I Remember (Remembrance Series) (46 page)

“What do you mean preventable?”

“While you were unconscious, I was sleeping and able to catch a portion of your discussion with Ray. I know that our time apart allowed the darkness to grow stronger and I saw it surround the SUV, right before it hit your car. The driver didn’t have a clue what happened. I’m pretty sure he had been temporarily possessed by evil. Had you just stayed with me, we might not be here discussing this, now.” His eyes were filled with sadness.

“I know we are destined to be together and we have a lot more clues to unravel, before we can marry. Even if Ray had not suggested we move up the wedding date, I wanted to, anyway, because I want you in my life, now more than ever. I don’t want to take the potential risk of this happening, again.”

“Gregory, I’m sorry I have made a mess of things. My love for you is so intense it overwhelmed me. I only wanted to protect you from the fate of Daniel and I couldn’t leave my mom by herself,” I said, weeping softly. “Being apart from you was more excruciating than the pain I’m in now. I have no problem marrying you anytime, anyplace.”

“Why don’t we focus on you getting out of here, first, then we can meet with our parents and secretly start planning our wedding.” He suggested.

“I like the sound of that. Did you catch the part about the prophecy?”

“I saw you observing something, but couldn’t see what it was. Is there something new?”

I held his hand close to my face. “We are part of a prophecy and I know where to find it.”

“Where do we need to go?”

“It’s right here in town, or at least I hope it’s still here. I came across it the day after my father died, in a mystic bookstore, downtown. It’s called,
Prophecies of the Ancients
. I should’ve known when I touched it, as I felt a charge of energy go through me. But I ran from it, fearing evil. Could you check the bookstore tomorrow and see if we can purchase it?”

“The book is no longer there, Jordan.”

I began feeling shortness of breath.

“Shh…don’t panic. The book is in a safe place.”

“But, how? How would you know? What are you saying” I started breathing faster.

“First, calm down. I don’t want you in any additional pain. Second, I have a confession to make.”

“The day after your father passed, I knew you would be sleeping in and had no plans; so I went into work for a while to finish up a couple of projects. When I was done, I had nothing to keep me busy, and I remembered how you talked about going for walks in the downtown area, to clear your mind.

“I had only been to Deland a few times, on business, and never took the time to appreciate what the town had to offer. Because you enjoyed it so much, my curiosity was piqued. I rationalized that you had company at your house and the risk of running into you would be slim. So I drove up and started walking around, taking in the beauty of the streetscapes and shops.” He paused for a moment for me to process all he was saying.

“I was actually in the bookstore when you walked in. I heard the bell on the shop’s door ring and looked up to see you walking in. I could tell you were hurting and I wanted so much to give you a hug, but I ducked behind one of the bookshelves and just watched as you dug through the bin of books.”

“You were there. Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked a little ticked off.
More secrets
.

“It was too early for us to meet. I knew I shouldn’t be in town, but I had no anticipation of running into you. I didn’t want you to think I was stalking you.”

He continued. “I noticed one book kept falling into your hands, no matter where you placed it. When you held onto it, you appeared shocked and dropped it to the floor before rushing out of the shop. I went to see what the book was about and felt a strange sensation in my hands. I knew it had to mean something, so I bought it and placed it in my safe deposit box.”

My mind was processing everything, when a realization hit. “You followed me to the coffee shop, too, didn’t you?”

“Only because I wanted to make sure you were all right.” He admitted, lovingly.

“So, when I tried calling you, it was your phone ringing? You’re the one who paid for my tea!”

“Yes, that was me. I watched as you went into the front of the coffee shop. I entered through the side door, unnoticed; only to make sure that you were okay. I ended up getting an iced tea and that’s when you tried calling. I sent it to voicemail, quickly, hoping you would think it was coincidence.

“I only stayed a few minutes before paying for your drinks and mine. Then I left and headed home. Are you mad?” He asked, cautiously.

“I probably should be, but I am more relieved than anything to know it was you and not one of the darkness’ minions or some strange person that paid for my drinks.”

Gregory smiled with relief. His lips slowly found mine and paused only for a moment to whisper, “I love you as much as life, itself.”

Our kiss was cut short, as nurse Lynn came in. “Ok, you two, you have her heart monitor going wild down at the nurse’s station.” She laughed.

“How are you feeling, Jordan? Do you need any more pain medication?”

“I still feel weak, but also stronger. I guess that is to be expected? As for the pain, it’s tolerable.”

“Your strength will come back, slowly. The more we can get you to move around and strengthen those leg muscles, the better you will feel. Would you like to try walking around the room?” She encouraged.

“I would love the opportunity to go brush my teeth and freshen up a bit.”

“Let me see if I can grab an extra pair of hands to help you.” Lynn stated.

“Would it be okay if I assist? I’ll need to know how to help her when she comes home.” Gregory suggested.

“That would be perfect.”

Lynn walked Gregory through all the steps to help lift me out of bed, without putting pressure on my ribs. It seemed like a tedious process and the pain was nearly intolerable with any movement. But, I made it across the room a little quicker this time.

“Are you ready for some more pain medicine?” The nurse asked. “I brought some with me, just in case.”

“Honey, you promised your mother that you would be honest if you needed it. Don’t try to put on a brave face, because I can tell you’re hurting.”

“I don’t like taking the medicine, because of the groggy feeling it gives me. But, my side is killing me.”

Lynn took out the syringe and injected the medicine into the IV. Before she even left the room, I could feel its soothing effects start to take over.

“I’ll check on you in a little while to see how you’re doing.”

“Gregory?”

“Yes?”

