Laura and Harriette watched and waited as a couple of hours came and went. The anesthesia was gone. Still, he didn't wake. Harriette eventually lay down on Laura's cot and slept. Laura remained seated, holding his hand well into the next morning.

Dr. Brandt entered around 9 am, waking Harriette. Harriette sat up.

"Good morning," Dr. Brandt said as she entered. "Still nothing?" she asked Laura.

Laura shook her head.

"That's perfectly normal, Laura. It's not time to worry, yet, but this does officially count as a coma at this point." Dr. Brandt walked up to Steve and did some checks. She tried to wake him, to no avail. Dr. Brandt nodded. Coma. "Almost all comas resolve themselves within 2-4 weeks. If there's no sign of him at that point, then it's time to worry. For now, we're gonna move him up to recovery. The rest of your family will be able to see him. You'll all be more comfortable."

Laura nodded and followed as the nurses transferred him. The rest of the family met them in Steve's new room. They stayed through visitors' hours, and then Laura was left alone with him again. She wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with him, but she didn't want to risk hurting him, so she pulled her cot as close as she could and closed her eyes. After being up for two days straight, it didn't take her long to drift off to sleep, despite her worries.

———————————————————————

Every day, one of her family member's would stop by to sit with them all day. They tried hard to convince Laura to go home and rest, but she always refused, so they just brought her a change of clothes every couple of days so she would at least take a shower. Steve's bosses stopped by and assured Laura that Steve would have as much time as he needed to recover. Laura called Steve's parents. They sent flowers, but that was all. She was surprised they even did that much. Laura was particularly glad that nothing like this had happened before they were married. Now she was his next of kin, and all decisions fell to her. Trying to deal with his parents in this would have been a nightmare. Life went on like this for two weeks.

One Wednesday, Estelle walked in with a change of clothes. "Hi, sugar," she said to Laura, handing her the bag they were in.

"Hi, Grandma," Laura said softly, kissing her cheek. "Thanks," she said, accepting the clothes.

She was used to this routine by now. At first, she didn't even want to leave Steve for the fifteen minutes she spent in the shower, but eventually, she had reached the point that Max stripped her down and forced her. Afterward, she was glad to be clean again. Now she showered without arguing, but the rule was that someone had to sit at his side, just in case.

"How are you feeling, Laura?" Estelle asked as she sat down beside her.

"Awful, so the same," she said as she stood.

"There's still time before you're allowed to worry. Remember what Dr. Brandt said."

"I remember," Laura answered. "In one week and three days, we have to start talking about our 'options'."

"Laura, don't think like that."

Laura shook her head. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I just… I just need a minute." She walked to the bathroom to shower.

Estelle stared at her grandson-in-law. It broke her heart to see him like this. She had so much sympathy in her heart for this poor, little boy, and she always had. She had always been rooting for him, and she still was. He was a good man, and he deserved to have many wonderful years with Laura before people had to start talking about his "options". "C'mon, Steve," she said. "Do it for Laura. You always said you would do anything for Laura, so snap out of it." Estelle continued to talk to him. She had heard once that some coma patients could hear everything while they were under. She hated the thought of him being lonely, so she talked without stopping. She knew Laura did, too. She wouldn't admit it, but she had caught her a couple of times.

Slowly, Steve's eyes began to open. His brow furrowed in confusion. He didn't know where he was or why. He didn't know much of anything. "Laura?" he said softly.

Estelle's jaw dropped. "LAURA!" she yelled.

Laura, who had just finished and was turning off the shower anyway, couldn't believe it when she heard her grandmother scream. That could only mean one thing. She grabbed the towel off the hook and wrapped it around herself. She sprinted out into the room and to Steve's bedside. She sat on the edge of his bed and leaned over him. His eyes were open. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "Steve?"

"Laura," he sighed with a dazed, weak smile.

"Hi, Steve," she smiled, tears dripping from her face to his. She wiped them gently, avoiding his black eyes and his broken nose.

"Laura, I love you," he whispered weakly.

She smiled even brighter, surprised that was even possible. "I love you, too, baby," she beamed, leaning down toward him, puckering her lips.

His brow furrowed. "You wha-?" His eyes closed as her lips came in contact with his.

For a brief second, she felt him kiss her back, but then…

"Steve?" she said as she sat up again in concern. Her eyes widened. "No," she said softly. "No, no, no. He's not gone again. He can't be gone," she said through her sobs. She shook him gently. "Steve? Steve! STEVE! STEVE, c'mon! Wake up!" she yelled.

Quickly, Estelle grabbed Laura and pulled her into her arms so she would stop shaking her still injured husband. Laura sobbed heavily into her grandmother's neck while Estelle pushed the call button again and again and again.

When Dr. Brandt arrived, they ran every test again. Though Steve was still unconscious, Eleanor assured them that this was a good sign. "This means he's waking, Laura," she said, smiling at her softly. "It doesn't happen like it does in the movies."

Laura looked at Steve, he didn't seem to be waking up, but she certainly wasn't a doctor.

"He needs time, but this is the sign we were looking for. He'll come out of it."

