He accompanied her into the emergency room cubicle while her family waited in the lobby. William paid attention to everything the medical staff said and did. She had arrived in grave condition. They worried over the fact she hadn’t regained consciousness despite all their efforts to rouse her. That worried him as well.
Of course, they had said, that could be due to the internal damage she had suffered when the lightning struck her. Damage that needed immediate repair. Once all tests were complete, they prepped her for emergency surgery. All throughout the delicate procedure, William remained at her side. He never once turned loose of her hand. Through that vital connection, he offered her his strength and for the first time, he offered her his heart. Did she truly understand what that meant? The surgery took the greater portion of three hours.
“Okay, that’s it,” the surgeon said, as at long last he stepped away from the table. “Let’s close her up. While you’re doing that, I’ll go talk to her family and let them know how she’s doing.”
“Tell them the effects of the anesthesia I used should wear off in an hour or so. Once she comes around, they can visit her in recovery,” the anesthesiologist said.
“Will do.”
William gave Katie’s hand a gentle press. “Looks like they’re just about done in here, my love. In case you didn’t hear them, they think you’ll wake up while you’re in the recovery room. That should bring both joy and some relief to your family, don’t you think? After all, you gave them quite a scare.”
She didn’t respond, nor did he expect it. He accompanied her from the operating room into the small recovery cubicle. Soon her family would gather round her. Once they did, her need for comfort would turn away from him. Instead, she would get it from her family. That’s as it should be, he supposed.
Minutes ticked off the clock as he waited for her to awaken. All the while he recalled countless memories from the years that made up her life. He’d witnessed all of her moods—been aware of the moments that filled her with joy, as well as those that brought her down to the deepest depths of sorrow. Although he’d been there whenever she needed him, he never once told her—
He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Before everyone comes in here and steals you away from me, there are a few things I’d like to say. Things I have always wanted you to know. I’ve never said them aloud before because it’s difficult to find the words of the heart. At least it’s difficult for me. Always was, and unfortunately the death of my mortal body didn’t change that flaw. I’ll probably mess it up and stumble all the way through it. Nonetheless, here goes—
“Know that I love you Katie Simone Adelton—and far deeper than what you can possibly comprehend or understand in your mortal state. There isn’t a soul, past, present, or future that could compare with the magnificent woman you are. I cannot express enough gratitude for the day I finally found you. I’m grateful, because I didn’t think such a day would ever come. You know, there for awhile, I truly thought I’d wander eternity alone. Now we have forever ahead of us and that’s an amazing feeling. Though you won’t join me now, I know one day you will.”
He paused as he recalled the joyous moment her soul had called out and irrevocably connected to his. To this day she remained oblivious of the incredible event. After all, she couldn’t have been more than three or four years of age at the time. Even if she had felt something, she wouldn’t have understood it. Nonetheless, almost from that day to this, she had sensed his presence whenever he visited her. He knew without doubt she sensed it even now.
Of a certainty, she wouldn’t remember her brief encounter with death. He, on the other hand, would never forget it. He conjured a sigh. “I can’t help but wonder where we’d be right now, if only you’d walked into my arms and chosen to stay.”
Chapter Two
William appeared inside Katie’s hospital room with a single rose in his hand. He slipped it into the vase on the nightstand and approached the bed. From all appearances, his sleeping beauty hadn’t moved a muscle since he left her yesterday. He had never seen Katie so still for so long a period of time and it troubled him.
Coma was the word doctors used weeks ago for her condition. A condition that had gone on far longer than any of them thought it would. They didn’t share that knowledge with her family though. Instead, they told her parents they couldn’t predict how long it would take for her to awaken. The doctors said by all reports, the time varied for those struck by lightning. Some victims would regain consciousness very quickly. Others needed far more time to heal. They reminded them that Katie had taken a more violent hit than most.
Yeah.
That was their way of saying they didn’t know anything more now than they did the day they rushed her to the hospital. They didn’t have a clue as to why she didn’t wake up. If they all wanted him to, he could sum up the reason in just two words. Chad McCrae.
To the accompaniment of the rhythmic beep, beep, beep of her monitor, William combed his fingers through the locks of her lovely auburn hair. The light from the window played with the golden highlights created by the kiss of summer sun. Those highlights framed her face in a way that made him smile despite the gravity of the situation. Now, if she would open those gorgeous baby blues of hers, he’d be content. He hadn’t seen them in awhile and he sorely missed getting lost in them.
He took hold of her hand and placed a gentle kiss against her full, luscious lips. “You need to wake up, sleeping beauty. Come on now. You either need to wake up or let go. I’ll accept your choice whatever it is, but you just can’t stay in this limbo. I know better than anyone else how badly he hurt you. But you can’t let him rob you of—”
He halted mid-sentence. The voices right outside her hospital door demanded it. The first belonged to Carol, her morning nurse. The second?
Speak of the devil and he’ll walk in every single time.
