Ok, you know the drill…I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of its characters
or storylines. Please don't sue me. It would be a waste of your time,
anyway, unless you want a temperamental and occasionally demonically
possessed computer, because it's about all I own outright.
Ok, friends, this is a really, really long chapter. Enjoy!
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Gordo watched as the Paramedics wheeled Lizzie into the hospital. Matt had told him that as far as they knew, she wasn't very badly injured, but you wouldn't know it to look at her. He could see cuts and scrapes all over her face and arms, which was the only skin that was exposed, and bruises were beginning to show. Presumably from all the scrub and brush she had hit on the way down, there were probably more all over her body. She had an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, and an IV tube running from her right hand to a drip stand that one of the Paramedics wheeled along with the stretcher. He swallowed and felt a hard lump in his throat. Her hair was still messed and matted from the mud of the riverbed, and she wore a hospital gown. "Oh, god, my beautiful angel," he muttered sadly.
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With Matt's announcement, Gordo had jumped out of bed, dressed in less than a minute, hurriedly scribbled a note for his parents, and then bolted for the car. Matt tried to fill him in with as much as he knew on the way to the hospital. He told him that Lizzie had fallen over a 30-foot cliff the night before, and had been taken to the emergency station where she had been checked out and was being transported to the local hospital by ambulance. Jo and Sam hadn't gone to the emergency station because they were told that by the time they got there, Lizzie would already be on the way to the hospital at home. So, they spent the rest of the night pacing, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. They finally woke Matt when they got a call that the ambulance was about 5 miles away, and told him what happened, and then Matt went to tell Gordo. As far as he knew, Lizzie was ok except for a couple of broken ribs and a swollen ankle, but they hadn't been able to do an MRI on her yet.
When they arrived, the ambulance was just pulling into the parking lot, so they parked and ran over to meet Jo and Sam. Kate's parents were there, too, but no one was talking as they all stood and watched as the Paramedics unloaded two stretchers. First came Kate, and then Lizzie. Both had their eyes closed, but Kate was only sleeping. Lizzie had yet to regain consciousness.
The whole party followed the stretchers into the hospital, and after what seemed an eternity, got the girls admitted and into rooms. There was a little confusion when a large, especially formidable looking dark haired man showed up wearing a dark suit and dark glasses. He insisted that Senor Giuliani would be covering all charges, and that no expense should be spared, especially for Lizzie. She should be given a private room, and the very best one available.
Quite alarmed by this, Sam demanded to know who this "man he had never heard of" was, and why he was being so generous toward his daughter? The large man, who said his name was Antonio, revealed that Senor Giuliani was the father of Anna, the girl Lizzie had rescued along with Kate.
In the end, Lizzie did get a VIP room, but one with two beds in it so Kate could be put in there, too. It also had a small waiting room connected to it with two comfortable couches and some chairs, and a lovely bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi bathtub. Except for the drip stands and tubes attached to various parts of Lizzie's body, it could have been mistaken for a nice suite at some exclusive spa.
The doctor told them that although Kate was quite bruised and battered from the assaults by her kidnappers, nothing was broken or bleeding internally. They wanted to keep her overnight for observation, but fully expected to be able to release her in the morning.
Lizzie was cleaned up and taken to the MRI almost immediately. When she was returned to the room, the doctor spoke with Jo and Sam, with Matt and Gordo hanging around within earshot.
"We can't find any damage other than what we had previously assessed. It's amazing, considering how far she fell, but stranger things have happened. We can't fully assess any head or spinal injuries she might have, thought, until she regains consciousness."
Sam raked his hand through his hair. "So, when will that be? How long should she be…out?"
Dr. Kiki hated questions like this. She would love to tell families that all would be ok, that their loved ones would be awake and back to fighting with their siblings in no time. But, those answers weren't honest, and she couldn't give them false confidence. "I'm sorry, there is no way of knowing that. She could wake up any minute now, or in the next couple of days. But I will warn you that sometimes people stay in a comatose state for weeks, months, even years. Some never wake up." She noted the alarmed looks on the four faces, and quickly added, "Those cases are rare. It just depends on the shock to the brain. She did fall from quite a distance."
