"KP?" he called softly.

He saw a very slight jerk to her head. It jerked in several small movements as if she was searching for him.

"KP?"

"Ron?" buzzed the mechanical box lying atop of her throat.

The tears were flowing down his cheeks without shame; joy flowing with pain and sorrow.

"It's past midnight my Love. Happy Anniversary. Sixty years of marriage."

"Ron?" was all the box said again and there was movement under the blankets on his side. He pulled them back to find her hand, searching frantically for his, attempting to fold itself into his palm with what little strength it had once it found its place there.

It felt so much like it belonged there.

But right now, he wanted something else there as well.

His free hand dipped into his pocket and came out with it. The two symbols were there, hers and his. Her treasured item was there, having been rescued when she'd been maimed and forever kept on a thin necklace around her neck ever since. It of course had been removed when she had been brought in here. It was time to restore it to her, and once again be bonded to his.

So he removed his treasured item and fastened it all together. Of course he had to take his hand from hers in order to do this and she suddenly grew restive.

"Ron! Ron!"

"Easy KP, easy, I want to show you something."

At his voice, she relaxed but she held her palm open, expectant, her unseeing eyes now visible in the darkened room now staring straight up.

Finished, he choked back his heart and summoned all his wits to keep his voice steady. He had what was in his hands held in such a way that he could present each item to her touch one at a time.

"Here KP, feel this—"

She took it and it took her a moment before—

"Ron?" and while the voice box couldn't, her face could—express her wonder.

"Now this," he continued, shifting to the next item.

She didn't say anything. But the wonder on her face grew and tears started to run from the corner of her clouded, sightless eyes.

"A—and finally" The last two items where presented together as well they should be. He barely managed to do this as his will began to waver.

And she did, and she began to sob softly as he now dropped the whole lot into her hand, closing her fingers over it and then taking that hand in both of his as he slid into the chair at the bedside.

"Kimberly Ann, it's been a wonderful life. And you have been the most understanding and beautiful wife that any husband has ever known, the most gracious and attentive companion a man could want, the sexiest, most sensual lover that any male has ever seen and the best friend that anyone could ever have. We have, I think, live life to the fullest, and it was all because of you."

He had to stop and suck in a hard breath before going on. "But Kim, it all has to end sometime. Even you cannot avoid what awaits us all at the end of the road. And you have been trying to do just that and it is hurting you more—"

"NNOOOOO!" came the horrible electronic wail out of the voice box, inhuman in it's agony. Her hand tried to open, tried to grasp at his with sudden strength out of nowhere.

He held onto that hand fiercely and just as fiercely he intoned to her, "Kimberly, for your sake and mine! It's time to let it go!"

Suddenly the door came open and Becky the nurse strode in "What—" she asked startled. She saw Ron and stopped just inside of the door. She lowered her head a little and said in explanation, "her monitors suddenly went off the scale. We weren't sure what was going on."

Ron just looked at her with steady eyes until Becky withdrew.

He looked back to his Wife, his Love, his Universe. "KP."

"Ron," the box managed to whisper. "I cant do it! I just cant. And I wont! I wont do it!" The hand in his scrambled again until she was able to get a part of her fingers holding his with a grip as strong as death.

"I don't want to be anywhere, even there, without you," the box breathed.

He felt a mighty shudder go through him. It was as it had always been. She could always read him like a book.

He got back up to his feet and shuffled so he could lean over to her face. He kissed her cool lips, which after a moment, hungrily kissed him back. He then leaned over to where he could just murmur into her ear. "Then let it go my Love. For I will be right behind you. For my time has come as well, and together we will be once again, but without our pain."

"NNOO!" she whimpered back to him.

"Yes my Love. My time is here as well. Only Ronald knows and I called him a short while ago. It's over. For the both of us. So—it's time. And as you always have, you need to take the lead. As I said. I will be right behind. We will meet on the other side."

"Ron," even through the box, her voice sounded like a frightened little girl. "I don't know if I can do this."

A genuine smile came to his face. "You can do this. You can do anything. And this is the greatest adventure of them all. And we will do it together, for all eternity"

There was a long, hesitant silence. Finally, "you promise?"

"I promise."

Her breathing began to steady and as he came back over her face, he felt her start to relax.

"Ron—I love you."

He bent down for a kiss given, a kiss received, and said back with all his heart, "and you know that I love my Kimberly Ann."