The Plane was coming in for a landing on the small airfield outside San Pueblo. Shirley had moved back to sit next to Keith. She wanted to spend some time with him before he went back to be with Cassie.
"Are you sure that you don't need to run to the house for clothes or anything else?" she asked him.
"No, I've got plenty of clothes already here, packed. It's not like I'll be doing anything but sitting anyway. Unless she magically wakes up today and then we'll all be home in just a few days." Keith assured her. He leaned over and hugged her. "I promise to miss you every minute, does that help?" he gave her a big smile.
"Just you smiling again is enough for me, but you missing me every minute helps too." She laughed.
To Keith it seemed like it took forever for the plane to land, taxi to the terminal and for his family to offload. Especially since each one of his siblings had to hug him and make sure he knew they were jealous that he was going back. Finally shirley hugged him and made him promise to call that night to keep her updated. He promised, he would have promised anything to get them off the plane. He loved all of his family but they could be trying sometimes and he was impatient to get back to Cassie. Then he was told he had to wait for the plane to refuel and be checked over before being allowed to take off once again. Finally all was completed and he was told to fasten his seatbelt.
He leaned his head back against the seat and took a deep breath. He was going to be with Cassie in just a little over an hour. Then he would not leave her again. He asked the pilot to radio ahead for the car to be waiting for him.
The nurse went with him in the car back to the hospital. Which was a good thing, as he had trouble getting out of the car, as his leg had stiffened up from sitting so long. She wanted him to get into a wheelchair, but he was stubborn and used the cane. He knew it slowed him up, but he did not want to be stuck in the wheelchair.
He dismissed the nurse as soon as he got into the hospital. He used the elevator to get up to Cassie's floor. As he was walking down the hallway, almost to her doorway, Mr. Larsen came hurrying out of her room, almost knocking him down. He looked at Keith like he was looking at a ghost.
"Keith?" he asked, confused. "I thought you left on the plane several hours ago."
"I did, but I decided that I could not be away from Cassie, I felt my place was here by her side. Maybe I am being conceited but I feel like I can help wake her up." Keith told him.
Mr. Larsen did not say another word, just gathered Keith up in a huge hug. They stood there for a few moments, Keith now the one with the confused look on his face.
"Mr. Larsen, is Cassie okay?" getting scared at his weird actions.
"No, my boy, she is fine. Come see for yourself." He grabbed Keith's hand and pulled him the rest of the way into her room. He could see Rick and Nina standing over what he assumed was Cassie on the bed. He took a couple of steps further into the room.
"Rick, Nina look who's here." Mr. Larsen called out to them. They both turned to look who had come into the room. Nina gasped. Rick just got a big grin on his face.
"Who is it?" came the question from the bed. Keith swayed and would have fallen to the floor if Mr. Larsen hadn't caught hold of his arm.
"Cassie?" Keith asked with a tremor in his voice, walking slowly to the bed to be able to see that it was truly her awake.
When he came into her view, she held out her arms, with tears falling, called out. "Keith."
He sat on the side of her bed, and pulled her into his arms, cradling her head on his shoulder. She cried into his shoulder. Everyone in the room had tears in their eyes as they watched the reunion. Finally Cassie pulled back from Keith to look into his eyes.
"I thought you had left me." She accused.
"My mom said I had to go, I stayed with you all night. Then when we got up in the air I decided that I had to be here with you and I told my mom and surprisingly she didn't argue." He explained. "and just when were you going to tell me that you had woke up?"
"In my defense I was panicking when you walked in, I wanted my Keith…" she started to say
"Your Keith, now that I like the sound of." He grinned at her, and kissed her on the lips.
"Like I was saying, I wanted my Keith, I do admit at first I didn't think we should tell you, as that would have just made you miserable. I was trying to think of you but then all the memories just hit me at one time and I knew I needed you. I threw a temper tantrum fit for any child." She said smiling up at him.
"she did too, had all of us in a panic, her dad went running out of the room to find the doctor and came right back in with you." Rick told him.
"That's why you were looking at me so strange. And what was up with the hug?" he asked.
"Keith, you didn't know it but Cassie woke up last night, but she didn't want to wake you up as you looked so cute sleeping in the chair. But son you are the one that brought my daughter back to me and that is why I gave you a big hug. I owe you so much, you never gave up on her." He said to Keith.