Matt smiled weakly, "Well, Lizzie has a really hard head. She should be just fine!"
Dr. Kiki went on, "Unfortunately, the longer she remains in a coma, the greater the chances are for mental degeneration, and the lower the chances for her coming out of it." She watched their frightened faces with empathy, and knew she had to give them something to hold on to; something to give them some feeling of control so they wouldn't feel so helpless. "So, the sooner she wakes up, the better, and you all can help with that. Try to talk to her several times a day, ideally every hour you are here. Just talk about what is going on, maybe with your family, or at school, or local news. Anything that she might recognize subconsciously, and react to."
Matt quipped, "No problem there! Miranda should be here any time now! She'll do the job for all of us!"
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On Saturday night, Gordo was seated beside Lizzie's bed, where he had been ever since they had put her there. He seated himself on the left side, so he wouldn't be in anyone's way or be asked to move. There had been lots of visitors in and out all day long, but now the room was quiet. It was almost midnight, and Matt and his parents were asleep on the couches and lounge chairs in the adjoining room. He, too, was exhausted, and had been told to use the hospital bed that Kate had vacated, but he just couldn't sleep yet. Kate had been released earlier, but not before the police had come to take a statement from her. The story she told them made Gordo's skin crawl, thinking of what might have happened to Lizzie if she had been caught. And what might have happened to Kate. He didn't like her, but he wouldn't wish any of that anyone.
He gazed at his sleeping angel, and took her hand in both of his. "Lizzie, Sweetheart, please wake up. I can't go on without you. Any future seems pointless if you're not in it." He watched her scarred, but still beautiful, face. Her hair had been washed of all the mud, and now hung softly around her face. "Come on. Please! Please wake up for me…for us. I've waited so long for us to be together; please don't leave me now. There is so much I want to do together." He felt the tears well in his eyes, and he turned his eyes heavenward, "Please, please, I'll do what ever you want me to do, just please let her wake up, and please let her be ok." He sat there and prayed until he finally dropped off to sleep.
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The first thing Lizzie saw when she opened her eyes on Sunday morning was her brother's lanky form sprawled in a chair next to her bed.
Wait, check that ~ not * her * bed. And this was definitely not her room. She started to lift her hands to rub her eyes and noticed that there was a tube coming out of her right hand. Hmmm… also some tubes coming out of her nose. She shut her eyes hard and then opened them again. Yup, definitely a hospital room, but a very nice one. And there were flowers everywhere. Wait! Was this a morgue? "Am I dead?" she thought. No, wait, they would hardly be giving her oxygen if she were dead. She tried to remember what had happened to bring her here. Something pretty bad, she was sure, because every bit of her body ached.
She closed her eyes again, and it started to come back to her. She remembered a fire, the sound of the raging flames, running through the dark woods, shouting, being chased, the rain making the ground slippery, and then the ground not being there. Why had she been there? Then, in alarm, she shrieked, "Oh, no! Where's Kate?"
Matt, who had been watching TV with headphones on, heard Lizzie cry out and instantly came to life. "Whoa, Sis! You're awake! How are you?"
"Umm, you tell me."
"You're amazingly well. You fell a long way, but you obviously didn't die, or even break much. A couple of broken ribs, and a swollen ankle, but other than that, you seem to be ok. We were just waiting for you to come out of your coma, to see if you have any brian damage. I mean, other than what you already had!"
Lizzie tried to punch him in the arm, but remembered a little too late that her hand had a large needle and a tube sticking out of it. Ouch! Bad idea. "Ha, ha!"
"So, other than just trying to rip the IV out of your hand, how do you feel?"
"Hmmm…Like I've been run over by a steam roller. I feel like I broke everything."
"Yeah, they haven't given you much to kill the pain, because they wanted you to wake up. They said the sooner you did, the better." He suddenly lurched forward and hugged her, ignoring the tubes. "I was really worried about you, Sis! I didn't know you moonlighted as a Superhero! Where's your cape?"
