“Sit up. Put-a your legs over the bed.”
Kate slowly did as she was told, feeling a little light-headed as the blood moved south.
“There! Now-a we get-a you up.” Maria moved around to position the wheelchair at such an angle that would make it easier for Kate to slide across onto the seat. She put the brake on with her foot to keep the chair stable as she moved over to help.
“How-a do-a you feel?”
“A little woozy, actually.”
“Yes. That’s-a normal. Just sit for a minute and wait-a for blood to move-a down from your head.”
Kate closed her eyes against the dizziness until she felt the vertigo ease. She could literally feel the blood drain from her head. After a minute it disappeared.
“Okay. Let’s do this. I’m good.”
She couldn’t put any weight on the bandaged leg with the broken femur and so used her good one to momentarily stand as Maria helped move Kate across to the chair. It took more effort than she imagined and her head was thumping but that was a small price to pay for freedom.
She’d done it. It was glorious to be sitting and out of bed so soon after her accident. She knew she still had a mountain to climb before she was even close to feeling normal again but each baby step brought her closer to that.
“Do-a you need to use-a the bathroom?”
“Actually, no I’m good but is there a mirror I could use?” She had no idea what she looked like and was hopeful now that she was up, she’d be able to use the commode chair to take a shower. She guessed that may not happen though until the bandage was removed from her head and they could organize her plastered leg to be covered in something waterproof.
“Yes. I-a take you into the bathroom. It-a has a mirror.”
The shower bay was huge with a curtain hanging to one side and a removable shower head on a long flexible hose.
The mirror was large enough that she could see her reflection while sitting in the chair. Kate nearly cried. Her eyebrows had been pushed down by the bandage that wound around her head like a turban, a few tendrils of hair peeking out from underneath. Her skin was bright red and peeling. She really did look like a mess. She had to look away, unable to see herself like that anymore.
“Can you take me back into my room so I can sit and look out the window?”
“Yes. I’ll ask-a the doctor if we-a can remove your bandages, okay?” It was almost like Maria had known what Kate was thinking when she looked in the mirror. Maybe the nurse did have a kind heart after all.
“I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”
Maria left Kate alone facing the window as she wheeled the trolley out to go and find the doctor.
There wasn’t much to see, staring out, but it was nice anyway. There still was a world outside the confines of the hospital. The sky was blue and the sun still shone. She longed to get out and feel the warmth on her skin and the breeze embrace her. To smell the flowers and feel fresh rain soak her through. Things she’d taken for granted but that now meant so much more.
A voice startled her. “Well, well, well! Look at you up and about!” She turned to the familiar voice, smiling broadly.
Her father walked in, followed by her mother. They were both beaming.
“That’s fantastic, Kate! You’re doing amazing! I can’t believe you’re up already.”
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.” She held out her arms for an embrace from each of them, which they gave her without hesitation.
“How long have you been up, sweetie pie?” asked Rob.
“Not long before you got here. Maria’s hoping we can get the head bandage removed today.”
“That’s great, darling,” cooed Jenny. “I’m so happy to see you up and about. How did you sleep?”
Kate gave Robert a look that held unasked questions before she answered. “I tossed and turned a bit, couldn’t get comfortable, but I guess that’s to be expected in this place.”
Rob returned a look that said, ‘we need to talk,’ making Kate nervous and wanting to stop with the small talk and get down to business, but she wasn’t sure how much her mother now knew.
“Honey, why don’t you go and grab us a coffee and then we can take Kate for a walk around the hospital?”
Jenny took the cue. “I’ll be back soon.”
Rob sat on the armchair in the corner so he could face his daughter. “Your mother knows everything, don’t worry.”
“Why did you send her away?”
“She’s trying to be strong with everything going on and I just don’t want to burden her talking about it.” Rob paused and then went on, “I guess you’re wondering how the search for Jake went?”
“OMG! I’ve been so worried about him, Dad. What’s happened?”
“We found him.”
Kate sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for what her father may say next.
“He’s alive. We brought him here to the hospital. He’s getting tests done.”
“So he’s okay?”
“Well, we’re not sure yet just how okay he is. He’s pretty doped out on medication. He’d taken a bullet to the chest, which was operated on by The Organization, so we need to make sure that’s all okay.”
A tear leaked from Kate’s eye. “Poor Jake! I want to see him. Can you take me to him?”
“I’ll see if that’s possible after the tests have been completed. There’s more though, honey.”
“More?”
“Yes. Carlos has been arrested and Gary’s taken him to the military base in Rome where he’ll be questioned and charged.”
Kate swallowed heavily, not sure how to deal with the fact that her ex-boyfriend was a criminal and going to prison for a very long time. They’d last said goodbye on good terms. She’d actually missed him. Felt sorry for him at having to travel so much and be away from her so often.
“Why? Why did he get involved in crime?” It was a question for which she may never know the answer.
“He had a hard life. His old man was involved in crime when Carlos was just a kid. His mother was a drunk, a gambler. The kid never stood a chance.”
“He still had a choice, though. Everyone has a choice, Dad.”
