Once upon a time, she wore a dress of white and I, a suit of black in a crowd of family and friends.  With a future before us, we each made a promise in the form of vows; to love the other, for richer or poorer in sickness and health, till death do us part.  Now many years have passed, since Misty and I began our once upon a time and now with each passing day I can't help but repeat our wedding vows over and over in my head each time I look at her.

The living room is warm when I enter and I can't help but let out a sigh of relief to see that my wife's damp clothes have been replaced by a nightgown and robe.  No words are spoken as I take a seat on the couch and my eldest son enters soon after me.

"I want to go back."  Misty says, her eyes pointed to the floor and her damp silver hair hiding any emotion on her face.  "I want to go back."  She repeats again, this time looking at me.  "I want to go back to the beach, Ash."

I can only offer a small smile as my heart swells with both pride and sorrow, pride because for now she has remembered who I am and sorrow because soon enough she will not recognzie me.  "Misty...."  I began to say, but stop when I recognize that the recognition in her eyes has now faded to confusion.  "Misty?"

"Mom?"  Questions our son, Micheal.

"Where am I?"  She asks, her voice trembling with fear as she begins to stand.  "Who are you?"  She questions at the sight of my three adult children and I.

"Misty, it's me Ash.  We're at home and these are our children."

"Don't come anywhere near me or I'll scream."  She threatens and backs toward the wall.

"Please Misty calm down."  I beg, but my pley is unheard as she begins to scream.

Closing my eyes, I try to block out the cries of the woman who I once believed was indesturctable.  Beside me, I can hear my daughter whispering her mother's name through broken sobs.  Unable to fight my own tears, I let them fall as I take the hands of my son and daughter beside me.  Squeezing both hands, I ready myself for another scream, but to my surprise it never comes.
"Shh, mama, shh.  It'll be alright."

Opening my eyes, I watch as roles have reversed, our first child rocking his mother in his arms, like I watched her to do with him so many years ago.  Lessening the grip on my children's hands, I fight the urge to let stray tears fall again, but to my surprise I find that both Micheal and Mia tighten the their grips on my hands at the sight of what their mother has become; once a woman so strong, is now nothing more than a confused old woman.  We stay like this for what feels like hours, until Trevor announces that Misty has fallen asleep and takes her to our bedroom.

When Trevor returns I can feel that all eyes are on me and I prepare myself for the fight that will soon come.  Taking a seat on the couch, I rub my temple and face my children.

"She looked so small."  Micheal said while staring at the spot on the couch where his mother had previouly been sitting.  "I knew that she wasn't eatting much, but she looked so small."

"She ate this morning", I argued, "when she heard you three were visiting."

"What about the beach?"  Mia questions.  "Dad, we had to spend at least half an hour searching for her when we arrived.  And when we did find her, she was standng waist deep in the ocean.  She could of tripped and fell or drowned.  Daddy, we can't take that chance again its time we sent Mom away to a nursing home, somewhere she'll have constant care."  Mia said.

"You're mother likes to wander off sometimes, we all know how fond of the ocean she is."  I told my daughter.  "She's done it before, but I find her and we always come back home."

"Before!  Dad, you can't be serious.  Mom doesn't even know who you are, she doesn't know who any of us are anymore.  She needs help, you need help.  Let us take Mom somewhere safe, where nurses can look after her and we can visit her."
"I'm not going to leave your mother in the care of strangers.  When we got married, we promised each other that we would love and obey the other in sickness and health.  Your mother is sick and I'm not going to leave her."   I said before rising from the couch.  Without any further words I left and walked to the bedroom I shared with Misty.

With a shaking hand I opened the door and entered quietly as to not wake her.  Pulling up a chair to her side of the bed, I sat and closed my eyes, letting Misty's slow but steady breathing remind me of her presence.  "'She doesn't even know who you are anymore Dad.  She needs help, you need help."  Mia's voice reminds me and I try to shake the thought from my head.  Opening my eyes, I reach out a hand and let it wander though Misty's hair.  "'She looked so small.'"  Repeats Micheal's voice in my head and I can't help but snatch my hand away.

Not wanting to hear my children's reminders anymore I take my gaze off my wife and look around the room, until I settle on a picture across the room.  Rising from my chair, I walk and take the picture from it's place on the dresser; a beautiful woman in white and a handsome man in a black tuxedo stare back at me from their glassy window in the wooden frame.  Taking the picture with me, I return the chair to it's proper place and place the picture on the table beside the bed, before laying beside my slumbering wife.

Closing my eyes, I reach out and take my wife's hand in mine and let thoughts of our life together overtake my heavy mind.  "Till death do us part, Misty, till death do us part."  I say as my breathing begins to fall in pattern with Misty's.  "Till death do us part."