“Can you pull the recliner over and fall asleep next to me?”

“Anything you want, Darling.” He pulled the recliner over and lowered the bed rail so he could hold my hand.

“You are my life, I love you!” I managed to whisper but slurred my words.

“I love you, too! I’ll meet you in your dreams,” he said, squeezing my hand.

The medication finally pulled me under and I found myself drifting. I felt frightened for a while, until the embrace of Gregory’s familiar arms found me and held me tight. Then I heard his comforting words, “I’m here, Jordan. There will be no bad dreams tonight. We will get through this together.”

Over the course of the next several days, I pushed hard to overcome the pain and walk a little further each day. Then, at night, I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face knowing I would meet Gregory in my dreams, feeling his strong arms, wrapped around me allowing me to sleep without fear.

Dr. Kurtz surprised all of us on Monday morning, stating that latest chest x-ray looked good and showed signs that both my lungs and ribs were healing at a tremendous rate. We had expected at least another week or two in the hospital, but I was going to be released the following day.

Later that afternoon, the stitches and splint were removed from my left arm and a cast was put in its place, which allowed me slight use of my arm, again. No sooner than the casting materials hardened, when Gregory put my engagement ring back on my ring finger.

I asked, “When do you need to return to work?”

“I’ll go back in a few days. As soon as you are a little stronger,” he answered.

“But, I go home, tomorrow.”

My mother was quick to reply, “Gregory and I are both concerned about you still being weak and needing assistance moving around. Neither one of us can handle looking after you twenty-four hours a day; so, Gregory has offered to stay with us for a little while. I will take care of you while he works during the day and he will help keep an eye on you at night. I am putting my trust in both of you to behave properly.”

Gregory was all smiles. “Yes ma’am and thank you.”

“Are you sure you want to commute this much?” I questioned.

“I would rather have to drive back and forth to work, than sit at home worrying whether you are all right. Besides, I only have half the distance to drive.” He was quick to point out.

Gregory drove me home from the hospital, since his front seat offered more leg room and kept me from moving too much. Beside the driveway, there was a white BMW sedan I didn’t recognize. Mom pressed the button for the garage door and drove into the right side. On the left side, stood Gregory’s parents, with a bunch of ‘Welcome Home’ balloons in front of a navy blue mini-SUV with a huge red bow on it.

As Gregory pulled behind them, I asked, “What is all this? Where’s my car? Is it being fixed?”

“I am surprised you hadn’t asked about your car until now. The insurance company totaled it,” he stated, very matter of fact.

“But, it was a leased vehicle. I only had four months left on the lease. How am I going to afford to pay for it?” I said, panicking.

“Not to worry, Jordan. The guy who hit you was cited with the accident and your mother has already talked to the insurance company on your behalf. They are working, in coordination with Honda, to have the guy pay for the loss of your vehicle and the cost of your medical bills.”

He went on. “I am glad you are out of that small car, anyway; I constantly worried about you driving back and forth in that thing.”

“How am I supposed to get back and forth to work now?”

“That’s one of the reasons my parents are here, today. I asked my father to drive up the SUV I had stored in their garage. My mother followed up in their car.”

“I’m not sure I follow what you are saying, Gregory?”

“The SUV is yours, Jordan. It hasn’t been driven much and needs to be out on the road more; so I asked them if they would mind me giving it to you. They were actually going to approach me about it, but were waiting for the right time. Remember, you will be my wife soon, and what’s mine is yours; so no arguments. The bow and balloons are their way of saying, ‘Welcome Home and Welcome to the Family.”

I could feel the tears start forming at the corners of my eyes. I was overwhelmed with emotion. “This is too much, I can’t accept this. Aren’t we supposed to be keeping a low profile? How can I explain this kind of vehicle?”

“You don’t have to reveal who gave it to you. All you have to say is that it is a gift to make up for your accident. The gentleman that hit you happened to be very well off, so no one will question it. Besides, the title is already in your name. It’s a done deal.” He smiled coyly and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek.

Gregory helped me out of the car and steadied me so I could walk over and give Mr. and Mrs. Worthington a kiss on the cheek to thank them for everything they had done for us.

My mother gave them both a hug and invited everyone inside for some lunch.

“We are so glad you are doing well, Jordan. You had us worried there for a while,” his mom stated.

“I’m so sorry for all of this. I never meant to have Gregory miss any work or cause any problems.” I apologized.

Mr. Worthington spoke this time, “Not to worry, dear. While work may be important, family comes first. He will be back soon and can catch up in no time. Right now, you are our main concern.”

“Thank you, Douglas; I agree, family does come first.”

My mom stuck her head around the corner. “Lunch is ready, feel free to help yourself. Jordan, would you like me to fix you a plate?”

Before I could answer, Gregory replied, “Go ahead and have a seat and enjoy lunch, Marilyn. I can help my parents with the plates and get something for Jordan and me.”

Lunch was finger sandwiches, salad and fresh fruit. It was a perfect meal for a hot summer day.

Gregory’s parents and my mother had no problem finding things to talk about. They enjoyed looking at the calendar, trying to figure out the perfect date for us to get married and pushing for us to set one. We finally settled on Saturday, November 1st.

The next thing we knew, our parents had gathered in the family room to discuss possible wedding locations, when I would be able to shop for a dress, and were already covering all the little details.

It was nice that our families gave us some alone time. Gregory was afraid to put his arm around me for fear of pressure on my shoulders and ribs, so he leaned back in the corner of the couch and had me lean against his chest. I could feel his breath saturate my hair and every once in a while, he would plant a kiss close to my ear, whispering, “I love you, always.”