Lizzie cringed, "Matt, thanks for caring. But be careful, ok! That hurt!"
He flopped back down on his chair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just so glad…"
"S'ok. So, where is Kate? And…I remember another girl…"
"Well, Kate got out of here yesterday. She didn't fall off a cliff, you know! They just kept her overnight for observation. She said to call her as soon as you woke up. As for that other girl, Whoa! I bet you have no idea what you did when you rescued her! She was kidnapped and had been missing for months. They were holding her for ransom, but they kept upping the amount they were asking for, making them pay just to keep her alive and unmolested. Her family is from Sicily, and is really loaded, and they have these big bodyguards who wear really dark glasses. Her dad is really grateful for what you did and is trying to buy this wing of the hospital for you, among other things."
This was much too much for Lizzie to process in her current state. "But, is she ok?"
"Yeah, she's ok. They didn't mess with her much, I guess because they wanted to make sure Daddy kept paying. There's one of those big, dark guys outside in the lounge, waiting for you to wake up so the family can come and thank you. About half of these flowers are from them."
"Where's everyone else? Mom, Dad…Gordo?"
Matt let out a small laugh, "Sis, you really are out of it!" He indicated the left side of her bed, where a dark curly head rested on crossed arms next to her hip. "Poor guy! We haven't been able to chase him out of here since they brought you in. Well, we did get him to go take a shower yesterday, but that was only because we convinced him that you weren't going to want to wake up to a smelly boyfriend. But he was back in half an hour. And he's hardly eaten anything! I think this is the first time he's slept for more than an hour. "
"Oh, wow! Gordo hasn't eaten? I must be worse off than you're telling me! Am I going to die?"
Matt grinned at her, "Yeah, Sis, you're gonna die. But not today, or for about 90 years. Everybody dies. Anyway, Dad went out about 10 minutes ago to find some coffee, and Mom went to get us some real food. We wanted something other than hospital food for a change."
"Miranda?"
"She's not here yet this morning. She and Danny stayed pretty late last night. They wouldn't let her come home with you because there wasn't room in the ambulance, so Danny drove up and got her on Friday. She's been her most of the time since then, too."
"So, what about those guys that had Kate…"
They were interrupted by Nurse Gina, on her rounds to take vital signs. When she saw that Lizzie was conscious, she gasped, "Oh, you're awake! That's great!" She mildly scolded Matt, "Why didn't you call anyone, young man?" She was about 42, motherly, and had become quite fond of the McGuires and their extended family.
"Sorry, Nurse Gina! She just woke up a few minutes ago."
"I'll call the doctor," she said, and turned to leave. "Oh, she's out here! Dr. Kiki, she's awake!"
The doctor, dark haired and olive skinned, entered the room with a pleasant smile. "This is very good! How are you feeling, Lizzie?"
Lizzie gave her a small, wry smile (even her facial muscles were sore), and said, "Like I just fell off a cliff."
The doctor chuckled, and told her that as soon as she finished examining Lizzie, she would have the nurse bring her some pain medication. Matt said, "I think I'll go find Dad."
The doctor checked her vitals, looked in her eyes, poked and prodded, checked reflexes, and made a few notes. Then she pronounced Lizzie as being, "very good," and turned her attention to the still sleeping Gordo. "That's quite a devoted boyfriend you have there. Have you been together for a long time?"
"No, he's really only been my boyfriend for about a week, and I've been gone for most of it. But he's been my best friend ever since we were babies."
"Well, he has been extreemly worried. He seems like a very good man."
Lizzie smiled, and stroked his unkempt curls, "The best."
Matt slipped back into the room and sat down. Dr. Kiki continued, "You know, you're a very lucky young woman. Most people don't survive a fall of that height, and if they do, they usually have a lot more broken bones. The ones who come out the best are those who are totally relaxed, either from being drunk or from using narcotics." She paused when she saw the horrified look on Lizzie's face. "Don't worry, there were no traces of any of those things in your blood. We have to test. It's just so unusual that you should come out of that fall so unscathed."
