Title: The Test.
Authors Note: Joan works at a bakery in Arcadia and Adam works at an art gallery.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Joan of Arcadia and I don't own Bryan Adams either.
It's summer time and Joan has worked for three weeks straight.
Adam and Joan have not spent much time together, since they both have summer jobs. They are sitting on the couch watching Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and just enjoying being in each others company.
"I'm glad that you took the day off, yo."
"I know that we haven't spent much time together and for that I am truly sorry."
"It doesn't matter,because we are together now and that's all that matters."
Joan removes her head from Adam's shoulder, just long enough to give him a passionate kiss. Adam breaks the kiss.
"I love this song," Joan says as the credits for the movie flow down the screen.
Adam stands up and pulls Joan up with him.
"What are you doing?"
"Dance with me, Jane," Adam says as he pulls Joan into his arms.
They move back and fourth to the music.
"That guys good, Jane.
"I know, this is one of my favorite songs",Joan says.
"What's his name?" Adam ask.
"Bryan Adams," Joan responds.
Joan lays her head on Adam's shoulder.
"From now on, Adam this song will have a very special meaning for me."
"Why is that,Jane?"
"Because i'm in the arms of the man that I love."
"There's no where else that I would rather be than dancing with the woman I love",Adam says as Joan removes her head from his shoulder to look in his eyes.
The next day Joan goes to work earlier than usual.
Adam calls her on her cell phone.
"I just wanted to know that you made it to work ok."
"yeah, I made it just fine", Joan says.
"I'll see you at 12:00", Adam says.
"What makes you think that?" Joan ask.
"We are supposed to have lunch together,Jane."
"No, we aren't",Joan says.
"yes, we are",Adam says.
"No, we aren't", Joan says a bit of agitation in her voice.
"Adam, I love you no matter who's right",Joan says.
Adam hangs up on Joan.
Later on that day,Joan is rushing around the kitchen to get something that she needs and she doesn't see a slick pool of cooking oil on the floor. Her feet go flying out from under her and her head hits the floor hard,then everything becomes dark.
As Grace is walking down the street,she turns and stops abruptly as she sees an Ambulance stopped at the bakery, the back door open, then someone being wheeled into it on a gurney. Grace quickens her steps and walks closer, so she can see if she knows who the person is.
The Ambulance pulls away.
"Dang-it,I couldn't tell who that was",Grace thinks to herself.
She walks into the bakery and sees a middle aged man sitting on a stool with his head in his hands.
"what's wrong with you?" Grace ask in her Grace like way.
"There's been an accident," he said as he raised his head to look at Grace.
"Who was hurt?"Grace asked.
"The fairly new girl with a strange sounding name."
"Um...what was her name?" Grenade, Gernaldo."
"I wish I could remember what her name is."
"Was it by any chance Girardi?" Grace ask.
"That's right,Girardi,Joan Girardi."
"What happened?" Grace asked concern in her voice.
"I don't really know what happened, because I was in the back unloading boxes and crates when I heard a crash and came running,then I found her on the floor not moving." "I phoned for an Ambulance as quickly as I could."
Grace takes her cell phone out of her pocket and calls Adam's cell phone.
This is what Adam hears when he answers the phone.
Rove, Girardi, accident.
"Calm down Grace and please speak in a full sentence."
Grace tries to explain it again.
"Rove, Girardi had an accident!" Grace yells over the phone.
He drops the phone on the floor in shock.
Then he picks his cell phone up,swallows hard as he ask this question.
"Did you say that something happened to Jane?" He asked his voice full of horror.
"Yes, Girardi's boss was in the back room,he heard a noise and came running, found Girardi on the floor and called for an Ambulance as quickly as he could.
"I'm on my way to the hospital," Adam says.
"Your at the Arcadia Art Gallery,aren't you? Grace ask.
"yes."
"Stay where you are Rove,I'm on my way."
"Ok."
Grace turns to the man sitting on the stool.
"Listen up ok dude."You need to call Mr. Will Girardi and tell him that his daughter had an accident,"Grace says as she walks out the door. She gets into her car and drives to the mall to pick Luke up from the arcade.
Grace walks up to Luke and puts a hand on his shoulder. He turns and looks at her.
"We need to go, Luke, Grace says."
"Luke, your wife's nagging you," Freidman says with a laugh.
"I don't have time to kill you now Friedman,but I'll do it later," Grace says in an upset tone.
"What's wrong Grace?" Luke ask as they walk to the parking lot and get in her car.
"Girardi had an accident."
"Joan had an accident?"
"Yes," Grace says.
"Is she Ok?" Luke ask
"I don't know,Luke."
"We aren't headed to the hospital," Luke says as he looks at Grace.
"No we aren't,"
"Why?"
"Because we need to pick Rove up first, then we'll go to the hospital.
"About twenty minutes later, Grace pulls into the parking lot of the art gallery and Adam comes running out of the door and climbs in the back seat of Grace's car.
"It's a quiet ride to the hospital.
All three of them walk into the hospital together,then head for the nurses desk.
Adam crams his hands in his pockets and starts to pace back and fourth.
Grace walks over to the desk and ask this question.
"Can you tell me the condition of Joan Girardi?"
"Yes, Miss Girardi is being prepped for surgery."
"Meanwhile, Joan can hear voices, but they sound very far away.
