Tags:
Romance,
Jane Austen,
British,
American,
pride and prejudice,
clean,
sweet,
beautiful,
the longest ride,
nicholas sparks,
long distance,
sense and sensibility,
the notebook
husband gets sick. I want to be stronger.
Donovan: Haha! :) Well, first you need a husband and secondly ... who said its not a strength to love someone that much?
Me: Hmmmmm
Donovan:;)
Me: I don't know. It seems weak to have your emotional stability depend on someone else being there.
Donovan: I think it's a strength. When will you see love as something to admire?
Me: Oh stop! I do see that.
Donovan: Riiiiiight. Email lover boy?
I slipped my phone back into my purse and ignored him. A nurse walked in and checked Dad, then typed some stuff on a computer next to the bed. Mom stirred and jumped when she saw me.
"How long have you been here?" She rubbed her eyes, then placed her hand right back on Dad's. Before I could answer she looked at the nurse. "Everything okay?"
"Yes, Mrs. Austen. He should be waking up soon. Remember it will be fuzzy for him and things may not make sense."
They also told us that he may be paralyzed or have speech impairments. If he did walk again, he would need physical therapy to retrain his body. All because of a bat.
Mom turned back to me and pulled me down to the chair beside her. "How've you been, Jane? Is the apartment working out for you?"
"It's going okay. Hard to focus with Dad in here."
"I know." She looked at him. "I know."
"Have you eaten?"
"A little. The nurses are so kind."
"Mom. You need to eat. Dad would want you to take care of yourself."
"I'm eating." She almost laughed. "How's Donovan? Autumn?"
"Good."
"Has Don decided what to do next year?"
"Not that I know of. I'm gonna guess he ends up doing whatever his girlfriend of the moment is doing."
Mom flew into the air and scared the shibbles out of me. She hovered over Dad and I panicked, ran to the door, and screamed for the nurse. People rushed into the room, then backed away from the bed. Smiling.
What?
I went back to Mom's side and saw Dad's eyes flickering open. She caressed his forehead and hair as he slowly came back to life. I stepped back with the nurses and stood quietly. Another nurse clicked on the computer again while the rest of us watched Mom's tears dropped to Dad's sheets. A few minutes of blinking and sniffling later, Dad lifted his hand and brushed a tear from Mom's cheek. She cried harder. I even held back a tear. Or maybe even two.
They stayed like that for a while. Staring at each other like old times. I wondered how bad he was. He obviously moved his arm. What about his legs? What about his brain?
He tried to speak, but it was raspy, deep, and muffled.
"I love you too," Mom said. "I love you too, my dear, sweet husband."
I didn't want to interrupt their time together, so I followed the nurses back into the hall and found a seat in the waiting area at the end, across from the elevators.
Feeling a little inspired and slightly less cynical, I got on my phone and brought up Hatchenfield's website. After looking at Alistair's picture for thirty seconds too long, I went to the contact form and typed.
HEY HATCHERS!
I am a US girl wondering when you'll be in Philly. Would love to see you play at TLA. Maybe even make you trip at the airport so I can get a free latte out of it. Let me know.
Jane Austen
No... not that Jane Austen
I totally pulled one of those cliche moments in movies where your hand hovers over the send button. The clock ticks in the background. The hand hovers. So mysterious. Will she click or not? Of course I would. They always do. I don't know what the point of the hovering hand is, but I managed to do it myself.
Then ... CLICK!
Swoosh. Send. Buh-bye.
A minute passed and I checked my inbox. I had become that girl.
I turned my phone off and swore to myself not to look again until I got home, but I was already checking it as I walked back to Dad's room.
So. Not. Good.
So not good.
Donovan would have a party if he found out. Which is why he wouldn't find out.
Eddie and Granny were with Dad when I came in. Mom too, obviously. The nurse looked at me, stuttered, and finally
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