CHAPTER NINE
Jackson put his hand on the penthouse door trying to find the strength to knock, but instead the sadness of the day took over him as he fell to the floor with thump. The noise outside the door startled Bianca and Opal as they ran to find out what had happen. Bianca opened the door hoping to see her mother, but instead saw Jack lying on the floor. Uncle Jack she screamed, Uncle Jack can you hear me, but Jackson did not move.
Several minutes had passed before the ambulance arrived and brought Jackson to the hospital. When they arrived Joe and the rest of his team began working on him and it seemed for a moment that Erica was no longer the focus. In a short time all of Jack's friends and family were at his side, and they were hammering the doctors for answers. Answers to question that they had not answers for! There did not seem to be any real physical explanation for Jackson's state but he did not show any signs of recovering. I don't get it Tad, his father said, in all my years I have never seen a perfectly healthy man, lye lifeless. It is if Jack has lost the will to live! Tad took a deep breath as he turned away from his father and looked back at Jack and said, ` I know what the problem is dad, but I don't know if I have the answer'.
The news of Erica's accident did not take long to spread through Pine Valley and across the world as every news station covered the accident. Most of the stations were already reporting her death and others were not hopefully that she was alive. It seemed everyone in Pine Valley knew about Erica's accident, except for Bianca who remained vigilant by Jack's side. We need to tell her Opal said to Kendall and Myrtle; we need to tell her before she hears this from someone else. Kendall and Bianca become closer over the years especially since Erica had lovingly accepted Kendall as her daughter. Kendall had proven herself a worthy sister as well. It was hard to believe they were able to put the past behind them, but anyone who had seen the three together would have never known the obstacles they had to overcome. It was clear to everyone that Kendall was the right person to tell Bianca the news of her mother!
Kendall opened the door to Jack's room and slowly walked over to where Bianca was sitting. She reached her arms out and hugged Bianca from behind. Instinctively Bianca grabbed her arms and pulled her tight believing that it was her mother's arms she was holding, but began to cry when she realized that it was Kendall. The two girls now stood face to face with so much pain buried in their souls. Kendall reached down to wipe the tears off of her sister's face and said, `sweetheart, I need to talk to you for a moment'. Although the tone in Kendall's voice was soft and loving, Bianca knew that she meant business. As they walked through the hallway people stopped to look at the two girls, but no one said a word.
When they reached the Chapel, Bianca reached over to Kendall's arm and stopped her in her path. They looked at each both knowing the other's pain, but they could not speak of it. They sat in different areas of the chapel and remained in silence for such a long time, each praying to God in their own way. Bianca turned to face Kendall who had tears falling down her cheek and said, `our mother is still alive Kendall, I feel it in my soul'. Kendall looked at her hoping that Bianca knew something that she did not and said, `I want to believe that Bianca, but the accident and....all the reports are saying that she would not have survived'.
As Kendall continued to tell Bianca the news reports and what had been uncovered about the accident, Bianca turned away from her sister. It was clear she did not want to hear any such talk from Kendall or anyone else for that matter. Kendall walk over to her sister and gently rubbed her cheek much like Erica would do when she was trying to comfort her daughters, `I know Bianca, I can't get my head around all of this either'. Once Kendall left, Bianca was alone to reflect on her life and the love that kept her strong, her mother! She searched every part of her body trying to find the answers, but there were none. Nothing made sense, not her mother's accident and not Uncle Jack. This is just like you mom, Bianca said half-heartedly. "I finally have a chance for the two people I love most in the world to find their way back to each other and you go and pull a stunt like this". Bianca knew this was not her mothers doing, but in some sense it brought her comfort to make light of the situation.
A serious expression came across her face as the reality of the situation began to hit home. Her eyes searched the room, but her soul was searching for a way to reach her mother to tell her that she would not give up on her. She bent her head back so that she was now looking directly up at the ceiling and spoke in a tone that I had only heard once before when she announce that she was gay. There was such a conviction in her voice that anyone who was listening would have sworn she had the inside track. "We are going to find you mom, we will never give up on you. BUT now I need to bring your heart back to you......".
Jackson was slipping deeper and deeper into a coma and the doctors were helpless. They were trying to limit visitors to family members only, but when Veronica came to visit, Joe thought it would be ok to bend the rules for her. Veronica entered Jackson's room and sat in the seat that Bianca had positioned next to Jack's bed. He seemed so weak and lost now, not like the Jack that hours ago had called off their wedding. God Jack she said, `I did not mean for you to get hurt, I just wanted to spend my life with you'. I did not know that my actions would lead to this.....but you have to understand I could not let Erica take you away from me. I had to do it Jack, I had to...Veronica stopped when she heard a voice call out from behind her, what exactly did you have to do!
