I Remember (Remembrance Series) (45 page)

The Respiratory Therapist, Melissa, came by early in the afternoon. She explained that Dr. Kurtz had ordered medicated breathing treatments, twice a day, to keep my lungs clear. After receiving the first treatment, she listened to my lungs. “They sound good. Now, it’s time to get you moving a bit.”

Memories of the pain it caused just moving a little bit caused me to panic.

“No need to worry, Jordan. The nurse and I will help you.”

“I accept that the first movement will be the most painful. But, I can’t grasp how I am going to get out of this bed without being able to lift up with my arms and being unable to be lifted with my upper torso?” I questioned.

Nurse Lynn patted me lightly on the shoulder, “We have all kinds of tricks of the trade, honey.” She held up what looked like a huge belt with a handle on it. “Let’s get you in a sitting position first and see about your balance and how your legs feel.”

They carefully helped me into a sitting position on the side of the bed. The room began to spin and I started to fall backwards. Gregory was quick to catch me, lightly on the back with his hands. Both he and my mother reassured me. “You’re doing great!”

The spinning soon stopped and the nurse fastened the belt around my hips, so they could help lift me without pressure being applied to my arms or ribs. The therapist showed me how to hold a pillow tight to my chest to prevent movement in my ribs, as I stood. Between the three of us, I managed to stand upright.

Once I was standing, my right hand grabbed the IV pole to try and steady myself, as my legs were weak from a lack of use. It was painful. I wanted to scream; but I tried to put on a brave face, so I wouldn’t worry Mom or Gregory.

The trip around the room was excruciating, but I survived. After I was back in bed, the nurse said, “I will go get some pain medication for you.”

“No, I don’t think I need any right now.”

“Sweetheart, you are as white as a ghost. You are obviously hurting; we can all see that. Your body needs time to heal itself and it can’t if it’s stressed out from pain.” Gregory stated, reassuringly.

“I know, I am just tired of sleeping and I don’t want to miss out on any more time with Mom and you.”

“We’re not going anywhere.”

The nurse came back in with a syringe filled with pain meds and delivered it into the IV. Mom offered Gregory her seat so he could hold my hand while I fought sleep.

Before long I felt my eyelids close and I was powerless to open them. I could feel his hand giving mine a gentle squeeze, along with a kiss, and from far away, I heard, “I love you, Jordan.”

The last thing I remember was trying to reply, “I love you, too.”

I awoke with a sudden startle, yelling out the words, “No!” Then I moved too quickly and screamed.

“It’s all right, Jordan. I’m right here. Are you in pain?” My mother’s voice comforted me, as she patted my hand.

“I just moved too fast and had a bad dream, I think.” My eyes slowly opened and tried to refocus. It was then that I panicked. “Where’s Gregory?”

“Gregory held your hand for the last three hours. I could hear his stomach rumbling and suggested he go grab a shower, get some fresh clothes and some food.”

“When did he leave?”

“He left about an hour and a half ago, but only through a lot of persuasion by the nurse and me. I don’t know if you noticed, but he hasn’t stopped smiling or taken his eyes off you since you woke up.” My mother held back, what looked like a tear, and continued. “Gregory reminds me a lot of your father. I’ve never seen someone so much in love, not since your Dad and I dated and were married. He is definitely a keeper.”

I smiled. “That’s why I love him so much. Though you know, you will always be a part of my heart too, Mom.”

“I know, Dear, as you will always be part of mine.”

“What time is it?” I asked.

“It’s around 6:00 PM.”

“Aren’t you hungry? Why don’t you get something to eat?” I asked.

“I had a larger lunch than Gregory. He has hardly eaten anything since you’ve been in here. I will wait for him to get back and then go grab something.”

“Have either of you gotten any sleep?” I asked, watching my mother yawn.

“To be honest, not much. Neither of us would leave you when you were in ICU, especially during the first 24 hours, because you were in critical condition. We mainly slept in the waiting area, in between allowed visits. When you were moved to this room, the nurses brought in a recliner and a cot, so we could grab a little rest here and there, each of us taking turns sleeping, while the other was awake.”

“Mom, you need more sleep than that. Since I am awake now, why don’t you go home and get some restful sleep tonight? I’m sure I will be fine.”

“Gregory and I discussed that while you were sleeping. Neither of us want to leave you alone, at least not while you are still so weak. I know I can trust him, so he will stay here tonight. Then, tomorrow, he will catch up on his sleep while I am here.”

I heard the creak of metal wheels being pushed down the hall and the wonderful aromas of food. My stomach began to rumble, just as a lady pulled a tray from the cart and delivered it to the stand in my room.

The fragrance was intoxicating. The lady smiled. “I’m sorry it is just liquids; but if you can drink all of this, then maybe they will move you up to some regular food, tomorrow.”

“Thank you. This smells fabulous, definitely better than water and ice.” I was so excited to have something new and different.

“Where do you want to start first, Jordan? You have apple juice, chicken broth and hot tea.” Mom stated.

“I think I would like to start with the chicken broth.” My mouth was already salivating at the idea.

It did not take me long to realize I had a problem with eating. I couldn’t hold anything in one hand, to allow me to eat with the other, nor could I sit up enough in bed to easily reach the tray. I had to concede defeat and ask Mom for her assistance in holding the items, while I drank them with a straw.

“There’s my girl!” Gregory said, smiling, as he entered the room carrying a couple of plastic bags with him. “I hate not being here for you when you woke up, Babe.”

He put the bags down in the chair and leaned over for a quick kiss on the lips. “Your coloring is better. How are you feeling?”

“Surprisingly, a little stronger; definitely well rested.”

“I brought us back some food from the Italian Faire Restaurant, Marilyn.”

