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Cherica - if you have any questions...just ask. I'll clear up anything you're confused about.

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Chapter 3

"There you are. I was hoping you'd come back," said Sue as Mercedes entered Sam's room.

"What's going on?" asked Mercedes closing the door behind her.

Sue was standing in the middle of the room, coat over her arm, hand on her hip, looking very annoyed.

"Sam is being a brat," stated Sue turning to face Mercedes. Mercedes glanced over Sue's shoulder at Sam. He was mouthing the words "help me" from his bed. "The therapist brought in this keyboard communicator and Sam refuses to use it."

"Why are you giving your mom a hard time Sam?" she asked walking over to his bed. He was sitting upright in his loosely fitting blue striped pajamas, the Speak & Spell clutched to his chest.

"It is like he and that ridiculous toy are joined," Sue complained.

Sam set his jaw resolutely, standing his ground against his mother. Mercedes tried to cover her amusement at this little standoff. She was pretty sure Sam was just asserting his independence. Something patients often did when confined in a situation that left them helpless. Sam had little control over anything in his life, but he could dictate whether or not he communicated.

"Well maybe if you threaten him with a timeout he'll put it down," offered Mercedes in a mock serious tone.

"Cute," replied Sue, clearly not amused.

"What do you want me to do Sue? I can't force him to use that other machine."

"You're his nurse, aren't you trained in this sort of thing?" Sue asked with a flip of her hair.

Mercedes sighed smoothing out the wrinkles in her scrubs. "In what? Making big babies obey their mommies?" Mercedes could see Sam's face scrunch into a snarl at the comment. She bit back her urge to laugh at him.

"I don't know? Patient management," huffed Sue. Mercedes turned her head to hide the roll of her eyes from Sue. Her mother-in-law had a way of ordering people around and making everyone feel like her servants.

Normally, Mercedes would have given a nastier retort, but she was trying to keep things civil, for Sam's sake. "Oh that. Let me go get my rectal thermometer. He'll be typing in no time."

Sam grabbed Mercedes' hand and pulled her closer to him on the bed. She sat down next to him, leaning back against his pillow.

"I can take a hint. You two want some alone time. But you better be using that thing when I get back Sam. I'm not going to speak to you through an electronic game," said Sue as she walked out of the door.

When Sue was gone, Mercedes turned to Sam. "So you're mouthing words now? What other changes have I missed since I've been gone?"

"Wheredidyougo," he typed tilting the Speak & Spell so she could read it.

"You were getting examined so I went and had coffee with Puck."

"Puck?" he mouthed, a surprised look on his face.

"He was going to come in, but he had to go. He'll be back soon. He's been anxious to see you. See you up and alert that is."

"Longtime," he typed.

"It has been. Everyone can't wait to come and visit. We should sell tickets," she chuckled.

Sam shook his head, a smile on his face.

"So why didn't you want to talk to your mother?"

"Confusing," he typed.

"What was confusing?"

He shrugged. "Letsplay," he typed.

Mercedes sighed. "Avoidance will get you nowhere." He looked at her, a slight pout on his face. "Don't give me that look. You know I can't deny you when do that." He made his face more pitiful, sad eyes and a bigger pout. "Fine. I've got the cards."

Over an hour later, they were locked in an intense battle. Sam was staring her down over his hand of cards, trying to read her face. Mercedes returned his gaze from her seat in the chair opposite him. Sam stuck his tongue in his cheek, and decided to call her bluff, placing his hand down on the little table they had pulled between them. Mercedes' eyes brightened when she saw his cards.

"Full house! I win!" she yelled as she slammed her cards on the table. She jumped up from her chair and did the running man in front of him.

Sam frowned and shook his head in disgust.

"That's the third time I've beat you," she taunted. "Should we play again? Give you a shot to redeem yourself?"

Sam knocked the table with his hand, making the cards go flying across the room.

Mercedes frowned as she watched the playing cards fall all around her feet. "Sam Evans! That was beyond rude. You don't have to be such a sore loser. It's just a stupid game."

He crossed his arms and turned away from her with a scowl.

