It was 7:00 on Monday morning. Oliver and Heather were both sitting in silence, staring at Shane. She had slightly moved her head to the right twenty minutes before. But now nothing.
Heather sighed. "I'm sure that was a good sign. I'll go get us some breakfast this morning." Oliver had dark circles under red eyes and though Heather was tired herself, she suspected he'd been up most, if not all, of the night. "Same as yesterday?" she asked.
He nodded, not taking his gaze away from Shane. "Yes, thank you."
"Alright, I'll be back in half an hour." She was concerned about Oliver, but didn't know what to say.
As she left the room, Oliver reached for Shane's hand for the hundredth time, but this time he held it up to his cheek and before he even realized what was happening he began sobbing. This was the first time they had been alone since Friday night. There was always someone else in the room and Oliver had subconsciously attempted to keep his emotions in check.
He once again laid his head down on the edge of the bed, releasing Shane's hand and burying his face in his hands. He stayed that way for several minutes, struggling to gain composure.
Without warning, he felt someone softly touch the back of his head. It startled him and he immediately snapped up and looked at Shane.
She was looking at him with only her right eye open, a concerned expression on her face. "Oliver...are you alright?" Her voice was raspy and quiet, but he heard every word.
Oliver squeezed her hand and for the first time, she lightly squeezed it back. He was smiling, crying, and gasping all at once. Shane would never forget the look on his face as he addressed her. "Am I...am I alright? Shane! You're awake! You're finally awake! And you said my name which means…"
Shane was trying to say something else. "Water...please."
"Oh, yes...let me call the nurse!" Oliver pushed the button and then looked at Shane lovingly. "Do you need anything else?"
Shane attempted a slight smile, still trying to make sense of her surroundings.
Once the nurse saw that Shane was awake, the doctor was called too. They checked her vitals, asked her questions, ordered some tests, and let her have a drink of water. She had tried to move her head and had winced in pain. It killed Oliver to see her like that. They made a plan for pain management and told her to get as much rest as she could.
Then Heather walked in carrying a tray of coffee and muffins. Oliver couldn't tell if she was going to drop it or throw it, either way he quickly grabbed it from her as she ran over to Shane's side.
"You're awake!" she said sobbing.
Shane whispered quietly, "Hi, Mom."
"Hi, baby. Do you need anything? Anything at all?"
"Hurts...to breathe..." said Shane, pausing to breathe slowly. "My...legs. Am I…?"
Oliver and Heather looked at one another and then at the doctor. He sat down calmly and as if he had rehearsed this a hundred times before, he explained to Shane what happened to her and a short summary of what was going on with her body.
She stared at him with one eye wide open and the other swollen eye just barely open. Car accident...surgery... lungs...ribs...arm...head...spine...asleep for two days...further testing. It was overwhelming, to say the least.
"So, we'll take it one day at a time, and get you as well as we can. You've made rapid progress already, considering your injuries. Any questions, Shane?" asked the doctor.
She shook her head slightly and winced again.
"Are you in pain?"
She nodded as a tear escaped her eye. "My head hurts." she whispered.
The doctor instructed the nurse to give her pain meds immediately. "The meds will make you sleepy. We'll talk more later. You sleep."
Shane closed her eyes and the doctor left the room. She opened them again and glanced at Oliver who was looking at her with a concerned expression.
"I still can't believe you are awake." he said softly as he tenderly wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Now and then, in this work-a-day world, things do happen in the delightful story-book fashion, and what a comfort that is." Heather said with a tearful smile.
"Little Women." said Shane with a slight smile at her Mom.
She then took a deep breath. Her face crumpled again. Shane looked at Oliver, a worried expression on her face. "Will you stay with me while I sleep? I kept hearing you, but I couldn't find you. I...I don't want to lose you again."
"Of course I will." he choked out.
Her face relaxed as the medication kicked in, and she drifted off to sleep.
Oliver sat there holding her hand, saying silent prayers of gratitude.
Heather looked at the scene before her crying as well, realizing the road to recovery was going to be a long one. But, they have each other. She then realized there were others waiting for the good news. She waited until Oliver drifted off to sleep as well, and then quietly snuck out of the room to make a phone call.
Joe sat in Oliver's seat in the DLO. He even wore a 3-piece suit in an effort to lighten up the mood for Norman and Rita. Worrying about Oliver and Shane had taken its toll on them as well. Norman assigned him to stamp and seal some envelopes while he and Rita bustled about completing the morning routine. They all kept busy, but they were all clearly nervous.
