Chapter Fifteen
As the hours and minutes clicked by as they waited at the hospital, Ranger figured it was a good sign. For every minute someone didn't come out and say Roman had died on the table there was hope.
Roman had made it into surgery, which Ranger figured was a miracle in and of itself. Ranger knew he would have already been dead if Kate hadn't been at RangeMan. She was the chief of emergency medicine after all, and she had reached Roman within a couple of minutes. Still even Kate couldn't work miracles. There had been so much blood. Eve's screams were still echoing in his head.
Reyes and Ranger waited with Eve in the sterile little waiting room with the garish pink walls that gave off a sickly glow in the fluorescent light, surrounded by the smell of death and magazines that had been out-of-date two years ago. Eve was staring silently at the door. Her eyes were glassy and her skin was pale. Every time a person walked by; Ranger would see her tense. Ranger did too.
Nikko and Natasha had been detained by the D.C. police, and had been taken down for questioning. Nothing more than an unnecessary inconvenience, but some rookie cop had gotten a little too excited. Ranger figured the rookie cop was never going to be a veteran cop, if something happened to Roman and Nat wasn't here. He would be lucky to find a job anywhere. Steph was at RangeMan holding down the fort. She was coordinating the transport of Artem and the investigation. There were things they didn't know yet. Things that made no sense.
Ranger knew Roman getting shot was his fault. He had dismissed Eve's claim that she was being stalked. That someone had broken into her house. Even worse, he had accused her of making the whole thing up to divert suspicion. He'd been right there. He had seen Brad manhandling Eve. It had set off alarm bells, but he had failed to follow-up. Ranger should have known better. He should have been better at his damn job.
After the Tasty Pastry freak had stalked and abducted Steph, he should have been smarter. Seen the warning signs earlier. He should have believed Eve. But he hadn't. He had been too busy making judgements and assumptions about her. Assuming the worst. Reducing her down to her parts, cynically depersonalizing her. Calling her the hot little doc, instead of looking at her as a whole. Eve was smart, resourceful, and funny, and Ranger had reduced her down to the fact she had a great ass. Which really just made him the ass.
Ranger should have been listening to her, and most importantly, believing Roman when he said he knew Eve. Ranger should have trusted Roman. Trusted his instincts, just like he had a thousand other times. Funny Ranger trusted Roman in a life-or-death situation, but somehow on this one, he convinced himself that Roman was simply blind to her obvious guilt. The only blind person had been Ranger, and now Roman might die because Ranger couldn't see past some false report planted to cast suspicion on Eve. He had missed it all.
Reyes was pacing around the tiny little room. He didn't know what to do. Reyes had never been good at knowing what to say in times like these and apparently, he didn't have a clue what to do either. He'd offered to get Eve coffee so many times she'd just stopped answering him. He didn't know if he should hold her hand, get her a blanket, or leave her the hell alone. Reyes figured there wasn't anything he could do to fix the problem.
Reyes knew that things were bad, but if anyone could pull through this, it would be Roman. He was strong. Roman couldn't die. Not like this.
"Sit" Eve's hoarse voice startled all of them. She held out her hand to Reyes and pulled him down into the chair beside her. "Roman is going to be fine."
Reyes really hoped she was right. Roman was going to be fine. He had to be. Reyes knew he should be the one comforting Eve, and not the other way around. Reyes had felt inadequate and useless a lot of times in his life, but none more than he felt at this very moment.
Reyes heard her suck in a breath and saw her stand. Kate was in the doorway. Reyes and Ranger stood as Kate walked over. She had a grim set to her mouth and she looked exhausted.
"Roman made it out of surgery, but he is in extremely critical condition. The next twenty-four hours are critical." Kate's voice was grim. "I think you should prepare yourself. If Roman has family or friends, now is the time."
"Can I see him?" Eve's voice was barely more than a hoarse whisper. She'd screamed so much she thought she might have permanently damaged her vocal cords.
