"I think she took the news well." Lisa said as she, Layla, and John stood just outside Evangeline's hospital room. After hearing the news of her condition Evangeline had asked to be left alone.
"Mom, she looked catatonic. This is going to be very difficult for Vange. She's going to need a lot of love and support." Layla stated.
"And she'll get it." John replied. "She's gonna get through this."
"I don't think you should help." Layla said.
"Layla, don't you be rude to John. He came all this way because he cares about Evangeline."
"I know mom, and I'm not trying to be ugly John, really. But Evangeline thinks you're still a couple. In her mind she's crazy in love with you, but you're not crazy in love with her. It wouldn't be fair to her, having you here feeling like she feels when you don't feel the same way."
"I won't just walk away, I can't. As far as my feelings for Evangeline and her feelings for me, well that's something that 'we'll' deal with."
"I can respect that, for now, but I won't let you hurt her again. When she ended your relationship she was devastated. I'd never seen her so broken. I won't let that happen again."
"I never meant to hurt Evangeline…"
"But you did." Layla interjected.
"Look I'll talk to Evangeline. I'll lay it all out and if she doesn't want me around then I'll keep my distance, ok." John stated.
"Fine, go ahead." Layla said as she folded her arms across her chest.
"You don't expect him to do it now, Layla." Lisa replied not liking the idea that Evangeline could be upset more than she already was.
"Yes, I think it would be easier for her now. There's no sense in keeping something like this from her now, only to have it upset her later." Layla rationalized and John nodded his head in agreement and then moved back to Evangeline's door. He entered the room and found Evangeline curled up on her side in the bed, with her back to the door, crying mournfully. Her whole body shook with her sobs. He moved to the chair next to the bed. He removed his jacket and tossed it on the back of the chair, and then sat in the chair and removed his shoes. He then moved to the bed and climbed in behind Evangeline, and wrapped his arms around her. Evangeline turned to face him she buried her face against his chest and clung to him desperately. John pulled her closer, tightening his grip on her, holding her silently as she continued to cry.
He hadn't intended to fall asleep, but after Evangeline had cried herself to sleep he lay quietly for a few moments before he closed his eyes. Now it was four hours later and it was dark outside. The moonlight streamed through the window and allowed him to see Evangeline's sleeping face clearly. Her head rested against the pillow next to his but she still held a strong grip on his arm, which was still wrapped around her. As if she knew she was being watched, her eyes fluttered open and stared directly into his. They lay this way for several moments, silently staring at each other, until John reached out and brushed a stray lock out of Evangeline's face.
"How are you feeling?" He asked in a whisper, even though they were the only ones in the room.
"Probably as bad as I look," Evangeline replied back, also in a whisper.
"You look beautiful, you always look beautiful."
"Thank you, but you don't have to say that. I know that we…I didn't understand before why you were so uncomfortable. I told myself it was because you don't like hospitals, but it was me, wasn't it? I was making you uncomfortable."
"No, not you, never you, it's just the situation." John answered as honestly as he could.
"Which was me staring at you with moon eyes and clinging to you like an octopus when…" She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "We aren't together anymore are we?"
"No," John replied and she clamped her eyes shut allowing fresh tears to escape and roll down her cheek. She had been hoping and praying since learning that she had amnesia and had lost nearly two years that she hadn't lost John. He reached out and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Hey," he gently coaxed as he moved his thumb down to her chin and tilted her head upwards a bit. She opened her eyes and again stared at him. "That doesn't mean that I don't care about you, or that we're not friends." She only nodded her head.
"So, who dumped who?" she asked already sure he had dumped her, and that it had something to do with a certain red head.
"You dumped me," John answered with a sad smile. At the confused and shocked look on Evangeline's face, he continued with an explanation. "You thought I was in love with Natalie." He said giving the very watered down version of the events that led to their demise.
"Was I right?"
"There were some unresolved feelings, and Natalie and I did try to have a relationship after ours ended."
"It didn't work out?" Evangeline asked and John shook his head as he moved his hand from her face to stroke her hair.
"No, we realized that we just weren't right for each other."
"I'm sorry," Evangeline said sincerely.
"Don't be." He replied and they once again fell into a comfortable silence. Then Evangeline spoke again.
"Thank you, for being here." She whispered even lower.
"There's no place else I'd rather be." He spoke honestly. "And…I'd like to be there for you every step of the way, if that's ok with you." She smiled at his words.
"I'd really like that."
"Good." He said and then leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Two weeks later
"Hey you all ready to go?" He asked as he popped his head in the doorway before he fully entered the room. She sat on the bed with her hands folded in her lap.
"Hey," She greeted him with a huge smile. "Yeah I'm ready, I really didn't have anything here."
"You look nervous, that's not something I'm used to seeing, and it kind of makes me nervous." He said with a kind smile.
"Yeah I guess I am, kind of. I've been in a coma for months, that's months away from my friends, my home, my work. Oh God my clients probably have found other representation. I may have to rebuild my practice up again." She sighed heavily. "Not to mention the timeline in my mind is much longer than just a couple of months. I'm just so out of touch with everything and everyone. Nora stopped by, Layla called her. It was good to see her, and everything seemed so normal between us, until I asked about Daniel…her 'husband'."
"Ouch," John said with a sympathetic smile.
"No kidding. Nora was clearly upset but she explained the Daniel situation to me. I just couldn't believe it, I mean poor Jen. But it's got me all worried now. I feel like I'm not going to know what to say to people, or how to act around them. John I don't want to offend anyone."
"Hey don't worry about that. All of your friends know what happened to you, they'll understand. You just got to get caught on some things."
"Yeah, a couple of years."
"And you will, but if you don't it doesn't matter, you're here, you're awake. Standing here full of life and as beautiful as ever." He said and she blushed slightly at his word, as her heart ached just a bit as she remembered that they were no longer a 'they' anymore.
"Thank you John, for everything."
"You're welcome. Now, are you ready to get back out in the world again?"
"As ready as I'm ever gonna be."
"Let's go then." He said as he held out his hand to her. She grasped his hand firmly as they exited the room that had been her home for several months.
