More Than a Miracle

Chapter One

It was a miracle that had been far too long in coming, but a miracle, nonetheless. Jaime knew enough to be grateful, even as she longed for the one pair of arms she knew might never hold her again because she had set him free. Steve loved her so much that he'd been willing to wait as long as it took for her memories of the two of them to return, but Rudy's prognosis had been far from optimistic.

"I'm sorry, Honey," the doctor had told her, as gently as possible. "We've done all we can medically to restore your memory."

"What about Steve?" she'd pleaded. He was so kind, so patient and loving (not to mention handsome!); Jaime had wanted more than anything to remember the love they'd shared – to feel that way again – but...

"I'm so sorry," Rudy had concluded. End of discussion.

It was not, however, the end of Jaime's hope. She had such warm, strong feelings for Steve; could real love be that far away, especially when the bond had already been there, once before? She'd tried everything she could think of: photo albums, listening to the recollections of their friends and even staring longingly at their engagement announcement. Finally, with a heavy heart, she'd told Steve that what they'd had was now unrecoverable. He'd taken the news stoically (he'd been expecting it) but Jaime ached for him. She knew that, unlike herself, Steve felt the full extent of what they'd lost. Now – suddenly and unexpectedly – Jaime felt it, too.

It was like a bright light shining into a previously darkened corridor, but felt so natural and right that it seemed as though it had always been there. The brass ring was right before her eyes, shiny, full of promise and...just out of reach.

Steve still wasn't dating; Oscar often told her that. He meant well, but that knowledge only made Jaime feel worse. It had been almost three years since they'd said goodbye, and for three years, Steve had lived life in a holding pattern, just...waiting. Jaime had always known that their bond had been an unusually strong one, but now that it's intensity was hitting her full force, she felt like a love-struck schoolgirl and had no idea what to do about it.

She could call him and say...what? Hey Steve, guess what? I know you just spent three years burying your feelings, but what do you say we dig 'em back up again? No way! What if she was only remembering the feelings she'd once shared with Steve? God, I don't wanna hurt him, she said out loud for about the tenth time that morning.

She could call Helen and Jim and ask them to arrange something – or Oscar, or Rudy – but Jaime was a firm believer in tackling her own issues head on. A letter! She'd write a letter, then she'd have time to compose her thoughts carefully, to get the words exactly right. She rushed to find a pen and notebook and curled up on the sofa.

Dear Steve – too familiar. Crumple, toss. Steve – not right either. Crumple, harder toss. Hey Steve, guess what? Definitely not. A very aggravated crumple and an overhead shot into the kitchen.

Dear Steve (that one seemed to work the best), I have some news that will probably come as a shock – I know it did to me – and I'm not sure what your reaction might be, but we've never been less than completely honest with each other in the past, so you're the first person I wanted to tell when this -

Knock, knock – ding! Jaime set aside the letter, which still didn't seem quite right, to answer the door. When she opened it, she stood staring in stunned silence.

"Ya know," the face with smiling blue eyes she could melt right into said lightly, "when your best friend flies all the way across the country to see you, the least you could do is say hi..."

Jaime finally gave him a full-out grin as she opened the door. "Hi, Steve."

- - - - - -

Once Jaime had recovered enough of her senses to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses, she and Steve moved into the living room where she relaxed on the fluffy rug in front of the fireplace and admired the rippling of his muscles as he leaned over to light the fire. Jaime found she couldn't take her eyes off of him as he stretched out comfortably next to her. When his gaze met Jaime's, Steve sensed immediately that something was different, but he let her set the mood.

"What brings you out West?" she asked, trying to sound casual even as her heart was doing happy little back flips.

"You," Steve said simply.

"Me? Why?"

"I need a reason?"

"Of course not, but..." she still had not looked away, enjoying how Steve's eyes seemed to hold hers captive, drawing her closer without saying a word.

"I can't really explain it," he began, before he, too, lost the ability to complete his sentence.

"What?"

"Well, I just thought – sensed, I guess – that you needed to see me." Steve's instincts and his heart already knew exactly what was happening, but he didn't dare to let himself believe it; not yet.

Without either of them realizing it, they'd moved so close to each other that they began to breathe in deep, perfect unison. "I...did..." was all Jaime could manage. Still she wanted – needed – to tell him all of it, the whole story. "Steve, I..."

Steve brushed her lips gently with one finger, and he smiled with his entire being. "Jaime," he whispered, finally daring to acknowledge what he was seeing and feeling. His lips followed, drifting across Jaime's with a feathery softness as he reached up to caress her cheek. "I already know."

- - - - - -