Lizzie winced, "I don't feel unscathed." Then, almost absent-mindedly, "It was Gordo." Her face registered surprise right after she said it, as if she herself didn't know where that last statement had come from.
Dr. Kiki looked at her inquiringly. "You mean you lived for him?"
Lizzie squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head to try to remember what made her say such a thing. Her temples throbbed, and she brought her hands up to rub them. Dr. Kiki said gently, "It's ok, Lizzie, you can think of it later. Don't strain yourself."
Meanwhile, Gordo registered that someone had said his name, and that it was someone important. Then he realized it had been Lizzie, and that she was finally awake. He looked up to see Lizzie concentrating, unaware of him, totally focused on what she was trying to recall.
"It's ok. I remember. At least some of it." When she looked up she said, "I know it must have happed almost instantly. Me falling and then hitting the ground, I mean. But to me, it seemed to take forever, like I was Alice in Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole. It was really dark, and raining, but then suddenly the moon broke through the clouds, and I heard Gordo's voice. He said, "Goodnight, Beautiful. I love you and I can't wait till you're back in my arms where you belong." And then I knew everything would be all right. That's the last thing I remember. I don't even remember hitting the ground."
A chill ran down Gordo's spine when she said that, and he finally spoke, "Lizzie… I said that every night to the moon."
"Whoa!" Matt shivered. "Weird!"
After the doctor finished her examination, and the nurse administered the promised pain meds, Matt decided that three was a crowd. He said something about going to see where Mom was with the food, and wandered out.
Gordo took Lizzie's hand into his, and the two just sat gazing into each other's eyes for what seemed an eternity, as if to convince themselves that this was real ~ that they were not dreaming. Finally, Gordo moved his hands to the cup her face, and he murmured, "Oh, god, you're awake. You're finally awake!" And with that said, he kissed her lips softly, carefully so not to cause her pain, but still with all the passion he felt in his soul. Lizzie, in turn, stroked his face with her hands, and returned his kisses with enthusiasm, ignoring her pain. In fact, thanks to the meds, the pain was finally starting to fade. Gordo moved his attention to her face, where he kissed each cut, each scrape, each bruise gently, before moving back to her mouth. Lizzie closed her eyes, as a small whimper of bliss escaped her lips. Their mouths rejoined in a perfect pas de deux, bonding their hearts and melding their souls.
Breathless, they finally pulled apart, and Gordo smiled at her. "I can't believe you're finally here with me. I have prayed so hard for the last couple of days. More than in my entire life! I made God all kinds of promises if you would wake up and be ok." He stopped, thought, and a slightly concerned look crossed his face. "Umm, do you think you would mind being the wife of a Rabbi?"
Lizzie lifted her brows, and questioned, "Wife?"
"Well, you know, in a few years maybe…I mean, I thought ~ well, hoped…"
Lizzie laughed and cut him off with a kiss. "No, I wouldn't mind being the wife of a Rabbi. But I don't think that's what God wants of you. He gave you a real talent with the camera, and I would think he expects you to use that talent, not to waste it."
"Lizzie, I love you."
With the drugs doing their job, Lizzie's pain was almost gone, and it was now replaced by a content feeling that warmed her whole body. "I know, Gordo. I love you, too."
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A/N Ok, this would probably be a good time to end this one, but I'm not done with it yet. I mean, what about those guys who kidnapped Kate ~ where are they? And what happened to Kate that day that got her abducted in the first place? And what about this Anna, and her family? And, most importantly, what will happen to Lizzie and Gordo now, and when will he give her the ring he's making for her? Want to know? I will keep writing, because I love to, but please be kind and leave me a review! They make my day!
Oh, btw, for those who think that Lizzie falling off a 30 foot cliff and surviving almost unscathed is unrealistic, I have an even more fantastic, but absolutely true story. That very thing happened to a member of my immediate family. He actually went over a 30 foot cliff, but he was absolutely unharmed. NO broken bones, NO scrapes, not even a bruise! He did lose his glasses, but that was it.
