I Remember (Remembrance Series)

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  “Mom, you need more sleep than that. Since I am awake now, why don’t you go home and get some restful sleep tonight? I’m sure I will be fine.”

  “Gregory and I discussed that while you were sleeping. Neither of us want to leave you alone, at least not while you are still so weak. I know I can trust him, so he will stay here tonight. Then, tomorrow, he will catch up on his sleep while I am here.”

  I heard the creak of metal wheels being pushed down the hall and the wonderful aromas of food. My stomach began to rumble, just as a lady pulled a tray from the cart and delivered it to the stand in my room.

  The fragrance was intoxicating. The lady smiled. “I’m sorry it is just liquids; but if you can drink all of this, then maybe they will move you up to some regular food, tomorrow.”

  “Thank you. This smells fabulous, definitely better than water and ice.” I was so excited to have something new and different.

  “Where do you want to start first, Jordan? You have apple juice, chicken broth and hot tea.” Mom stated.

  “I think I would like to start with the chicken broth.” My mouth was already salivating at the idea.

  It did not take me long to realize I had a problem with eating. I couldn’t hold anything in one hand, to allow me to eat with the other, nor could I sit up enough in bed to easily reach the tray. I had to concede defeat and ask Mom for her assistance in holding the items, while I drank them with a straw.

  “There’s my girl!” Gregory said, smiling, as he entered the room carrying a couple of plastic bags with him. “I hate not being here for you when you woke up, Babe.”

  He put the bags down in the chair and leaned over for a quick kiss on the lips. “Your coloring is better. How are you feeling?”

  “Surprisingly, a little stronger; definitely well rested.”

  “I brought us back some food from the Italian Faire Restaurant, Marilyn.”

  I noticed my mother and Gregory seemed more relaxed around one another. I cherished this new found level of comfort and hoped that I would eventually feel this same warmth with his entire family, not just his mom, dad, and grandfather.

  “Thanks, Gregory, but you didn’t have to do that. How much do I owe you?” My mother responded.

  “Don’t worry about it. You picked up lunch, so I got dinner. I remembered you telling me how delightful their Chicken Parmesan is. I was curious and decided to call them for take out.” Gregory smiled his quirky crooked grin at me and gave me a wink. “I cleared it with the nurses and got you a little something too, Jordan.”

  Knowing he couldn’t bring me anything from the restaurant, I curiously asked, “What’s that?”

  “Your mother told me how you enjoy a specific flavor Popsicle, so I asked if it would be all right to bring one for you to eat. The nurses said if I could find them, they would stick them in the freezer for you to enjoy.” His hand gently caressed my injured arm.

  “Banana Popsicles?!” I asked, excitedly.

  He placed one in my hand to enjoy. It felt so wonderful on my lips, nice and cold with a hint of banana flavoring. “Thank you, Gregory! You didn’t have to do this, but I am so glad you did.” I said, in between bites.

  Mom and Gregory ate their meals as I attempted to finish up my Popsicle. When they were done, Mom sat with us a little longer, until I caught her yawning several times and finally persuaded her to go home and get a good night’s sleep.

  She gave me a kiss on the forehead and a gently touched my good arm. “I would hug you, but I am afraid it might do you more harm than good. Consider yourself bear hugged.” A tear started forming in her eye. “Don’t you scare me like that again, ok?”

  “It wasn’t my intention. Consider yourself bear hugged, as well.”

  “Promise me you will get some sleep and let Gregory have some, too. Plus, no trying to be brave and putting off taking your pain medication. If you need it and you are in pain, ask for it.”

  “I will, Mom. I love you!”

  “Love you too, Jordan, I will see you both in the morning,” She said, as she walked out the room.

  Gregory took my mother’s spot, where he could hold my hand, and began smiling like crazy as he stared into my eyes. “Finally, we are alone at last.”

  “What are you up to?” I questioned.

  “First, I have been waiting to get you by yourself to try something.” He walked over to my left side, leaned over my bad arm, and began to kiss the bruised area.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Remember the night at my parent’s house, when the darkness attacked you?” I nodded. “I kissed your wound and it began to heal itself.”

  We both watched as the swelling began to recede in the place where he kissed my skin. He continued planting kisses all around the splint, and we continued to watch in amazement as my forearm began to shrink back to its normal size.

  He lifted the corner of my gown, exposing my bandaged ribs and placed kisses along the outside of the coverings. The swelling and the pain lessened, but it still hurt to breathe.

  “How did you do that?”

  He smiled and shook his head. “I don’t understand it. I only know that it worked that one night and hoped it might work again, tonight. I guess there are some limitations to it, but, hopefully this helped a little.”

  Gregory walked back over to the other side of the bed and placed my good hand between both of his and lifted it to his face for a kiss. “You remember how I mentioned we would talk about the ring later? Well, I have been waiting almost a week to tell you this…”

  He took a deep breath in before continuing. “Jordan, before you came into my life, I felt empty and alone, stuck in my own little world. Then my dreams awakened me to the potential of how to find my one true love. You! No one has ever held my heart the way you hold it now; it belongs to you and you alone.