Laura thanked the doctor and watched as she left. Laura sat on the edge of Steve's bed and stroked his face. "It was so good to hear your voice again, my love," she whispered. She glanced back up at Estelle, embarrassed.

"Oh, don't worry about it, sugar. You're supposed to talk to him. I talk to him, too."

Laura looked back at Steve but continued to talk to her grandmother. "You know it's funny, when we were kids, he spent so much time in the hospital because he got into accidents all the time, but even when I was treating him like dirt, I always showed up when he was really hurt."

Estelle nodded. "You did. Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Laura. You were always there for him when it counted."

Laura soured. "I should have always been there for him, like he was for me."

"You still have plenty of time to make it up to him," Estelle promised, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

———————————————————————

Steve remained silent and unaware until the middle of the night. Laura was sound asleep on the cot beside him. He couldn't find her in his daze. "Laura?" he called. "Laura?"

Laura shot up immediately, like a part of her had been listening carefully for him as she slept. "Steve," she smiled through happy tears all over again as she stood and moved to sit on the edge of his bed. She stroked his face again. "How are you feeling?"

"I love you," he whispered.

She furrowed her eyebrows. That wasn't exactly a coherent response. "I love you, too," she assured him.

His brows furrowed too, but he was too weak to argue.

"How are you feeling, baby?"

"Baby?" he asked weakly.

She looked at him, confused by his confusion. "Yes, Steve, baby, how are you feeling?"

He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He just stared at her helplessly.

Laura pressed the call button. "Steve, I need you to stay awake until we get a doctor in here, ok?"

He tried to respond but couldn't speak. He nodded softly.

"Can you squeeze my hand?" she asked, placing her hand in his.

He squeezed weakly, but he squeezed it.

"Good," she smiled. "That is so good," she whispered, leaning down toward him. She kissed him gently, sucking on his bottom lip. After a moment, he moaned in response.

"Mmm…" he moaned softly.

She pulled away. "Did that feel good?" she asked.

He nodded.

"You have to get all better for me, ok? Because I want to do that and so much more so many more times."

"Wha–?" he croaked.

A nurse walked in. "You called?"

"Yes," Laura said, standing so they would have room to examine him. "He's awake again. Confused, but awake."

The nurse began to examine him while they waited for the on-call doctor. Then Laura waited as the on-call doctor examined him. By the time they were done, he was out again. Laura listened to the on-call doctor tell her the same thing. That was a good sign, but he needed more time.

———————————————————————

He continued to wake on and off like this for several days, never really able to hold a conversation, but he was able to respond to most commands and to follow Laura with his eyes as she moved. He began to become more lucid, but the drugs made his newly linear conversations, completely ridiculous.

"Laura, my pet," he said one morning.

She smiled at him brightly and rushed to his side. "Good morning, Steve."

"Good morning," he grinned goofily.

"How are you feeling?"

"I think it worked."

"You think what worked?"

"The love potion. I think it worked. My Woowoo Juice. I think you love me."

She giggled at him. "I do love you," she promised.

"Wowza," he said weakly, "so when are we gonna get hitched?"

She shook her head at him. "We're already married, Steve."

"No, we're not," he said seriously. "We're only sixteen. We can't get married in Illinois. Did we move? Where do we live now?" He tried to sit up and look around, but Laura pushed him back down.

"Hey, relax. We're still in Chicago, Steve. We're not sixteen. We're 25."

He shook his head. "No, that can't be right."

She stroked his cheek. "Don't worry about it right now, baby. Just relax."

He nodded softly and drifted back into a druggy haze, but not quite back to sleep for a few hours.

———————————————————————

As his physical injuries began to heal, they decreased his drugs, which allowed him to become much more aware quite quickly. One day, 3 weeks and 3 days after this whole ordeal had started, it became clear that he was awake, and he was himself… for the most part.

"Laura?" he called when he woke, just like he always did.

Laura set down the book she was reading and moved to his bedside again. "Yes, Steve?" she asked sweetly.

"Where am I?" he asked, speaking clearly for the first time.

"You're in the hospital. You got into a little car accident and bumped your head. You were in a coma for a couple of weeks, and you've been coming out of it for the past few days. How are you feeling?"

"Ok, just foggy. I don't remember the accident."

Laura nodded. "That's normal. The doctor said you may never remember it." Laura smiled. "But do you remember who discovered gravity?"

Steve nodded. "Isaac Newton."

"Good job, baby," she purred, leaning down to kiss him.

He squealed and began to shake as her lips touched his. "Ermmmmm…"

She pulled away from his extreme reaction, having barely even touched him, and stared at him.

"WHOA MAMA!" he yelled.

Laura raised her eyebrows. It was barely a peck. Where did that come from? "Steve?" she asked. "Are you ok?"

He nodded rapidly. "Oh, I've never been better, lady bug lips! I'd fall into a coma everyday if I knew I was gonna get a kiss like that when I woke up! Should I name some more scientists for you?" he purred flirtatiously, wiggling his brows and puckering his lips dramatically.

She giggled. "How about we try a harder one?"

