She contacted everyone that she could think of that could provide some type of contribution to the cause. She called people until six o’clock that evening. She was emotionally drained and exhausted, but wanted to go to the hospital to visit with Stephanie and Jake. After eating dinner that Ms. Thomas had cooked, she told Mick, in private, she was going to the hospital to visit with some friends. She didn’t want Shawn to overhear what she had said, because she wanted to go without him.
Chapter Thirteen
Heather spent an hour talking with Stephanie about what she had done that day and about how Shawn had opened up to her about his feelings toward her. Stephanie wasn’t surprised at what she said, because she had suspected it already. Shawn had become a new person after Heather came to town. He wasn’t the same smart alec, distant guy that he once was. He tried to make friends with people he had never spoke to before. He seemed to have a heart that he never allowed anyone to see before.
“I think he’s a good guy deep down and I’m happy for you,” Stephanie said. Deep down Stephanie envied her friend and wished that she wasn’t so attractive and appealing to boys her age. She couldn’t stand the fact that boys were ensnared by her good looks. Stephanie was somewhat jealous of her.
“Whoa, wait a minute. I didn’t say that I felt the same toward him. I just said that he told me that he likes me. I don’t know how I feel about him, yet. I told him that I needed some time to decide about my feelings toward him and I wasn’t ready for a relationship. This disaster, that we all went through, did a number on me. I want to have time to calm down and sort out my true feelings,” Heather replied.
“I understand completely. You never really understand your true self, until something like this happens to you. Maybe that is why God allows us to go through things like this. It gives us some perspective about who we are and what really matters to us. I know that my dad meant a great deal to me and I wish I could have told him that,” Stephanie said.
“Stephanie, your dad knew how much you cared about him. I believe you made a good point and I believe you are right. I never really understood who I was until this happened. I didn’t care about anything before but myself. Now I know that there are more important things in this life, than us and what we want. There is a greater purpose and it is up to each one of us to figure it out,” Heather replied.
“So what are you going to do now? I mean with Shawn and how to decide on what you really want,” Stephanie inquired.
“I am going to take things slowly. I know that when it is right, I will know it. I feel like I want things to come naturally and not forced. Shawn told me about his feelings toward me, it pressured me to some degree, for some reason. I don’t know if that meant that I don’t feel the same way toward him or that I just need more time to sort it all out. I did tell him that I would make tell him about my feelings towards him, when I knew what they were exactly.”
“Is there someone else that you think you might like?” Stephanie inquired. She noticed that Heather talked to Jake during school quite a bit.
“Maybe, but like I said, I don’t really know right now what and who I want. I’ll make sure to tell you when I do. What about you? Who do you like?” Heather asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to upset you by telling you, but I have always had a crush on Shawn. I do not plan on making any kind of effort to win his attention, but since you asked. I wanted to be honest with you and tell you how I felt,” Stephanie said.
“So, you like Shawn,” Heather replied.
“Yea, I do. I promise not to do anything about it though. I don’t want to hurt our friendship,” Stephanie said.
“It must be burning you up inside that he likes me,” Heather said.
“Yea a little, but I care more for you as a friend. I don’t want anything to jeopardize our friendship,” Stephanie replied.
Heather didn’t know what to say. She was dumbfounded by what Stephanie said to her. “I…I am glad you told me how you feel. I’m not mad at you, but maybe a little relieved. I don’t know if that makes sense to you or not, but I am relieved that someone else does like Shawn. Is that crazy?” Heather asked.
“Maybe that is your answer. Maybe you don’t have the same feelings for him that he has for you,” Stephanie replied hoping it was the truth.
“Maybe, but who knows. I’m going to go visit Jake. He is in the hospital in a coma. I didn’t want to tell you at first, because I didn’t want to upset you,” Heather replied.
“I’m glad you did. I hope he is all right. Please let me know how he is after you see him,” Stephanie replied.
“I will, but promise me that you won’t tell anyone that I went to visit him, especially Shawn. I don’t want to upset him or have him think that I was keeping things from him,” Heather said. “I promise. Your secret is safe with me.”
“When are you getting out of the hospital?” Heather asked. “They say tomorrow if my test comes back fine. My mother is going to try to have a funeral for my dad tomorrow. I’ll call you and let you know for sure. Good luck with your visit with Jake,” Stephanie said as Heather was leaving the room.
When Heather walked down the hall to Jake’s room, she felt guilty. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want Shawn to find out about her visit with Jake. She felt herself sneaking down the hall, looking around to make sure no one saw her. She didn’t want anyone to see her that would report back to Shawn about her visit.
As she approached Jake’s room, she peeked inside. She did not see anyone in the room except Jake. She walked up to his bed and pulled up a chair. She watched for several minutes observing him. His skin color looked more natural than the day before. He had more color and his face had some pink to it. His breathing was more relaxed. He looked as peaceful as a small baby lying in his bed. The room had a smell of cologne in the air. She suspected someone had sprayed the cologne so that the room wouldn’t smell bad.