"They are moving him to a room. I'll come get you when he is settled. Eve, be prepared. He is on a ventilator. Roman is not breathing on his own." Kate nodded to them and turned and walked off, stopping at the door. "I also need to know next of kin or who has medical power of attorney." The implication was clear.
A beat went by. Reyes let out the breath he had been holding and Eve's knees buckled. Both Reyes and Ranger grabbed for her before she hit the ground. Eve reached for Ranger.
Ranger hauled her up against him. "I've got you." He murmured against the top of her head. He held her for a minute until she was steady. She pulled back from him slightly.
"Will you go in with me?" She asked Ranger.
"Yes." Ranger nodded.
Ranger and Reyes locked eyes. Reyes gave him a nod. "I'll check on the medical directive and see where things are with Nikko and Tasha." Reyes told Ranger. It was pretty clear Eve was in good hands, and whatever issue she'd had with Ranger was history, at least for the moment.
A few minutes later, Ranger and Eve went in to see Roman. There were tubes and wires everywhere. Roman was lying there ghostly pale, his chest rising and falling with the machine breathing for him in a rhythmic motion. The steady beep of the monitor and the whooshing sound of the vent were the only sounds in the room.
Eve sat down and took Roman's hand, gently stroking the back of it. He felt cool to the touch, and a shiver went through Eve. It was almost like he was already gone. No warmth, no movement, no color.
"Do you think he can hear me?" Eve asked Ranger.
"I do." Ranger replied. Ranger had no idea if that was true, but he figured there was a chance. Besides it was important for Eve to believe that he could hear all the things Ranger knew she needed to tell him.
Eve talked to Roman about little things. Mainly about the future, about all the things she wanted to do with him when he got better. She told him she'd found the best pancakes in the city, but warned him they would probably have to do a taste test at several places first, just to make sure. Ranger realized he didn't know pancakes were Roman's favorite food.
Ranger realized there was a lot about Roman he didn't know, and there was a lot of life he didn't understand. As he listened to Eve talk, he wondered if Steph were in that bed, would he be sitting here thinking about all the things he never got to do with Steph? All the places they had never gone to? Ranger was a little afraid that was exactly how it would be. He loved Steph, and he loved his life but everything was always about work. Maybe it was time ease back on that throttle, and just go to the beach or take the twins to Disney World and let that stupid song get stuck in his head. Because it was a small world, it just wasn't small in the right way. Maybe it was time to go to Paris and eat macarons in the shadow of the Eifel tower or one of a hundred other fantasies he'd had.
Eve continued to talk to Roman about all the places she wanted to go with him on his boat. Her voice remained upbeat and calm. Ranger had no idea how she did it. No hysterics, no crying, just hope for the future. The only response was the slow beeping of the monitor and the whoosh of the vent.
A couple of hours later, Ranger went out to get an update. Nikko and Nat had been released from custody and had just arrived at the hospital.
Artem had been transported, and they were starting to get information on Uri and Brad.
Uri had been a pretty low-level enforcer with Artem, but high enough to be known to the terrorist task force. No one even knew he was in the country. He'd been at Medatronix over two years, and had been the inside guy. Data thefts went back since before Eve even joined Medatronix. The working theory was Uri accessed the offices when he cleaned and installed malware on the system that allowed remote access and hijacking of credentials. Medatronix had major security gaps that had been exposed, and would need to be addressed. A lot of government types were pretty nervous about all the government contracts that Medatronix had, and how far the breech went. It would probably take months to figure it all out.
It looked like Artem had specifically been interested in Eve's research, and that is what had lured him out of hiding and into the States. Artem had gotten himself a job as the gardener, and he and Uri had been increasing the breadth and frequency of the data theft. A little digging had uncovered the fact the online auctions were just the tip.
The exit plan had been to steal one last batch of data and Eve's research. They had planned to frame Eve, and by the time the dust settled they would be long gone, and if they were lucky no one would even look any further. It had been Uri that reported his suspicions to Marty, that had prompted Marty to launch the investigation into Eve. It had been Uri that had also opened the offshore account in Eve's name. It appeared Marty was just a hapless, sweaty weasel. Marty had hired RangeMan and NNS Global to investigate. Sadly, the plan had almost worked, and it probably would have if Brad hadn't been in the mix.
