Chapter Six
Rudy's Complex - DC - 4/26/89 - 6:45am
Steve had been restlessly pacing the hallway for several hours. Oscar sat nearby in a wheelchair, an IV in his arm to treat severe dehydration. His doctor had realized it was futile to try and keep him in a bed. He was as strong-willed as ever and insisted on being, if not with Jaime, at least as close as possible.
"Oscar? You need anything?" Steve asked.
"No thanks."
"Guess I should say anyone," Steve said, pulling up a chair to sit next to his former boss. "Oscar, I know how you feel about Jaime." Oscar lowered his head, saying nothing. Steve went on, very cautiously. "I've known for a long time. To be honest, it worried me when I was with her, even though I knew that, in your position, you could never act on those feelings." Oscar nodded, still at a loss for words. Steve chuckled ironically. "Quite a role reversal we did, huh?"
"Yup. Gotta tell you, Pal, no one was better suited to take over for me. You proved that today."
"No one else is insane enough...but I've known for awhile now that Jaime and I wouldn't be getting back together. Just wasn't meant to be." Steve paused to look at Oscar. "Have you ever told her how you feel about her?"
"Never got the chance. I really couldn't while I was still working. That was why I took early retirement. Then, when I did retire -"
Rudy emerged from the ICU. Two voices asked in perfect stereo "How is she?"
Rudy's face was grim. "She's in bad shape; real bad."
"What did they do to her?" Steve asked softly.
"She's got a pretty bad taser burn on her hip, just above the leg. Some internal damage from the power source but thankfully not a direct hit. That would've killed her instantly. I'm guessing when they sedated her, they didn't take into account that only a certain percentage of her body is actually flesh and blood."
"Overdose," Steve concluded.
"Right. They couldn't treat her because they had no clue about either condition. So they let her lie there like that for...how long, Oscar?"
"Almost a week. Rudy, will she live?" Oscar held his breath, waiting for the answer.
Rudy didn't want to crush his hope, but he couldn't lie, either. "She's in extremely critical condition; her chances are very slim."
"Is she in pain?" Steve asked.
"Jaime's in a deep coma. Probably too far gone to feel any pain. The drugs they gave her are pretty much out of her system, and I've replaced the damaged power source and treated as much radiation damage as was possible. Now - we wait. The rest is up to Jaime, if she's strong enough."
"Can I see her?" Oscar asked.
"Of course." Rudy wheeled Oscar into the ICU cubicle and left him alone with Jaime. He figured there were things Oscar might want to say to her in private.
When Rudy met Steve again in the hallway, he was pacing again but stopped when he saw the doctor. "Rudy, now that Oscar's not here, how is she really?"
Rudy shook his head. "She's dying, Steve. I'm sorry, but it's gonna take a miracle..."
Oscar looked sadly at the woman he had loved for so long without her knowledge. He knew that sometimes comatose patients could hear what was said around them, and he hoped it was the case this time.
"Hi, Babe. It's me. You know, I'd give anything to trade places with you right now. Because I've already lived a full life, and you're entitled to have one, too, and because...I love you. Jaime, I've loved you for a long time and I wish I could've told you before now. You were the reason I took early retirement; before you, there was nothing in my life but work. But we never really got a chance to try. I just wish I could've let you know that. I'm so sorry."
Oscar moved from his wheelchair to the edge of Jaime's bed, leaned down and kissed her gently. When he sat back down, he was astonished to see two hazel eyes looking back at him, and a groggy smile on Jaime's face. "Oscar," she murmured, "I do know. And - I love you too."
Steve and Rudy, although not listening, were looking through the ICU window when Jaime woke up. Steve turned to the doctor. "Well, Rudy, there's your miracle. It's called love."
END