Ok, friends, this is a really, really long chapter. Enjoy!
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Gordo watched as the Paramedics wheeled Lizzie into the hospital. Matt had told him that as far as they knew, she wasn't very badly injured, but you wouldn't know it to look at her. He could see cuts and scrapes all over her face and arms, which was the only skin that was exposed, and bruises were beginning to show. Presumably from all the scrub and brush she had hit on the way down, there were probably more all over her body. She had an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, and an IV tube running from her right hand to a drip stand that one of the Paramedics wheeled along with the stretcher. He swallowed and felt a hard lump in his throat. Her hair was still messed and matted from the mud of the riverbed, and she wore a hospital gown. "Oh, god, my beautiful angel," he muttered sadly.
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With Matt's announcement, Gordo had jumped out of bed, dressed in less than a minute, hurriedly scribbled a note for his parents, and then bolted for the car. Matt tried to fill him in with as much as he knew on the way to the hospital. He told him that Lizzie had fallen over a 30-foot cliff the night before, and had been taken to the emergency station where she had been checked out and was being transported to the local hospital by ambulance. Jo and Sam hadn't gone to the emergency station because they were told that by the time they got there, Lizzie would already be on the way to the hospital at home. So, they spent the rest of the night pacing, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. They finally woke Matt when they got a call that the ambulance was about 5 miles away, and told him what happened, and then Matt went to tell Gordo. As far as he knew, Lizzie was ok except for a couple of broken ribs and a swollen ankle, but they hadn't been able to do an MRI on her yet.
When they arrived, the ambulance was just pulling into the parking lot, so they parked and ran over to meet Jo and Sam. Kate's parents were there, too, but no one was talking as they all stood and watched as the Paramedics unloaded two stretchers. First came Kate, and then Lizzie. Both had their eyes closed, but Kate was only sleeping. Lizzie had yet to regain consciousness.
The whole party followed the stretchers into the hospital, and after what seemed an eternity, got the girls admitted and into rooms. There was a little confusion when a large, especially formidable looking dark haired man showed up wearing a dark suit and dark glasses. He insisted that Senor Giuliani would be covering all charges, and that no expense should be spared, especially for Lizzie. She should be given a private room, and the very best one available.
Quite alarmed by this, Sam demanded to know who this "man he had never heard of" was, and why he was being so generous toward his daughter? The large man, who said his name was Antonio, revealed that Senor Giuliani was the father of Anna, the girl Lizzie had rescued along with Kate.
In the end, Lizzie did get a VIP room, but one with two beds in it so Kate could be put in there, too. It also had a small waiting room connected to it with two comfortable couches and some chairs, and a lovely bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi bathtub. Except for the drip stands and tubes attached to various parts of Lizzie's body, it could have been mistaken for a nice suite at some exclusive spa.
The doctor told them that although Kate was quite bruised and battered from the assaults by her kidnappers, nothing was broken or bleeding internally. They wanted to keep her overnight for observation, but fully expected to be able to release her in the morning.
Lizzie was cleaned up and taken to the MRI almost immediately. When she was returned to the room, the doctor spoke with Jo and Sam, with Matt and Gordo hanging around within earshot.
"We can't find any damage other than what we had previously assessed. It's amazing, considering how far she fell, but stranger things have happened. We can't fully assess any head or spinal injuries she might have, thought, until she regains consciousness."
Sam raked his hand through his hair. "So, when will that be? How long should she be…out?"
Dr. Kiki hated questions like this. She would love to tell families that all would be ok, that their loved ones would be awake and back to fighting with their siblings in no time. But, those answers weren't honest, and she couldn't give them false confidence. "I'm sorry, there is no way of knowing that. She could wake up any minute now, or in the next couple of days. But I will warn you that sometimes people stay in a comatose state for weeks, months, even years. Some never wake up." She noted the alarmed looks on the four faces, and quickly added, "Those cases are rare. It just depends on the shock to the brain. She did fall from quite a distance."