Brad had been stalking Eve for months, but it looked like his pattern of behavior had escalated significantly in the last month. It was this escalation which had alerted Eve. Brad had somehow managed to get a copy of her house key and had been letting himself into her home on a frequent basis. Apparently, the frequent trips to her office had been a cover for getting her keys and cloning her phone. He had gone into her home, taken articles of clothing and set-up spy cameras. He'd been watching Eve on the cameras for at least a month.
If Eve hadn't contacted Roman because she thought someone was stalking her, Artem's plan would have worked. There were still details coming in on Brad, but Steph was working that angle. They still didn't know why he was outside RangeMan this morning.
Natasha handed Ranger a piece of paper. "Roman's advance medical directive."
Ranger took the paper, and forced himself to look at it. He was terrified he would find a DNR, and he really didn't know if he could hand that over. If he did, they would take Roman off of life support, and he would die. Ranger wasn't really sure he could honor his friend's wishes.
Ranger took a calming breath and read the paper. Instead of a DNR, what he found was a medical power of attorney listing Eve as the decision-maker. Ranger's eyebrows went up and he locked eyes with Natasha.
"Eve has power of attorney? I thought it would be you." Ranger said to Natasha. His mind was whirling. Roman had said he hadn't seen Eve in over fifteen years.
Ranger had just assumed Roman would want Natasha. Roman was closer to her than anybody. Then again, maybe Roman didn't want to put that burden on her precisely because they were so close. Of course, if it were Ranger, he'd be afraid Nat would just unplug him, but he figured Roman was in no danger of that. Maybe Roman knew Nat would never be able to do it. Sometimes it was better to have people that were more objective.
Natasha shrugged. "Look at the date."
Ranger looked at the date. It was dated over fifteen years earlier. Eve had always been the person Roman trusted. RangeMan required employees and contractors to review advance directives on a yearly basis, and every year Roman had been with RangeMan he had certified the accuracy of the document. It hadn't just been an oversight. Every year, Roman had made the decision that Eve was the right person. Ranger felt his gut clench. Eve wasn't just some high school crush.
"Are you going to tell her?" Natasha asked Ranger. "Or do you want me or Reyes to do it?"
Ranger shook his head. "I'll tell her."
Ranger went back in the check on Eve. She was still sitting with Roman, holding his hand. Still just talking to him.
Ranger held out a cup of coffee to her. "Coffee heavy on the cream, no sugar." He said and gave her a small wry smile.
Eve's brow went up a fraction, and she took the coffee. Her hands were shaking so bad, Ranger was afraid she was going to slosh it all over everything. He reached out and took the coffee cup out of her hand and set it on the table.
"Let's go get you something to eat." Ranger knew it sounded more like a command than a suggestion.
"No, I want to stay with Roman." Eve was shaking her head. Ranger could tell she was digging in for a fight.
"Eve, if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be any good to him. He's going to need you when he wakes up. You have to eat something." Ranger tried to make his voice gentle. Eve didn't need Ranger barking orders at her. No, Eve needed a friend, and Ranger knew he was probably the dead last person she thought of as a friend. Maybe he should get Nikko or Reyes or just about anybody else but him.
"But what if he wakes up while I'm gone and I'm not here?" She sounded small and afraid.
Ranger knew what she really meant was what if he dies and I'm not here.
"Roman is heavily sedated. He's not going to wake-up right now, and that's OK. His body needs time to rest and heal. Nat and Reyes will sit with him. If anything changes, they will let us know. We will be just down the hall."
Ranger held out his hand to her. Eve contemplated it for a minute and finally reached out. Ranger let out a thankful breath. He really wasn't sure she would agree to leave the room, let alone go with him. Ranger guided her out of the room and down to the cafeteria. Natasha and Reyes went to sit with Roman.
