Leave a Trace: Book Two

Chapter Twenty Four: Surgery

Chapter Twenty Four: Surgery

The next morning we stand in Zane's hospital room. The doctors have him all ready for surgery and they're on their way up to take him.

I want to tell him I love him no matter what. I want to tell him if he wakes up without remembering anything I'll take care of him.

But I can't, because we have an audience.

After his parents and Alice say good bye and wish him luck, he looks at me.

"I'd like a moment alone with Rose please." He says.

He's very calm right now but I'm terrified.

Everyone hugs him goodbye and steps out into the hall.

"Come here." He whispers.

I take a deep breath and walk over to him. He opens his arms and pulls me down into a hug.

I let him hold me there for as long as he wants, and after a few minutes he pulls away.

"Listen," I begin. "I want you to know that if you wake up and you have no recollection of anything, not even your name, I'm still going to be here. I'll always be here. I'll always fight for you. Always." A tear rolls down my cheek and I wipe it on my sleeve. "And I want you to know if you wake up and you remember everything but you're blind...or deaf or mute...I'm still going to be here."

His eyes search mine for a long time.

"I love you." I whisper to him for the first time since I found out he doesn't know me. "And I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but I do. I really, really do, and everything is going to be fine. You're going to wake up with your memory back and you're going to heal and we'll go on to have all eight children. I promise."

"You can't promise me that." He smiles softly.

"I-I-" I stammer.

He takes my hand and holds it to his beating heart.

"If I don't come out of this alive...I need you to promise me you're going to move on. You're going to take your time to grieve and then move on. Please, please promise me you'll find happiness. I think me...that doesn't know me, and the me that does...I think we'd both want you happy.  So promise me you'll move on."

"I can't promise that." I murmur. "But I promise I'll try as hard as I can. I promise I will."

He nods.

"I can accept that." He whispers. "Listen...before they take me I need you to know that even though I don't know you, I'm well aware how lucky I am."

I smile at him and he reaches up to brush a tear off of my cheek.

"Everything is going to be fine, and if it's not, then you will be fine. Eventually." He swallows. "But make sure our kids don't grow up to be little assholes for me."

"Okay." I whisper.

He gently reaches up and pulls my lips down to his, kissing me for the second time in three months. It's a short kiss but it gets the seriousness across.

"Wish me luck?" He asks.

He doesn't know this, but he asked me that exact thing when we was going to win the Super Bowl.

So I say what I told him back them.

"I would..." I pause. "But you don't need it."

He smiles then and leans up to kiss my cheek.

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

_____

Twenty four long grueling hours passed and a nurse or doctor would come in to tell us that he's still in surgery, but it was never his actual doctor.