The evaluator walked in right at 8:30AM. "Hi, I'm Judy Smith." She was tall and serious, with short dark hair and wide rimmed glasses. She stiffly shook hands with everyone present.
As she glanced down at her clipboard she asked, "Is Oliver O'toole in today? Or Shane McInerney?" Rita's face fell and Norman looked glum.
Joe responded. "I'm filling in for Oliver today. Ms. McInerney was in a car accident over the weekend. Mr. O'toole is with her currently."
"I see." she said seriously. "You'll have to pass along the the news."
Joe, Norman, and Rita glanced at one another and then back at Judy. They all looked nervous.
"I received an email this morning that the DLO in the Denver branch was essential and absolutely no changes were to be made." She smiled for the first time since entering.
"So...we get to keep the DLO?" Norman asked.
"Yes. You must do good work to have someone in Washington aware of you. And thank you all for smiling at me. That's probably the only time that will happen today." she said as she sighed. "You folks have a nice Monday."
"We will now! Thank you SO MUCH!" exclaimed Rita.
After she left Joe, Norman, and Rita let out a cheer and gave each other high fives.
"Well, that's one less thing for Oliver to worry about," said Norman.
Joe nodded, "But who do you know in Washington?"
Rita stood pondering and then she knew. "Oh, Becky! It was Shane!" She looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Thank you, Shane!"
Just then the DLO phone rang. Joe picked it up, "Denver DLO, this is Mr. O'Toole. Yes, Heather, hello. Any news?"
Norman and Rita were watching anxiously.
Joe's face broke into a wide grin. "Yes, please let us know when she would be up for visitors. Bye."
He hung up the phone while turning toward Norman and Rita. "She's awake!" They all cheered once again, only this time there were hugs and tears too.
"I just knew today was going to be a good day!" exclaimed Rita through sobs.
"I bet Oliver is feeling so relieved." said Norman. "We should go by after work and give him the DLO news in person."
"That's a great idea, Norman." said Joe. "In the meantime, I don't want to waste this fancy suit. So, let us all attend to our duties!" He said that last sentence just as Oliver would have, causing Norman and Rita to chuckle.
At 3 o'clock, a nurse came in and announced that they had received orders to move Shane to the regular floor. Normally they would have kept her in the ICU for at least 24 hours after waking, but they were overcrowded and she was doing well.
As they settled into the new room, Shane awoke once more. Oliver and Heather were at her side instantly.
"You've been demoted, Shane. Not sick enough for the ICU." said Heather with a smile and wink.
"I think I'm okay with that." Shane said wryly. "If I understood the doctor correctly, they are pretty sure everything will heal, except...except for my spine. They don't know how that will affect me long-term?" Shane's eyes filled with tears. "Will I be able to walk again?"
Oliver took her hand and looked at her soberly. "They don't know yet. They are calling in a specialist from another hospital to look at your x-rays." Oliver wanted to say something, anything, to remove the fear of the unknown. He couldn't though, because he felt the same fears.
Shane nodded and took a deep breath. "How is the other driver?"
Oliver's face went pale. He was hoping she wouldn't ask for a few days. He knew she was still processing her own trauma.
She squeezed his hand. "Oliver, you can tell me. I can handle it." Shane was hurting and exhausted, but she was still her same, curious self.
"Uh...it was a teenage girl. She was under the influence of alcohol. She passed away Saturday morning. That's all we know so far." Oliver swallowed hard as he looked at Shane.
Hot tears started to flow. "No! That poor family." She used her free hand to wipe her face and felt the puffiness for the first time. "We need to help them somehow!"
"I agree." said Oliver. He half smiled. She was already thinking of others. Trying to change the world while lying in a hospital bed, unable to sit up or walk.
Just then, Heather's phone began to ring. She answered and handed it to Oliver. Oliver excused himself from the room for a moment.
Heather moved closer to Shane. The look on her daughter's face was more concerning than all the scratches and bruises. "Are you okay, baby?"
"Yes…it's... it's just silly…"
Heather raised her eyebrows as only a mother could, demanding Shane to share her feelings.
"Do I look hideous?!" Shane blurted.
Heather was so taken aback she had to stifle a laugh. "Shane Eileen!"
"Told you it was silly!" said Shane. "I could not even be here right now, but I've felt my face and can only imagine how bad it looks. It's complete vanity, I know. Oliver is too nice to say anything, but you're my mom so you have to tell the truth…"
Heather smiled, "It's not vanity to want to look nice for your significant other. But honey, you could have woken up completely green and missing a nose and that man would still be in love with you. No, you do not look hideous. Like you've survived something traumatic? Yes. Your face will heal."
