Slowly I´m opening my eyes and I just see darkness. I´m trying to realize where I am. Am I dead? Am I in hell? Suddenly a door is opening and a young, tall man with white trousers and a white shirt is walking in. He opens all curtains and the sunlight is shining into the room.
„Good morning Miss Babcock, I see you´re awake. How do you feel?", he´s taking himself a chair and sat down next to my bed.
„I don´t really know. Where am I?", I answer.
„You´re in the hospital. Can you remember what happened to you?"
„No."
„But you can remember who you are and who your family is?"
„My family? No I can´t remember anything. Oh my god this feels horrible, could you please tell me who I am?"
„You´re Miss Babcock, I can´t tell you more yet. The other things you have to find out yourself. You know what? I´ll give you time to think about your life, in two hours I´ll come back and you tell me everything you know okay?"
I am nodding slowly and doctor leaves the room.
I´m trying to find some things I can remember but I really don´t know who I am. I see a small black purse hanging next to my bed. I grab it to look what´s in there. I can find a little picture of a blond woman with a blond man. It seems like they are in love but I really can´t remember who they are and why do I have a picture of them in my purse?
In the purse is also a little handmirror, I take it out and look at me. It looks like I am the woman on the picture but who is that guy? What if he is my husband or my boyfriend or something? Why can´t I remember him and why didn´t he come to visit me yet?
The next thing I put out of the purse is a small card. It says:
Sheffield and Babcock productions
CC Babcock
747321/987456
Okay, so I must be CC Babcock and I am a producer, but I don´t know the name Sheffield. I think of it over and over and suddenly it comes to my mind. Maxwell Sheffield, the Broadway producer, the father of three, the former man of my dreams.
But more I cant´t remember.
Suddenly I hear a quiet knock on the door. „Yes, please come in!"
And there he is , Maxwell Sheffield.
„CC! Oh thanks god you´re okay! How do you feel?"
„How should I feel, I mean I can´t remember anything. Yet I only know that we are Broadway producers and that you are Maxwell Sheffield and you have three children. By the way, where are Maggie, Brighton and Gracie?"
„Oh my god CC I can´t believe it, you didn,t know their names for 15 years and now you know nothing but their names? They are at home I thought that it would be better if I first come alone and I did it as fast as I could after they called me and said that you´re finally awake"
„Awake from what? You mean I didn´t just sleep one night here?"
„I don´t know if I should say this to you but you were in coma for three weeks."
„What? Something terrible must have happened to me. Could you please tell me who this man on the picture is?" I´m giving him the picture.
„That´s Niles, my butler. I can´t believe you don´t know him."
„Are we... I mean am I... Is he my boyfriend?"
„Your boyfriend? Oh no CC, but I think he would like to be your boyfriend. You know him for 15 years, and for all these years you two were enemies. I mean you could´t go into a room without insulting each other."
„And why should he want to be my boyfriend then?"
„CC, I know him my whole life and I know when he´s in love. He knows that I´m the first one the doctors would call if something happend to you. For the last three weeks he asked me every hour if the hospital called. He was the one who brought you here and the doctors said to me that nobody should say something to you what you did and what´s the reason you came here but..."
And suddenly all the memories are coming to my mind.
„Maxwell, please stop talking. I... I think I can remember what I did... And I can tell you the reason why I did it. Or do you know it?"
„No, the only thing Niles told me was that you enjoyed working with me and that Chester would live with us for some time."
„Oh my god, Chester! How is he doing?"
„He´s fine. And with Miss Fine." He started laughing.
„Oh yes, Miss Fine." I whisper. „Could you please tell Niles that he has to come here?"
„I don´t think I have to tell him. He was here every day. I think he´s here in an half hour. I´ll go home now, bye CC. I´ll come to you tomorrow" He gives me a small kiss on my cheeks and leaves the room.
I hope that Niles takes it serious what I said in the night before the ´accident´ happened. And I hope that he takes it serious what he said. No, Niles isn´t someone who would joke in such a situation.
It´s knocking on the door and Niles comes in with a really big bucket of roses in his arms.
I can´t believe it. Is this just a stupid joke or does he really mean it?
„Hello CC" he says giving me a kiss.
„Thank you Niles"
„For what? For the roses? Oh it´s really no big thing. Isn´t that something every man should do for the woman of his dreams?"
„No Niles, I mean I wanna thank you that you didn´t let me die."
„Why should I do this? Because you wanted to die? If you thought you could get out of this life then you were wrong. CC, everything I said that night was the truth. I don´t know if you just said that you love me because you were going to die, but I was only saying the truth. I don´t know why I needed such a big thing to finally say it. CC you are the woman of my dreams, I waited almost 16 years but I was to shy to say something"
It´s really hard not starting to cry but I let him say everything he needs to say.
„We waisted so much time and when I found you everything in me broke. It was like my heart would explode in thousand pieces, I only thought that I lost everything I really love. Everything that is really important for me. You´re the only one I would give my life for."
Now, we both are crying.
„Niles, I love you too. You´re everything I wish for. Maybe you´re not rich but I don´t care anymore. You are the man every woman dreams of. You understand me, you make me feel complete, you´re bringing me roses. I love you, I love you so much I can´t say it in words. I can´t describe it."
He´s taking my hand, and I get up and hug him for a very long time. Slowly he goes away, still holding my hands, then he goes on his knees.
„I haven´t got a ring but I can´t wait anymore, maybe it´ll be too late then. CC Babcock, would you mind marrying me?"
Did he just asked me to marry him?
„YES!" I´m saying happily, still crying.
I´m going on my knees too and we´re sharing the best, most romantic, longest, most passionate kiss I ever had.
I´m hearing Nanny Fines and Maxwells voice saying „Finally!", but I don´t care if they think we should´ve been togheter earlier, and I don´t care if my family thinks I shouldn´t be with Niles.
The only thing I care about is that we are togheter. Forever.