"Ok, and if I get it right, do I get a kiss?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes," she cooed, stroking his chest as he shivered. "When's our anniversary?"

He grinned at her dreamily, amazed she even knew. "September 3rd," he cooed, puckering his lips to prepare for his prize.

"What? No, it's May 1st," she said with a harsh glare. She knew he had just suffered a head injury, but how could he get that, of all things, so wrong?

"No, Sweetums, it's September 3rd," he insisted. "I remember it like it was yesterday. 1981," he said with a dramatic wave of his arm. "Our first day of kindergarten. You were wearing hot pink Minnie Mouse overalls, and you saw that I was playing with the hot pink Play-Dough. You tried to take it from me because it matched your outfit, but I said no, so you made me eat it, and the rest is history. I not only got hooked on Phonics that day, but hooked on Laura Lee Winslow."

She smiled at him sweetly. She knew he'd never forget their anniversary. He just had the wrong one. "I meant our wedding anniversary, silly," she grinned leaning close to him, "but I still think you've earned a kiss." Their lips were mere millimeters apart when he sat up suddenly. Laura reared back, barely avoiding being head-butted.

"OUR WHAT?" he yelled.

She looked at him wide-eyed. "Our wedding anniversary," she offered again, growing very concerned.

He grabbed her left hand. She really was wearing a ring. "Oh, God," he moaned in defeat. "Oh, God, no." He took a pillow from behind him and pulled it over his face as he plopped back down onto his back. He moaned again and again into his pillow.

"Steve!" Laura cried in concern. "Steve, what's wrong? What happened? What hurts? Talk to me, Steve."

"It's a dream," he whined. "It's all just a dream." Laura tried to pull the pillow from his face, but he resisted. He began to hit himself in the face with it. "Wake up, you idiot!" he yelled at himself. "Wake up! Wake up!"

Laura yanked the pillow as hard as she could and tossed it to the end of the bed. "Steve, what are you talking about? What's going on?" she demanded as his face came back into view.

"I thought you were in love with me, but this is just another coma dream!"

"No, Steve," she said as clearly as she could. "This is real life."

"That's what a coma dream would say!" he shouted with a dramatic point.

She reared back again to dodge his pointer finger. She took a deep breath. "I'm gonna call for your doctor, ok?"

"It doesn't matter, now. None of it's real anyway," he sighed.

She pressed the call button and stroked his face. "Steve, what can I do to convince you you're not dreaming?" When he didn't respond, she pinched his cheek hard.

"OW!" he yelped. "What'd ya do that for?" he whined, rubbing his cheek.

"To prove that this is real life," she shrugged.

He shook his head at her. "Laura, I'm sixteen. I know we're not married."

Laura looked at him seriously. Why that age again? "You really think that?"

"I know that, Sweetums."

"What year is it, Steve?"

"1994," he said matter-of-factly.

"No, Steve, it's 2003."

He stared at her like she had grown a third eyeball.

"What's the last thing you remember before the accident?"

He shrugged. "I told you; I don't remember the accident."

"No, but what did you do that morning? What do you remember?"

"I got up. I ate breakfast. I went next-door to your house. You ignored me while you ate breakfast. I walked the permitted twelve feet behind you to school, and then it starts to get fuzzy."

"Oh, my God, Steve. You're not dreaming. I think you have amnesia," she gasped.

His eyes widened. "So this is real?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded, having covered her mouth in shock.

"And we're married?" he asked as his hopes began to rise.

As worried as she was, she couldn't help but smile at that look in his innocent eyes. She was making his dream come true in an instant, and she was loving it. "Yes, Steve. You and I have been married for four wonderful years."

He beamed as he began to tear up. He didn't know what to say. This was the happiest day of his life.

"Can I kiss you, Steve?"

"You never have to ask for permission, Mrs. Urkel," he promised before puckering his lips to the extreme.

Laura cringed at his duck-like expression. It was cute at first, a familiar reminder of some of their earliest kisses and almost-kisses, but she didn't actually want to kiss him like that. She placed a hand to his lips. "Not like that," she said softly. "Relax your lips completely," she instructed. As he did, her lips came down to meet his, interlocking. She sucked greedily on his bottom lip, happy to feel him kiss her back passionately for the first time in weeks. This was her Steve. He was a little more nervous, a little clumsier, definitely less skilled, but he was still hers. He still felt like hers.

She allowed her tongue to slip into his mouth, and he whimpered. "Unmmm…"

She moaned back to encourage him. "Mmmmmmmm…" His hands came up around her back, and she placed her arms around his neck. She put her other knee up on the bed just as the nurse finally walked in.

Laura pulled away and wiped her gloss from his lips. She sat up and climbed off the bed. He stared at her dreamily. Laura blushed. "He's awake again," she explained, "but he seems to have forgotten the last nine years of his life."

"I guess he hasn't forgotten you, huh?" the nurse quipped.

"Ummm, no. We've known each other a lot longer than that."

The nurse took his vitals, but they were all through the roof. He had just had a passionate makeout session with Laura Winslow. A guy doesn't get over that in an instant.