Ranger sat Eve down at one of the tables. She had that dazed, faraway look that he'd seen so many times in the aftermath of battle.
"I'm not really hungry" she suddenly said. Almost like she was surprised to find that she was in the cafeteria, and wasn't exactly sure how she'd gotten there.
"I know, but you have to eat something. Just five bites, and then I'll leave you alone."
Eve just looked at him with that blank stare that said she thought he had probably said something stupid, but she didn't have the energy to call him on it. Ranger went to get her something. He figured she didn't much care what it was, because he doubted, she would be able to taste it anyway.
Ranger brought back a sandwich and a bottle of water and handed it to her. "Eat."
Eve looked at the sandwich, and that back at him. Ranger made a note to himself that telling her to eat was probably not the way to get her to eat. You would think by now he would have figured that out.
"Please" he said.
Eve unwrapped the sandwich. She didn't really much care what it was at this point, but she figured she should have told him she was a vegetarian, but really who gave a shit right now. Roman was clinging to life, worrying about dietary restrictions seemed silly. Eve was surprised. It was some sort of veggie sandwich. She quirked her lip. So, Ranger, the not actually a psycho, was a lot more observant than she would have guessed.
Eve took a few bites, and put the sandwich down.
"That's three. You promised me five. Two more." Ranger said and nodded his head toward the sandwich. Ranger was using his best stern, dad voice.
Eve gave him the look that said really. "Does that actually work with your twins?" She was actually kind of curious. The one thing she thought Ranger, the not actually a psycho, was really good at was being a parent.
Ranger smiled. "Alexander yes, Viv not so much."
Eve gave him a weak smile back and nodded her head. She gave him a look that said she kind of figured that was the case, and Ranger clearly didn't know jack about women. Eve picked up the sandwich and ate the rest of it. All of it because Ranger had asked her to eat, and he had said please. It was weird, yesterday she probably would have done the opposite. If Ranger had told her to do something, it was the last thing on earth she would have done, but Ranger had been a rock through all of this and he still was. Even though Eve knew Ranger was hurting just as much as she was.
"Eve, I'm sorry about the way I treated you." Ranger didn't really know what else to say. Sorry didn't even begin to cut it, but he figured it was a start.
Eve shrugged. "I was being set-up. I looked, guilty. What were you supposed to think?" There was no bitterness or accusation in her voice, just an acceptance of fact.
Ranger knew he didn't deserve to get off that easy. "I should have been more objective, and not made snap judgements. I also should have trusted Roman. I should have known that Roman wouldn't be in love with a woman who wasn't good, honest, and kind." And that was the truth. Looking back, he was surprised Roman hadn't done more that just deck him. Roman could have gone to war with him, but Roman knew Eve was innocent, and he had trusted his friends to prove it. Roman had trusted him.
Eve's eyes filled with tears. She wasn't so sure that Roman was in love with her, but it was a really nice thing to say.
Eve shook her head. "What if this is it? What if he dies?" Tears started to spill over. Ranger took his thumbs and wiped them away. Ranger didn't say anything, because he didn't know what to say. The horrifying truth was Roman might die. They sat together for a few minutes. Neither saying anything.
Ranger took out the piece of paper and handed it to her. "You are Roman's medical power of attorney. Decisions about his care fall to you."
Ranger knew that was a lot to drop on her, so he tried to make it as matter-of-fact as he could. Like it happened every day that you found out your childhood sweetheart that you hadn't seen in fifteen years, that was gunned down by your stalker, gave you life and death decisions.
Eve's startled eyes locked with Rangers. "Why? I don't know Roman. I don't know what he would want. It had been fifteen years." Her questions were rapid fire and tinged with hysteria and disbelief.
Ranger shook his head. "Eve that's not true. You know Roman better than any of us. Including me. Roman trusted you. This is what he wanted."