Matt smiled weakly, "Well, Lizzie has a really hard head. She should be just fine!"
Dr. Kiki went on, "Unfortunately, the longer she remains in a coma, the greater the chances are for mental degeneration, and the lower the chances for her coming out of it." She watched their frightened faces with empathy, and knew she had to give them something to hold on to; something to give them some feeling of control so they wouldn't feel so helpless. "So, the sooner she wakes up, the better, and you all can help with that. Try to talk to her several times a day, ideally every hour you are here. Just talk about what is going on, maybe with your family, or at school, or local news. Anything that she might recognize subconsciously, and react to."
Matt quipped, "No problem there! Miranda should be here any time now! She'll do the job for all of us!"
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On Saturday night, Gordo was seated beside Lizzie's bed, where he had been ever since they had put her there. He seated himself on the left side, so he wouldn't be in anyone's way or be asked to move. There had been lots of visitors in and out all day long, but now the room was quiet. It was almost midnight, and Matt and his parents were asleep on the couches and lounge chairs in the adjoining room. He, too, was exhausted, and had been told to use the hospital bed that Kate had vacated, but he just couldn't sleep yet. Kate had been released earlier, but not before the police had come to take a statement from her. The story she told them made Gordo's skin crawl, thinking of what might have happened to Lizzie if she had been caught. And what might have happened to Kate. He didn't like her, but he wouldn't wish any of that anyone.
He gazed at his sleeping angel, and took her hand in both of his. "Lizzie, Sweetheart, please wake up. I can't go on without you. Any future seems pointless if you're not in it." He watched her scarred, but still beautiful, face. Her hair had been washed of all the mud, and now hung softly around her face. "Come on. Please! Please wake up for me…for us. I've waited so long for us to be together; please don't leave me now. There is so much I want to do together." He felt the tears well in his eyes, and he turned his eyes heavenward, "Please, please, I'll do what ever you want me to do, just please let her wake up, and please let her be ok." He sat there and prayed until he finally dropped off to sleep.
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The first thing Lizzie saw when she opened her eyes on Sunday morning was her brother's lanky form sprawled in a chair next to her bed.
Wait, check that ~ not * her * bed. And this was definitely not her room. She started to lift her hands to rub her eyes and noticed that there was a tube coming out of her right hand. Hmmm… also some tubes coming out of her nose. She shut her eyes hard and then opened them again. Yup, definitely a hospital room, but a very nice one. And there were flowers everywhere. Wait! Was this a morgue? "Am I dead?" she thought. No, wait, they would hardly be giving her oxygen if she were dead. She tried to remember what had happened to bring her here. Something pretty bad, she was sure, because every bit of her body ached.
She closed her eyes again, and it started to come back to her. She remembered a fire, the sound of the raging flames, running through the dark woods, shouting, being chased, the rain making the ground slippery, and then the ground not being there. Why had she been there? Then, in alarm, she shrieked, "Oh, no! Where's Kate?"
Matt, who had been watching TV with headphones on, heard Lizzie cry out and instantly came to life. "Whoa, Sis! You're awake! How are you?"
"Umm, you tell me."
"You're amazingly well. You fell a long way, but you obviously didn't die, or even break much. A couple of broken ribs, and a swollen ankle, but other than that, you seem to be ok. We were just waiting for you to come out of your coma, to see if you have any brian damage. I mean, other than what you already had!"
Lizzie tried to punch him in the arm, but remembered a little too late that her hand had a large needle and a tube sticking out of it. Ouch! Bad idea. "Ha, ha!"
"So, other than just trying to rip the IV out of your hand, how do you feel?"
"Hmmm…Like I've been run over by a steam roller. I feel like I broke everything."
"Yeah, they haven't given you much to kill the pain, because they wanted you to wake up. They said the sooner you did, the better." He suddenly lurched forward and hugged her, ignoring the tubes. "I was really worried about you, Sis! I didn't know you moonlighted as a Superhero! Where's your cape?"