She looked around to make sure no one else had entered the room when she started to talk to him. “Jake, it’s Heather. I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you. I hope you get to feeling better. You need to wake up so we can talk. I miss our talks that we had when no one else was around. Wake up Jake and argue with me. Wake up and tell me what I can do to help you,” she said.
After Heather sat by Jake’s bedside for several moments, she decided it was getting late, and she wanted to get back to Shawn’s house before it got too dark. She wasn’t use to driving in the dark in Huckleburg. She had to rely on buildings and road signs to get her to where she was going. When she caught a whiff of chicken poop, she knew she was getting close to Shawn’s house. His neighbors had three long chicken houses that couldn’t be misinterpreted as anything else.
When Heather returned to the house, Shawn was inquisitive to where she had been. She told him that she had drove around the town to survey all the damage and then went to visit Stephanie. She left the part out where she had gone to visit Jake. She didn’t want him to get jealous or upset. She was afraid he would interpret her visit as more than what she thought it was. Just a friendly visit to check on a schoolmate. Maybe a little more.
Chapter Fourteen
Stephanie’s father was buried in the church cemetery the next day. Heather and Shawn tried to comfort Stephanie and her mother as best as they could. People from all over the county came to pay their respect. The floral sprays and greenery lined the front of the church as a couple of women sung hymns. An eulogy was read before the service began. After the preacher delivered a thirty minute sermon, people were allowed one more time to say their goodbyes before six pallbearers carried the casket toward the exit.
Sobs could be heard all over the church. Heather could not hold back her tears, so she walked out the side door of the church.
Heather saw Shawn come out the door toward her.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t stand it any more. The funeral was reminding me of my parents. I know how Stephanie is feeling right now. I know she is going to ha
ve a hard time with this. We need to stick by her as much as we can,” Heather said.
“I know, and we will. I’m sure she will have a lot of support. She seems to have a large family,” Shawn replied.
“Yes, she does. Shawn do you mind if we leave now?” Heather asked.
“No, not at all,” Shawn replied. They walked back toward the truck and drove back to his house.
xxxxx
Many people came from all over the state to help rebuild the school. They started rebuilding the necessary areas of the school to be able to start operating without too long of a delay. Trailers were brought in for kids to be able to have class in, while the rest of the school was rebuilt. After a few short weeks, classes returned to normal, and kids held classes in the newly structured classrooms.
Coach Jones called for his team to start practicing again, trying to help everything return to a normal routine as quickly as possible. Coach Garner followed Coach Jones’ lead and asked the girls to come to practice again too.
Since her father had been a lawyer and well liked by his clients and law firm, Heather had raised over two hundred thousand dollars. She persuaded Larry to ask his lawyer friends for donations. Media and newscasters came to the town and brought in more publicity than she expected. Heather talked with the reporters about their school and football team. She told them how much her school needed funds to rebuild and asked them for their help in broadcasting the news to the public. Famous actors and singers helped by holding public appearances and donating the proceeds to the town.
The amount of money raised went to building the school, city hall, and homes that were lost. Many farmers didn’t have insurance, so money went to help them rebuild their farms. Mick was given enough to help him rebuild his home and barn. Heather was amazed at how much she accomplished by calling just a few people. She knew she didn’t do everything by herself, but she had contributed and that made her feel a sense of accomplishment.
Heather knew that the tornado had brought a lot of publicity to the school; so she used the media to help her school football team gain a little exposure. Money was given for new school uniforms and equipment. Coach Jones and the team were excited about the new supplies which motivated the team to practice harder.
People from all over had heard about the tornado disaster of Huckleburg. Other school principals and school officials contacted Principal Thomas to set up games with their team. Coach Jones gladly accepted the offer, hoping to help gain his team some extra exposure.
Several teammates decided to devote extra time to practice, because they were determined to forget about the stressful time that they were all going through. Many pulled together during the crisis and devoted time to volunteering with the cleanup, and giving extra encouragement where it was needed. The town became stronger, because of the town’s devotion to helping others. The media helped by airing the catastrophe on several occasions on all channels world wide.
xxxxx
Heather continued to visit with Jake and she became better acquainted with his mother and father. She liked Sue, his mother, quite a bit. She sat and talked about Jake with his mother. She learned how he had been as a small child. They talked about his hopes of getting a scholarship, but Sue was afraid that he would not be able to now.
One day, when Heather was alone with Jake, he awakened. She didn’t know what to do. She started to panic when she saw the nurse run through the door. Quickly, the nurse came in and checked his vital signs and performed her initial assessment.
“Where is his mother?” the nurse asked.
“She is outside. I will go tell her that he is awake,” Heather replied.
She left the nurse with Jake and went to find his mother.
As Heather quickly walked to find Jake’s mother, she was overcome with happiness. She was delighted that he opened his eyes and looked at her.
