It was almost funny how much she had changed from the first time she had been in this hospital. She had been determined to party, to have more fun than she had ever dreamed possible, to live life on the fast track, but now it was so different, all she wanted was to be happy with Ricky. He just had to be okay.
"Casey," said Karen, Frank's girlfriend walking into the room, "he's going to be okay. He suffered from alcohol poisoning so we had to hook him up to an IV and get some fluids in him. We ran tests to see if there was any damage to the liver and it doesn't look like there was. He's breathing normally but we've decided to keep him over night just in case. He's sleeping but you can go and sit with him if you like."
"Thanks," said Casey following Karen to one of the curtained areas.
Karen left and Casey was alone with him. She touched his hand, just to make sure he was real, before she had been to worried to realize that she was really here, with him, and it wasn't a dream. He was real and so was she.
She touched his face trying to commit every curve and angle to memory. Her hand ran to his unblemished check, she had healed him, she remembered those last desperate moments, wanting only to touch him one last time, to hear that he loved her, but that had been denied to her.
"Am I in heaven?"
Casey gave a start and looked down at Ricky who had his eyes opened.
Ricky looked up to see that beautiful face and behind her was the brightest light he'd ever seen.
"You're not dead," she whispered lightly touching his cheek.
Ricky sat up abruptly praying that this wasn't another dream that taunted him. The real pain that shot through his head confirmed that he was not dreaming.
"You're real, it's really you?" he asked hesitantly cupping her face between his hands despite the pain that shot through his head. Her skin was soft and warm...and real.
"It's really me," she said gazing down at him. "I missed you so much," she said looking into those warm brown eyes that looked inside of her heart and soul.
"You left, you disappeared. I thought you were gone...forever."
Casey bit her lip, one day was not enough, not nearly enough time. "I'm back, only for 24 hours. I missed you, Ricky," she whispered laying her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat, feeling as his chest rose and fell with every breath and hers seemed to be in harmony with it.
Ricky put his arm around Casey and stroked her soft hair, he couldn't believe that she had come back and a part of him refused to believe it, but here she was, in his arms. He memorized the softness of her hair, the smell of her, he tried to place the scent, jasmines, she smelled like jasmines. He looked around and realized where he really was.
"What am I doing in the hospital?"
"You drank to much, I never want this to happen again, I love you too much, promise me that when I leave you won't let this happen again."
"Casey-,"
"Promise."
"Okay, I promise."
They looked at each other both knowing that the time they had now was not nearly enough.
"Let's go," he said standing up and walking to the door.
"But Karen wants to keep you here overnight."
"I don't care what Karen wants, I'm not going to stay here when I want to be with you, if we have a day to spend together I'm not going to waste it here."
"I want you to drink lots of fluids and that doesn't mean alcohol, okay? And come back if you have any problems," said Karen as she handed him his discharge papers.
"I will, I promise." Said Ricky as he held Casey's hand.
"So where should we go first?" asked Ricky as they stepped into the elevator.
"Anywhere, as long as I'm with you," she said smiling up at him.