Page 40 of Sparking Sara

“She was all alone,” I remind him.

“Right. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Good. I’ll see you then.”

I walk back into Sara’s room and tell her the good news. “That was Oliver. He’s coming very soon. He was on a cruise, and I guess there was no cell service where he was. He said he’s going through customs at JFK, but then he’ll be here.”

She stares at me and blinks.

“Did you hear that, Sara? He’s coming.”

She turns her head and looks at the wall. I wonder if she’s nervous to meet the man she loves but can’t remember. I don’t even try to imagine what that must feel like.

I pick up the deck of cards on the table. “Come on, let’s play cards to pass the time.”

Her eyes find mine again.

I lay four cards face up on her lap, down by her hands to make it easier for her. She doesn’t move.

I pull out my phone and turn on some music. When she hears the Beach Boys song come on, she smiles. It’s a bigger smile than I’ve seen before. She has a beautiful smile.

I nod to the cards. “Can you pick the ace of spades?”

She looks down and stares at the proper card. Then she looks at her hand, almost as if willing it to move.

“You can do it, Sara. Show me the ace of spades.”

Her hand inches over past the queen of diamonds and then her finger lands on the correct card.

“That’s right. Now pick it up.”

She looks at me like I’ve asked her to bench press two hundred pounds.

“Come on, you can do it. Pick up the card and hand it to me.”

I put my hand out, about six inches from hers.

She’s able to pull the card into her hand, but she can’t pick it up and hand it to me, so I reach over and pick her hand up for her, then I extend her arm a few inches and put her hand in mine. “There. See how easy that was? Next time you’re going to do it all on your own, okay?”

Her other hand moves slightly, giving me a thumbs up before her eyes close and she falls asleep.

An hour later, I sit in the corner while a team of people put Sara on that bed thing again that has her standing up and sitting down. This time, her head doesn’t flop around so much, so it’s not quite as difficult to watch. She’s getting a little more muscle control, but she still has a long way to go. I’m just glad Oliver will finally be here to help her along the way.

After lunch, I’m on my way back up to Sara’s room when I hear someone talking on his phone in the elevator. A Brit. And he’s talking about an art gallery.

After he hangs up, I ask, “You’re not Oliver Compton, are you?”

“Denver Andrews, I presume?”

I hold out my hand. “Glad you could make it.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around it,” he says. “How can someone lose three years of memories and not the lot? How can they be sure it won’t come back?”

“To be honest, I don’t think they’re sure of anything. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve said anything can happen. But I’m not a doctor. You should ask Dr. Miller.”

When we arrive at the nurses’ station, I introduce Oliver to everyone. Dr. Miller is just coming out of Sara’s room, so Oliver meets him as well.

“It looks like Sara can be cleared to leave in a few days.”

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