Chapter Two
Alison mutely watched Robert walk out the door. He was here, he was alive. What the hell was going on? She had seen him die; she had seen him cross over. She shook her head, everything was wrong. Nothing was making sense. She jumped slightly when the nurse touched her elbow. Alison nodded her head when the nurse asked if she was ready to have a shower.
Swinging her heels over the side of the bed, she gently placed her feet on the floor. As she stood, she swayed slightly so the nurse placed her arm around her waist to steady her. Alison smiled her thanks and they slowly made their way over to the ensuite. When they reached the room, Alison took hold of the rail to steady herself before slowly undressing with the nurse's help. She then stepped under the flowing shower and felt the water start to soothe her tense shoulders.
Robert sat in one of the chairs outside her room and rested his head in his hands. His heart had lifted when he'd been told that she had awoken. Although the things she had said to him were worrying. She had been convinced that he'd died. The genuine shock on her face when the nurse had acknowledged his presence in the room had proven that. Although that kiss had been amazing. He had prayed every day to whoever would listen that she would wake up, that he would be able to tell her how much she had come to mean to him.
Thinking back to the moment when he thought he'd lost her forever, Robert felt a chill go down his spine. Josh had told him that he wanted Alison to go with him. In the split second it took for him to comprehend what was happening and to react to it, Alison's hand had slipped from his. If he hadn't seen the video, he would not have remembered carrying her out. Apparently he'd been the one to call the ambulance but he had no real memory of doing that either. The only thing that he remembered with any clarity was the feeling of sorrow at the thought of losing her.
Over the last 3 weeks, he had been at the hospital every day, for as many hours as he could humanly manage. Nurse Hanigan was right; he had started to feel like part of the furniture. He would come after classes, sit by Alison's bed and talk to her about what had happened that day. He would go home to have a shower and a quick bite to eat before returning to the hospital to stay with Alison through the night. After the first week, the nurses had taken pity on him, as he had a tendency to fall asleep in the uncomfortable hospital chairs, and had wheeled in a camp bed for him. They had set it up in the corner so he would not be in the way when they came in to check on Alison through the night.
Barb had been surprisingly supportive throughout it all. When she'd reached him that first night he was already at the hospital, waiting to speak to the doctor. When he'd answered the phone Barb had started talking. He hadn't really been listening but she'd gotten his attention when she'd said Alison's name. He'd asked her to repeat what she'd just said. She went on to tell him about the other medium who had died and that she thought that Alison could be in danger.
"Robert, you need to find her."
"I know where she is Barb. I'm with her now."
"Is she alright?"
Robert was quiet for such a long time that when Barb spoke, she sounded nervous.
"Robert, what's wrong? What's happened? Where are you? Talk to me Robert!"
"We're at the hospital. She collapsed at the séance. Barb, what if I lose her? How will I go on?"
"Robert, what are you saying?"
"I love her Barb."
With that realisation, Robert had sunk into the chair and dropped his head, letting the phone slip from his numb fingers. He'd covered his face and felt the tears fall down his cheeks. He hadn't admitted, even to himself, how he'd felt about her. But in that instant, all had become clear. It took losing her to realise how much he loved her. He'd fallen hard for this woman, he couldn't imagine living without her. Having finally found love again, he couldn't lose it. When Robert heard someone clear their throat, he looked up at the doctor and then quickly stood up.
"How is she?"
"She's stable."
"Thank God," Robert whispered to no-one in particular.
"However, she has slipped into a coma."
Robert's look of shock prompted the doctor to quickly continue.
"That's not necessarily a bad thing. Her body seems to have had a big shock tonight. This is the body's way of minimising that shock and bringing everything back to normal. She just needs to know that she is safe. Talk to her Robert; keep her in touch with this world. Don't let her slip away, we'll keep an eye on her body, you take care of her mind.
Robert smiled at the irony of that statement but nodded his agreement all the same. The doctor pointed out which room was Alison's and then excused himself, saying that he had other patients to see. Robert watched as he walked away and then headed off to Alison's room.
Now, nearly a month later, Alison was awake. When he'd looked into those beautiful blue eyes, he'd felt a deep peace settle in his heart. Sitting outside her room, knowing she was going to be alright had lightened his soul. The stuff about him being dead was just a small hurdle. Once she was up to it, he'd talk to her about it. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he dialled Barb's number. He checked the time after the phone had rung for quite a while. Frowning, he thought that Barb would be home. Just as he was about to hang up, the phone was answered.
"Hello?"
"Um, hi Jude. Is Barb there?"
"Yes, she's coming now. Talk to you soon Robert."
"Yeah, ok, soon."
Robert waited while Jude and Barb had a whispered conversation on the other end of the phone. When Barb eventually spoke, she sounded flustered.
"Hi Robert, how are you? How is everything else?"
"Barb, it's fantastic, she's awake."
"That's great Robert but can we talk later? It's just that Jude's here and she need my help with something."
"Sure, call me when you can."
"Alright, I will, bye Robert."
When he'd hung up he tilted his head back and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. He no longer got that fluttery sensation when he heard Jude's voice. When he thought of her, all he felt was a brotherly love, there was no passion anymore. He now knew that he wasn't in love with her, he was in love with Alison. Although, now he thought about it, Jude hadn't sounded like herself, neither had Barb. He would have to check on them both later.
Just then, the door to Alison's room opened and Nurse Hanigan popped her head out to tell him he could come back in. When he walked back into the room, Alison was sitting up in bed. She must have been talking to herself because he could see her lips moving and she had a worried look on her face. She hadn't seemed to hear him enter the room so he whispered her name. Upon hearing his voice, she looked up and a smile lit her whole face. She held out her hand and he walked over to the bed to take it. He sat gently on the side of the bed and let her place her hands on his cheeks. There was such joy in her eyes that he leaned forward and preceded to kiss her. The kiss seemed to last forever before Alison pulled away and whispered.
"My God, it's real, you're real. You're here with me. This is a miracle."