"It will be a miracle if this girl makes it," one doctor says to another one.
She walks over to a beautiful green hill and gazes at the most beautiful blue sky that she has ever seen.
She hears a familiar voice.
"Hey Joan," Little Girl God says.
"Is this Heaven?" Joan ask God.
"Yes, it is."
"Am I dead?" Joan ask.
"Not yet," God says.
"Am I going to die?" Joan ask.
"I can't tell you that, Joan."
Meanwhile back on earth, Helen, Will and Kevin walk through the door at the hospital and Luke waves them over to a couple of chairs in the waiting room.
"How's Joan?" Helen ask.
"She's being prepped for surgery," Luke says.
"Four hours later, a message comes over the loudspeaker. Girardi line three."
Will heads for the bank of phones on the wall and answers the one marked number 3.
When he walks back to the family, he has a very somber look on his face.
"Joan is out of surgery,"but according to Dr Smith, she isn't out of the woods just yet.
"She had a lot of pressure built up on her brain,so they drilled a hole in her skull to relieve that pressure."
"Can I see her?" Adam ask.
"Joan's in a coma and Intensive Care," Will says with sadness in his voice.
"You didn't answer my question," Adam says.
Can I see Jane or not?" Adam ask again.
"We can all see Joan, but only for a few minutes."
Everyone walks down the hall to the I.C.U. of the hospital.
"I love you," Helen says as she kisses Joan on the cheek.
"Daddy's here," Will says as he stands by Helen with his arm around her shoulder.
Meanwhile in Heaven, Joan has set down on the grassy hill with both hands resting on her knees.
"That was my mom and dad's voices that I just heard,Joan says as she looks at Little Girl God.
"You look like hell,Girardi! Grace says as she lays her head on Luke's shoulder, then whispers in his ear that Joan is the closets thing that she has ever had to a sister and that she doesn't want to lose her. Luke puts his arms around Grace.
"Well, Grace is definitely there," Joan says.
"Who else is with me?" Joan ask.
"Kevin and Luke are with you." God says.
Helen and Will step back from Joan's bedside and Adam steps forward.
Helen, Will, Luke Kevin and Grace all walk out of the room.
"Hey Jane,I'm so sorry about the fight that we had earlier," Adam says with pain and sadness in his voice.
"Come back to me, Jane," Adam sobs.
"That was Adam's voice," Joan says with gladness as her heart leaps with joy.
"I don't know why I said anything, because you probably can't her me anyway."
Joan wants to yell that she does hear Adam,but she just doesn't have the strength.
Meanwhile outside of the room, Dr. Smith is talking to Joan's family and to Grace.
"If Joan doesn't come out of a coma soon, she might never."
"What are you saying doctor?" Helen ask.
"Things don't look too good for your daughter," Mr. and Mrs. Girardi,Dr. Smith says.
"I'm sorry, but there is nothing else that we can do for her."
He turns and walks back down the hall.
Adam walks out of Joan's room and sees Helen crying on Will's shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Adam ask.
"The doctor just said, that if Girardi doesn't come out of a coma soon, then she might never," Grace says with sadness in her voice.
"What?" Adam says in disbelief.
"There's nothing else that they can do for her,Rove."
"Adam turns and runs back up the hallway, then stops when he decides that he needs to find a quiet place to think.
He finds the chapel walks inside, then he sits down in a pew and let's his memories wash over him.
"I love you Adam and I want us to be an us."
He remembers their first kiss. "Do you remember when I told you that had something to tell you?" Joan ask Adam.
"Unchallenged," He had said
"I talk to God and he ask me to do things," Joan had said.
It still amazed Adam that he was the only one that knew that she talked to God.
Adam's own words haunt him.
"I love you honey, but I will never follow God again."
If I believe that he existed, I would pray and ask him to help Jane, but since I don't that would be a waste of time, he thinks to himself.
Adam smiles as the next memory washes over him.
"I think about being married all the time and I can't wait to be Mrs. Adam Rove." "Now are you happy mom?"
His heart leaped joyfully when he had overheard Jane say that.
"Are you crying, Jane?" He ask her after she had dropped baby Hope at the department of Human services. "Only a little," she had responded.
Meanwhile in Heaven, Joan is asking God a question.
"Why am I here?"
"You had an accident,Joan that's one reason you are here."
"What's the other one?"
"Do you remember when I told you that I was proud of you, but that Adam was another matter?" God ask Joan.
"Yes, I asked you what was wrong with him and you didn't answer my question."
"I want Adam to believe in me and love me again."
"Where do I come in?" Joan ask God.
"I'm using this accident and your being in a coma to test Adam."
Little Girl God turns and walks away from Joan.
"Where are you going?" Joan ask.
"I need to talk to Adam," God says.
"Would you do me a favor, God?"
"Sure."
"Tell Adam that I can't stand to see him in pain."
"You got it."
Meanwhile back in the Chapel, Adam's next couple of memories hit him like a ton of bricks.
He remembers dancing to the song "Everything I Do" and the best part was having his Jane in his arms.
The next memory Adam has is that he had a fight with her and that he hung up on her.
The last memory hits him the hardest.
"The dr. said that if Girardi doesn't come out a coma soon, then she might never."
Adam thinks about his life without Joan.
"I can't live without her," Adam says to himself as he fights for control of his emotions.
"God I wish you were real, so I could tell you what I think about you."
