Two months later, Brian stood in front of the full-length mirror of his rented vacation home, slathering sunscreen over every inch of his body before he set foot on the beach. The sky outside was cloudy, for a storm had just rolled through, but he wasn’t taking any more chances.
The small scar on his shoulder caught his eye. He ran his fingers over the slightly raised, red patch of skin. It had healed well over the past few weeks, but he would always wear a mark to remind him of the battle he had fought and won.
“Husband?” Leighanne called into the bedroom. “Are you almost ready?”
“Coming, baby!” He wiped the rest of the sunscreen onto his shoulder, then adjusted his swim trunks and slid his feet into a pair of flip-flops.
As he stepped out onto the long, rain-soaked, wooden dock that led to the private beach behind the house, he looked up at the yellow sky. The gray storm clouds were dissipating, and a few weak rays of the late afternoon sun shone through the gaps. He pulled his baseball cap down over his head. His hair had started to grow back, but it had a long way to go before it was thick and long enough to protect his bare scalp. Then he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and snapped a picture. No filter needed.
He posted it to Instagram with the following caption:
“Storms will come and go, but an inner strength is something that stays…. it may hide every now and then, but will always show its face. Knowing there is always beauty after a storm should give comfort …. #blessed🙏”
He took a moment to scroll through the app, smiling at the other photos his friends and family had posted: Kevin on a boat, Howie burying his boys in the sand, AJ relaxing on a swan float in his pool, Nick having a dance party with Claire and the kids…
“Dad, c’mon!”
Brian looked back up to see Baylee beckoning to him from the beach, where he and Leighanne were waiting. Smiling, he went to join his wife and son, feeling every bit as blessed as his hashtag.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Except for Brian, who died of metastatic skin cancer on the first of April the following year.
April Fool!
Author’s Note:
This story was in no way intended to mock Brian or make light of skin cancer. If anything, I only meant to make fun of myself by spoofing my melodramatic cancer stories of the past, mainly Broken. I got the idea after reading the Allure article in which Brian mentions having skin cancer removed from his body and then seeing the (over)reaction from some fans and media sources.
And because it’s always fun to have documentation of the origins of a story idea, here’s the chat with my 00Carter co-writers where I came up with this idea. Unlike most of my April Fool’s ideas, this one has actually been in the works for months!
Julie, Sep 20, 9:12 PM
Maybe I should write a really melodramatic story about Brian’s battle with skin cancer for next April Fool’s.
Rose, Sep 20, 9:13 PM
😂
Julie, Sep 20, 9:15 PM
Brian: “Cancer?! Oh noes! Am I going to lose my leg?!” Dermatologist: “Well, no, we’re just going to scrape off this mole. You’ll barely have a scar.” Brian: “I want you to be straight with me, Doc. Tell me the truth. I can take it. How long do I have?”
Dee, Sep 20, 9:18 PM
LMFAO!
“Oh noes” gets me every damn time.
“Sir, it’s a routine procedure. You’ll be headed home in 20 minutes.” “In a coffin?” “In your car.”
Julie, Sep 20, 9:19 PM
There will definitely have to be an “Oh noes!” in it if I write it. I think you’re the one who started that!
LMFAO!
Dee, Sep 20, 9:19 PM
And then Broken Nick is over here like “Fuck you Brian” as he hops around.
Julie, Sep 20, 9:19 PM
Documenting these ideas for March LOL.
I ended up using all of these ideas, including Broken Nick because I still love him and the notion that he and Claire are just out there living their life in another fanfic universe. It was fun to give him a little cameo in this story, although writing it made me realize how much I never want to write another cancer story again, even as a joke. Thanks for reading!
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