CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Title: "Forever and Always: For Eternity"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #6 in the Salvation, Forever and Always Series. The honor of your presence is requested at the wedding of Lana Palea and Chin Ho Kelly.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the sole property of the author!
Date Written: June 9, 2011
(The nurses in S.I.C.U. make sure that Chin has plenty of pillows and blankets, and even though the quasi-recliner in Lana's room is not the most comfortable place to spend the night, it is better than a regular chair, and they also make sure that he will receive a tray when the patients' meals are sent up. He thanks them for their caring and they all, to a one, politely explain that Lana is one of their own and, of course, they're going to take care of her "honey". Chin wakes up every so often during the long night to check on Lana because, even though she is in Intensive Care and is being taken care of by her co-workers and friends, he needs to reassure himself that she's doing as well as she can be given the circumstances. By the time Libby Thrasher arrives at seven o'clock the next morning, Chin, quite frankly, looks like death warmed over and is exhausted. Both Lana and Libby tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he needs to go home, get a few hours' sleep, take a shower, get a decent meal in him, and then he may come back. When he tries to protest, Lana tells him, point blank, that she will ask that he be banned from the unit until he complies with her request. Deciding that he is totally incapable of standing up to both Lana and Libby, Chin finally gives in and, kissing both ladies on the cheek, promises he will be back in a few hours. Once they are alone, the smile slips off Lana's face and Libby sees the fear and uncertainty in the younger woman's eyes. Pulling her chair up closer to the side of Lana's bed, Libby takes Lana's uninjured hand in hers and looks her directly in the eye.)
"All right, dear, he's gone. You may feel free to cry, rant, rave, take a nap, or whatever else you've really wanted to do since you first woke up and discovered what's happened to you. I'm going to sit right here with you, and I'm going to listen, discuss, wipe your tears away, or just hold your hand."
"You are a truly amazing woman, Libby."
"Amazing? In what way, dear?"
"You've been through so much heartache and pain in your life; faced such incredible challenges that would drive most people mad, and yet, you've come through every terrible thing that's happened in your life a stronger person and you're always there whenever anyone needs you. You always have a loving, warm smile on your face and you open your heart to those who are hurting. I think you're an angel on Earth."
"What an incredibly sweet thing to say, Lana."
"It's true, Libby! You've been there countless times for all or us; for Sam, Steve, Caroline, Danny, Kono, Tony, Chin, me. . . You are simply amazing."
"I consider all of you to be 'my children' whether you actually are or not, Lana. As I've said before, Mike and I wanted a whole house full of little ones, but God had another plan for us. Well, we finally have our 'houseful'; it just took us longer than most people to get all of you. Now, let's stop trying to avoid the issue, shall we?"
"Am I that transparent? I truly did mean everything I just said to you."
"I know you did, but, yes, I'm on to your avoidance tactics. I know you must be scared to death, and there's no one else here, dear, it's just you and me. You don't have to keep up that brave façade any longer; at least, not for the moment."
(And with those simple words, Lana's dark eyes begin to fill with tears and her lower lip starts to quiver. She clutches Libby's and with hers and looks down at her blanket covered legs for a moment before, once again, raising her gaze to Libby's; her expression one of abject fear, and her voice stilted and stumbling with tears.)
"I. . . I'm so. . .Scared, Libby. . . What if the . . Paralysis is. . .Permanent? What if . . If I nev. . never regain feeling in my legs? Chin to. . . Told me last night that. . It wouldn't ma. . Make any difference, but. . . How can I saddle him with a. . . Cripple for the rest of his life?"
"First of all, we don't know if the paralysis is permanent or not. Every doctor that I've spoken with has said it could take several weeks before a determination on your prognosis can realistically be made, so let's not put the cart before the horse. Secondly, if the paralysis is permanent, you are not the kind of person to let it stop you or even slow you down. Yes, it will mean that you're going to have to make some major lifestyle changes, and, yes, it won't be easy, but you're young, strong, and a fighter. You will make the necessary adjustments because it's simply not in your nature to do otherwise. And as far as 'saddling' Chin with a cripple for the rest of his life? Lana, dear, that man loves you and wild horses couldn't drag him away from you, so you really don't have much choice in the matter."
"But, what if I can't. . . Can't. . ."
"Oh, Lana, sweetheart, physical intimacy is a part of a truly loving relationship between a man and a woman, but it isn't the only ingredient for a successful marriage! How many patients have you cared for who, for whatever reasons, were paralyzed? How many of these same patients were married? Did their spouses leave them; divorce them because of their condition? Of course not! When you love someone with all your heart, you want to be with them no matter what; that's the way Chin loves you. Don't make the mistake of trying to be noble and push him away, because, for one thing, it won't work, and, for another, neither of you truly want to be apart. Now, you must keep a positive attitude and do exactly what the doctors tell you to do so that you can recover from this horrible accident. One of the nurses told me as I came in this morning that they're going to start physical therapy exercises in a few days so that your muscles won't weaken and you'll be ready to get up and start walking once the feeling returns to your legs. I'll be right here with you every stop of the way, dear, and we're going to work very diligently to make sure you're ready when the time comes. All right?"
"Okay, and. . . Thank you, Libby. It means a great deal to me for you to be here."