FORGOTTEN MEMORIES!—19

Joe stared out the window and longed to be outside. Two days had passed since he'd been moved into the private room and he was impatient to get out of bed. His knee was a major hurdle and coupled with the broken ribs he would not be mobile for some time. His frustration at being bedridden, and his inability to perform the most mundane activity left him short tempered and irritable. The nasal canulas were irritating and he wished they'd find something more comfortable rather than subjecting patients to this torture.

"Joe.'

"Doc," Mannix said, his attention still on the window and branches of the tree dusting up against the panes of glass.

"Not talking to me?"

"Nothing to say."

"Are you sure? I thought I might be able to give you a little good news."

"What? I get to push the buttons on the bed by myself?"

"Whoa, feeling a little sorry for yourself," Lewis said and heard the harried sigh from his friend.

"Yes, I guess I am. Sorry, Doc, I'm just tired of lying here."

"That's what I thought. Look, how would you feel about sitting in a wheelchair and going for a ride?"

"When?" Mannix asked hopefully.

"Now," Lewis said as a nurse pushed a wheelchair into the room.

"I can get out of this damn bed?"

"Yes, but there are some restrictions, Joe," the physician warned.

"I'll agree to anything…"

"Paula, you heard him, right?"

"I did, Dr. Lewis."

"Good. Okay, the ground rules are as follows. No trying to stand on your own. No trying to handle the wheels on your own. You come back inside when you're told and back into bed without arguments. You eat, drink, and sleep when…"

"Yes, Mom," Mannix said, his spirits soaring with the news that he was not only getting out of the bed, but was also going to get outside for a while.

"You'll take your meds like you're supposed to and no arguing with your friendly doctor. Agreed?"

"Agreed," the detective said.

"All right, now let's see about getting you mobile," Lewis said and lowered the rails on the bed as the nurse pushed the chair closer to the bed and locked the brakes. The doctor transferred the IV fluid from the pole beside the bed and over to the chair before pressing the buttons to raise Mannix into a sitting position. He waited for the detective to catch his breath before sliding his legs over the edge. "Joe, just sit there for a minute."

"Good plan, Doc," Mannix said and held his arm tight against his ribs until he had his breathing under control. "I'm ready."

"All right, Paula and I have you," Lewis said and eased the detective from the bed to the chair where he knelt in front of the trembling man, worried about the way his patient seemed to be fighting to stay with them. "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."

"I'm not letting you back out of our deal now, Doc. Just give me a minute."

"I'll do better than that," Lewis said and nodded to the nurse. Before entering the room he'd told her to prepare a shot of pain medication for Joe Mannix and she slowly injected it into the IV port near his hand. "That'll help, Joe."

"Thanks, Doc," Mannix said, smiling as the nurse wrapped a blanket around his legs and made sure his upper body was also covered. "I look like a mummy."

"More like a sick puppy who's been left in the rain for a week, but at least you're sitting up," Lewis said and looked toward the door at the sound of footsteps. "I believe your chauffeur has arrived."

"Peggy," Mannix said as the woman hurried toward him. "I didn't think you were coming until later."

"I wasn't, but Dr. Lewis said he had a surprise for both of us. How do you feel?"

"Like a million bucks," Mannix said with a grin.

"Peggy, you can take him out to the gardens, but the nurses are going to send out a search party if you don't have him back in half an hour. Don't let him try to talk you into longer, Peggy, because I swear I'll make sure he's stuck in bed for a week."

"He'll listen to reason, Dr. Lewis," Peggy said, taking control of the handles and wheeling the chair toward the door. Neither one spoke until Peggy parked the wheelchair beside a wrought iron bench. She smiled as she sat in front of him and he reached out to take her right hand in his.

"Thanks, Peggy," Mannix said softly.

"For what" the pretty woman asked.

"For being who you are. For not trying to convince me to find a safer line of work…"

"Joe, I have no right to ask you to stop doing what you do."

"Not yet, but what if…" Joe stopped and stared at the garden of roses behind her and wondered if he should even broach the subject.

"Joe? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Peggy, it's just I don't want to push you away…if anything I want to pull you closer and God help me I don't ever want to let you go. I want you and Toby in my life…I want more than what I have now and I'd do anything to have it."

"What are you saying, Joe?"

"I'm saying what I should have said long ago, Peggy. I love you more than anyone I've ever met and I want you to be part of my life forever. I want you and Toby living with me."

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" Peggy asked and felt his fingers tighten around her own.

"No, Peggy, at least not until after…after…"

"After what?"

"Peggy, I'll understand if you don't want this and I know this is not a very romantic setting, but I want to marry you. I want to love you the way you deserve to be loved and I want to be a father to Toby," Joe said and saw the tears in her eyes as she started to sob. He immediately regretted opening up to her as she pulled her hand from his. "God, Peg, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Oh, Joe, you didn't hurt me. I…I just don't know what to say."

"I know I put you on the spot, Peggy, and I understand if you want some time to think about it…"

"I don't need time, Joe. I know what I want, and I know what my answer is."

"You do?"

"Oh yes…God yes, I'll marry you."

"You will?" Mannix asked incredulously, his heart trip-hammering in his chest.

"Yes, Joe, I want to marry you more than anything in this world," Peggy said, and they kissed amidst the garden of flowers, blissfully unaware of the people smiling and pointing toward them.

"When?"

"What?"

"When do you want to get married?" Mannix asked when he finally released her.

"Oh, Joe," the woman laughed. "I don't know…there's so much to do."

"Do you want a big wedding, Peggy?"

"No, just family and friends, but I would…"

"What?" Joe asked when her voice trailed off.

"I'd like a church wedding, Joe."

"So would I," Mannix said and their eyes met once more as he touched her hand. "God, I love you so much."

"I love you too, Joe," Peggy said and smiled at the light in his eyes.

"When are you going to tell Toby?"

"I think we should tell him together. Maybe tonight I'll bring him in during visiting hours."

"We do it together," Joe agreed, shifting on the chair and wincing when the movement tore at injured ribs.

"Joe, I think it's time we went back inside."

"Not yet…I'm okay."

"Joe, we've been out here for nearly twenty minutes. If I don't bring you back they'll send that search party remember? Besides, you're listing a little, and if you fall out of that chair, I'm not going to be able to lift you into it again."

"All right, Peg," Mannix agreed. Truth was the excitement and fresh air was wearing him down and he needed to get out of the chair and back in the bed. He closed his eyes, thinking about a future that now held the promise of love and happiness, and knew that far outweighed the danger they often found themselves in. By the time they reached his room, Joe knew Peggy had been right to insist on returning and he was grateful when the nurses helped him back to bed before they left them alone once more.

"Joe, I'm going to go pick up Toby and we'll see you tonight. Okay?"

"O…okay, Peggy, love you," the detective whispered and slipped toward sleep as she kissed his forehead.

"I love you too, Joe Mannix," Peggy said and left the room.

TBC