21

Matt and Sydney started to panic. C.J. sat staring straight ahead for almost one whole minute before finally turning to Matt and saying, "Oh my God...he killed him..." She started crying and Matt pulled her more tightly to him. "He killed Daddy... Houston... he killed Daddy, I saw him." She inhaled sharply.

Matt was starting to panic and looked to Sydney who was still studying C.J. Sydney asked her, "C.J. do you know who I am?"

She took another deep breath and looked between him and Matt before finally saying, "Yes...you made me remember...Matt...I...remember..." She started sobbing and while his heart broke for her, Matt was beyond relieved to hear her call him by his first name.

All Matt could do was rock her. Sydney left the two alone so they could have a moment. Matt told her over and over again as she sobbed in his arms, remembering everything clearly, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry honey. I know...I know..."

She was almost hysterical, "He killed them both...oh my God...he killed them both...I saw him...oh my God...what he did to them, they tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen..." Her sobs came harder and harder.

Matt was crying with her holding her tightly, "I know honey, I know...let it out, don't hold back, I've got you. I'm never letting go." He buried his face in her hair as she clung to his chest and cried solid for another 30 minutes.

When he finally pulled back from her, her eyes were almost swollen and red. He brushed her hair back and told her, "I love you." He softly kissed her and then said, "I'm so proud of you. You are so much braver than I am. You've been through so much. Its over now. I'm going to take you home and take care of you and we're going to get our life back and its gonna be even better than before."

Sydney then came in the room again, "Well, I can probably have her discharged in two days maximum. I think it would be best if both of you got a little rest. Its almost 5pm now. I don't normally keep patients under that long and with something this traumatic, I'd like to watch for nightmares."

C.J. then said still somber, "I knew it. I can't just leave..."

Sydney interrupted and asked before Matt could object, "Now what exactly would a surgeon say if you had just undergone a major operation? Would he let you just walk out a few minutes after the procedure was over?"

Matt and C.J. just looked at each other. Matt then said, "Alright, if we stay tonight and possibly tomorrow night, we stay in the same room."

Sydney said, "I think that would be quite acceptable."

Matt added, "And no cameras." C.J. got caught off guard by that and whispered to Matt, "Cameras?"

Sydney smiled and said, "I didn't turn them on until after midnight last night. Anything else?"

Matt then added, "And I can have dinner brought in, and breakfast, and lunch. Deal?"

Sydney laughed and then said, "Fine, fine, but only on the condition that I get something out of all that too."

C.J. then asked as she sniffled still recovering from the intense crying, "And what is it you want?"

Sydney then told her, "You get that husband of yours to bring something special in the way of coffee and the three of us share a cup in the morning. Deal?"

They agreed and then Matt and C.J. went back to her room. He told her to do nothing, but sit on the bed while he drew her a bath and then called Chris to bring over an order from Tuscan Sunset, including double chocolate cheesecake. The two bathed for almost an hour. Matt kept running water down her shoulders and massaging them so she would relax.

Chris wasn't allowed back so Matt had to get dressed to go pick up the order from the front desk. After they ate the two laid in bed. They hadn't made love yet, Matt just wanted to tenderly take care of her which he did. That night as the two slept, they held each other and had the nicest dreams they had, had in a while. C.J. felt a sense of freedom she had never felt before.

Two weeks later...

They pulled up to the cemetery and parked near the gate. Matt got out first and then went over to C.J., taking her hand and walking through the beautiful archway. She told him, "It seems so much more peaceful here than the last time I remember it."

He told her as they got over to her parent's headstones, "I think it is, at least for you. I'm sorry, honey that I never saw what was happening before."

They stopped and stood before the two now. She took her hand out of his and put it around his waist. He did the same. She said, "There was no way you could have known. I'm just glad you were there to get me through it. I don't think I could have without you."

He kissed the top of her head and said, "I wouldn't be anywhere else. You ok?"

She nodded and told him, "This has been quite a trip. I can't believe how much I remember now, its like I was only living half my life before."

Matt told her, "Sydney said that would probably be the way you would feel about it. You remember the house now, the school, even the little drug store that you dad would take you to and buy you ice cream."

She laughed and turned to face him, "I remember that birthday party when Johnny Robinson spilled chocolate ice cream on me. Daddy bought it all at that store." She turned to him and said, "Thank you so much for bringing me here and driving me around. I can't believe you even made an offer on that house."

Matt told her, "I'd do anything for you, you know that. I just wish they had accepted the offer. They said the school was just too good though and that even though the house wasn't much it meant more to them that their little boy go there."

C.J. said, "I think I remember, no I know, my parents said the exact same thing. At least they let me walk around it for a minute. That was nice. You know I remembered the bad...I mean..."

She looked down and Matt drew her closer to him for a second. He whispered, "I know honey."

C.J. then looked back up at him and said, "But I remembered the good times too. All the dinners she cooked, the birthdays and Christmas. I want to give our child those same memories."

Matt told her, "We will. I promise you that."

Then C.J. turned back to her parents' gravesite and asked Matt for a minute alone. He kissed her one last time and told her he'd be just a few feet away if she needed him. She sat down on the grass and let all sorts of memories come back and through tears told the two stones with their names, "I miss you both so much, but I did like you said. I'm happier than I ever thought possible. I also made sure the man that hurt you paid for it, well actually that man over there did that for me. He is the one who makes me so happy. He loves me and he is the one who got me through all this. He punished them for me and protected me. I wish you could have met him. I want you to know that I'll never forget you and I'll make sure your grandchildren know you and I'll love them the way you both loved me. I love you both so much." She cried for another 30 minutes or so before starting to stand up. Matt rushed over and helped her, taking her back to the car and then back to the hotel. She wasn't sick at all this time though.

As they drove away, no one could hear but in the wind it sounded like a small female voice saying, "I told you so" and a small male voice saying, "I know you did, now we can rest..."