Lizzie cringed, "Matt, thanks for caring. But be careful, ok! That hurt!"
He flopped back down on his chair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just so glad…"
"S'ok. So, where is Kate? And…I remember another girl…"
"Well, Kate got out of here yesterday. She didn't fall off a cliff, you know! They just kept her overnight for observation. She said to call her as soon as you woke up. As for that other girl, Whoa! I bet you have no idea what you did when you rescued her! She was kidnapped and had been missing for months. They were holding her for ransom, but they kept upping the amount they were asking for, making them pay just to keep her alive and unmolested. Her family is from Sicily, and is really loaded, and they have these big bodyguards who wear really dark glasses. Her dad is really grateful for what you did and is trying to buy this wing of the hospital for you, among other things."
This was much too much for Lizzie to process in her current state. "But, is she ok?"
"Yeah, she's ok. They didn't mess with her much, I guess because they wanted to make sure Daddy kept paying. There's one of those big, dark guys outside in the lounge, waiting for you to wake up so the family can come and thank you. About half of these flowers are from them."
"Where's everyone else? Mom, Dad…Gordo?"
Matt let out a small laugh, "Sis, you really are out of it!" He indicated the left side of her bed, where a dark curly head rested on crossed arms next to her hip. "Poor guy! We haven't been able to chase him out of here since they brought you in. Well, we did get him to go take a shower yesterday, but that was only because we convinced him that you weren't going to want to wake up to a smelly boyfriend. But he was back in half an hour. And he's hardly eaten anything! I think this is the first time he's slept for more than an hour. "
"Oh, wow! Gordo hasn't eaten? I must be worse off than you're telling me! Am I going to die?"
Matt grinned at her, "Yeah, Sis, you're gonna die. But not today, or for about 90 years. Everybody dies. Anyway, Dad went out about 10 minutes ago to find some coffee, and Mom went to get us some real food. We wanted something other than hospital food for a change."
"Miranda?"
"She's not here yet this morning. She and Danny stayed pretty late last night. They wouldn't let her come home with you because there wasn't room in the ambulance, so Danny drove up and got her on Friday. She's been her most of the time since then, too."
"So, what about those guys that had Kate…"
They were interrupted by Nurse Gina, on her rounds to take vital signs. When she saw that Lizzie was conscious, she gasped, "Oh, you're awake! That's great!" She mildly scolded Matt, "Why didn't you call anyone, young man?" She was about 42, motherly, and had become quite fond of the McGuires and their extended family.
"Sorry, Nurse Gina! She just woke up a few minutes ago."
"I'll call the doctor," she said, and turned to leave. "Oh, she's out here! Dr. Kiki, she's awake!"
The doctor, dark haired and olive skinned, entered the room with a pleasant smile. "This is very good! How are you feeling, Lizzie?"
Lizzie gave her a small, wry smile (even her facial muscles were sore), and said, "Like I just fell off a cliff."
The doctor chuckled, and told her that as soon as she finished examining Lizzie, she would have the nurse bring her some pain medication. Matt said, "I think I'll go find Dad."
The doctor checked her vitals, looked in her eyes, poked and prodded, checked reflexes, and made a few notes. Then she pronounced Lizzie as being, "very good," and turned her attention to the still sleeping Gordo. "That's quite a devoted boyfriend you have there. Have you been together for a long time?"
"No, he's really only been my boyfriend for about a week, and I've been gone for most of it. But he's been my best friend ever since we were babies."
"Well, he has been extreemly worried. He seems like a very good man."
Lizzie smiled, and stroked his unkempt curls, "The best."
Matt slipped back into the room and sat down. Dr. Kiki continued, "You know, you're a very lucky young woman. Most people don't survive a fall of that height, and if they do, they usually have a lot more broken bones. The ones who come out the best are those who are totally relaxed, either from being drunk or from using narcotics." She paused when she saw the horrified look on Lizzie's face. "Don't worry, there were no traces of any of those things in your blood. We have to test. It's just so unusual that you should come out of that fall so unscathed."