Shane sighed. "Thanks, Mom. I'm so glad you are here. And not just for answering silly questions."
"I'm glad I'm here too. I love you, honey." she said as she straightened out Shane's blanket. "And when you are feeling up for some treats, I'll make you some macaroons!"
"That sounds nice. I love you too, Mom." said Shane.
Heather nodded and smiled with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for waking up, so I could hear you say that."
Fifteen minutes later Oliver stepped back into the room with a huge grin on his face. "Up for a few visitors, Shane?"
"I'm very tired. Maybe for a few minutes…" said a sleepy Shane. The nurse had just given her pain meds and she knew she wouldn't be awake long.
"They promised to make it quick." Oliver then motioned to someone outside the door to come in.
In walked Rita, Norman, and Joe. Each had arms full of flowers, balloons, and cards.
"Shane, hi! You look great!" exclaimed Rita, as she set her armful down and moved to give her friend a hug.
"Thank you, Rita. What's all this?" she asked.
"Oh, word travels fast at the post office," said Norman. "Everyone knows about your accident, and when they heard we were coming to see you, they insisted we bring all of this."
"That is so sweet." said Shane. "Please thank them for me."
Norman nodded and he and Rita began arranging all the gifts on a side table.
Joe noticed how tired Shane looked. "You do look better Shane. It's good to see you awake." He smiled, "We do have some news…"
Rita clasped her hands together. "Oh yes! Good news!" she said as she looked at Norman.
Norman cleared his throat and looked at Oliver and Shane, "The DLO of the Denver branch has been deemed 'essential' by someone in Washington. No changes are to be made." Norman looked triumphant.
Shane smiled and squeezed Oliver's hand. Oliver was grinning from ear to ear.
"The postables shall continue their work!" said Oliver, so grateful something was making Shane happy.
Joe looked at Shane, "Rita says you had something to do with this?"
Shane nodded, "It was really Becky. She couldn't guarantee anything at first, but on Friday before I left to deliver Annie's letter she called to let me know that she had gotten through to someone in the main office and was 99% sure the Denver DLO would be labeled "indispensable to the mission of the United States postal service." Shane winced slightly as she spoke. "I'm so grateful she was able to talk to the right people."
"Thank you, Shane." Oliver said as he squeezed her hand again. She was fighting to keep her eyes open.
"We'll visit again soon." said Rita as she signaled to Norman that they needed to go.
"Oh yes," said Norman, "We're glad you're awake, Shane. The DLO isn't the same without you."
"Thank you, Norman." said Shane.
Rita came over and squeezed her arm. "So grateful you're awake." Both women tearfully smiled. "We'll talk more later," added Rita. Shane responded with a slight nod.
Norman and Rita left and Joe asked to speak with Oliver. They stepped outside as Shane drifted off to sleep.
"How are you doing, son?" asked Joe as he analyzed Oliver.
"I'm tired, but I'm alright. I don't know what to do with myself. I want to stay with Shane, but she is sleeping a lot and I don't know how to help her any more than I already am. Guess you could say I'm going a bit stir crazy." Oliver said, looking guilty.
"Why don't I go and pick up your newspapers along with a few books from your house and bring them over? That will keep your mind busy. And hey, if Shane is doing alright tomorrow, maybe we can go out for a short lunch."
Oliver hesitated, but finally said, "We'll have to see tomorrow. Thanks, Dad. Oh...could you bring my CD player too, with the stack of cds next to it?"
"A CD player?" Joe said, clearly amused. "You own a CD player?"
"Well yes, the record player is too heavy, not to mention fragile…" Oliver began to explain.
Just then Heather stepped out. "Oliver, if it's alright with you, I think I'll go and sleep at Shane's tonight and come back in the morning."
"Oh, yes, of course." She looked exhausted. "Do you have a key?"
"Yes. And I can catch a taxi to get there." said Heather.
"Nonsense," said Joe, "I'm heading that direction. I'll drop you off on my way to Oliver's."
"Thank you, that would be great." said Heather with a smile.
"See you later, son." said Joe as they turned and walked away.
Oliver slipped quietly back into Shane's room. He sighed as he looked at the four bare walls that would be Shane's home as she healed. They had no idea how long she'd be here. He watched her sleep, thinking of ways to keep her spirits up.
She awoke suddenly and turned her face towards him. "Oh good...you're here."
He slid his hand into hers. "Always."
"I love you, Oliver." she said as she closed her eyes again.
He knew she meant it. Something in her voice changed each time those three words left her lips. "I love you too, my love. Sleep well."