I noticed my mother and Gregory seemed more relaxed around one another. I cherished this new found level of comfort and hoped that I would eventually feel this same warmth with his entire family, not just his mom, dad, and grandfather.

“Thanks, Gregory, but you didn’t have to do that. How much do I owe you?” My mother responded.

“Don’t worry about it. You picked up lunch, so I got dinner. I remembered you telling me how delightful their Chicken Parmesan is. I was curious and decided to call them for take out.” Gregory smiled his quirky crooked grin at me and gave me a wink. “I cleared it with the nurses and got you a little something too, Jordan.”

Knowing he couldn’t bring me anything from the restaurant, I curiously asked, “What’s that?”

“Your mother told me how you enjoy a specific flavor Popsicle, so I asked if it would be all right to bring one for you to eat. The nurses said if I could find them, they would stick them in the freezer for you to enjoy.” His hand gently caressed my injured arm.

“Banana Popsicles?!” I asked, excitedly.

He placed one in my hand to enjoy. It felt so wonderful on my lips, nice and cold with a hint of banana flavoring. “Thank you, Gregory! You didn’t have to do this, but I am so glad you did.” I said, in between bites.

Mom and Gregory ate their meals as I attempted to finish up my Popsicle. When they were done, Mom sat with us a little longer, until I caught her yawning several times and finally persuaded her to go home and get a good night’s sleep.

She gave me a kiss on the forehead and a gently touched my good arm. “I would hug you, but I am afraid it might do you more harm than good. Consider yourself bear hugged.” A tear started forming in her eye. “Don’t you scare me like that again, ok?”

“It wasn’t my intention. Consider yourself bear hugged, as well.”

“Promise me you will get some sleep and let Gregory have some, too. Plus, no trying to be brave and putting off taking your pain medication. If you need it and you are in pain, ask for it.”

“I will, Mom. I love you!”

“Love you too, Jordan, I will see you both in the morning,” She said, as she walked out the room.

Gregory took my mother’s spot, where he could hold my hand, and began smiling like crazy as he stared into my eyes. “Finally, we are alone at last.”

“What are you up to?” I questioned.

“First, I have been waiting to get you by yourself to try something.” He walked over to my left side, leaned over my bad arm, and began to kiss the bruised area.

“What are you doing?”

“Remember the night at my parent’s house, when the darkness attacked you?” I nodded. “I kissed your wound and it began to heal itself.”

We both watched as the swelling began to recede in the place where he kissed my skin. He continued planting kisses all around the splint, and we continued to watch in amazement as my forearm began to shrink back to its normal size.

He lifted the corner of my gown, exposing my bandaged ribs and placed kisses along the outside of the coverings. The swelling and the pain lessened, but it still hurt to breathe.

“How did you do that?”

He smiled and shook his head. “I don’t understand it. I only know that it worked that one night and hoped it might work again, tonight. I guess there are some limitations to it, but, hopefully this helped a little.”

Gregory walked back over to the other side of the bed and placed my good hand between both of his and lifted it to his face for a kiss. “You remember how I mentioned we would talk about the ring later? Well, I have been waiting almost a week to tell you this…”

He took a deep breath in before continuing. “Jordan, before you came into my life, I felt empty and alone, stuck in my own little world. Then my dreams awakened me to the potential of how to find my one true love. You! No one has ever held my heart the way you hold it now; it belongs to you and you alone.

“I know you are scared about what we encountered in Virginia. I admit, I am, too. But I noticed that when we’re apart, there is a higher incidence of bad events and the more time we spend together, the more those occurrences decrease in severity and frequency.

“I can’t make promises about our future, as we don’t know what the future holds for us; but, what I would like to do is not live another day without you. The timing isn’t perfect; however, I need to know if you will still do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?” Gregory got out of his chair and slid down on one knee, pulling a ring from his pocket.

“Yes,” I answered, as tears slowly trickled down my face.

“You can wear the ring on your right hand for now, but as soon as the swelling is gone, I intend to place it on your ring finger, where I hope it will remain for an eternity.”

My heart was overjoyed with feelings of pure bliss. The ring felt different on my finger, so I glanced down. “Why did you give me a different ring?”

“This ring belonged to my grandmother. When my grandfather and she were starting out, all he could afford was a wedding band, though he promised if he ever succeeded in business, he would buy her a ring worthy of her love and affection.

“My grandfather surprised her with this engagement ring on their 30
^th
wedding anniversary. While she was enamored by the beauty of the ring and his thoughtfulness, she was just happy to be married to him. It brought them plenty of luck and 45 years of happy marriage.

“After hearing of your accident, my grandfather offered it to me, as a good luck charm, hoping it will bring us the same kind of long and happy marriage that it did for him. If you don’t like it, I still have the other one available.”

“I don’t need a ring, just a life spent with you. I love it, especially since it has sentimental value. I’m just not used to wearing such an elaborate ring.” It was truly breathtaking. His Grandmother’s ring looked to be a 2 carat Asscher-cut diamond, surrounded with diamond chips and two smaller diamonds, one on each side, in a platinum setting.

Before I knew it, Gregory’s lips were on mine, fervent in their movement. He only pulled away when I started gasping for more air. “Sorry, Honey, didn’t mean to take your breath away.”

“While you do take my breath away, it’s my fault. I still can’t breathe very deeply.”

“I am just wondering how you knew I would say, ‘Yes’. Because the last time we talked, I wanted to separate and cancel the engagement.”

“Your mother called me the afternoon of the accident to see if we had spoken, yet. She suggested I drive up to talk with you that night and told me how you wanted to call the night before. I wish you would have, this accident might have been preventable.” Gregory explained.