Our Love Can Move Mountains
In just the span of a few hours Rita Lorenzo went from a newlywed to a widowed, expectant mother. Their child would never know his or her father, the man who gave his life to protect his wife and unborn child. Their child would never know the man who finally taught Rita Lee Lance Lorenzo what it was like to be truly loved, valued, and respected.
She didn't want to wake up. She didn't know how to face the days alone without Chris. The grief consumed her every moment since he had died, and she never knew if she would ever feel whole again. She remembered him saying something to her once that not everyone gets a happy ending while they were working on a case. After all that happened in the last few weeks, she never would have imagined that they were the ones who weren't going to get a happy ending. She finally had the life she dreamed about since childhood, and it was taken from her, from Chris, and from their child. The baby was her lifeline to Chris, and she vowed that she would protect their child as fiercely was Chris did in his last acts, she would make sure that their child knew what a hero he was and how much he loved his family. She would make sure his memory stayed alive.
But, in order to do that, she would have to wake up. Rita slowly opened her eyes and willed herself to face the day alone, trying to push away the empty feeling inside of her.
She gasped when her vision came into focus and she saw Chris staring at her.
"Oh, Sammy," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Oh, Sammy," he repeated as he brought her hands to his lips and kissed them.
She thought she could feel his tears on her skin. "W-why are you here?" She stammered, her voice hoarse. This the most surreal dream she had ever had. It felt so real.
"Where else would I be, Rita?"
"You seem so real for being a figment of my imagination."
"What do you mean?" He knit his brows together, worry evident across his features.
"You died. I watched you die. You-you got shot." She reached out to touch his face and noticed that she had an IV hooked up to her. "Did…did I die, too? Is that we're together again?" On the second thought, maybe she didn't die. She could swear she felt her heart racing.
"No, Rita. No," he shook his head. "I got shot over a year ago. I'm fine. I'm okay. You're scarring me; let me go get a doctor."
"NO!" She practically screamed, afraid that it was a dream and if he left the room, or she even as much as closed her eyes, she would never see him again. She wanted to savor every moment she had whether it be real or imaginary. She tried to sit up further, but he stopped her.
"Don't move too fast."
"Ww-what is going on?"
Chris knew if the nurse popped in she would yell at him for what he was about to do, but he had to do it. He kicked off his loafers and climbed into the small hospital bed alongside of Rita. He has careful not to cause her any additional pain, but held her securely in his arms. "What is the last thing you remember?" He asked gently.
Rita felt a shiver run through her body as his breath touched her face. It felt too real to be imaginary. "I was so scared. I thought Montoya's men were going to kill me. You gave them what they wanted, they gave me to you and we started walking back to the car." She paused to catch her breath and control the shaking in her voice. "Then everything started happening so fast. I heard gunshots. My head was spinning. It was so loud and the ringing built up so much pressure inside my head that I couldn't even hear anything else. I closed my eyes for one second because I was so scared and when I opened them, I realized you were shot. There was so much blood, and I tried to stop the bleeding, but I couldn't. I tried so hard," her voice filled with tears. "Then, the next thing I remember is, you lying in the hospital bed, and you told me everything would be okay and no matter where I went you'd always be with me. Then machines started beeping and nurses and doctors rushed in and you flat lined and in a matter of seconds you were gone. I can't remember much of what happened after that other than your funeral and saying goodbye to Cap. I couldn't stay in Palm Beach without you."
Chris took a deep breath and shook his head. "Oh, Sam. Your brain aneurysm ruptured right after we got to the car. It was the scariest moment of my life. Everything was happening so quickly and so slowly all at the same time. You started to say you had a migraine, and then you passed out. I knew what your migraines were like, Sam, and that wasn't one. Remember all those years ago when I asked what I should look for after you were diagnosed? You said – if it happens you'll know – well, Sam, you were right. It happened and I knew. All I could think about was if those scumbags would have brought you back to me so much as two minutes later, I could have lost you and the baby."
"The baby," her eyes filled with tears. "What about the baby, Sam?"
A small smile graced his lips. "They think the babies will be okay. They're fighters like their mommy."
"What did you just say? I swear I heard you say babies."
"I did," he nodded as he held up two fingers. "Two babies. We're having twins, Sammy Girl, can you believe that?" He laughed. "Twins!"
"We didn't know what we were doing with one baby, but two babies..."
"We have a lot to talk about once we get you home, Rita. Right now, just rest. I'm sure your surgeon will be in to check on you soon. He usually makes his rounds around this time."
"How did I survive? I was deemed too high risk for surgery."
"Science came a long way since your diagnosis. A lot of science, a lot of prayers, good timing, a wonderful team of surgeons, and your strength is what pulled you through. We have an entire lifetime to spend together. You're aren't leaving me this soon. No way. It was just a little bump in the road."
"It's more like a mountain than a bump, Chris. This is serious stuff."
"Our love can move mountains, Rita."
She nodded in awe and agreement – there was no doubt in her mind that somehow their bond helped her pull through. Now that the initial shock was wearing away, and she was certain that Chris was in fact alive, Rita was beginning to become more aware of the situation. "Thirsty," she whispered as she wiggled her toes and legs to see if she was paralyzed. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized she had mobility.
