***Jennifer***
Jennifer was lying the bed, and the physical therapist, Wendy came in to do her stretches and exercises.
"Hello Ms. Scarlett, you sure look pretty today".
Wendy began to move and stretch Jennifer's legs, and she was checking her vitals as she did it.
She looked over at Scarlett, and saw her eyes pop open.
"Hi there. You sure do have pretty eyes".
She hit the button for the nurse.
When Aynsley came in, she was surprised to see Scarlett's eyes open.
She ran and got the doctor, and they came to examine her.
"Hi, I am Dr. Miller. Can you hear me?"
Jennifer nodded yes.
"I am going to examine you now. Let's see if you can follow this light with your eyes".
She did very well, and they moved on to pain stimuli.
She felt all of them.
"Before you speak, we want you to take it slow. Let's drink some water first, ok?"
Jennifer nodded.
Aynsley got her some water with a straw and she sucked it down pretty good.
"Does it hurt to swallow?"
She shook her head no.
"Ok, let's try talking. Can you say the word yes?"
"Yes". It came out like a breathy whisper.
The doctor pulled up a chair and sat by Jennifer.
"Do you know your name?"
"Jennifer".
"Jennifer. That's a pretty name. Do you have a last name?"
"Hart".
"Jennifer Heart. Ok".
"Is there anything you want to ask me?"
She nodded.
"Where am I?"
"You are at Hope Presbyterian Hospital in Tacoma Washington. You have been in a coma for about 7 months".
She didn't know how to respond to that.
"Jonathan".
"Who is Jonathan?"
"Husband".
"We don't know anything about him".
"Food".
"You aren't ready for solid food, yet. You have been fed through an IV so that you wouldn't lose nutrition, but let's see how you do keeping the water down, ok? Baby steps".
She nodded.
"Phone".
"Sure, you can use the phone. Until your voice comes back, why don't we dial the number for you?"
She nodded.
"Who do you want us to call?"
"Jonathan".
"Why don't you try writing the number down?"
They gave her a pad and pencil, and she tried really hard to write the numbers, but she couldn't make her hand cooperate.
"It's ok. You have been asleep for 7 months, dear. How about this? Why don't you point to the numbers on the phone and we will write them down for you?"
She nodded.
Pretty soon, they had Jennifer and Jonathan's phone number written down.
They called it, but kept getting a busy signal.
"No answer, we will try again later".
Jennifer nodded.
"Get some rest, ok? And here is the nurses button if you need me".
She nodded, and laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.
***Jonathan***
A wicked storm was hitting Los Angeles. The phones were out, and as a result, Jack hadn't been able to fly up to Seattle to get the Hanson's.
Jonathan had managed to get them a hotel in Seattle where they wouldn't be found just before he lost phone service.
Jack planned on waiting a couple hours and then trying again.
Jonathan fell asleep on the couch, and woke up around 11. The storm was over and the phone was ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Aynsley, and I work at Hope Presbyterian Hospital in Tacoma".
"Hi, how can I help you?"
"We have a patient here, who asked us to call you".
"Ok."
"She isn't able to speak right now, but she says her name is Jennifer".
"Jennifer? Did she say what her last name was?"
"Heart. H-E-A-R-T".
"Oh, I'm sorry, my last name is H-A-R-T. I think you have the wrong number".
"Ok, sorry to bother you".
"No bother".
They hung up, and Jonathan went right back to sleep, and slept all night.
***Next morning***
The phone rang just as Jonathan was about to leave. It was Lt. Grey.
"Jonathan, I was calling to tell you that the results of the exhumation were inconclusive. There is no concrete evidence that the body is your wife's, but there isn't any concrete evidence that she isn't, either. And there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence that she possibly is your wife".
"Thanks for trying, Lt."
"I'm sorry, Jonathan. I know you were hoping for a homerun".
"Thanks". He hung up.
He headed out the door and went to meet the Hanson's at LAX. They had finally been able to leave early this morning.
He picked them up like they promised, and then drove them to the corporate apartment.
"I have security, who is going to stay with you at all times. I have a car service that you can call and will take you wherever you want to go. If there is anything else you need, please let me know".
They thanked him profusely, and he helped them take their bags inside.
"Mr. Hart, can I tell you something?"
"Sure".
"Your wife came to our house. And well, we only got to see her for like, an hour, but she was soooooooooooooooooo nice! And sooooooooooo pretty! She and I have the same birthday, too. I wish we had gotten to see her for more than an hour. I would really like another hour with her".
"Me too, kiddo. Me too".
***Jennifer***
Jennifer was restless. She was ready to get out of the bed, and take care of herself again.
She pulled the covers back, and swung her legs over the side.
She went to stand up, and her legs shot out from under her, as soon as she put weight on them.
Aynsley just so happened to be coming in to help her, and got to her just in time to catch her.
"Whoa, sweetheart. You aren't ready for walking yet. Back in bed. That's it".
They got her all settled again.
"Where were you going?"
"Out of the bed is all I know".
"You haven't used your muscles in months, ma'am. You are going to have to work your way up to that again. Baby steps, baby steps".
She nodded.
Aynsley left and Jennifer grabbed the phone again.
She dialed Jonathan's office number.
"Hello?"
"Jonathan".
"Hello?"
"Jonathan". She couldn't make her voice any louder.
Thinking nobody was there, he hung up.
Jennifer blew him a kiss, and hung up too, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
***Jonathan***
Jonathan had just put the phone back in the cradle and leaned over to grab the TV remote.