Keith leaned over and hugged cassie to his side. Rick reached over and pulled Nina to his side. Keith looked over and smiled.
"When did this happen?" he said pointing at them.
"Keith, tell her father he has to let Rick stay in the US." Nina told him.
"That's right, little miss, you were supposed to make a decision on what we're going to do with that boy." He reminded Cassie.
"Oh, come on Cassie, you have your man, don't send mine away." Nina pleaded.
"Her man?" Keith asked.
"Yes, all of a sudden she is madly in love with him." Cassie explained to Keith with a laugh.
"I didn't say I was madly in love with him, I just said I was in love with him." Nina protested.
"So you are not madly in love with me? That cuts to the bone, love." Rick teased.
"ooh, go ahead send him to prison." Nina pouted and turned away from him.
Rick put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.
"Well, I am madly in love with you and even if they send me to prison, I'll still love you."
"alright dad, send him to prison. You heard her." Cassie told her dad.
"Hey, wait a minute, I changed my mind, I don't think that his sweet talking mouth should be unsupervised. And I volunteer for the job." Nina teased.
"I don't know about you, but this is getting downright sickening." Keith said with a grimace.
"Keith, be nice." Cassie told him, elbowing him lightly in the side.
"Be careful, still sore." He told her.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." She moaned into his shoulder.
Mr. Larsen walked over to the bed.
"I am going to go try to find your doctor and see how soon we can all get out of her and get home. Rick, why don't you take Nina and go get us something to eat, I am famished. I am sure Keith would be ready for food too. I'll be back as soon as I can. You better save me some of the food." He told them as he walked out of the room.
"come on, Rick. Keith is there anything special that you want to eat?" Nina asked, pulling rick towards the door.
"As long as it falls into any food group." He answered.
"that was a dangerous statement. Rick, I leave it to you to make sure that what she picks out for us is really edible." Cassie requested.
"That is so unfair. I only picked up that rattlesnake because they said it tasted just like chicken." Nina said in her own defense.
"And I did not remember that occasion, thank you for the additional proof." Cassie laughed. " But you see what we are up against, rick?"
"I'm on it." Rick said and let Nina pull him the rest of the way out
Keith turned to Cassie.
"So I had to go through all that distress this morning because I am too cute when I am asleep?" he said with a laugh in his voice.
"I'm sorry." She lowered her head.
"Never…ever apologize for saying I'm cute." He told her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "So what was the first thing that you remember this morning, the singing? My voice?" he asked.
"I remember bits and pieces. I remember the song that you sang for me at the ball and I remember you saying something about a 'sweet maiden'. She said with a concentrated look on her face.
"Sounds like you remember almost everything I said or sang to you. And yet you didn't wake me up." He moaned.
"are you going to give me grief over that for the rest of my life." She asked him.
"No, I promise that was the last time." Keith said with a laugh.
"Don't lie to me, we both know you will get me again." Cassie told him.
"No, I really promise." He said trying to keep a straight face.
When Cassie's dad walked back in the room, it was too find all the young people gathered around the table eating and laughing.
"You had better have saved me some of that food, or I will not share my good news." He said as he came into the room.
Rick stood up to bring another chair over to the table. Her dad walked over and sat down and started filling his plate with food. Everyone watching him expectantly.
"Well?" Cassie finally said.
"What? Oh, I was so hungry, I forgot to talk while I was serving myself." He laughed as he continued to shovel food onto his plate.
"Dad!" Cassie complained.
"alright, alright I was hoping to make you suffer a little bit more, before telling you the good news, but if you are all so impatient." He teased.
"Dad!" Cassie complained again.
"I found your doctor and she has already got the test results back. She said there was no brain damage from the few days that you were in the coma and you have no broken bones. Your shoulder and hip were knocked out of socket but that has been repaired and you will be extremely sore for about a week, but you should be able to do pretty much anything that you want. Probably have to wait on the horseback riding for awhile, though." He said
"Dad! Get to the end of the speech, you are not running for office." Cassie said impatiently.
"You are so not fun. Fine. She said you can go home tomorrow." He finally gave up.