"I really shouldn't even pick these cards up," she said bending down collecting the cards. "I should make you do it. Just you wait until you're back on your feet. I'm going to get you back for this. I can't believe you had a tantrum because I beat you at cards."

"Cheater," he rasped.

Mercedes turned around in a huff, placing her hands on her hips. "I did not cheat. I beat you fair and square."

He shook his head. "No you cheated."

"You take that back I…" Mercedes stood up ready to defend herself, when she stopped. Did she just hear that? "Oh my God! Sam, you're talking."

He shrugged. "I guess I am."

"How long have you been able to do that?" asked Mercedes, as she climbed up on the bed next to him, her smile so wide her mouth was starting to hurt.

"Since I was about two," he answered. His voice was low and scratchy, like someone with a bad cold that was just getting their voice back.

"I'm being serious. Have you been holding out on me this whole time?"

"The words just came out." He looked up at her sheepishly, almost as if he were wondering why she was so excited.

Mercedes leaned across him, feeling his glands, examining his face. Sam stared at her amused by her actions.

"I'm so happy to hear your voice," Mercedes said finally taking his face in her hands , gently stroking his hair back from his face, looking into his green eyes.

"I can tell," he smiled, his cheeks reddening, but never dropping her gaze.

Something about the way he was looking at her, his eyes shining, she couldn't resist. Mercedes leaned closer, pressing her lips against his, giving him a full lingering kiss.

Sam sat back in surprise. "Wow! What do I get if I start walking?"

"You just get back on your feet Mr. Evans and I will give you everything you deserve," she said through lowered lids, the tone of her voice shifting to something more intimate.

"I need to give you a raise," he smirked. "What did I do to deserve a nurse like you?"

"I better go get a doctor and let them know you're speaking again," said Mercedes getting up to leave.

"No wait," he said grabbing her hand and pulling her back down beside him. "Don't go."

Mercedes smiled shyly, feeling like a girl with crush at his words. "They need to know. Everyone is going to be so excited. Your mom is going to be thrilled."

"Can we just hold off on the big announcements? Stay here and talk to me." She could hear his tone soften even through the rough rasp of his voice.

"I can do that I guess. I thought for sure your first words would be telling me to shut up."

"Why would I do that?" he asked in surprise.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Do you even need to ask?"

He ducked his head, hiding his small smile. "I kind of like how you babble."

"Babble? I don't babble, ramble maybe, but never babble. Everything I say is meaningful stuff."

"I just mean I like listening to you talk. It's sort of comforting."

"Really?" Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment. She had known Sam for years, but something about talking to him now felt like the first time. It all felt so new, like finally getting to spend time with a guy she had longed for from afar.

"Really," he said giving the hand he still held, a gentle squeeze. "But if you insist on going to tell everyone you can do that. I know you have a job to do."

She looked up at him and smiled. "The only thing I have to do is be here with you."

"You're so sweet," he said pulling the end of her ponytail, a smile on his face. "Your bedside manner is incredible."

"You said that to me before," she said shyly looking down at their still joined hands. He was rubbing his thumb gently over her hand as they talked.

"I did?" Sam asked.

Mercedes started to respond when the door opened. An African-American woman with short dark hair peeped her head into the room.

"Knock, knock you two."

"Cheryl!" announced Mercedes happily as the woman entered the room. The head nurse was wearing her usual green scrubs, but this time her normal scowl was replaced by a bright smile.

"How's it going in here?" asked Cheryl as she stepped a bit further into the room, one hand behind her back. "You, Mr. Evans," she said pointing a dark brown finger at Sam. "Are the talk of the hospital. I had to come in here and see a real live miracle in person."

Mercedes looked over at Sam to find him grinning widely. He seemed to be eating up all the gushing.

"It's so amazing isn't it? And guess what else?" Mercedes could hardly contain her happiness, Sam was back, and now he was talking. She felt like she would burst if she didn't share the news. But Sam grabbed her hand to get her attention. He shook his head at her, reminding her to keep things under wraps a bit longer.

"What?" asked Cheryl.