Lizzie winced, "I don't feel unscathed." Then, almost absent-mindedly, "It was Gordo." Her face registered surprise right after she said it, as if she herself didn't know where that last statement had come from.
Dr. Kiki looked at her inquiringly. "You mean you lived for him?"
Lizzie squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head to try to remember what made her say such a thing. Her temples throbbed, and she brought her hands up to rub them. Dr. Kiki said gently, "It's ok, Lizzie, you can think of it later. Don't strain yourself."
Meanwhile, Gordo registered that someone had said his name, and that it was someone important. Then he realized it had been Lizzie, and that she was finally awake. He looked up to see Lizzie concentrating, unaware of him, totally focused on what she was trying to recall.
"It's ok. I remember. At least some of it." When she looked up she said, "I know it must have happed almost instantly. Me falling and then hitting the ground, I mean. But to me, it seemed to take forever, like I was Alice in Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole. It was really dark, and raining, but then suddenly the moon broke through the clouds, and I heard Gordo's voice. He said, "Goodnight, Beautiful. I love you and I can't wait till you're back in my arms where you belong." And then I knew everything would be all right. That's the last thing I remember. I don't even remember hitting the ground."
A chill ran down Gordo's spine when she said that, and he finally spoke, "Lizzie… I said that every night to the moon."
"Whoa!" Matt shivered. "Weird!"
After the doctor finished her examination, and the nurse administered the promised pain meds, Matt decided that three was a crowd. He said something about going to see where Mom was with the food, and wandered out.
Gordo took Lizzie's hand into his, and the two just sat gazing into each other's eyes for what seemed an eternity, as if to convince themselves that this was real ~ that they were not dreaming. Finally, Gordo moved his hands to the cup her face, and he murmured, "Oh, god, you're awake. You're finally awake!" And with that said, he kissed her lips softly, carefully so not to cause her pain, but still with all the passion he felt in his soul. Lizzie, in turn, stroked his face with her hands, and returned his kisses with enthusiasm, ignoring her pain. In fact, thanks to the meds, the pain was finally starting to fade. Gordo moved his attention to her face, where he kissed each cut, each scrape, each bruise gently, before moving back to her mouth. Lizzie closed her eyes, as a small whimper of bliss escaped her lips. Their mouths rejoined in a perfect pas de deux, bonding their hearts and melding their souls.
Breathless, they finally pulled apart, and Gordo smiled at her. "I can't believe you're finally here with me. I have prayed so hard for the last couple of days. More than in my entire life! I made God all kinds of promises if you would wake up and be ok." He stopped, thought, and a slightly concerned look crossed his face. "Umm, do you think you would mind being the wife of a Rabbi?"
Lizzie lifted her brows, and questioned, "Wife?"
"Well, you know, in a few years maybe…I mean, I thought ~ well, hoped…"
Lizzie laughed and cut him off with a kiss. "No, I wouldn't mind being the wife of a Rabbi. But I don't think that's what God wants of you. He gave you a real talent with the camera, and I would think he expects you to use that talent, not to waste it."
"Lizzie, I love you."
With the drugs doing their job, Lizzie's pain was almost gone, and it was now replaced by a content feeling that warmed her whole body. "I know, Gordo. I love you, too."
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A/N Ok, this would probably be a good time to end this one, but I'm not done with it yet. I mean, what about those guys who kidnapped Kate ~ where are they? And what happened to Kate that day that got her abducted in the first place? And what about this Anna, and her family? And, most importantly, what will happen to Lizzie and Gordo now, and when will he give her the ring he's making for her? Want to know? I will keep writing, because I love to, but please be kind and leave me a review! They make my day!
Oh, btw, for those who think that Lizzie falling off a 30 foot cliff and surviving almost unscathed is unrealistic, I have an even more fantastic, but absolutely true story. That very thing happened to a member of my immediate family. He actually went over a 30 foot cliff, but he was absolutely unharmed. NO broken bones, NO scrapes, not even a bruise! He did lose his glasses, but that was it.