Jackson put his hand on the penthouse door trying to find the strength to knock, but instead the sadness of the day took over him as he fell to the floor with thump. The noise outside the door startled Bianca and Opal as they ran to find out what had happen. Bianca opened the door hoping to see her mother, but instead saw Jack lying on the floor. Uncle Jack she screamed, Uncle Jack can you hear me, but Jackson did not move.
Several minutes had passed before the ambulance arrived and brought Jackson to the hospital. When they arrived Joe and the rest of his team began working on him and it seemed for a moment that Erica was no longer the focus. In a short time all of Jack's friends and family were at his side, and they were hammering the doctors for answers. Answers to question that they had not answers for! There did not seem to be any real physical explanation for Jackson's state but he did not show any signs of recovering. I don't get it Tad, his father said, in all my years I have never seen a perfectly healthy man, lye lifeless. It is if Jack has lost the will to live! Tad took a deep breath as he turned away from his father and looked back at Jack and said, ` I know what the problem is dad, but I don't know if I have the answer'.
The news of Erica's accident did not take long to spread through Pine Valley and across the world as every news station covered the accident. Most of the stations were already reporting her death and others were not hopefully that she was alive. It seemed everyone in Pine Valley knew about Erica's accident, except for Bianca who remained vigilant by Jack's side. We need to tell her Opal said to Kendall and Myrtle; we need to tell her before she hears this from someone else. Kendall and Bianca become closer over the years especially since Erica had lovingly accepted Kendall as her daughter. Kendall had proven herself a worthy sister as well. It was hard to believe they were able to put the past behind them, but anyone who had seen the three together would have never known the obstacles they had to overcome. It was clear to everyone that Kendall was the right person to tell Bianca the news of her mother!
Kendall opened the door to Jack's room and slowly walked over to where Bianca was sitting. She reached her arms out and hugged Bianca from behind. Instinctively Bianca grabbed her arms and pulled her tight believing that it was her mother's arms she was holding, but began to cry when she realized that it was Kendall. The two girls now stood face to face with so much pain buried in their souls. Kendall reached down to wipe the tears off of her sister's face and said, `sweetheart, I need to talk to you for a moment'. Although the tone in Kendall's voice was soft and loving, Bianca knew that she meant business. As they walked through the hallway people stopped to look at the two girls, but no one said a word.
When they reached the Chapel, Bianca reached over to Kendall's arm and stopped her in her path. They looked at each both knowing the other's pain, but they could not speak of it. They sat in different areas of the chapel and remained in silence for such a long time, each praying to God in their own way. Bianca turned to face Kendall who had tears falling down her cheek and said, `our mother is still alive Kendall, I feel it in my soul'. Kendall looked at her hoping that Bianca knew something that she did not and said, `I want to believe that Bianca, but the accident and....all the reports are saying that she would not have survived'.
As Kendall continued to tell Bianca the news reports and what had been uncovered about the accident, Bianca turned away from her sister. It was clear she did not want to hear any such talk from Kendall or anyone else for that matter. Kendall walk over to her sister and gently rubbed her cheek much like Erica would do when she was trying to comfort her daughters, `I know Bianca, I can't get my head around all of this either'. Once Kendall left, Bianca was alone to reflect on her life and the love that kept her strong, her mother! She searched every part of her body trying to find the answers, but there were none. Nothing made sense, not her mother's accident and not Uncle Jack. This is just like you mom, Bianca said half-heartedly. "I finally have a chance for the two people I love most in the world to find their way back to each other and you go and pull a stunt like this". Bianca knew this was not her mothers doing, but in some sense it brought her comfort to make light of the situation.
A serious expression came across her face as the reality of the situation began to hit home. Her eyes searched the room, but her soul was searching for a way to reach her mother to tell her that she would not give up on her. She bent her head back so that she was now looking directly up at the ceiling and spoke in a tone that I had only heard once before when she announce that she was gay. There was such a conviction in her voice that anyone who was listening would have sworn she had the inside track. "We are going to find you mom, we will never give up on you. BUT now I need to bring your heart back to you......".
Jackson was slipping deeper and deeper into a coma and the doctors were helpless. They were trying to limit visitors to family members only, but when Veronica came to visit, Joe thought it would be ok to bend the rules for her. Veronica entered Jackson's room and sat in the seat that Bianca had positioned next to Jack's bed. He seemed so weak and lost now, not like the Jack that hours ago had called off their wedding. God Jack she said, `I did not mean for you to get hurt, I just wanted to spend my life with you'. I did not know that my actions would lead to this.....but you have to understand I could not let Erica take you away from me. I had to do it Jack, I had to...Veronica stopped when she heard a voice call out from behind her, what exactly did you have to do!