Eve was shaking her head. "I'm sure it was just a holdover, a mistake. I'm sure this isn't what he would have wanted." How could it be she thought. People changed. She'd known Roman for seven years, he'd been gone for fifteen. He'd been gone from her life twice as long as she had known him. No, it simply wasn't possible. It was a mistake. It should be one of these other people that clearly cared about him. That clearly knew him a lot better than she did.
"No, it is current. Roman certified the accuracy of the document just a few months ago. It is what he wanted." Ranger held her gaze.
Eve took a deep breath and blew it out. "But what if I make the wrong choice?" He could hear the fear in her voice. The uncertainty. The enormity of it all.
"There are no wrong choices. Roman trusted you to do what was right. Whatever that is, it will be the right thing. Just trust yourself." Ranger didn't know what else to say. One of the things he admired about Eve was her ability to deal with things as they were, not as she wished they were. She would find the strength and she would do this. Ranger didn't have any doubt about that.
"Will you help me? Eve asked.
"Eve, I'm here for you to talk to, but ultimately it has to be your decision." Ranger put his hand on Eve's "And I know you will make the right one." And, that was the thing. Ranger knew Eve would make the right decision for Roman. He just hoped she could live with it, if it came down to it.
Eve wasn't so sure that was true. How could she ever make any decision that would end Roman's life. She just kept looking at the paper like it was a two-headed snake, thinking surely it was a mistake.
A few minutes later, Stephanie came into the cafeteria. It was clear she was looking for them.
Stephanie gave Eve a quick hug. "I have some information about Brad, and some questions."
Stephanie threw Ranger a look that said it was better if she talked to Eve alone.
Ranger squeezed Eve's hand. "I'll go sit with Roman. I'll let you know if anything changes." Ranger got up, gave Stephanie a quick kiss, and left.
Stephanie sat down with Eve. She knew this was going to be hard for her to hear, but in Stephanie's experience knowing the truth, no matter how painful, was better than being kept in the dark. Even if people thought they were protecting you.
"Stephanie, I didn't get a chance to thank you. If it hadn't been for you, Uri would have killed me."
Yeah, Stephanie thought it was probably a miracle he hadn't. Stephanie had seen the resignation in Eve's eyes when Uri had her at knifepoint. It was pretty clear she thought she was going to die. Stephanie knew when Eve told her not to put the gun down and not to let Uri get away with it, that Eve was going to do something stupid. That she was going to sacrifice herself to give Stephanie a shot.
That was not something Stephanie could let Eve do. She'd watched in horror as Eve had twisted and dropped yanking Uri off balance. There had been both luck and skill to the shot that Stephanie took. It could have gone either way, but fortunately her aim had been true. Uri had been dead and half his brain missing before he could stab Eve. It had been an incredibly brave and stupid move on Eve's part.
"I'm sorry he cut you. How's the arm?" Stephanie asked instead. She figured neither of them needed to talk about the part where Eve had almost died or the fact Eve never expected Stephanie to take out Uri before he stabbed her.
"It's OK." Eve said and looked down at her arm, like she'd forgotten. Stephanie figured it wasn't the thing that was really weighing on her mind.
"Eve, I have some information on Brad." Stephanie and took a deep breath. All of this was causing Stephanie to flash back to the Tasty Pastry freak. "It looks like Brad had been stalking you for months. He had been using a copy of your house key to get into your house. He set-up webcams."
Stephanie could see Eve go pale. "He was watching me?"
"Yes. We also found articles of your clothing and other things we think he took from your house. He had hundreds of images of you."
"Are you saying he stole my underwear?" Eve looked genuinely horrified. "Where were the webcams?"
Stephanie winced. "He had one in your bedroom. I'm sorry. I know this is a terrible violation."
Eve wished she hadn't of eaten that sandwich. She felt like she might throw-up. Brad had been in her house and spying on her. Watching her sleep. Watching her undress. Oh god.
"All of this because I went out with him once?" Eve shook her head like she was trying to process the horror of it all. "God, so this is all my fault." She whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
"No! This is definitely not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't do anything to encourage him." Stephanie knew the guilt that came along with having a stalker. You ferreted through your mind looking at every word, every interaction thinking you must have done something. But the truth was, it usually didn't have anything to do with you.
