that one day this page would have your signature's on it," she said,
"I know I may not have long to look at it, but it would honor me just the same if you
filled it up with writing."
Of course we'll sigh it," said Alan, "we came here today to make you happy"
"I'm just glad to have your company" said Anne.
Anne took a minute to read the little messages, newly written on her special
page:
It was a great Pleasure to have met you. I hope you are happy for the rest of your
life, however short it may seem. I will remember you always. Bob Hallett
I'm glad to have finally met our biggest fan. In my heart you will always be
remembered. God bless you, dear lady. Alan Doyle
You are a good friend to us, it's been a pleasure. May you always have pleasant
memories of us, as I will always have pleasant memories of you; you shall not be
forgotten. Darrell Power
I'll miss you forever, my heart goes with you. May flights of angels sing thee to thy
rest, and may your pureness always be preserved. Séan McCann xoxo
"You are all very sweet and loving men" said Anne, finally looking up, "I'll miss
you all as well, and you'll never be forgotten"
Anne looked down at her bodhran as she put her binder away. She looked
at Séan at asked him to get it. When he had the drum in his left had and the stick in
his right, Anne asked another favor. She asked them to sing "The seven joys of
Mary", a song that wasn't on their CD's. She had only heard them sing it once on
TV, but the beauty of the song and their voices had been nothing compared to now.
Never in the three years she had listened to them sing, had she heard them sing
more beautifully or more powerfully, or with more feeling.
As the four men left that afternoon, they each hugged Anne and kissed her
ever so softly on the cheek. Anne had informed them that her birthday was on Sept.
2nd, and they promised to come back. Anne couldn't have been happier. The boys
left that day with smiles on their faces, and Anne smiled too.
In the next four days, Anne began to feel worse. She seemed to grow old,
and her color seemed to fade so that she looked like a pale shadow. Her
happiness faded and she looked only tired. Everyone, including Anne, knew she
would die soon. Anne now kept a white handkerchief forever by her side for when
she coughed. Little spots of blood, no bigger than the size of a grape would be
coughed up onto the white cloth. It began to happen more often as the days
passed, and, just for cleanliness, the nurse would give her a new one every so often.
It was now Anne's birthday, the morning of Sept. 2nd ' 2000. Anne
remembered that she had been born at exactly 3:30pm twenty years ago today, and
she prayed that she may live until then. As promised, Great Big Sea came to see
Anne on her birthday. They each had with them, one red rose. The four roses were
placed in the vase with the other flowers, which had now begun to wilt and die; they
looked just as shadowed as Anne seemed.
"Come, sit with me... it's all I want," said Anne, "I only wish for you boys to be
close to me."
So they each approached the bed, two on either side, and Darrell sat at her
feet. The boys were worried about Anne, who seemed to cough more often as time
passed; she looked pale and weak, but her happiness showed in her dull green
eyes. She talked with them and they made her smile.
Somewhere in the conversation, Bob had found Anne's hand, and he stood
by her, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. Anne began to cough again,
this time longer and louder, and she squeezed Bob's hand, and he offered his
support. "Séan... ... hold me" Anne managed to choke out as she held onto
Bob's hand.
Séan sat right next to her, put his arms around her shaking body and rubbed
her back gently. Soon Anne began to breath normally again.
Forever holding Bob's hand, Anne leaned her weary head on Séan's
shoulder and her held her against his body. The four of them began to tell her how
much they had come to love her in such little time, and they swore never to forget
her. They also promised to keep her memory alive, and would mention her at every
concert.
The nurse came in just then, and asked "Have you boys eaten? It's almost
3:30pm"
"We'll stay here for now, thanks anyway" said Alan quietly, so the nurse left.
"You're a very brave girl Anne," said Alan, "and you'll always be a special
lass in our hearts."
"I know" said Anne, then all was silent; Bob felt Anne's grip loosen to nothing,
and he looked down at her hand in his. "Anne?" he said, almost afraid to say it.
There was no answer; the boys exchanged glances and huddled together
around her. "Anne!" said Alan with a frightened voice.
Séan lifted her head from his shoulder and her head flopped back, lifeless,
eyes closed. "Oh Anne" he mumbled and held her body against his.
Bob kissed her hand gently, so delicate it was to him, and a tear fell upon her
white skin. Séan rested her head gently on the pillow and he raised his two fingers
to his lips, blowing her a kiss and looking at her with shining, tearful eyes. Alan
gently pushed away a lock of golden brown hair and kissed Anne on the forehead, a
tear rolling down his cheek. Darrell took the four roses and placed them neatly in
Anne's folded hands, and, in a slightly trembling voice, said "She's gone to a better
place now"
The four boys stood back and looked at Anne's dead body with teary eyes
and crossed arms. They glanced at the clock and it read 3:35pm; the four of them
knew that Anne had died peacefully and happily by their side at the early age of
twenty.
About a month later, the boys were having a concert in Ottawa and
announced their concert to be dedicated to a dear departed friend, Anne Smith.
Alan look a piece of paper from his pocket, on which was a photocopy of Anne's
last journal entry, and he read it to the crowd:
This is my last entry, I know, I feel myself dying. Today is Sept. 2nd ' 2000;
it is my 20th birthday. I was born twenty years ago at 3:30pm, and I hope to live to
turn twenty. My only other wish is to always stay close to my friends that i love -
Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett, Darrell Power and Séan McCann, especially today. my
body will die, I have but a short while to live, but my spirit will live forever in the
hearts of all who remember me. My light will shine strongest in the hearts of the
four beloved boys aforementioned. God bless their souls, and mine. I am always
with you, my dear friends; good-bye.
The End