Chad strode into the room with Carol not more than a step behind him. He stopped at the foot of Katie’s bed and waited as Carol changed her IV bag and took her vitals. After she finished her tasks, she gave the man a smile. He didn’t deserve it.
“Everything looks good this morning,” she said.
Chad gave her a wink alongside a nod. “That’s good. Do you think maybe she’ll wake up today?”
“There’s a good chance she might.” She smoothed the wrinkles away from Katie’s blankets and stepped away from the bed. “After all, your wife is getting the best of care and from what we can see, she’s doing quite well physically.”
Wife.
The word filled William with disgust. When had Chad ever treated his precious Katie like a wife? Indeed, he treated her more like the lowest member of a sultan’s harem. A thing she suspected throughout most of their marriage, but finally witnessed for herself. The undeniable sight shattered her heart and left her crying like a wounded animal. In that moment he could quite literally feel the intensity of her pain. He could do nothing more than hold her as she sorted through the broken pieces of her life.
If not for the support she needed from her family, she would never have gone out to the ranch. The lightning never would have touched her. The worst thing about it all? Katie didn’t have the chance to confide in her mother. She didn’t get a chance to tell her about the hell Chad had put her through—or the decision she had made because of the last and final straw.
Once Carol left the room, William sidled up next to McCrae and leaned in close to his ear. “Are you worried that when she wakes up, she’ll tell everyone about all the women you’ve dallied with since you married her? Tell them what kind of scumbag you are beneath that charming smile of yours? That’ll change everybody’s opinion of you right quick and in a hurry, won’t it now. Perhaps you hope she’ll sleep long enough she’ll forget what she saw, hmm? Then again, maybe your greatest wish is that the lightning destroyed the memory altogether.”
While the man fidgeted, William moved to his other side. “I hate to burst your bubble, but that won’t happe
n. Oh, and by the way? She doesn’t need or want you here. You make her sick. So why don’t you just skedaddle on out of this room and keep on going. If you have even a shred of decency about you, you won’t come back. Not even for the sake of appearance. What you should do instead is find a dark hole somewhere, crawl inside it, and stay there. You know why? Because you’re a lousy excuse for a human being. That’s why.”
Chad shoved his hands inside his pockets. As he jingled his keys, the second hand of the clock on the pale green wall cycled twice. All the while that tic in his jaw got a hefty workout. Then, in what William considered an act of mercy from Heaven itself, Chad’s cell phone went off. At once he made an abrupt about face and exited the room.
Good riddance to the worst of rubbish. William turned his gaze toward Katie. Ever in tune with her spirit, he could see the effect McCrae’s visit had on her soul. In response to Chad’s voice, she had withdrawn even further inside that small haven of protection she’d created deep within herself, a haven wherein she still felt a little self-worth. If she advanced much further into that shell, she might not come back. Perhaps he could do something that would change the tide? An idea he had considered once before and dismissed might have merit after all.
At that moment, Katie’s mother entered the room. He moved out of her way as Diane approached the side of the bed.
She took hold of her daughter’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Good morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling today? I see you have another fresh rose. Smells heavenly, doesn’t it? Now if we could only discover who your secret admirer is, I could ask where he gets them. I think a full bouquet on the kitchen table would be a perfect centerpiece, don’t you?”
William saw the hope in Diane’s eyes. The same hope she had carried with her every single day since Katie entered the hospital. Her mama couldn’t know it, but from the way Katie responded, he knew she took a great deal of comfort in her presence.
“Daddy will be up later. So will Jake and some of the boys. That ought to be a hoot, don’t you think? Let’s just hope they don’t kick us out of here once they get going. You know how they are when they’re all together. Anyway, I thought a little bit of sprucing up would be in order. Would you like that?” She took the brush from off the side table and put her bag in its place. “I also brought up some of your favorite perfume. I’ll dab a little of that behind your ears after I help you with a bath and get the tangles out of your hair. That’ll make you feel better, won’t it? Oh, and instead of that hideous mustard yellow gown, the nurse brought you in a white one with bouquets of pink flowers printed all over it. You’ll look smashing.”
William grinned. Perhaps the family visit she mentioned might give Katie a much needed laugh. At the same time, it would give him the opportunity he needed. With the sure knowledge he left her in the best of care, he passed through the portal from her realm and into his. As he headed for home, he ran into Private Richard Barnett. A big, infectious smile lit up the kid’s face. He couldn’t help but return it.
“Hey, Sarge! How’s Katie?”
He shrugged. “About the same.”
“Aw, that’s a shame. I take it she still doesn’t know you’re hovering over her like an old mother hen?”
“No more so than usual. Katie knows I’m with her. She takes comfort in my presence just as she always has, but nothing more than that, I’m afraid.”
“Well, if anyone can think of a way to change that, it’ll be you, sir.”
“Thanks for the confidence, Rich. I have an idea that just might work this time. At least I hope it will. I guess we’ll see.”
“Well then I’ll let you get right to it. You’ve got to let me know how it goes though. We’re all pulling for you.” Rich gave him a casual salute and moved off to the side so he could pass.