Chris carefully maneuvered himself out of the hospital bed so he wouldn't hurt her, and reached for a cup of ice chips that the nurse dropped off a little bit ago. "The nurse brought ice chips in case you woke up soon," he said as he fed her one.
"More," she said and Chris gave her another one. "What do you mean by in case I woke up soon?"
"Your aneurysm ruptured six days ago. You've been in a coma since the surgery. The doctors said they did all they could, and it was up to you to wake up. They asked what I wanted to do in case you didn't wake up. I wouldn't even talk to them about it. Cap tried to make me have that conversation, but I couldn't do it. I knew you were going to wake up." He carefully took her hand and placed it over his heart. "I knew in here that you would wake up on your own time. You've always been stubborn like that," he joked to lighten the mood before kissing her fingers.
"I'm only stubborn because I have to be to work with you," she teased back.
"That's why we're the best team."
"And besides, I was only in a coma for three days when I got shot, so naturally, I guess you had to outdo me, huh, Sam? It's that competitive nature in you."
She chuckled softly at his banter – it was the same as it had always been and that made her feel safe and content in the best possible way. "Yeah, I guess so. You, uh, should really go home and rest. You look like you haven't slept in a week."
"I haven't slept in a week." He confirmed.
"Have you been here the whole week?"
"Where else do you think I would have been? Cap and Frannie have been taking turns sitting with us, and Holly, too. They kept telling me to go home and sleep, but I couldn't do it. I promised you, I'd always be there for you, and I meant it. I wasn't leaving this hospital. And before you ask, Frannie has been bringing me food, but I'm pretty sure the hospital cafeteria food is better. "
"That wouldn't surprise me," she grimaced thinking about some of the meals Frannie has made in the past. "Go home and get a proper rest and meal, Chris, please. Do it for me."
"No," he said firmly as he shook his head. "Not yet. You just woke up and I want to be here with you. I want to see your face and listen to your voice."
Rita glanced around the room, and noticed her room had a private bathroom. She could catch sight of a shower in the reflection from the mirror. "Well, if you won't leave, at least take a shower here. You look like you can really use one. I'll even join you!" She added enthusiastically.
"As tempting as that sounds, I don't think you're ready for that yet." He grinned.
"Hey, it was worth a shot. My husband is pretty hot, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm just glad that when the doctors were operating they didn't mess up the part of your brain that loves me," he tapped her nose with his pointer finger.
Rita's smile widened. "It's not my brain that loves you. It's every fiber of my being that loves you."
A male cleared his throat, making his presence known before he said, "It's nice to see that you are awake, Mrs. Lorenzo. Mr. Lorenzo should have flagged a nurse to check your vitals," he gave Christopher a pointed look as he opened his file.
"Uh, sorry, Doctor, that was my doing. When I woke up, I was confused. I thought he had died, so when I saw him sitting here, I didn't want him to leave in case it was all a figment of my imagination. I was afraid if he so much as moved in the wrong direction, I'd never see him again." Rita said.
"Mmhm."The doctor commented as he held his flashlight to her eyes to check her pupils. "Well, you were in a coma, Mrs. Lorenzo, and the brain is remarkable. There isn't much concrete research on the situation, but they say you can still hear while in a coma. So, my guess is you picked up certain phrases that people around you were saying, and then your brain subconsciously put visuals to what you were hearing. The visuals could pertain to some fears that you that have and try to bury, but they never truly go away. "
"I see," Rita said.
"We can talk about it more once I'm sure you're stable."
"Okay."
The doctor turned to face Chris. "May I have a moment alone with your wife, Mr. Lorenzo, so I can finish my examination."
Chris looked as if he was about to protest before Rita spoke. "It's okay, Sam. Why don't you go call Fran and Cap? I'd really like to see them."
"Sure thing, Sammy. I'll be right back."
"Sam and Sammy?" The doctor questioned, amused. He cared for all his patients, but Frannie Lipschitz told him all about the history of Christopher and Rita Lorenzo, and somewhere deep down, he was a hopeless romantic who had a special place in his heart for the young couple.
"Uh, it's a long story," Rita blushed. "A long story from a long time ago. The nicknames just kinda stuck around, you know?"
The older man nodded and gave a knowing smirk. "I'm sure. You're very lucky, Mrs. Lorenzo." He said, referring to her miraculous survival and they relationship she had with her husband. A love like that was hard to find, and it was a love that the doctor himself got to experience every day with his own wife. He loved when younger couples shared that same type of love. It reminded him of what it was like when he and his wife were first learning how to navigate the roads of marriage.
Mrs. Lorenzo.
Rita would never get tired of hearing herself referred to as Mrs. Lorenzo.
"I know, Doctor," she smiled. "Believe me, I know."
So, this is where we leave them. It's marked complete for now, but I would like to turn it into a series of one shots, scenes from the life we never got to see Chris and Rita have - no major plots. Just fluff and happy endings.
I came late to the Silk Stalkings party, and let me tell you... I'm glad I read up on it before I committed to binge it. If I would have been blindsided by Chris's death, it would have destroyed me. I was also disappointed that the story line about Rita's aneurysm was phased out. My friend's mom survived a ruptured brain aneurysm, so I figured Rita could, too. Hence, this story was born.