Mercedes hesitated trying to think of something else to say now that she couldn't tell Cheryl about Sam getting his voice back. "I…I beat him three times at cards," Mercedes declared proudly. Sam rolled his eyes at her. Mercedes nudged him playfully in his side, literally rubbing it in.

"Three times? I hope you weren't playing for money. You've got to watch this one, she's a shark."

Mercedes frowned. "Wherever did you get an idea like that?"

"The hospital Christmas party when you took two neurologists and that lab tech for all their money."

"Oh that. Dumb luck." She fanned her hand at Cheryl, indicating the lack of validity of that statement.

"Uh huh. Before I forget I came to give you this," said Cheryl taking her hand from behind her back, revealing a little blue plate with a frosted chocolate cupcake on it.

"Looks yummy," said Mercedes as she took the plate from her hands.

"From Wendy's party. I knew you wouldn't make it up there, so I got you some cake."

"That's so nice Cheryl. Thank you."

"I'm going now. Leave you two to your therapy session. Take it easy on the man. He's been sick a long time."

Mercedes glanced over at Sam and winked at him. "Oh I will. I'm not doing anything he can't handle."

"Mmm hmm," said Cheryl as she left the room, a disbelieving smile on her face.

"Sorry I almost let it slip to Cheryl," said Mercedes after the woman had left. "My mouth sometimes just keeps going."

"That whole non babbling thing," he chuckled.

Mercedes rolled her eyes at him before throwing him a playful smile, which Sam quickly returned. Maybe she had been overreacting. Sam seemed like he was getting back to his normal self with her. That tentativeness seemed to be evaporating as time passed. She was actually starting to feel close to him again.

"So what should we talk about?" asked Mercedes dipping her finger into the chocolate frosting on her cupcake. She leaned over to put the cake on the table next to the bed. "The frosting's the best part don't you think?"

"Mm hmm," he said as his lips closed over her finger, closing his eyes as he savored the taste.

"Sam!" she exclaimed pulling her finger out of his mouth. "You're not supposed to have that."

"Well you were teasing me, waving your finger around like that," he explained with feigned innocence.

"I hope it doesn't make you sick." She leaned over and stuck her finger in the frosting again. "This lick is mine," she said as she quickly put her finger in her mouth sucking off the frosting. "It's really good," she said dipping into the frosting again.

He put his hand on her thigh, rubbing it slowly. "Why don't you lean a little closer so I can get another taste?"

"That depends on where you want to taste it from," she responded suggestively, feeling more than she should have from a simple touch on her leg. But the way Sam was looking at her, was starting to make her dizzy. He licked his lips and leaned closer, as if he might attempt to taste some lingering frosting on her lips.

"Is it getting hot in here?" he asked. The rough tone of his voice was so sexy, and Mercedes' stomach was doing flips as Sam leaned into her at such close proximity. "You're pretty sassy for a married woman. Are you sure your husband's not going to come in here and kick my ass?" He arched his eyebrows at her provocatively.

"I have it on pretty good authority that he won't mind," she said as she leaned closer to him.

"Swingers?" he asked, a smile playing over his lips, as he stared at her intently.

It felt like he was seeing her for the first time, the way his eyes explored her features, moving from her eyes, to her lips, to her hair, then back to her eyes again. His hand was still on her thigh, and it almost burned, the warmth of his touch was filling her mind with so many memories.

"Whoa," she laughed, moving back a little trying to ease the tension between them. She didn't want to excite him too much. She wasn't sure how much his body could take. "Glad to see that the coma hasn't affected your mind. Still dirty as ever."

"If you only knew the things I'm not saying," he said licking his lips as he leaned back, pulling his eyes away from hers, squeezing her thigh one last time before removing his hand. "You'd have me brought up on harassment charges."

Mercedes leaned across him, her hands on both sides of him, capturing him between the bed and her body. His smile widened at her new position, and he nestled back into his pillows, as if watching to see her next move.

"I'm just glad you're back. After nine months of watching you lie in this bed, I'm down for anything."

His smile dropped and he shoved her back away from his body. "Did you just say nine months?"