Christmas Eve - Late Night

The elevator doors opened. Shane looked towards Oliver's room. The door opened and Susan stepped out.

She walked over to Shane.

"Shane, what are you doing here? Visiting hours were over long ago."

"I need to be with Oliver."

"I'm sorry, but you can't see him. No visitors after 10:00 p.m. That's the rule."

"I don't care about your rules. I'm not leaving. Not this time. Several years ago, I left another hospital when I was told visiting hours were over. My father died that night, and I never got the chance to say good-bye. I'm not taking that chance again."

"Oliver isn't going to die."

"I'm still staying. Besides, it's Christmas Eve. I don't want him to be alone. Please!"

Susan smiled and patted Shane's shoulder.

"All right. It is Christmas. Please don't leave the room. We'll both be in trouble if anyone else sees you."

"Thank you!"

"I'll be at the nurses' station if you need anything."

Shane closed the door quietly. The only light in the room came from the open bathroom door, but it was enough for her to see that Oliver hadn't moved since she left. She pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. It was too quiet. She took her ear buds from her purse and put them in her ears, then scrolled through the music on her phone and selected Christmas tunes. She held Oliver's hand, leaned back and closed her eyes. She hoped the sweet strains of holiday music would help her relax, but after several minutes she pulled the ear buds from her ears. She tried to lift Oliver's hand to her cheek, but her bracelet caught in the threads of the blanket. She released it carefully. She still didn't understand why Oliver had insisted she have it before Christmas. She turned it over and read the inscription again.

"Two hearts joined..."

Shane stood up. She knew where she needed to go. She opened the door slightly and looked towards the nurses' station. All of them were working at computer terminals or making notes in charts. She slipped out of the room and headed for the chapel.

Shane shut the door, walked to the front pew and sat down. She closed her eyes and tried to pray, but her thoughts kept returning to another time, another chapel. That day she'd bowed her head in grateful prayer. Oliver and Joe had been found. Oliver was not hurt. Joe was hurt but would recover. Oliver had joined her there. He finally opened his heart to her that day, freed himself from the pain of his past and spoke of their future together.

This time, she felt no joy, no peace, only sorrow, and fear. Fear that Dr. Carlson was wrong, that Oliver would never wake up and she would have to face her future alone, without him. She bowed her head again, but the words wouldn't come.

"Hello, Shane."

Shane jumped to her feet in alarm. She turned and saw the last person she'd ever expected to see again. Jordan Marley.

She grasped the pew for support.

"Oliver isn't?"

"No. I just came from his room. May I join you?"

"Of course."

Shane sat down and Jordan took a seat in the opposite pew.

"I know who, or should I say, what, you are," Shane said. "Oliver told me. I never read the answer to my letter. Oliver gave me the answers I needed. He restored my hope in God and in Christmas."

"Shane, the envelope was empty."

"What?"

"It was always God's plan for Oliver to help you find your hope again."

"The last time I sat in a hospital chapel, I was grateful. Oliver and Joe had gotten lost on a camping trip. The forest rangers and the police were afraid they'd never be found. I prayed that night for the first time since I was a little girl, and they were found the next morning. Oliver was fine, Joe was hurt but would be all right. I started believing in miracles that day."

"How were they found?"

"The recipient of the lost letter, a rescue dog named Sandy. Topper, the man who wrote the letter, worked with Sandy as a K9 unit in Afghanistan. They had been victims of an attack and both suffered from PTSD. They were also separated as Topper didn't own Sandy. After Sandy found Oliver and Joe, Rita and Norman took Sandy to Topper, they were reunited, and both began to heal.

"Do you still believe in miracles?"

"I do. I just wish Oliver would wake up."

"What does his doctor say?"

"He says Oliver will regain consciousness. His nurse tried to assure me, too, telling me she's seen cases like this."

"Why don't you believe them?"

Shane crossed her arms over her chest and chewed on her lower lip.

"I'm not sure."

"That's a beautiful bracelet."

Shane traced the hearts with her finger.

"Oliver gave it to me for Christmas. He insisted that I have it early. It's almost like a foreshadowing, like he knew something was going to happen, and that I would need something to hang onto. It's engraved."

She turned the bracelet over and showed Jordan the back.

"Two hearts joined by a Greater One," Jordan read aloud.

"Can withstand anything," Shane finished.

"Do you believe that?"

"The part that's engraved, yes. The remainder, I'm not so sure. We've only been engaged a few weeks. I don't know if I could bear it if anything happens to Oliver. Funny, I told Dale the same thing the night Oliver and Joe were lost, and now Oliver is hurt because he tried to keep Dale from being injured."

"What happened?"

"They were on the church steps after choir practice. Dale lost her balance and Oliver tried to keep her from falling, but they both went down, and Oliver hit his head on the railing."

"Are you angry with Dale?"

"Of course not. It was an accident. I'm just..."

"...afraid," Jordan finished.

"Do you remember your lines from the Christmas pageant?" he asked Shane.

"Fear not, for behold I bring you tidings of great joy. For unto you is born, this day, in the city of David, a Savior."

"The greatest miracle of all happened all those thousands of years ago, when Love came down, Perfect Love in the person of Jesus," Jordan said.

"Perfect Love that takes all that pain and all that fear and replaces it with hope. Oliver told me that."

For the first time, Shane felt a tiny sliver of hope. She stood up.

"I'm going back to Oliver's room."

Jordan rose.

"I'll walk you back, then I need to leave. They're expecting me home for Christmas."

Neither of them said a word during the short walk back to Oliver's room. Jordan opened the door for Shane. Just before she entered the room, she turned back.

"Jordan."

He wasn't there any longer.

"Thank you," Shane whispered.

She walked over to Oliver's bed, leaned over and kissed him softly.

"Good night, my love."

Shane pulled the chair as close to his bed as she could get it, and then sat down. She took Oliver's hand. She laid her hand over his heart with his hand on top of hers, and bowed her head in prayer.