He opened his dark eyes to see her there, beside him. He was so relieved to see her there, well and whole. She was alone and he wondered at it, but he didn't imagine that she would be here, calm and quiet if anything had happened to her beloved. He wanted to sit up and talk to her, but he couldn't even turn his head. She looked sad, and it pained him to think she was upset. He tried to speak to her, but something prevented him, and he realized then that he had a tube down his throat.
Her eyes widened and she was beside him rubbing his arm with her soft fingers.
"Eddie! Oh, Eddie! You are awake!" She smiled down into his face, but her big, brown eyes were filled with tears. She kissed his forehead. "Oh! Eddie!"
He wished he could talk to her. He wished he could squeeze her fingers or kiss her cheek. Instead he just looked up into her eyes hoping she understood.
"I was so worried! We love you so! Please, you just keep getting better, okay? Please! You rest now, and let them take care of you. Oh! I am so happy to see you! Don't you worry about anything at all. We are all alright! And we all, love you so! Just get better, okay?" She kissed his forehead again, and then someone pushed her out of the way and he found himself looking at doctors and nurses who hovered around him. He closed his eyes again, tired beyond anything he had ever experienced.
***R***
Mike Danko looked up from where he sat with Terry in the hospital cafeteria. As soon as he saw her, he knew what she was going to say before she spoke. Joy radiated from her and she was all lit up like Christmas. He exhaled so relieved and smiled at her. She threw her arms around him as she sat beside him, kissing his cheek.
"He opened his eyes! He woke up!" She beamed and reached for Terry's hand across the table. "He woke up!"
"Good." Terry grinned back, lifting her hand and kissing her fingers.
Mike leaned over and kissed her, "Thank God for that!" It was only then that she absorbed the fact that the two of them were sitting together.
"You boys alright?" She asked with a grin, her eyes bright with happy tears.
"Hey!" Mike said wrapping an arm around her. "Don't gloat. It isn't very attractive. Besides, Terry here just reminded me how unbelievably stubborn you are."
"Yeah, I got him to focus on your flaws, instead of mine." Terry grinned at her releasing her hand. "How about you eat something, there, slim?"
She shook her head, but he raised an eyebrow at her. "Jill." He admonished with a glance at Mike. "Ice cream?" He asked Mike.
"Syrup - lots of chocolate, but no cherry. She doesn't like 'em. A big pile of whip cream if they got it." Mike told him.
"Be right back, so keep the kissing down to a minimum." He rose. "And you," He pointed down at Jill, "Are eating every bite."
"I think I stood a better chance when you were mad at him." She said to her husband.
"You did." He agreed kissing her again. "I'm so happy, Baby. Ryker will pull through, you'll see."
She nodded kissing him back. "And what do you mean stubborn? I'm not stubborn."
He laughed out loud. "Baby! You wrote the book on stubborn!"
"Me? What about you Danko?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"There you go." Terry said returning and setting a huge bowl of ice cream in front of her. "Every bite." He grinned at her.
"Oh! Good grief! Terry! That's too much."
"Don't be stubborn, Jill. You need to eat." Terry told her and Mike laughed out loud at Terry's choice of words.
"Yeah, Babe, don't be stubborn." He hit the last word hard. She glanced at Mike shaking her head and recognizing she was trapped. She lifted her spoon and began to eat.
"Did I ever tell you the lamp story?" Mike said to Terry feeling ridiculously happy just then.
"I don't think so. Does it involve sex?" Terry asked as Jill's eyes grew wide.
"Tragically, no. Just a stubborn brown-eyed girl and an idiot cop."
"Oh, I bet I know the cop!" Terry said laughing.
***R***
It was ten days later that they finally moved him out of ICU. He found himself surrounded by family. They had warned him that he might feel angry and irritable, a common reaction to heart attack, but he found the opposite to be true. He was grateful. But then he figured most heart attacks didn't involve a man who was waiting to see if a deranged kidnapper was going to murder his son, and attack his daughter. He awoke to find them both whole, so happiness seemed appropriate.
The were gathered in his room now, Beth and Terry Webster, and Mike and Jill Danko. Mike had traded his crutches in for a cane, although both Dankos had matching casts on their arms.
"You should get a picture of the two you." Ryker said considering them now. "You look pretty ridiculous with those casts."
"I know." Jill agreed laughing. "We were at the grocery store and the clerk said something about it, and you know what Mike said to her? She shook her head at the memory.
"Babe, come on. It was funny." Mike said to her.
"He told her we were circus performers that had been kicked out for incompetence. He told her that we missed the bar and the trapeze net had broken! He looked straight at her and said we'd been shamed out of the circus." Jill shook her head. "Every time someone asks he makes up a different story."
"My favorite was when I told that old lady we were trying a new dangerous move in bed that went horribly, horribly wrong." He grinned devilishly.
"You see what I have to deal with!" She said.
"I feel your pain, Jill." Beth said laughing.
"Danko, you are nothing but trouble." Ryker told him. "Next time, tell them it was the World Thumb Wrestling Championship and she broke your arm to prevent you from beating her." He said surprising them all.
"Thanks, Eddie." Jill shook a finger at him. "You are lucky you are stuck in that bed."
"Oh, I am aware how lucky." He smiled at her. "Speaking of lucky, what's the word on Chris?"
"They've got him up and walking yesterday. It will be a long road, yet." Mike said. "And how are you feeling, sir?"
"I've felt better." Ryker admitted. "I get tired pretty easy."
"Well, we better go then, and let you rest." Jill told him. "We're smuggling the girls in tomorrow and you are gonna need your strength." She smiled at him and leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You call us if you need anything or get lonesome."
They all turned to go and as she reached the doorway, he said, "Jill?" She glanced at Mike and releasing her hold on his hand, doubled-back to his bedside as the others all left.
"Yes?" She asked standing beside him.
"I just wanted to say . . ." He hesitated unsure and feeling frustrated that even now, after everything, it was hard for him to express his emotions. She smiled understandingly and sat on the edge of his bed.
"I love you too, Eddie." She said smiling and running a hand over his forehead. "I'm so grateful you are alright. You can't know, how grateful."
"It goes both ways, sweetheart." He said at last. "Now, give me a kiss and get out of here. I'm tired."
She laughed and leaned over to kiss him and he finally, at long last, found his courage. "I love you, Jill. You are the sweetest daughter and I am so grateful that Mike joined the force all those years ago."
"Me too." She whispered.