“I know, but in his case I don’t think he had many choices growing up. His old man had him helping him on the streets before the kid was even finished high school.”
Kate’s mind screamed at her to hate him but after hearing about how he grew up, she knew that under different circumstances he would have turned out differently and that it must have been dreadful to be brought up in that type of environment. She couldn’t imagine what that had been like. He’d warned her many times about the dark side to Italy and all along he’d been a part of that darkness.
It was the lies that had hurt the most, though. He knew that Kate would leave him if she’d found out the truth.
Jenny arrived back with two coffees, an eyebrow raised at the obvious tension in the room. “You two look like you’ve just been told the world is ending. Everything all right?”
“Yeah, Mom. I’m just tired.”
“Well, how about we take our coffees and get you outside for a bit?”
Kate’s face relaxed somewhat. The fresh air would help clear her head.
“That sounds great, Mom.”
Rob handled the wheelchair while Jenny held both coffees and together they all made their way out the back to the gardens.
As soon as the chair was out the door, Kate inhaled fully, letting her lungs expand, relishing in the smells that came with it. Newly cut grass and a hint of geranium had her nearly delirious. And the warmth of the sun kissed her as they exited the shadows of the building to a park bench. As she approached, she remembered what had happened on that bench as if the sight of it dragged the memory up from the depths of her subconscious. She couldn’t help but blush at the image of herself straddled on Jake’s lap, devouring him, desperately.
“Katie? Did you hear me?”
“Hmm?”
; “How does it feel being outside again?”
“It’s heaven, Dad. I’ll never take it for granted again. The air is so much better and I love the smell of the flowers.” With her skin blistered from her time on the ledge in Vernazza, she sat under the shade of a large tree beside the bench.
“Can I ask you a question, Katie?” Rob grabbed Kate’s hand.
“Sure, Dad. Anything.”
“How were you able to see Jake when he was out of his body?”
Kate blanched. Her parents didn’t know about her gift. Was this how they were going to find out? She let her breath out. Maybe this was as good a time as any, considering they’d both experienced something out of the ordinary.
“I…um…I’ve had certain feelings about things most of my life. Like I can sense things and people.”
She had both her parents’ attention as they stiffened.
“What sort of things? asked her mom hesitantly as she fiddled with the fabric on her skirt.
“Well, certain things. Not all things. Like, I knew Jake was in Vernazza. I heard him talking to me. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to actually see spirits, though. I don’t know how or why. It’s not as if any of you have the ability.” Her hands swept towards her parents.
She waited for them to laugh or tell her it was all in her head but instead her dad said, “Huh. Well, that explains a lot. Don’t know where you got that gift from. May be a throw back from a great-grand parent or something.”
“You mean you don’t think I’m crazy?” Her hands were gripping both armrests on the chair.
“No, honey. We would never think that. If you say that’s what you see and feel then we believe you.” Her mom’s voice had such a soft lilt to it.
Kate relaxed, happy that they knew and she didn’t have to hide it any longer.
They all spent the next part of an hour enjoying catching up and spending time outside. Kate was already exhausted, so Rob offered to take her back to her room.
“The nurses will think we’ve abducted you.”
“Ha. They could only wish. I could only wish! I’m not ready to go back to that room yet. I need to see Jake.”
“I hope he’ll make a full recovery.” Jenny looked at Kate with irony written all over her face. “It would appear that your pleas for Jake helped, darling. Who would have ever thought that he’d end up in the very same hospital you’re in?”
Kate attempted a smile. Yes, she thought. Who would have ever thought?
Rob stood, grabbing the handles of the wheelchair and starting towards the hospital doors. “Come on. Let’s see if we can go visit Jake. I’m sure he’s finished with his tests by now.”
Kate was as eager as ever, wishing her father would push the chair faster. She couldn’t get to him quick enough. She needed to see him.
The pull was stronger than her physical body. She couldn’t fight it.
Inside, Rob questioned a nurse who said she would go and find out. They waited anxiously for her to return with an update.
Kate fiddled with the thin papery gown she now wore, hoping they wouldn’t be denied a visit.
It took quite a few minutes but eventually the nurse returned, stating that Jake had been admitted and was on the ground floor in a room not too far away. He’d just returned from the MRI scan and was allowed visitors for a short time only.
The nurse led them through the hospital to a ward that had four beds in it. Three of the beds were occupied, one of them being Jake.
His eyes were closed as if he was sleeping and a drip had been attached to his arm. Another nurse finished taking his blood pressure, muttered a few words in Italian to the nurse accompanying Kate and her parents, and then both nurses left quietly.
To give them a little more privacy, Jenny pulled the curtain around the bed, closing them in. It was a bit squishy but better than the other people in the room being able to see.
Kate couldn’t take her eyes off Jake. He was still dreadfully handsome but his eyes appeared sunk in and his cheeks a little more hollow. Rob pushed Kate as close to Jake’s head as the chair would allow. She pulled his arm over so she could place her hand in his and entwine their fingers. She expected them to be cool but they were surprisingly warm, sending a tingle of electricity up her arm. Her Jake. He was finally here. She was able to touch him and know that he was real flesh and blood and wouldn’t be evaporating into thin air any time soon.