“You’ll be the first to know if anything changes. I promise.”
As he continued his journey homeward, William turned his gaze toward the incredible beauty of the verdant meadows. Within those meadows, the most beautiful horses ever created freely grazed. Magnificent trees, the likes of which no one on earth had ever seen, encompassed the entire area. He never tired of looking at the leaves that glistened like silver dewdrops under a morning sun.
Far more glorious than anything he had ever envisioned during mortality, he had chosen to establish his residence here on the outskirts, instead of farther inside Golden City. No doubt in his mind but that Katie would love it here as much as he did. She would especially adore the flowers that were everywhere present. They were more vivid and rich in color than what even her wildest imagination could ever imagine. Likewise the fragrance they offered those that passed them by. One fine day he would take great pleasure in showing all of this to her.
One fine day.
Upon arrival, he ambled up the burnished amber walkway that led to his home. The brilliant white marble facade surrounded a multitude of square-paned windows. They allowed an abundance of radiant light to fill each room. He entered through the large double doors framed by the same white pillars that supported the second story veranda.
Once inside, he headed straight for the desk inside his cozy library decorated from floor to ceiling in various hues of gray, burgundy, and blue. He sat down and opened the top left-hand drawer of his highly polished desk. With the greatest of care he withdrew the journal nestled inside. His great-grandfather had urged him to keep the diary right after he found his Katie. He had taken his advice. After all, if not for Isaiah Griffin, he would never have known she existed.
He and Isaiah had a bond that went well beyond the one of kinship. Isaiah too, had left his mortality behind on the field of battle. For his great-grandfather, that field had been Murfreesboro in Tennessee during America’s Civil War. However, unlike himself, Isaiah had left behind a beloved wife and three small children. At the time, the little ones were all under the age of five.
William recalled with absolute clarity the grin on Isaiah’s face the instant he bemoaned his lonely, solitary state. They were out by the sparkling river that ran behind his home. Lush vegetation and flowers in every shape and hue gave them privacy. From the boughs of the trees, the sweet song of birds serenaded them.
“Do you think you’re alone in that, son? All you choose to see are cheerful couples, living their happily ever after. Open your eyes, boy. Take another good look around you. Not everyone here has a soul mate at their side, at least not yet.”
“Easy for you to say, you’ve got Florence.”
He nodded. “That’s right, I do have Florence. I won’t apologize for that. Nevertheless, I’m here to tell you that through the good Lord’s fairness and love, there’s a special someone out there for everyone. Heaven wouldn’t be Heaven if it weren’t so. Wouldn’t be fair to the millions of men and women in the same circumstance as you, would it now. I mean, think of all of the single people in the history of the earth who died from disease, accidents, plagues, and wars. Don’t you think they should have the same opportunity as everyone else?”
“I suppose so. But if all that’s true, where is she?”
“That I couldn’t tell you. Could be she’s right here somewhere, bellyaching over her solitary state as well. On the other hand, she might be living out her mortality right now. There’s also a possibility she hasn’t been born yet. Nonetheless, she’s out there. You just have to find her.”
He picked up a pebble and with a bit of force, flung it across the clear blue water. “Well isn’t that just dandy. Talk about looking for a marble-sized snowball in a howling blizzard. Do you have any idea how long it would take to search out every single woman here, as well as those in their mortal state?”
Isaiah chuckled. “Do you know how much longer it will take if you don’t get started now?”
William rolled his eyes. “How would I even recognize her amidst the sea of faces?”
A thoughtful look had entered Isaiah’s eyes even as the grin faded away. “You’ll know her when you find her, William. You’ll know.�
�
He looked down at the journal he held in his hands, opened the cover, and flipped through the pages. Almost all of the white sheets in the book were filled now with words penned in golden ink. Every line had something to do with Katie in one way or another. Rather than a diary, they were more like letters. All written for and to the woman he loved and had loved from the dawn of time. Perhaps if he read them to her in her unconscious state, she would respond. If she understood just how much he loved her—if she knew forever and always she was his as he was hers—her heart would heal.
****
The bath and fresh gown made Katie feel better. So did the time her mom spent brushing her hair. The gentle strokes carried her off on an ocean wave of contentment. So much so, she almost looked forward to the promised visit by her family. Almost. In truth, she didn’t know if she wanted them here right now. More often than not, a part of her wished everyone would just stay away and leave her alone. Other times, only family could give her what she needed. Only they could bring a bit of peace and comfort to her tattered soul.
No, wait. She did have someone else.
The secret companion she’d never told anyone about could comfort her better than anyone. Katie never told anyone about him because—well, because he was hers and hers alone. She didn’t have a name for her beloved companion. Yet without any doubt whatsoever, a male presence had become part of her life and for as far back as she could recall. His kind, gentle essence never failed to appear when she needed him most. She didn’t know or even understand the why of it. Even so, he provided unconditional love and acceptance regardless of any wrong or foolish choice she made. Like marrying Chad, for instance.
Love Letters from Heaven Page 2