Chapter 15

"Sam?"

He felt a hand on his head, touching his hair, and he blinked to clear away the last of the cobwebs in his brain. "M-Mike?" He saw his friend's face and dark shadows under his piercing blue eyes, which were filled with emotion. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Sam. You've been here for..." He consulted his watch. "Four days. We were all worried you were never going to wake up." He blinked. "I'm sorry we weren't there, Sam. This never would have happened if we'd gotten there in time."

"What are you talking about?" Sam found it hard to speak. "My throat...hurts."

"It should. You had a breathing tube down it for two days." Michael pulled back and grabbed the rail. "We were on our way to the meeting, and we got into an accident. Some guy just pulled right out in front of me." He paused. "It was one of the gang members, Sam. He tried to stop us from getting to the school so the others could drop you into the pool, weighed down by a cement block."

He clamped his eyes shut and let out a shuddering breath. "I remember that."

"When Jack recognized the kid, we ran for the school. We were only a few minutes away by car. It was far enough for you to...we almost lost you, Sam."

"But I'm okay now, right?"

Michael shook his head. "I don't know. They'll probably have to do a bunch of tests to see if you have any neurological problems."

"Neurowhatsis?"

"Neu-ro-lo-gi-cal, Sam."

Sam smiled and let out a weak laugh. "Sorry, I was just messin' with ya, Mike."

Michael frowned as his hands clamped onto the rail, his knuckles turning white. "Yeah, well, nobody was laughing when they had to zap you four times to get your heart started again."

The gravity of his situation began to settle in, and he shifted in his bed. "Where's Eve?"

"She and Espie are here. They have a room where relatives can stay, and they've been taking it up for the past four days, on and off, when they weren't at your bedside. Samuel is with Ma and your dad. Yvette just left your side about a half hour ago. I'm going to go get her, so you just...just stay awake, okay?"

"I think I've had enough being unconscious for awhile. I want to see my family."

He closed his eyes for a few moments, and then he heard feet running, heavy breathing, and crying. When he opened them, he came eye to eye with the one he wanted to see so badly. "Eve."

"Oh Sam!" She bawled out his name and tears ran like rivulets down her face as she reached over the rail to hold him.

"Daddy! Daddy! Uncle Mike, I can't see him!"

"Okay, here you go."

Suddenly, Esperanza's body was snuggled up against his. He moved his arm to encircle her and he leaned closer to Yvette to kiss her lips. It took a lot of his energy, and within a few minutes he was sleeping, but at least he had those precious minutes and his family knew he was going to make it.

The doctors put him through so many tests, Sam wasn't sure he would survive them. Finally, the doctor entered the room that was beyond capacity with visitors. Besides Yvette, Esperanza and Samuel, Maddie, his father, Michael, Fiona and Lucas, there were nearly a half dozen more friends.

"Mr. Axe...Sam...do you remember me?"

"Yeah, Dr. Wharton."

The doctor smiled. "I've gotten the results from all your tests, and frankly, I'm amazed. From the first responders' estimation, you were underwater at least five to seven minutes. The water temperature was approximately 69 degrees. You went into cardiac arrest on the scene and it took four tries to revive you. With all you went through, and after four days in a coma, there are no serious lasting effects from your ordeal. There should have been some brain, neurological, or organ damage, but there is absolutely nothing."

"It's a miracle, that's what it is," Tom whispered, his voice husky with emotion.

"If there was some room in here, I'd be Tebowing," somebody in the back said, and they all laughed.

Overwhelmed by this new life he'd been given, Sam covered his eyes with his forearm and fought for control of his emotions.

Samuel said, "We better let Sammy get some rest. Come on, everybody. We'll come back later. Take care, Son, and we'll see you at home real soon."

When Sam uncovered his eyes, it was just him in the room with the doctor and his family. "I want to keep an eye on some of your numbers for another day, Sam, but I think we'll be able to release you tomorrow."

"Wow. Thanks, Doc."

"You're welcome." He patted Sam's shoulder. "And God bless you."

"He already has," Sam answered as he smiled at Yvette and the kids.

Then they were alone, and he couldn't get enough of holding them. As he cradled Samuel in his arms, he asked Yvette, "What ever happened with my dad? With his doctor appointment?"

"He wanted to postpone it, but we made him go." She smiled and stroked his hair. "He's going to be okay. It was just some chemical imbalance from some of the drugs he was taking, combined with, of all things, aspirin!"

"Really?"

"Really!" She shook her head. "He was taking it for aches and pains, and he didn't tell the doctor at his checkup. Now he's on something for rheumatoid arthritis that won't react with the other stuff he's taking. The doctor said the arthritis was from too many years jumping out of planes and doing all kinds of crazy things in his SEAL days."

"Oh great, now I have that to look forward to!"

"Let's just take it one step at a time, shall we? You're here, you're alive and healthy, and that's all that matters. I love you so much, and I thank God that we didn't lose you."

"Me too." Just the simple act of kissing her and being able to breathe again made him glad to be alive.