Rob put a knowing hand on Kate’s shoulder,
Jenny nudged Rob, motioning for the door. “Come on, let’s give them a moment.”
Rob agreed, letting Kate know that they’d be outside when she was ready to leave, she just had to call.
Kate was grateful for the kind gesture. She had so much she needed to talk to Jake about.
She squeezed his hand before beginning. “Jake. It’s funny how things have done a complete turnaround. Here I am sitting talking to you, not knowing if you can hear me or not, praying that you’ll be okay.” She stopped and waited for any sign of life but was met with silence and lifelessness. “I’m getting stronger every day. You’d be so proud of me. I even got out of bed and went outside. Well, in a wheelchair but, still. It was amazing to be out in the garden. It made me remember something that I’d forgotten after I woke. The seat outside… I remember…we were sitting on it while out of our bodies. It was so intense.” Her thumb was rubbing small circles in the space between Jake’s thumb and forefinger. “I’m not exactly sure what happened between us while we were out to it but it was amazing. I can’t stop thinking of you. Of us. I need you back, Jake. So badly. It’s crazy, I know. I just want you to get better so we can try and figure it all out. I know deep down you can feel me here as I could you, when I was out to it. It’s our connection, Jake. It’s real and powerful.”
She didn’t know what else to say at that point so she decided to return to her room. She would visit him again tomorrow.
“Dad?”
“Yes, honey?” Rob came in and peered through the slit in the curtain.
“I’m ready to leave now.”
As they walked past the nurse’s station in Kate’s ward, Maria came over to them. “I-a look for you. Doctor says we can-a take the bandage off.”
Finally.
“That’s great news, Kate. Come on, we’ll get this thing off and then brush your hair for you,” said Jenny.
“Is there any way that we can wash it first?” Kate could only imagine what her hair looked like under the bandage. She knew that it hadn’t been washed since before the fall. It would have dirt, blood and who knew what else in it.
“Maria?” Jenny looked to the nurse with a hopeful expression, eyebrows raised in question.
The woman thought for a moment and said, “The only way is-a to sit-a on the chair with-a your-a head back.”
“I guess. Mom, you could help me move to the commode chair and I could sit in it with my head back and you could shampoo it for me without getting my leg wet?”
It was agreed, so they all walked together to Kate’s room to remove the bandage and inspect the damage.
Kate was a little nervous. She’d looked like a horror show without her hair down. Lord only knew what she would turn into with a matted, stained, frizz on her head.
Thankfully Jake wasn’t with them to see it.
It was worse than she’d imagined as Maria carefully unwound the turban from Kate’s head. The dark strands were held together on the top of her head in a matted ball. There were dried pieces, not only of blood and dirt but small stones littering it here and there. Not a good look by anyone’s standards.
A deep cut which had been stitched sat amid a shaved patch of hair that looked starkly out of place on the side of her head above her right ear.
Maria tried to downplay the mess. “Not-a bad. The surgeon did-a good job.”
Kate didn’t want to see it. She just wanted her hair clean. It felt disgusting. She felt disgusting.
There was some complimentary shampoo and conditioner
on the vanity.
Maria showed Jenny how to use the removable shower head and then left them to it. Kate was positioned back towards the shower cubicle which was nothing more than a washing bay with a curtain. Jenny put the brake on and turned the water on, adjusting it until it was warm and not too hot.
Kate put her head back as far as she could and waited. As soon as the spray hit her head she sighed out in relief at the amazing feel of it on her scalp. The small beads of water helped to ease her headache and relax her.
Jenny tried to be careful not to get the water on Kate’s gown. When all the hair was wet, she lathered it up with shampoo. “I used to enjoy washing your hair when you were little.”
“Hmm. I love having it washed by someone else. This feels nice.”
Jenny massaged Kate’s scalp, being careful to avoid the shaved area where the stitches were.
Kate groaned at the release of pressure in her head. She hadn’t realized how uptight she’d been since waking from the coma. Worrying about Jake had done it. She was now happy that he was in the same hospital where she could go visit him, knowing he was away from those monsters. Everything was going to be okay.
Jenny rinsed the shampoo and repeated the process before putting conditioner through, drying it with a towel and setting Kate in front of the mirror so she could brush it.
Kate noticed her mother watching her in the mirror with a small smile on her lips. “What?”
“Nothing. I was just looking. You’re still beautiful, you know.”
Kate balked. “Yeah, right. Look at me, Mom. I’m so beautiful. Swollen and stitched head, puffy eyes, burned, dry skin.”
“Oh honey. You can’t see it, can you? Even with all those things going on, you’re still gorgeous. I’m not just saying that because I’m your mother, either.”
“Yeah well, it will remain to be seen whether Jake still thinks so when he wakes up.”
Jenny momentarily stopped brushing and looked Kate in the eye. “About that. What’s going on with you two?”
Kate looked away from her mother’s inquiring stare and focused on her hands on her lap. “It’s complicated, Mom.” She wasn’t ready to reveal her feelings for Jake to her mother yet. She wanted to savor them alone.
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