  “I know you are scared about what we encountered in Virginia. I admit, I am, too. But I noticed that when we’re apart, there is a higher incidence of bad events and the more time we spend together, the more those occurrences decrease in severity and frequency.

  “I can’t make promises about our future, as we don’t know what the future holds for us; but, what I would like to do is not live another day without you. The timing isn’t perfect; however, I need to know if you will still do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?” Gregory got out of his chair and slid down on one knee, pulling a ring from his pocket.

  “Yes,” I answered, as tears slowly trickled down my face.

  “You can wear the ring on your right hand for now, but as soon as the swelling is gone, I intend to place it on your ring finger, where I hope it will remain for an eternity.”

  My heart was overjoyed with feelings of pure bliss. The ring felt different on my finger, so I glanced down. “Why did you give me a different ring?”

  “This ring belonged to my grandmother. When my grandfather and she were starting out, all he could afford was a wedding band, though he promised if he ever succeeded in business, he would buy her a ring worthy of her love and affection.

  “My grandfather surprised her with this engagement ring on their 30th wedding anniversary. While she was enamored by the beauty of the ring and his thoughtfulness, she was just happy to be married to him. It brought them plenty of luck and 45 years of happy marriage.

  “After hearing of your accident, my grandfather offered it to me, as a good luck charm, hoping it will bring us the same kind of long and happy marriage that it did for him. If you don’t like it, I still have the other one available.”

  “I don’t need a ring, just a life spent with you. I love it, especially since it has sentimental value. I’m just not used to wearing such an elaborate ring.” It was truly breathtaking. His Grandmother’s ring looked to be a 2 carat Asscher-cut diamond, surrounded with diamond chips and two smaller diamonds, one on each side, in a platinum setting.

  Before I knew it, Gregory’s lips were on mine, fervent in their movement. He only pulled away when I start
ed gasping for more air. “Sorry, Honey, didn’t mean to take your breath away.”

  “While you do take my breath away, it’s my fault. I still can’t breathe very deeply.”

  “I am just wondering how you knew I would say, ‘Yes’. Because the last time we talked, I wanted to separate and cancel the engagement.”

  “Your mother called me the afternoon of the accident to see if we had spoken, yet. She suggested I drive up to talk with you that night and told me how you wanted to call the night before. I wish you would have, this accident might have been preventable.” Gregory explained.

  “What do you mean preventable?”

  “While you were unconscious, I was sleeping and able to catch a portion of your discussion with Ray. I know that our time apart allowed the darkness to grow stronger and I saw it surround the SUV, right before it hit your car. The driver didn’t have a clue what happened. I’m pretty sure he had been temporarily possessed by evil. Had you just stayed with me, we might not be here discussing this, now.” His eyes were filled with sadness.

  “I know we are destined to be together and we have a lot more clues to unravel, before we can marry. Even if Ray had not suggested we move up the wedding date, I wanted to, anyway, because I want you in my life, now more than ever. I don’t want to take the potential risk of this happening, again.”

  “Gregory, I’m sorry I have made a mess of things. My love for you is so intense it overwhelmed me. I only wanted to protect you from the fate of Daniel and I couldn’t leave my mom by herself,” I said, weeping softly. “Being apart from you was more excruciating than the pain I’m in now. I have no problem marrying you anytime, anyplace.”

  “Why don’t we focus on you getting out of here, first, then we can meet with our parents and secretly start planning our wedding.” He suggested.

  “I like the sound of that. Did you catch the part about the prophecy?”

  “I saw you observing something, but couldn’t see what it was. Is there something new?”

  I held his hand close to my face. “We are part of a prophecy and I know where to find it.”

  “Where do we need to go?”

  “It’s right here in town, or at least I hope it’s still here. I came across it the day after my father died, in a mystic bookstore, downtown. It’s called, Prophecies of the Ancients. I should’ve known when I touched it, as I felt a charge of energy go through me. But I ran from it, fearing evil. Could you check the bookstore tomorrow and see if we can purchase it?”

  “The book is no longer there, Jordan.”

  I began feeling shortness of breath.

  “Shh…don’t panic. The book is in a safe place.”

  “But, how? How would you know? What are you saying” I started breathing faster.

  “First, calm down. I don’t want you in any additional pain. Second, I have a confession to make.”

  “The day after your father passed, I knew you would be sleeping in and had no plans; so I went into work for a while to finish up a couple of projects. When I was done, I had nothing to keep me busy, and I remembered how you talked about going for walks in the downtown area, to clear your mind.

  “I had only been to Deland a few times, on business, and never took the time to appreciate what the town had to offer. Because you enjoyed it so much, my curiosity was piqued. I rationalized that you had company at your house and the risk of running into you would be slim. So I drove up and started walking around, taking in the beauty of the streetscapes and shops.” He paused for a moment for me to process all he was saying.

  “I was actually in the bookstore when you walked in. I heard the bell on the shop’s door ring and looked up to see you walking in. I could tell you were hurting and I wanted so much to give you a hug, but I ducked behind one of the bookshelves and just watched as you dug through the bin of books.”

  “You were there. Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked a little ticked off. More secrets.

