Author's note: There's probably only going to be one or two more chapters for this story.
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George left a little after midnight, telling them he would be back in the morning to drive them to the hospital. He even promised to bring them breakfast. "Now Luke, don't get too cozy with your girlfriend," he taunted. "I don't want to be late tomorrow because you too didn't get enough sleep." Grace threw her pop can at George, but the door closed before the can could hit him.
"I don't like him," Grace said.
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Morning came soon enough, and just like promised, George arrived with some breakfast. He had gotten some bagels and cream cheese from the local store near his grandmother's house. After they all ate, they all piled into George's car, with George and Kevin in the front, and the three teens in the back.
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"This is her room," Luke said, walking into the single bed room.
"Luke! Grace! How nice to see you again. And who have you brought? Is that..." Mrs Spencer let her sentence trail off for a moment, tears forming in her eyes. "George, is that you? Look at you!"
George hugged his grandmother, trying not to hurt her. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better, but it could be worse." She smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you're here. Who's the man in the wheelchair and the young woman with him?"
"Gramma, you remember Joan and Kevin Girardi?"
Mrs Spencer gaped at the pair. "I didn't recognize you!"
"I've grown taller," Joan said as Kevin said, "I've shrunk."
"I noticed."
The rest of the visit was filled with talks about what has happened over the years.
A nurse came in an hour later to do a check up on Mrs Spencer. "George! I didn't know you were in town," the nurse said. "I'm the one in charge of your grandmother."
George looked up and his mouth dropped. "Amy? Is that you? Wow, you look... amazing."
Amy smiled. "I can believe it's been 3 years. You haven't changed much."
"Neither have you."
Suddenly, a light click on in Joan's mind. This was the girl God was talking about. "Since it seems like you two know each other, how about you come over to supper tonight?" Joan blurted out. "I mean, only if your not busy." A faint blush began creeping over her skin.
Amy smiled. "I would like that, if George doesn't mind."
George laughed. "Since it's not my grandmother's house we're eating at, it's fine with me." He gave Amy another smile, one that she returned.
"My shift ends at 5, but I don't know where you live, uh..."
"My name's Joan, and I could..."
"I'll come pick you up," George said. "And then we can get supper to bring back to their cabin."
"Sounds good. See you then," she said, before leaving.
For the rest of the visit, Joan noticed a dazed look on George's face.
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At six o'clock, George came back to the cabin with Amy and some Chinese food. "They just opened that last year. It's pretty good," Amy commented as she set it down on the counter. "Nice place you guys have here. Do you come here often?" she asked.
Everyone laughed and told her about Luke and Grace's running away, much to the horror of the couple. "I think it's sweet," Amy said. Grace rolled her eyes, but she caught Luke's eyes and smiled.
"Let's eat. I'm starving!" Kevin exclaimed.
They settled down to eat, and George broke the silence that had settled. "I didn't know they had a nurse program at the university in Henderson."
"They do, but it's not a very good course. So, instead I went for my courses in Durham. It's a more modern town with modern medical procedures," Amy replied. "And what have you been doing, Mr Big-Shot-New-Yorker?"
"Actually, I've been studying the science of medicine. It's quite fascinating, really."
"How ironic that you two are both studying things that have to do with medicine," Joan said. Feeling all eyes on her, she stopped talking. She glanced up and thought, God, you know how much I hate to embarrass myself. The conversation returned to normal, and Joan tried not to say something stupid.
"Well, it's getting late, and I have a shift tomorrow. It was lovely to meet you all, and I hope we can meet again for supper," Amy said as she put on her sweater.
"We're probably leaving in a few days, so hopefully we can meet for lunch or supper before then," Kevin said.
"Sounds good," Amy said, and then she and George left.
"Amy seems nice," Luke commented.
"She and George used to date," Kevin said, "but they had break-up when they went off to university."
Joan smiled and hoped that God didn't ask her to do anything else for a while. "Well, I'm tired. Good night!" Joan said, going upstairs. She went into her parents' room, where she was sleeping for the next few days, and lay down on the bed. God had once said that everything she did caused ripples, everything anyone did caused them. Joan tried to figure what the ripples would be now, but she was so tired, that she just fell asleep.
