Page 36 of Left Behind

They ordered in fried chicken and biscuits, and gravy for dipping, and made love in the kitchen and again in his bed. Falling asleep in his arms was the cherry on top, and she never wanted it to end.

But when the alarm went off the next morning, yanking them back into the reality of their worlds, he loved her awake. She had to go back to her apartment to get ready for work, and he had to let her go.

“Are we a secret?” he asked.

“Not in my world,” Linette said.

He nodded. “And not in mine. Be careful today. I love you.”

“You’re the one with the gun. You be careful.”

“Are you coming back?” he asked.

“As often as you’ll have me,” she said.

He opened the dresser drawer and pulled out a spare house key and laid it in her palm.

“You already hold the key to my heart. Now you have a key to the door. Come when you can. When you want to. And take a break for yourself when you don’t. I have no expectations beyond what you’re willing to give me, but if I had my way, you’d already be here.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Love you, Wiley Pope.”

“Love you more, Linette Elgin, and don’t you forget it.”

A few minutes later, she was gone. The house was quiet, but Wiley was as happy and as at peace as he’d ever been.

***

Two mornings later, just as the nurses were changing shifts, Carey Eggers regained consciousness. She wasn’t cognizant enough to talk to, but it was the first sign of recovering. The hospital notified Johnny Knight, and he and Tom were the first ones in on the next visiting hour.

When they opened the ICU to visitors, Tom and Johnny got in line, and once inside the critical care unit, Tom rolled Johnny up to the bed. The first thing Johnny did was stand up, using the bedrail as a crutch to steady himself, and stroke the side of her face.

“Hey, sweetheart, it’s me, Johnny. Tom and I are here. We’ve been here for days, waiting for you to wake up.” Then he gently clasped her hand and just held it as he talked.

***

Carey didn’t know where she was. Her last memory was running in the dark, and even as she was beginning to be conscious of sound and pain, she was still in the dark, unable to wake up enough to open her eyes. She continued to drift in and out without knowing what was happening, until someone stroked her cheek, then clasped her hand.

The rumble of the voice felt like love. She thought she was underwater, yet could see light, and kept trying to swim up, even as something was holding her down. She was afraid to open her mouth, for fear she’d drown, and so she moaned, wanting them to pull her up into the light.

Johnny jumped when he heard her moan.

“Oh my God, Tommy, did you hear that?”

Tom nodded. “I did, buddy. She’s fighting. That’s all you can ask of her.”

Johnny leaned down close to her ear. “I know you can hear me, love. It’s me, Johnny. You’re in a hospital. You’re safe. Just come back to me, baby. I can’t do life without you.”

Carey moaned again. She knew that voice. Johnny! It was Johnny! She needed him to know that she heard and, with all of the strength she could muster, curled her fingers within his palm.

“She just moved her fingers in my hand! She heard me!” Johnny said as a nurse approached.

The nurse checked all of the readings, making note of them in the log on her computer, and then eyed the time.

“Time to tell our sleeping beauty goodbye,” she whispered, and pointed to the clock.

Johnny nodded. “Just rest, Carey. Tom and I will be back. Just keep fighting, girl. I love you forever.”

Carey sighed and sank back into the dark, but the awakening had begun, and over the next two days, she finally reached the point of being moved out of the ICU into a private room and was alert enough to be questioned by the authorities. She was anxious about the guards in the hall and about what would happen to her when she went home, when she would be well enough to go back to work, and couldn’t believe this nightmare was still ongoing.

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