"But I went to dinner with him." Stephanie thought it was such a sad commentary on the world that Eve genuinely believed she was at fault simply because she had gone out to dinner with Brad. She had eaten a meal, split the check, and called it a night thinking it was nothing more than one of a hundred bad dates. Now, she was blaming herself. That somehow agreeing to go to dinner was leading Brad on. Stephanie understood the tendency, but the truth was this was all on Brad.
"That doesn't matter that doesn't give him a license to do this. It doesn't make this your fault. Brad was sick. Believe me, anything can trigger guys like this." The look on Eve's face said she clearly didn't believe what Stephanie was saying.
"Listen to me Eve, I know what I'm talking about. I was stalked and abducted, and the only thing I did was buy donuts from the guy. They make-up an entire fantasy in their head. It's not real, and it's definitely not your fault."
Stephanie waited and let her absorb that.
"You were stalked and abducted? I'm sorry. That's just awful. Did he hurt you?" Genuine concern was evident in Eve's voice.
"Yes, he cut me up and he shot me. I kept trying to make sense of it, but the truth was it didn't make sense. He was just sick." Stephanie shrugged.
Eve reached out and squeezed Stephanie's hand.
"There's more." Stephanie continued. She didn't want a trip down memory lane, where the Tasty Pastry freak was at the end so she forged on.
Eve wasn't sure she wanted to hear more, but she forced herself to focus.
"We believe when Brad saw you with Roman, it set him off. You had ditched your phone and you were not staying at your house. He'd lost track of you. Lost control of you. He was waiting for you last night at Medatronix. He had duct tape, rope, a shovel, and gasoline in his trunk. We think he planned to kidnap you, and maybe kill you. We believe he followed you to RangeMan from Medatronix and waited."
After they had captured Artem, no one was really paying any attention for other bad guys. No one was looking for a tail. It would have been easy for Brad to have followed them back to RangeMan. They had all been too complacent.
"Oh god, so it's my fault that Roman got shot. That Roman might die."
"No, it's not your fault." Stephanie reassured her again. She knew it would take time for Eve to believe that, if she ever did.
"But I put Roman in Brad's path. Brad was obsessed with me." Eve's voice trailed off. "It would have been better if Uri had just killed me. Then Roman would be OK." Eve got up and raced out of the cafeteria. She needed some air.
Stephanie watched her go. She understood the guilt, but she didn't know how to help her. How to make her understand it wasn't her fault at all. Brad was a sick twist, and sometimes there was no rhyme or reason to that. Sometimes bad things just happened.
The minutes and the hours continued to click by. They took turns sitting with Roman. On day two Ranger brought some of Roman's books to Eve, and she sat with him and read to him. Ranger sat with Eve, and made her eat. Ranger didn't know what else to do. He figured that was the least he could do for Roman. He could make sure Eve was OK, because Ranger knew that is what Roman would have wanted.
On day three Ranger brought Eve a bag and handed it to her. "You need to shower." Ranger told Eve.
"No, I need to stay with Roman." Eve replied.
"Eve, honey, you need to take a shower. You stink." Ranger was using his matter-of-fact voice. Eve's eyes whipped up to Ranger. She narrowed her eyes at him. Ranger just raised his eyebrow back.
Eve shrugged. "You always did say the nicest things." She quipped. Ranger's lip twitched up.
Eve opened the bag. It was a bag of clean clothes and underwear along with some basic toiletries.
"Did you go to my house and get these? Eve's voice was neutral.
"Yes." Ranger confirmed.
"You went through my underwear?" Eve squeaked. It felt like a lot of people had been going through her underwear lately.
Ranger just gave her a pointed look. Oh, right she thought, Ranger had seen a lot more than her underwear. Eve blushed, and Ranger looked uncomfortable.
"Thanks." Eve mumbled and went off to take a shower.
