Ch. 17

Touch

"JR..." Babe said, and they both looked down at her hand on his leg, "Are you sure?"

"I can't feel the touch exactly; I just feel a tingling where your hand is." JR said.

They both talked quietly, afraid that if they spoke to loudly the feeling would go away.

"JR... I can't believe it!" Babe looked up at his smiling face.

JR grinned at her, and she jumped up and hugged him, "This is so great!"

Babe pulled back, only inches away from his face. They were both smiling at each other. Then, JR closed the gap between his lips and Babe's and they kissed. Babe placed her arms around his neck and JR pulled her closer and pulled her more into the kiss.

When Babe pulled away, she rested her forehead on his, "JR, you're going to be OK."

"Let's not go that far yet..." JR said quietly.

Babe gently reproached him, "JR, this is great news! Don't even start thinking about the bad, or what that bitch Wilma said."

JR nodded, and Babe stood up, "We have to tell everybody! ADAM! MAMA! GET IN HERE!" Babe shouted, and JR smiled up at her.

Adam and Krystal raced into the room, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"We have to get JR to the doctors." Babe said to them.

"What, why! What's wrong JR?" Adam asked, panicked.

"Nothing's wrong!" JR said gleefully.

"Then why..." Krystal started.

"I can feel; I felt Babe's hand on my leg!" JR told them, and Babe nodded.

"What... oh my god!" Krystal smiled and laughed.

Adam walked up to his son and pulled him into a hug, "I knew you would be OK."

"Well, what are we waitin' for? We have to tell Dr. Drake the good news and have JR checked out!" Krystal said.

"And while we are there, we'll stop in and tell Mrs. Ramirez the happy news." Babe said to JR, and he smiled.

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"You're right, you can feel touch now. You said it just came out of no where?" Dr. Drake asked.

JR nodded, and Babe asked, "Is that normal? Him just being able to feel all of the sudden?"

"Anything can be normal when SCIs are involved. There are cases of this happening before." Dr. Drake informed them.

"So he is going to be OK, right?" Adam asked, hopeful.

"Now that we aren't quite sure about. We are going to be trying different treatments to try and increase feeling in his legs, and we will definitely be stepping up physical therapy. We might even try another surgery."

"Surgery?" Babe asked quietly.

"Don't worry, that is only a last resort if nothing else works. But I've seen the way you work when you are in the physical therapy room. I know you want to have the use of your legs again. So I'm not worried for you." Dr. Drake said to JR.

After the exam, Adam and Krystal left to pull the car up to the front to pick up JR. Babe and JR walked leisurely through the hospital halls, each separately enjoying the fact that JR could feel again. They arrived at the front of the hospital and saw that Krystal and Adam weren't there yet, so they waited for them.

Babe heard JR sigh loudly and she looked down and saw his troubled expression.

"JR, what's wrong?" Babe asked, concerned.

"It just seems too good to be true, you know? I mean yes I can feel again, but that doesn't mean I'll be able to walk again."

"Since when have you been such a pessimist?" Babe asked him.

JR shrugged, "I just don't want to get my hopes up and have them smashed into a million pieces. I think I just have to face the fact that I am going to be stuck in this wheelchair forever."

"Hey, don't even talk like that." Babe kneeled down next to him, "Did you just get the same news that I did? Because you sure don't look or sound like it. JR, you can feel things on your leg!"

"Not really." JR interjected.

"Fine, you can't feel my hand, but you feel a tingle where my hand is! That is such a good sign, and you're talking like you just talked with Wilma Ramirez again."

"I just... I don't want to be in this wheelchair forever." JR said quietly, feeling his eyes well up, "Let's face it, who would ever want a man in a wheelchair?" JR looked at his reflection on the glass door.

Babe felt tears in her eyes fall but didn't even bother to wipe them, "I would want a man in a wheelchair. I want you." Babe whispered, looking down.

JR looked over at her with his mouth wide.

"I... care about you JR. More than you know. And I know that the last thing you probably want to here is me telling you how much I care about you, but..."

JR placed his fingers under Babe's chin and lifted her head up.

"I love you, JR." Babe said softly.

JR wiped away Babe's tears, "You do?"

Babe nodded, "Why do you think I'm always by you, always trying to find ways to help you and be near you? It's because I love you." Babe said, and looked up into JR's eyes.

JR didn't say anything to Babe. She stood up, and turned towards the doors, "Listen, I'm sorry for falling apart on you like that."

Babe headed towards the door that led to the outside.

"Why do you think I never tell you to go away? Why do you think I asked you to move in with me, and keep asking for your help?" JR stopped her.

Babe turned and looked at JR.

"It's because I love you. I love you too, Babe, so, so much." JR said.

Babe smiled and ran to JR, and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I didn't think you felt anything for me." Babe said, kissing him.

JR pulled away, "I didn't want you to be stuck with a man in a wheelchair. I didn't want to force that on you. You deserve someone..."

Babe silenced JR with her lips, and then pulled back, "JR, I want to be with you. This wheelchair, it means nothing. Nothing at all. And soon, you might not even need it."

Babe grinned at him, and then pulled him into another kiss. JR pulled her down into his lap, and they continued kissing, ignoring the stares and dirty looks of people passing by.

"Are you guys ready? Adam's got the car..." Krystal stopped as soon as she spotted JR and Babe.

Babe and JR ignored Krystal, and kept kissing.

"Me an' Adam will be in the car... come whenever you're ready." Krystal turned, smiling, and headed back outside.