Author's Note: Here's the update I promised! Thanks for all the reviews, I appreciate your feedback! Expect the next update near the end of the weekend or early next week.


After what seemed like a lifetime, a doctor came out to speak with Jim and Delia. Jim quickly stood to meet the middle-aged man, who introduced himself as Dr. Burns.

"How is she?" Jim asked worriedly.

Dr. Burns glanced down at his chart and then looked Jim in the eyes. "She's pretty banged up… Dislocated shoulder, three broken ribs, a slipped disc in the thoracic region… We've corrected most of the damage surgically, however our main concern right now is her head. She sustained a pretty serious concussion in the fall, and as I see in her records here, it's about the third significant head injury she's received in the past couple of years. As a paramedic, I'm sure you know that the damage caused by concussions is cumulative…"

"Yes." Jim whispered, finding it hard to speak. "So what does that mean? Will she be alright?"

Dr. Burns cleared his throat. "As of right now she's relatively fine. We're giving her medication for the pain and monitoring her closely."

"But..?" Jim prompted, knowing that there was more to what the doctor was telling him.

"But we'll need to keep her here for at least a week in case we run into any delayed onset of neurological disturbances." The doctor finished.

Jim nodded. "Okay." He said softly. "Can we see her?"

"Of course." Dr. Burns replied, and he showed them the way to Melinda's room.


Jim and Delia walked into the room. Melinda was sleeping soundly in the small hospital bed; her arm was in a sling and she had a gauze band wrapped around her head. She was hooked up to a heart monitor and it beeped rhythmically, confirming that she was alive. It was oddly comforting to Jim… He had come too close to losing her too many times. He and Delia sat in the chairs set up beside her bed. Jim moved closer to her and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek. He held her hand and looked at her lovingly, cursing the fact that she had to endure so much pain.

"Do you think there will be any permanent damage?" Delia asked quietly.

Jim kept his eyes glued on Mel. "It's hard to say." He murmured, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "She's been through so much…"

Delia folded her hands in her lap and looked down at the ground. She would never fully understand Melinda's gift, and she would always have a hard time accepting the truth about the afterlife. But she cared for her friend very much and she hated watching her suffer because of her abilities.

After some time, Delia stood up from her seat. "I need to walk around for a while and get some fresh air… I might grab some coffee while I'm up, you want any?" She said.

Jim looked at her tiredly. "No thanks, I'm alright for now."

Delia sighed. She'd never known anyone to love a person as much as Jim loves Melinda. She knew that as long as Mel was in the hospital, Jim wouldn't rest. She only wished that he would take better care of himself. She left Jim alone with Mel and went outside onto the hospital campus. She needed to escape for a while.


Jim kept his post at Melinda's bedside, clinging to her hand as if it were his lifeline. He stared at her, lost in thought, when she began to stir. She softly groaned, bringing Jim's awareness back to reality. He leaned slightly forward and gently squeezed her hand.

"Mel?" He said quietly.

Melinda turned her head as she struggled to open her eyes. She focused on Jim. She could see the concern etched on his face and it filled her with mixed emotions; she was so deeply in love with him, and yet she felt unrelenting guilt at the constant worry she caused him. She felt him squeeze her hand and she weakly returned the gesture.

"Hi." She whispered. "Are you okay?"

Jim chuckled. "Am I okay?" He said, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm not the one who fell down a flight of stairs." His smile faded as his worry once again took over. "Do you remember anything?" He asked.

Melinda thought for a moment. I remember going to work this morning, and stopping at Village Java on the way… I remember putting the new items away. And then it came back to her. Lucas. I was talking to Lucas when I fell.

"Mel?" Jim prodded when she was slow to respond.

"Lucas." Melinda said softly, barely aware that she had spoken out loud.

"Who's Lucas?" Jim asked. "You mentioned that name before…"

Melinda stared up at Jim. "He's a spirit I met this morning. I'm trying to help him." She said.

Jim tried to keep his growing suspicions under control. "Did he do this to you?" He asked anxiously. "Is he trying to hurt you?"

Melinda shook her head, and then wished that she hadn't. The sudden movement sent sharp pain shooting through her skull. She flinched and let out a small cry.

Jim noticed the sudden change, and lightly touched her forehead. "Hey." He said. "Are you alright?"

Melinda took a deep breath. The pain faded almost as quickly as it had hit. "Yeah." She said a bit dazedly. "Sorry."

"How do you feel?" Jim asked.

Melinda's eyes met his. She wanted so badly to tell him that she felt fine, but the truth was she had never felt worse. "I've been better." She told him.

Jim leaned in close and kissed her softly. "I hate seeing you like this." He said. "You've had too many close calls."

"I know." Mel said. "But this was an accident. I just lost my balance and fell."

"Are you sure?" Jim asked.

"I'm positive. I was talking to the ghost at the time, but he really had nothing to do with it. It was just bad luck."

Jim nodded.

"So when can I go home?" Melinda asked.

"The doctor wants to keep you for a while." Jim told her. "They're worried about you having another brain injury."

Melinda's face fell. "But I'm fine." She protested.

"You're not fine, Mel." Jim said seriously. "You're lucky to be alive. It would be crazy for you to be released in this condition."

Melinda pouted, obviously hating the fact that she would have to stay for longer than she wished. Jim's face softened, and he spoke to her caringly.

"I will be here with you every day. You don't have to do this alone. But you need to give yourself a break. You're have some serious injuries. You can't be pushing yourself like this. I won't let you."

She looked at him unhappily. "I just can't stand sitting here doing nothing."

"It's not nothing." Jim said. "You help people every day of your life. It's time for you to help yourself."

Melinda put her hand on Jim's arm and pulled him close to her. She kissed him tenderly.

"I love you." She said, her lips still brushing his. Jim deepened the kiss, and they only broke away from one another when they heard footsteps approaching the room. Jim leaned back and took Melinda's hand in his.

The door opened and Delia entered carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "I got you some water…" She started, but paused when she saw Melinda.

"Hey." Delia said brightly. "You're awake."

Melinda smiled. "Hey." She replied.

Delia rushed over and sat down. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm alright." Mel said.

Delia looked at her friend, relieved to see her alive and awake. "Melinda…" She said. "Promise me you won't ever scare me like that again."

Melinda laughed. "I'll try my best."

Delia stayed with Jim and Melinda until late into the evening, at which point she decided she had better get home to Ned. She promised to return in the morning, and with a heartfelt goodbye she left the hospital.