When she saw Sue, she told her the good news, and they returned to the room. As they entered the room, Jake was looking at all the wires coming off his body. He was a little frightened and annoyed. He started pulling out all the tubes, especially the NG tube. A tube that fed him through his nose.
“Jake, stop. Calm down! You are o.k. Don’t worry about anything,” Sue said trying to comfort him.
“How are you feeling,” Heather asked.
It took a little while for him to respond. He blinked his eyes several times and then said, “I’m a little sore. What happened?”
“Jake, you were injured in a tornado. Do you remember the tornado?” Sue asked. Jake looked around the room and then said, “No, not really. Jake looked at Heather and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you,” Heather replied.
“Son, she has been coming every day or so to see you,” Sue said.
“I wanted to make sure you were going to pull through this and wake up,” Heather responded.
He looked at her with his eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. “Why would you come to see me? I thought you hated me,” he said teasingly.
“Jake, your not funny. You know that I care about you. I have been so worried about you. I can’t stop thinking about you,” she replied.
After Heather finished what she was saying a nurse and physician walked into the room.
“Hello Mr. Parker. How are you feeling?” the doctor asked as he approached the bed.
“I’m sore, but I’ll be alright,” Jake responded.
“That’s good to hear. You’ve been through a lot over the last few weeks, but we hope you will be as good as new in a few days. Do you mind if I do a small exam?” the doctor asked.
“No, can she stay?” Jake asked referring to Heather.
“Yes, if you say it is fine. The test is not anything strenuous. I just want to check your reflexes,” the doctor said.
Jake smiled as the doctor did a quick neurological exam. Then, the doctor told Jake that he would run a few test in the next few days, and if everything was satisfactory he could go home. Jake didn’t like the idea of staying in a hospital, but he accepted what the doctor had told him.
When the doctor left the room, Jake asked, “What do you mean, you can’t stop thinking about me? I thought you were with Shawn,” he said.
“Jake, I don’t think this is the time or place to have this discussion. You are not well,” Heather replied.
Sue was a little uncomfortable listening to their conversation. She told them that she was going to go downstairs for a little while. Jake didn’t mind his mother hearing his conversation, so he continued.
“Heather, you heard the doctor. I might get to go home soon. I think right now is the perfect time to talk.”
“I am not with anyone. Shawn and I are friends. I’m sure that he wants more from me than that, but I can’t give him more than that right now,” Heather said.
“That is good to hear. You know that I have always had feelings for you, but Shawn tried to tell me that you two were together. I am glad to hear you are not with him,” Jake replied.
“What kind of feelings do you have for me? Do you mean friendship or do you think of me more than just a friend?” she inquired.
“You know what I mean. I think you want what I want, but you are afraid to say it. You don’t want to hurt Shawn, do you?” he asked.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone. Your wrong, I don’t know what I want. I have been so upset by this whole ordeal that I’m confused.”
“Heather, I can’t imagine what you have been going through. I’ve been asleep and have missed what has been going on, but I do know that you will figure out everything in time. I care about you, and I want you to know that.”
Heather smiled and went to the bed and sat down. “I care about you too, but that is all I can give you right now,” she said as she took a deep breath.
“I know, but remember that I am here for you. You can come and talk to me about anything. Now give me a hug,” he said playfully.
Heather reached down and hugged Jake and turned to give h
im a kiss on his cheek. He turned his face quickly. Her mouth touched hers for just a second. She looked at him and said, “You not funny.”
“I know, but I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”
Heather smiled at Jake. “I’ll go get your mother now. Be good while I’m gone or I will tell your doctor you’ve been a bad boy,” she said.
Heather left the room just as the nurse came in. She went downstairs to search for his mother. She saw his mother through the window in a small courtyard. She opened the glass door leading outside. “Sue, I have to go!” she exclaimed.
After saying her goodbyes to Jake and his mother, Heather left the hospital and drove to her uncle’s farm.
Chapter Fifteen
Heather arrived at Mick’s farm and saw construction workers busy at work. They were trying to rebuild the house that once stood on the now empty slab. Mick’s neighbors came to join the effort and give support to their friend. Mick saw Heather drive up the driveway, and he approached her car. “Hey, are you hungry? I could go for a bite,” Mick asked.
“Of course, jump in,” Heather replied. “So, how is the progress going on the house? Looks like you have several supporters, helping you with the house,” Heather said.
“Yea, looks that way. I’m just glad we are able to rebuild this soon. Maybe we can move in soon, and hopefully everything can return to usual,” Mick replied.
“I hope so.” After a short pause Heather continued. “Uncle Mick, I was at the hospital and Jake came out of the coma.”
“That’s good news, I’m glad to hear it. How does he seem? I mean does he know who he is and what happened to him?” Mick inquired.
“Yes and he seems fine. I was starting to worry about his mother. She seemed so depressed these last few days,” Heather replied.
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