When she got back, Kate and a nurse were in with Roman. Eve was panicked and went racing towards the room. Ranger caught her and hauled her back.
"What's wrong!" What's happened?" Eve hissed as she struggled to get free. What was it with Ranger and those arms that were so strong they felt like steel bands gripping her, holding her motionless?
"Easy, it is a good thing." Ranger gave her a little shake to get her attention. Eve was breathing hard and it was clear she was having a hard time focusing.
Ranger took her face between his hands. "Eve, look at me." Ranger waited until she focused on him. "Roman is breathing on his own. They are taking him off the vent."
Ranger saw relief wash over her and she sagged against him. "I thought he… I thought." Eve's voice trailed off.
"I know." Ranger turned her around and pushed her to the waiting room.
An hour later, Kate came in and told them Roman was breathing on his own, and they had lightened the sedation. Roman was still in a coma, and Kate cautioned them he might never wake up. Roman's injuries had been extensive. The bullets had punctured his lung, nicked his kidney and perforated his liver. He had suffered substantial blood loss and cardiac arrest. The fact he had been in a coma this long was concerning, but now it was wait and see. Recovery from a coma was unpredictable at best.
And so, the days went by. Nikko, Natasha, Reyes, and Stephanie took turns sitting with Roman. Eve was a constant, and Ranger managed Eve. Because that was something Ranger could do. He couldn't make Roman better and he couldn't fix his mistakes, but he could look after Eve. That is something he could do for Roman. He could take care of Eve until Roman woke up and could take care of her himself. He would take care of Eve, just like Roman had taken care of Steph.
Eve and Ranger fell into an easy rhythm, initially bonded over their guilt and grief, then over their love for Roman, and finally over an easy friendship that had been born out of adversity. Ranger took turns with Eve reading to Roman. Ranger made sure Eve took a break, ate, showered and didn't go completely crazy worrying over Roman. Sometimes Ranger and Eve just talked about everything and nothing, and sometimes they just sat together. Praying Roman would wake up. But Roman didn't wake up.
As one week turned into two, the doctors talked to Eve about moving Roman to long-term care. They thought it was unlikely Roman would ever regain consciousness. The extent of his injuries and the cardiac arrest had been severe. The longer he remained in a coma, the less likely it was that he would wake-up. After a week, they told Eve he had about a three percent chance of regaining consciousness. Eve figured they didn't know Roman, because if anyone could beat the odds it would be him. Eve refused to give up. Instead, she kept reading to him and helped with his physical therapy.
Eve was sitting in the recliner, dozing. She was in that half asleep, half-awake state when she heard a voice. It sounded like Roman's voice so she knew she must be dreaming.
"Tortola" the voice said. "That's where I want to sail first."
Eve opened her eyes and looked over. Roman was looking at her. He seemed alert and focused, but it was possible it was just spontaneous eye opening. That had happened before. Eve knew not to get too excited. He'd squeezed her hand, he had opened his eyes, he had groaned, yet the doctors assured her he was still in a coma and couldn't comprehend his surroundings or hear her voice.
"You asked me where I thought we should sail to first. Tortola." Roman repeated and gave her a weak smile.
It was the most beautiful thing Eve had ever seen.
"I love you Eve. Now help me sit up. We have a lot of time to make-up for, and a lot of babies to make."
Relief and disbelief were washing over Eve in equal parts. Roman had heard her. He had heard all of it. She had told him all her hopes and dreams, and she had told him every day that she loved him. She just never thought he would hear her or ever say it back. She knew tears were streaming down her face, and she was in the middle of an ugly cry, but she couldn't help it. Roman was awake, and he was talking. He still had a lot of recovery in front of him, but Roman was going to be OK. And, Roman had just said he loved her.
"Hold on there, cowboy, one thing at a time." Eve laughed. But all of that sounded good to her, and she was pretty sure they had already started on one of those things.
"Pancakes. I'm pretty sure you promised me pancakes first." Eve was grinning at him.