The next few days were heartbreaking for Sofia. Her Jim, always so strong and full of life, lay quietly in the bed, waiting for something to happen. Once he had stabilized, the surgeon had gone to work on his face, setting his jaw and reconstructing the bones around his eyes; the left eye needing the most work. The doctor had asked if there were any changes he wanted to make while he had the chance. Jim had jotted his answer on a pad.

Want to recognize me in the mirror.

The doctor had smiled and assured him that he would. After the surgery Sofia waited by his bed for him to wake up. Between the bandages and the bruises there was hardly a spot on his head that she felt she could touch And she needed to be able to touch him, so she contented herself with holding his hand. As he woke up Sofia edged closer to Jim, feeling his worry. Her fingers finding a spot to play in his hair, she felt she could touch without hurting him. He looked at her sadly. She knew there were things he wanted to say.

Looking into his eyes, she hoped all that needed saying was passing between them; love, the knowledge that they could depend on one another, dreams of their future together. She felt so much for this man that she had no words to use to describe. They were flooding through her now and she hoped that he could see them in her eyes. She was reading so much in his look too. Whenever he looked at her she felt adored; it was showing loud and clear in his expression now. Time stood still for them as they gazed at one another, lost in the moment.

His hand moved to his bandages and his eyes took on a questioning look. She smiled. "I'm glad you didn't have him change anything. I kind of like you the way you are. Well, maybe not so colorful, but …I'd feel like I was cheating on you if he made any changes. You know, sleeping with another man."

His eyes clouded and she knew his self doubt was resurfacing. "But you've spoiled me for other men, you know. I mean, after Jim Brass…how could any other guy measure up? You are my man, Jim. And I intend to look at your face over the breakfast table for many years."

He was giving her his puppy look, the one that he gave her whenever he wanted something…usually some time between the sheets. He used it because he knew she couldn't resist. "What? You looking for a roll in the hay?" She chuckled. "I'm game when you are."

A hint of a smile formed at the corners of his mouth and his eyes began to twinkle. His right hand motioned that he wanted his writing to pad. She handed it to him and he jotted; Promise?

She smiled as she read. "You work on getting well; I have some very sweet rewards in mind for you." A small rumble came from his chest and she knew he wanted to laugh.

"Sorry," she said. "I know it hurts to laugh."

He wrote again. Feels good.

There was a knock on the door and a man walked in. "Mr. Brass? I'm Phil Nash. I'll be helping you with your Physical Therapy."

Sofia smiled and introduced herself. "What kind of therapy can you do right now. I mean, he's still pretty weak."

"For the next couple of days I'm just going to exercise his arms and legs; don't want to lose any muscle tone. When Jim's feeling a little stronger, we'll work on sitting up and then start working on walking."

"What about his paralysis on the left side?" asked a concerned Sofia.

"Hopefully by working those muscles will help the brain reconnect. As Jim gets stronger, we'll do more."

Sofia smiled. "Okay, well, I'll leave you men to your work." She leaned over Jim and gently kissed him. "Remember, there are rewards for hard work," she said as she winked at him.

His energy level heightened as he watched her walk out of the room. He wanted to get better but her promise of rewards just made recovery seem that much sweeter. After she left, he looked at Phil, willing him to get to work.

"Okay Jim," said Phil. "I'm going to do some exercises with your legs but you have to so some work too. But before we get started….I want to play 'Let's Make A Deal."

Jim tilted his head slightly, wondering what the younger man wanted.

"I'm going to help you get better and then you are going to tell me the secret."

Jim's eyebrow shot up, a questioning look showing on the unbandaged parts of his face.

"You gotta tell me the secret of keeping a hot mama like your wife looking at you like that. I mean, I'd kill to have a beautiful woman look at me like she looks at you. How do you do it?"

Jim shrugged his good shoulder, not able to answer. Even if he could talk, he still wouldn't have anything to say; just that he was lucky. But a small, grin teased the corners of his mouth and he felt a slight flush in his face as he contemplated the question. He didn't know why she looked at him like that, but he sure was glad that she did.

The workout had been painful. Phil had worked his arms and legs and then encouraged Jim to push and pull against Phil's grip. His right side responded well but there was none on the left side. Phil had been encouraging, telling Jim that it would have been surprising if he had been able to make his left side work. But he seemed confident that it would come. He left Jim with some small exercises to do occasionally, simple motions to keep the muscles working and the blood circulating.

Jim was trying to make his left hand move when Sofia came back in. She saw his intense concentration and the lack of results. She wanted to cry as she watched him struggle to make something happen. But she knew he couldn't see her sadness. He needed positive thoughts. "So honey, I saw Phil in that hall. He said that whatever the rewards for hard work are, I should give you some."

Jim looked up, startled. And then his face brightened. The puppy look was back. She could almost imagine him panting. Chuckling, she kissed him. "Okay, I'll have to make a mark in my little black book. That's one I owe you."

He reached for and took her hand. Pulling it to his face, he kissed it and then laid it over his heart. A slight sigh escaped him. "I love you too," she said to him. Tears forming in her eyes, she continued. "I love you more than I can say." He held her hand on his heart as he quietly drifted off to sleep. Sofia watched, willing him to get better soon, hoping for the day he would collect the IOUs that he earned through his hard work.

-----------------------------------------------

Seems we are stuck in sad. But severe head injuries take awhile to get over, if ever. Does give us a chance to see how committed Jim and Sofia are to each other:-) Muscle tone is important; please keep yours up by using the little button.