  “It was too early for us to meet. I knew I shouldn’t be in town, but I had no anticipation of running into you. I didn’t want you to think I was stalking you.”

  He continued. “I noticed one book kept falling into your hands, no matter where you placed it. When you held onto it, you appeared shocked and dropped it to the floor before rushing out of the shop. I went to see what the book was about and felt a strange sensation in my hands. I knew it had to mean something, so I bought it and placed it in my safe deposit box.”

  My mind was processing everything, when a realization hit. “You followed me to the coffee shop, too, didn’t you?”

  “Only because I wanted to make sure you were all right.” He admitted, lovingly.

  “So, when I tried calling you, it was your phone ringing? You’re the one who paid for my tea!”

  “Yes, that was me. I watched as you went into the front of the coffee shop. I entered through the side door, unnoticed; only to make sure that you were okay. I ended up getting an iced tea and that’s when you tried calling. I sent it to voicemail, quickly, hoping you would think it was coincidence.

  “I only stayed a few minutes before paying for your drinks and mine. Then I left and headed home. Are you mad?” He asked, cautiously.

  “I probably should be, but I am more relieved than anything to know it was you and not one of the darkness’ minions or some strange person that paid for my drinks.”

  Gregory smiled with relief. His lips slowly found mine and paused only for a moment to whisper, “I love you as much as life, itself.”

  Our kiss was cut short, as nurse Lynn came in. “Ok, you two, you have her heart monitor going wild down at the nurse’s station.” She laughed.

  “How are you feeling, Jordan? Do you need any more pain medication?”

  “I still feel weak, but also stronger. I guess that is to be expected? As for the pain, it’s tolerable.”

  “Your strength will come back, slowly. The more we can get you to move around and strengthen those leg muscles, the better you will feel. Would you like to try walking around the room?” She encouraged.

  “I would love the opportunity to go brush my teeth and freshen up a bit.”

  “Let me see if I can grab an extra pair of hands to help you.” Lynn stated.

  “Would it be okay if I assist? I’ll need to know how to help her when she comes home.” Gregory suggested.

  “That would be perfect.”

  Lynn walked Gregory through all the steps to help lift me out of bed, without putting pressure on my ribs. It seemed like a tedious process and the pain was nearly intolerable with any movement. But, I made it across the room a little quicker this time.

  “Are you ready for some more pain medicine?” The nurse asked. “I brought some with me, just in case.”

  “Honey, you promised your mother that you would be honest if you needed it. Don’t try to put on a brave face, because I can tell you’re hurting.”

  “I don’t like taking the medicine, because of the groggy feeling it gives me. But, my side is killing me.”

  Lynn took out the syringe and injected the medicine into the IV. Before she even left the room, I could feel its soothing effects start to take over.

  “I’ll check on you in a little while to see how you’re doing.”

  “Gregory?”

  “Yes?”

  “Can you pull the recliner over and fall asleep next to me?”

  “Anything you want, Darling.” He pulled the recliner over and lowered the bed rail so he could hold my hand.

  “You are my life, I love you!” I managed to whisper but slurred my words.

  “I love you, too! I’ll meet you in your dreams,” he said, squeezing my hand.

  The medication finally pulled me under and I found myself drifting. I felt frightened for a while, until the embrace of Gregory’s familiar arms found me and held me tight. Then I heard his comforting words, “I’m here, Jordan. There will be no bad dreams tonight. We will get through this together.”

  Over the course of th
e next several days, I pushed hard to overcome the pain and walk a little further each day. Then, at night, I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face knowing I would meet Gregory in my dreams, feeling his strong arms, wrapped around me allowing me to sleep without fear.

  Dr. Kurtz surprised all of us on Monday morning, stating that latest chest x-ray looked good and showed signs that both my lungs and ribs were healing at a tremendous rate. We had expected at least another week or two in the hospital, but I was going to be released the following day.

  Later that afternoon, the stitches and splint were removed from my left arm and a cast was put in its place, which allowed me slight use of my arm, again. No sooner than the casting materials hardened, when Gregory put my engagement ring back on my ring finger.

  I asked, “When do you need to return to work?”

  “I’ll go back in a few days. As soon as you are a little stronger,” he answered.

  “But, I go home, tomorrow.”

  My mother was quick to reply, “Gregory and I are both concerned about you still being weak and needing assistance moving around. Neither one of us can handle looking after you twenty-four hours a day; so, Gregory has offered to stay with us for a little while. I will take care of you while he works during the day and he will help keep an eye on you at night. I am putting my trust in both of you to behave properly.”

  Gregory was all smiles. “Yes ma’am and thank you.”

  “Are you sure you want to commute this much?” I questioned.

  “I would rather have to drive back and forth to work, than sit at home worrying whether you are all right. Besides, I only have half the distance to drive.” He was quick to point out.

  Gregory drove me home from the hospital, since his front seat offered more leg room and kept me from moving too much. Beside the driveway, there was a white BMW sedan I didn’t recognize. Mom pressed the button for the garage door and drove into the right side. On the left side, stood Gregory’s parents, with a bunch of ‘Welcome Home’ balloons in front of a navy blue mini-SUV with a huge red bow on it.