After Landon had spoken with the nurse, Hope Riley in the hallway he went back to Jamie's room. Reverend Sullivan was sitting next to the bed reading out loud from a magazine.
He looked up when Landon entered. "Why don't you go home and get some rest?" Landon asked. "I'll call if anything changes."
Jamie's father set down the magazine and stood up stretching out his arms and back gingerly. "I'll do that," he agreed, "if you promise to do the same when I come back."
Landon hesitated only for a moment, looking down at Jamie before he nodded. "Good, I will be back later this afternoon then." Reverend Sullivan bent down to kiss his daughters cheek, whispering, "I'll be back soon, Jamie."
When Landon was alone with Jamie in the room he sat down in the chair that The Reverend had just vacated and took her hand in his own being careful not to disturb the I.V. drip.
For the first time since she had come back from surgery in a coma he did not feel self-conscious talking out loud. He tried very hard to believe that Jamie could hear him and so he began to pour his heart out to her. He started by telling her about the conversation he had over heard and then his confrontation with Hope. He tried to imagine her reactions to everything he said and tried to answer questions he thought she might ask.
He didn't know how long he talked for, he just kept going only stopping when a nurse or a doctor came into the room to examine Jamie or change her I.V. or one of the various tubes attached to her. He told her things he had never told anyone before, how he had ran away after his dad had left and how he wanted to go to medical school after college.
It was just after three o-clock when he looked up to find Hope Riley standing in the doorway. "My shift is ending now so I thought I would come by before I go and check how you are doing."
He motioned for her to come in. She sat down on the edge of the bed beside Jamie. She lifted her wrist to check her pulse then laid her hand back in Landon's. "She's a pretty girl." She murmured smoothing Jamie's hair back from her forehead.
Landon nodded thinking she was the most beautiful person on earth, even now so pale and lifeless with tubes and hoses snaking all around her. He handed Hope the framed picture his mother had brought over that morning of their wedding day.
"We got married on Sunday." He told her even though he knew she already knew. He found himself staring down at his bright gold wedding band and then reached up to feel Jamie's which he was wearing on a chain around his neck until she could wear it again.
"So in love," Hope mused smiling down at the picture. "You can tell just by looking at the two of you, not posed and formal at all, just in love."
She sat the picture back down on the bedside table and turned her attention back to Jamie, "Well, Mrs. Carter I think you should wake up soon because your husband is like a lost puppy dog without you."
"Is that how you feel?" Landon asked, "now that your husband is gone?"
She looked surprised that he would ask and she took a moment to answer taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes first. "I did at first. Now I'm just lonely. I have my kids and grand kids but it's not the same at night when you have to get into an empty bed."
She sighed then and shrugged. "There's a reason for everything though and I know I'll see my Earl again someday. It's just we were going to retire in a few years, travel do all the things we always said we would..." she trailed off wistfully.
"You can still do all of those things." Landon argued realizing now what Jamie had said to him about not stopping living if she did. She didn't want him to just shrivel up and stop experiencing life just because she wasn't there to share it with him. "I'm sure your husband would want you to still do all those things."
"Oh, honey," she laughed. "I know that. It just takes some getting used to. After almost forty years with someone you need to learn how to be on your own without them."
They both looked up startled when someone at the door cleared their throat. It was Reverend Sullivan holding a potted plant and several balloons.
Landon jumped up to make introductions but it turned out he didn't need to. "Hegbert Sullivan, is that really you?" Hope cried in surprise sliding off the side of the bed."
Hegbert? Landon almost laughed. Of course he knew that Reverend Sullivan had a real name, he had just never heard anyone use it and so it sounded strange, even stranger then a name like Hegbert normally would.
He stepped further into the room setting down the plant and handing Landon the balloons, which he quickly tied to the foot of the bed not taking his eyes off the two people in front of him. The Reverend stared at Hope for a full minute as if trying to place her before his broke out in a huge grin.
"Well, I'll be! Hope Morrow, I haven't seen you in years!" He exclaimed bending down to receive Hope's enthusiastic hug. "I guess you're Hope Riley now," he said standing back and reading her nametag. "How is old Earl?"
Hope's smile faltered for a moment as she glanced over at Landon. "He passed away last year. Heart attack."
"Oh, Hope. I'm sorry." He reached over and took her hand. "He was a good man and I'm sure he's in a better place."
Her hands fluttered up and then fell to her side uselessly, "Oh, I'm sure he is."
It was then that they both seemed to remember that they were not alone. The Reverend moved over to Jamie and spoke softly to her. Standing back up he spoke to Hope, "I guess you have already met my son in law Landon and my daughter Jamie."
"We're old friends by now." She said with a laugh. "Not as old as you and I, mind." She turned to Landon then to explain. "Hegbert, Earl and I went all the way through school together. I guess we lost touch the way folks do. I would recognize him anywhere though."
Landon was surprised to see Reverend Sullivan blush before he changed the subject. "Now, you young man, are going to go home to rest."
Nodding Landon picked up his jacket then bent down to say good bye to Jamie. He was just straightening up when something caught his attention. His breath caught in his throat but he didn't say anything just in case he had imagined it.
It happened again, her eyelashes fluttered. "Jamie!" he whispered hoarsely scarcely believing it. "Jamie!"
Reverend Sullivan and Hope rushed to the side of the bed. "Watch her eyes!" Landon ordered not taking his off of her. They did not have to wait long to see for themselves.
"I'll page Dr. Patterson." Hope called as she rushed out of the room. "You two just stay there and keep talking to her."
"Jamie, can you hear me?" her father asked gently. Again her eye twitched.
He and Landon exchanged grins. Landon squeezed her hand; "We're here Jamie. It's time to wake up, baby!"
Her one eye fluttered open for a second before falling closed again. Encouraged both Landon and her father continued to speak becoming more and more excited. Hope came running back into the room, "both Dr. Patterson and Dr. Carter are on their way." She pushed her way in beside the bed and lifted Jamie's eyelids to check for dilation.
"I think she might be coming around." Hope told them, "but we had best wait to see what the Doctor thinks."
Dr. Carter was the first to reach the room. Both Landon and Reverend Sullivan began speaking at once. Landon's father smiled at them and then turned to Hope. "Why don't you fill me in, you seem to be the only one capable of finishing a sentence."
"Well, I was just in here talking to these two, checking on Jamie before I went off my shift and Landon was on his way home so he was saying good bye to Jamie when he noticed her eye lids twitching. Since then she has opened her eyes several times."
They stood in a little half circle by the door. Landon was the first to turn back to Jamie but was quickly followed by the other three when they heard him gasp. "Jamie!"
There lying with her head turned towards them was Jamie with her eyes wide open.