Connor and Elise were sitting on the couch watching a movie on the big flat-screen TV. Elise had Connor in her lap, with her arms draped over his shoulders. They were both covered by a large, soft blanket. The volume of the movie was quiet. Connor could tell that Elise was more interested in him than what was going on on the screen.

He felt her arms lift off him, then felt her fingers stroking his hair and massaging his temples. He did his best to stay as still as possible, like he didn't know what was going on. He had never been touched like this by anyone, and strangely, it kind of felt good. He involuntarily leaned into her and relaxed. Her legs came up around his waist and held him securely in place. Her hands left his head and ventured up his sleeves. She began tracing her fingertips along his arms, making goosebumps pop out of his skin. She had her chin resting on top of his head. Connor thought he was going to melt.

Then Elise left his arms and went to his stumps. This was where Connor began to get nervous. No one except him could touch him there; he hated it when other people touched his stumps. He braced himself for the nigh unbearable sensation his stumps would get whenever foreign hands touched them.

But the sensation never came.

It was like Elise's hands and Connor's stumps were puzzle pieces. They fit together perfectly. It felt like he was rubbing his stumps, but it was Elise's hands. They had understanding and comfort in their touch. There was comfort, and there was love.

"Don't stop," he said subconsciously.

He felt Elise press her lips against his scalp. She wrapped her arms around his chest, abandoning his stumps, and held him as close as she could.

"You're so cuddly," she said. "Like a teddy bear."

"A teddy bear?" he said.

"Yeah. A teddy bear."

Connor knew she was kidding. He snuggled closer to Elise and sighed in bliss.

The mayor, Elise's father, had gone to bed. A peaceful night loomed outside. It was just Connor and Elise.

"Remember when we first met?" Elise asked.

"Mmm-hmmm," Connor said contently.

There was a brief silence. The two just lay there, happy to be with one another.

"Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you lose your legs?"

The question surprised Connor. She asked it so nonchalantly, so casually, like she asked it all the time. He realized that he had told Miles how he lost them, but he never did tell Elise.

"Okay," he said. "I'll tell ya."

11 Years Earlier

Darla sat on the sand, watching her son ran happily along the beach. He had always been a runner, right after he was able to walk. Jeff sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Look at him," she said in a dazed voice, like she was in a trance. "Connor's first time at the beach…"

"And it looks like he loves it, too," said Jeff.

Darla put her head on his shoulder. "Just looking at him by the water, it reminds me of the island."

They watched as Connor began wading into the water.

"Don't go too far!" Jeff called.

They heard his distant voice say, "Okay!"

It wasn't a sunny day. Gray clouds completely covered the sky, and the sun was hidden. A cool breeze occasionally rushed against their bodies.

"It should be like this all the time," said Darla. "Just you and me and Connor. No job, no responsibilities, no going away all the time…"

Jeff didn't say anything. He was busy watching seagulls fly past or Connor frolicking in the water. "It can't be like this all the time," he finally did say.

"Why not?"

He looked at Darla. "You of all people should know."

She coldly looked into his eyes. "I do know, but it shouldn't stop us from being parents to our son."

Jeff shrugged with his free shoulder. "But it might. This is a very big secret we're holding back from him."

"We'll wait for when he can understand, when he's older. Then we'll tell him that I'm-"

A bloodcurdling scream from Connor stopped her sentence cold. A feeling washed over. It was a feeling all mothers would get. It was a feeling of dread.

Jeff immediately shot up and bolted toward Connor. Darla looked and saw pink water splashing far from the shore. From the turmoil she could make out Connor's form in the distance. His arms were flailing wildly. They quickly stopped and spread out on each side of his body. Darla got up to follow Jeff, but stopped in her tracks as she spotted the dorsal fin of a shark near her son. Connor floated there, unconscious. The water around him had turned red with blood. Slowly he drifted to the shore. Jeff jumped in and hoisted up his son.

"Connor! Connor! Connor!" he was screaming.

Darla stood there, her hands covering her gaping mouth. She took a deep breath and put her hands down.

"I know what to do," she told her husband.

Connor woke up in a hospital bed. He had a terrible feeling in his legs. It felt like they were there, but at the same time, it didn't feel like they were there at all. And it hurt, too. The pain was very extreme. A squeaky wail escaped from Connor. He didn't want to scream so loud, but he couldn't control himself. He cried and cried like a baby. Multiple nurses rushed in to help him. He cried for his mom. He cried for his dad. And they were there, right at his side, but he was in too much pain to see them. He yelled, "Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!" for what seemed like hours. The4 nurses were able to put him to sleep, then they gave him medicine for the pain.

Soon Jeff was the only one with him. No one else was around. Connor lay in his bed, peacefully asleep. Very carefully, Jeff peeked under the bedcovers.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Connor's legs had been reduced to two short stumps. Both were covered in thick layers of bandages. Jeff had no intention of seeing what was underneath that.

When Connor woke up, he heard a voice chirp, "Hi."

He looked around, taking in the sights of wherever he was. He was in a large room full of many other people in beds just like him. Some of them were elderly, some were as young as him. Most were resting peacefully. Connor noticed how weird he felt. He had control over his body, but he didn't feel like he was in it. He felt… woozy.

"Hi," the voice chirped again. It was a girl's voice.

Connor looked to his left and saw the most beautiful girl ever. She looked just as old has him. She had long brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. She was laying on her stomach. Her back was bare, and it had large burn marks on it.

Hi," she said yet again. "My name's Elise."

Connor blinked. "Uhhh… I'm… I'm…" Who was he again? The wooziness was getting to him. He was… He was… "Uhhh… Connor. My n-n-name's Connor."

Her lips formed into a perfect smile. "Hi Connor."

The memory went white, then faded. Connor was gingerly touching the burn marks on Elise's back. Since the eleven-year timespan, wounds had healed but had not completely faded. They looked like giant purple bruises. No one knew Elise had these on her back. No one except Connor.

Elise pulled her shirt back down. She pulled Connor into another embrace, and they cuddled on the couch.

"We both lost something important that day," she told him. "And every day, I pray and ask that we can have them all back."

Connor wrapped his arms around her lower back. "I don't want my legs back," he said.

"But I want my mom back!" she said, trying her best to conceal her tears. "And the worst thing is… I don't even remember that much about her." She sniffed. "No one knows how I feel except you."

Connor didn't say anything. He didn't want to say anything. Whatever he'd say would make her feel worse.

The two of them stayed there for a long time. Elise had stopped crying and was now half-asleep along with Connor. He looked at the clock on his cell phone. 9:50. It was late.

"I think I should get home," he told Elise carefully.

"Okay," she whispered.

Connor was able to have a small conversation with her as she drove him home. After pulling up in front of his house she ushered him to the front door, then went back to the car and got out his wheelchair.

She bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you soon, okay, Con?" she said.

Connor's cheeks were dark red. "O…okay," he blubbered.

Elise ruffled his hair and went back to her car, driving away.

A broad smile was on Connor's face. She called me Con, he thought. He opened the front door and went inside. He waddled to the kitchen, and instantly his smile disappeared. Grandma Wilma was at the table, fast asleep. A plate with her dinner sat in front of her, almost untouched. He sighed as he grabbed it and put into a plastic container for her to eat later. He opened the refrigerator and put it away, moving other more food-filled containers to make room for it. He jumped as she let out a loud snore. He climbed onto the table and kissed her forehead. Her skin was pale, and dark circles surrounded her eyes. He scooted a chair next to her and fell asleep at her side.