He turned the TV on, and then started focusing again on the reports in front of him.
He looked at the date, and realized that it had been 8 months since Jennifer had died.
8 months since the light had grown dimmer, and 8 months since he had felt complete.
He tried not to dwell on it and focus on his reports again.
A few minutes later, Stanley came in.
"Mr. Hart, Mr. Hanson is giving a press conference in ten minutes. Channel 124"
"Thanks". He turned the channel and saw that he was getting ready to speak to the press.
He turned the volume up, and got up and made himself a drink.
"The investigation launched by the SEC into my business practices is all because people are jealous of me and instead of trying to build their business like I did, they just want to attack me. Jonathan Hart's wife wanted to be on my boat with me instead of anywhere with him, and because he can't handle that, he called the SEC on me. My wife and kids left our home because of this mess. I'm not worried, I know they will come back in due time. PremierWealth LLC, isn't going anywhere. And while I am at it, I want to thank the head of the Marine Police of Lake Washington, Capt. Wade Bowers- he and I were roommates in college, and he's just an all around good guy. I appreciate everything he's done for me. I am confident that this SEC thing will blow over and my life will go back to normal very soon. Business as usual at PremierWealth, LLC. To my wife and girls if they are watching, I love you and I miss you, please come home soon. Thank you, that's all I have to say. No questions".
Jonathan took his glass and threw it against the wall, shattering the glass everywhere.
***Jennifer***
Jennifer was practicing talking louder. It was slowly happening.
She was going to practice walking with the physical therapist today, when she came by.
She was slowly making progress. She had been able to keep down beef broth, and the doctor said she would let her try jello today, and maybe ice cream.
They came and put the crane scale under Jennifer to weigh her. She had lost 20 pounds. Her hair was longer and in bad need of a cut.
She didn't care about any of that, though, she just wanted Jonathan.
She wanted their life back. She wanted his arms around her. And his lips on hers. Those lips….
She was determined to do as much as she could during therapy. She took 48 steps in therapy, 4 unassisted. She hit therapy so hard, that she basically passed out when she got back.
After a 3-hour nap, she woke up hungry.
She cleared her throat and drank some water, and hit the button for the nurse.
They brought her some Jello, and more water, and vanilla ice cream.
"Thank you".
Her voice was almost back to normal.
She smiled a huge smile and began to eat.
She scarfed down the Jello, and then began to work on the ice cream.
She was only able to eat about ½ of the ice cream, but she tolerated it well and was pleased with herself.
She laid back on the bed and turned the TV on.
She got lost in a movie, and fell asleep again, dreaming of Jonathan.
***The next day***
Jonathan was in his office, and had a wild hair. He buzzed for Stanley to come in.
"Can you search all the hospitals in the Washington area, and just see if anyone matches Jennifer's description?"
"Sure, right away".
About an hour later, Jonathan's phone rang.
"Hi, this is Agent Weston with the SEC. I wanted you to know that we have concluded our investigation and charges will be forthcoming. Also, we contacted a business associate of Mr. Hanson's who we suspect has helped him carry out these crimes. If our suspicions are correct, he is responsible for putting the bomb on the boat that your wife was on. He is being questioned now, and we will call you this afternoon with an update."
"Thank you. When you say charges are forthcoming, what kind of timeframe are you talking about?"
"I expect him to be formally charged within the hour".
"Thank you. I look forward to your return call".
They hung up, and he got back to work.
Within two hours, Stanley was back.
"Sir, there is a lady that physically matches Mrs. Hart's description in a hospital in Tacoma. But she spells her name H-E-A-R-T, instead of H-A-R-T".
"Hmm… Maybe we should go check it out just to be safe. Thanks, Stanley".
He called Jack.
"Are you still in Los Angeles?"
"Yes."
"Care to fly me to Tacoma?"
"Sure. We can be wheels up in two hours".
"Perfect".
They hung up and he went and told Deanne that he was headed out of town and to forward his calls to the airplane.
"Once I know if I am staying in Washington, I will call you with the number".
"Have a safe trip, Mr. Hart".
"Thanks. Stanley's in charge".
He left, and headed home to Willow Pond. He quickly packed himself a bag, and one for Jennifer, just in case and then headed to LAX.
They landed in Tacoma in just under 3 hours.
He rented a car, and headed to the hospital.
***Jennifer***
Jennifer woke up, and asked the nurse to let her try eating eggs. They agreed, and she managed a few bites. She also had some yogurt, which she ate all of.
"Aynsley, I need to go to the bathroom. But can you let me try it alone?"
"Sure. I will be right here to catch you if you fall".
She swung her legs up and over the side of the bed. She stood up and waited to get her balance and then took a couple steps. She reached out and held on to the wall for support, and then let go and stepped again.
She made it to the toilet unassisted.
"Good job Jennifer!"
After she was done, she stood up and made it to the bed unassisted as well. Slow, but steady.
She climbed back into bed, and they promised to bring her the paper so that she could read it.
She fell asleep about an hour later, and once again, dreamed of her and Jonathan.
***Jonathan***
Jonathan came into the hospital and asked for Jennifer Hart.
"Room 514. Second bank of elevators, take a right, and go through three sets of double doors and then take a left. You will then be in the right area".
"Thank you".
He stopped in the gift shop and got her some flowers and some Chapstick in her favorite flavor. He headed towards the elevators.
"Here goes nothing".