---
Not even twenty minutes later, the three others decided to go to bed also. Luke and Grace followed Kevin, who was crawling up the stairs, and then separated at their doors.
"'Night" Kevin said, and the two other mumbled a "good-night".
Grace got into her bed, but didn't feel tired. She was going home soon, and she didn't want to. If it was up to her, Grace would stay here for ever. Just her and the geek.
She didn't want to get back to her drunken mother who would slur her insults and name-calling, and a father who looked the other way while his daughter baby-sat a grown woman. Not to mention the fact that she would probably be forbidden to go see Luke or even to leave the house. Except to go to the synagogue, where her family pretended to be perfect in every which way.
The thought of returning to her normal life made her shudder. She had found a new way to live, were you could do what you want, whenever you wanted. Grace always had to follow her parents' rule - to an extent, of course- but, for the first time, she had been truly independent. And how she loved it.
Signs of sleep were not coming, so Grace decided she was going to go out on the roof. She opened her window and found a ledge that she could climb. Slowly, she made her way to the roof and sat down, gazing up at the stars.
---
Kevin had fallen asleep not more than 10 minutes after they had gotten into bed. But Luke's mind was still working and he could not fall asleep. He and Grace were having so much fun at the cabin, and he didn't want to leave. Grace had become different, more playful and a lot happier during the month that they had been at this cabin. She was opening up more than she ever had, and Luke wasn't sure if she was going to stay this happy. He hopped that she would stay this happy- if not in front of everyone else, then when they were alone.
For someone who felt tired a few minutes ago, Luke was now wide awake. Knowing that he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, he opened his window and went on the roof. He noticed Grace sitting there, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her hair had grown a little since the beginning of summer, resting just past her shoulders, and the wind was playing with it.
Luke sat down next to Grace and she looked at him. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Yup."
"Same."
The couple sat in silence, just looking out towards the sky. "I'm going to miss it here," Grace sighed.
"I know what you mean," Luke said. "Out here it's just so..."
"Peaceful?"
"Yeah, Peaceful."
A few moments went by before Luke began talking. "In ancient times, people would worship the sun, or Ra as it was called." Grace looked at Luke funnily but he kept talking. "The sun would help grow the plants, as well as to bring heat and light. Some people worshiped the moon. Not many people did though, for it brought darkness and coldness. But, those who did worship it saw it's beauty in it's different fazes. They didn't mind the dark or the cold for they knew it could also bring out the stars and, if they were lucky, a light would shine from it."
"Geek, what are you talking about?" Grace asked, wondering what Luke was getting at.
"I worship the moon, Grace, for even if it's not always in the sky in all it's splendor, I know that soon enough, I will see it's beauty."
Grace raised her eyebrow and watched as Luke began to blush.
"Dude, is that some weird geek-type-science-metaphor way of saying you love me?" The blush on Luke's face intensified.
"Maybe," he mumbled.
Grace grinned. "Well, I gotta give you points of originality. I doubt any girl in this world has ever had such a strange, yet somehow sweet, way of being told that they're loved."
Luke was sure that Grace was going to burst out laughing, but when he looked at her, he saw that a shy smile was on her face. "What?" she asked.
"You're not laughing."
"Why would I be laughing?"
"I don't know, but I sort of expected you to start laughing... unless you feel the same way..." Luke's face lit up at the thought. A blush spread on Grace's face and she tried to turn her head, but Luke saw it. "Do you?"
Grace punched his arm lightly. "You never know..."
Luke's jaw dropped. "Y-you feel the same?" Grace shrugged, but the look in her eyes told him that she did indeed feel the same. A sheepish grin appeared on his face. Grace rolled her eyes at his grin, but grabbed his shirt to bring him closer. When their lips touched, the need for words became obsolete.
An hour later, and many kisses later, Luke laid down on the roof, and Grace rested her head on his chest. "Maybe I should tell you that I love you more often," Luke joked. Grace laughed.
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Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to update, but that last scene had to be just perfect. I was racking my brain trying to make it the best possible. I hope you all like it!