Keith reached over and hugged Cassie, then Nina came over and hugged her. Then Rick stood up and looked over at Nina.
"Did you already make arrangements for the cars to be taken back?" he asked.
"No, with all the excitement I forgot about calling." She said smiling.
Nina looked over at Cassie's dad.
"Can we drive back? The doctor said that nothing was wrong with her." Nina asked.
"I'll go check after I finish feeding my face." He replied. "But I do think that she will enjoy that. And if she gets tired one of you can take over."
"What are you all talking about?" Cassie asked.
"Nothing to worry your pretty head about." Her dad told her. "And don't try to weedle it out of anyone. You have to leave us some surprises."
"I hate surprises." She replied.
"Yes, but I like them, so this time you will have to suffer. It's your punishment for sleeping so long." He told her.
"I didn't stay asleep, as you call it, on purpose." She moaned.
"You know you used to be so much more fun to tease." He said as he got up from the table and started to walk to the door.
"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked him
"I have to go find the doctor once again, to find an answer for Nina's question, keep your pants on I'll be right back." He laughed at her. "Nina can you and Rick come with me?"
"I think they are having too much fun at my expense." Cassie said to keith. "Do you know what they are up too?"
"Oh no, you are not putting me in that position, even if I knew anything I would not tell you anything that might make your dad mad at me. I'd like to stay your boyfriend for awhile." He replied backing away.
"The boyfriend for awhile sounds good, but I bet you know something, even though you think you don't you probably heard something and didn't know it." She said getting up and walking toward him.
"Now Cassie, remember I still have sore ribs and my leg is not healed from the gun shot wound." He said backing further away.
"Keith, all I want is a kiss, don't you trust me?" she asked with a smile.
"No! You have this evil grin on your face." As he moved to put the bed between them.
"Keith I would never hurt you, really all I want is a kiss." She said as she came around the end of the bed.
He looked around feeling silly as he had boxed himself in.
"Come on, what's a kiss going to cost you?" she asked smiling.
He didn't say anything just watched her as she came closer. He backed up until he was leaning against the end table next to her bed. She took a few more steps toward him. He leaned back as far as he could go. She was standing right in front of him. Smiling. She leaned toward him.
"Hey! You two quit fooling around. Cassie, let the boy sit down and rest. You know he was shot in the leg and he is supposed to be staying off of it." Her dad said as he came into the room.
She smiled at Keith and turned to her father, "You are right, we should have him resting." She turned back to Keith and took him arm and lead him over to a chair, pushed him down to lean over him and give him a kiss on the lips. "See. Only a kiss." She said smiling.
Keith looked over at her father in confusion.
"Don't worry son, she can confuse the best of us. Don't feel bad when she does it to you." He told Keith.
"So what did the doctor say?" she asked, acting innocent.
"Oh no. missy I saw you torturing Keith, just for that I am not telling you into the morning when they release you." He told her with a smirk on his face.
"Dad! What if I promise to be good." She pleaded.
"No, you've already shown your true colors, and if you are thinking of getting it out of Nina or Rick, I told them to go back to the mansion and they are not allowed to return here until the morning. And you are to leave Keith alone, he knows nothing about what we are surprising you with, so don't scare the boy with your evil looks." He told her.
"I resent that." She replied.
"No, daughter, you resemble that remark." He laughed at the look on her face. "Keith, come on I am going to take you to the mansion, you need to rest as tomorrow will be a really long day for you, actually my talking to the doctor was to get the okay for you to travel. I'll explain more in the limousine outside."
"You are all leaving me alone?" Cassie said.
"Yes, we are, you are to get in bed and sleep or you can not leave tomorrow. The nurses are going to let me know if you sleep. I can't leave Keith here, as you might damage him." He said laughing.
Cassie stomped over to the bed. Climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up over herself. "Where's my kiss." She demanded.
He walked over to her, smiled, and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't pout too long, or you'll never get to sleep. I love you Cassie."
"I love you too, Dad." She replied.
Keith got up from his chair and went to the bed and kissed her on the cheek. "See you in the morning sweet maiden."
"You rest, my knight, as we are going to have a big day tomorrow." Cassie said and pulled him down for another kiss. "I'll dream of you." She whispered in his ear.