Beautiful!!
~ Chapter Twenty-Four ~
Jedidiah
heard dis-jointed voices speaking in low tones. Where was he? Where was Janna?
He groaned and sat up, nausea poring over him in waves.
“Slowly
Jedidiah.”
That
voice was so familiar. “Wilson?”
“In
the flesh.”
“But
how?” Jedidiah tried to swing his legs over the bed but was stopped by cold
metal. His eyes popped open. A hospital bed? “What is going on here? And how
did you get back to the states?”
“They
gave me an emergency leave. I’ve been here for a week.”
Jedidiah
swung disbelieving eyes toward Janna’s brother. “What are you talking about?
Where is Janna?”
“Janna
is in a room down the hall.”
Jedidiah’s
heart sped up. “Is she…?”
Wilson
held up his hands. “She’s going to be fine. David Watkins stabbed her thirty
times, but thank God, he didn’t hit anything vital.”
Horror
washed through Jedidiah. “Thirty times?” His words trailed off.
“Yes.”
Wilson brought a hand up and rubbed at his five o’clock shadow. “She lost a lot
of blood and it was touch and go for a few hours but God was with her.”
A
thought crossed Jedidiah’s mind. “Where is Jessie?”
Wilson
gestured to the other side of Jedidiah’s bed.
His
gaze followed Wilson’s hand. A smile spread across Jedidiah’s face for the
first time since waking. “Hey buddy.”
“Are
you okay Jediah?”
Tenderness
welled up inside him, which he tried to squash, but was unsuccessful. The
little tike had wormed his way right into his heart. Just like his new mommy.
The way he mis-pronounced his name was so endearing…
“I’m
gonna be fine. How is Wilson here treating you?”
Bright
gray eyes turned and smiled up at Wilson. “Uncle Wilson is fun!”
Jedidiah
laughed. “That’s good to hear. Are you taking care of Hairy and the cats?”
“Cats,
as in plural?”
“Yeah.
Janna has a cat, and the kitten I brought her from the storm.”
“I
didn’t see a kitten.”
Sorrow
filled him. He wondered what happened to the cute little fur ball. “Can I see
Janna now?”
Wilson
grinned. “It’s about time you asked. She’s been waiting for you to wake up all
week.”
Confusion
roiled around in his head. “Why was I asleep again?”
“David
Watkins knocked you out with a pipe. The doctors said you would wake up
eventually.”
“Was
I in a coma then?”
He
shook his head. “No, not really. You were responding to stimuli, they just
couldn’t wake you up. There was some swelling in the brain. They figured you’d wake
up when it went down.”
“I
failed Janna.”
Wilson
shook his head. “No you didn’t. You saved her Jedidiah, just like I knew you
would. If you hadn’t come to her rescue, he would’ve stabbed her to death.
Slowly. His plan was maniacal and demented. The police found a diary in his
motel room. What he wanted to do to her…” He broke off.
Jedidiah
met his gaze. Tears shimmered in Wilson’s green eyes. “He was going to torture
her, kill her, and chop her up. Then he was going to spread her body parts all
over the city.”
Jedidiah’s
stomach rolled and nausea took over. He held up a hand. “Hold on, Wilson. Don’t
talk.”
Wilson
nodded. “I know. Believe me, I understand how you feel. She’s my sister and the
only family I have left. That’s why I needed you to guard her.” He grinned. “I
didn’t realize you were going to fall in love with her, though.”
“I
didn’t either. They just happened.”
He nodded his head toward Jessie, who’d come over and took Jedidiah’s huge hand
in his little sticky one.
Wilson
shrugged. “Hey, it’s all good. Not only will I be gaining a brother, I’m
gaining a nephew. I didn’t think she was ever going to have kids, and here I’ve
got one who’s already walking and talking.” He winked at Jessie and he giggled.
“Should we go see Janna now?”
Jessie
shook his head. “Yes. She’s prolaby lonely.”
Jedidiah
chuckled. He loved that little boy.
Wilson
helped him into a wheelchair and was in the process of rolling him out the door
when a doctor and two nurses blocked their path.
“Hey,
where are you taking him? We have to check him over and do vitals. He was
unconscious for a week,” the doctor said as he held up a staying hand.
“Look,
sir. You’ve waited a week. Can’t you wait a little longer? My sister needs to
see him. It’ll speed-up her recovery.” Wilson affected a wheedling tone and
Jedidiah admired him. He was quick in his thinking.
The
doctor tilted his head to the side, considering. Finally, he said, “You have
ten minutes, not a second longer.”
Wilson
didn’t need any more affirmation. He wheeled around the doctor and nurses and
took off down the hallway, Jessie holding onto his right pants’ pocket.
####
Wilson
pushed Jedidiah through his sister’s hospital room door and immediately, her
face lit up. She wasn’t moving very quick yet, but her pleasure was obvious.
“Jedidiah!”
Tears popped up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks in silence. “I was so
worried about you.”
Wilson
pushed Jedidiah over to the side of her bed and helped him get up from the
chair. His hands came up and gently framed Janna’s face. “I love you so much.
Don’t ever scare me like that again. Promise me,” he whispered.
She
smiled. “I can’t promise, but I can promise to try. I was beginning to think
you were regretting your decision to marry us and decided to stay unconscious
forever,” she returned.
“Not
a chance.” He bent his head, brushing his lips across hers. His hands came up
and buried in her silky hair. He said,
“I was so scared.” And then he kissed her, making sure not to touch any of the
many bandaged areas dotting out all over her body.
####
From
across the room, Jessie looked up at Wilson and asked, “Are they married now
Uncle Wilson?”
He smiled down at the little boy. “Not yet,
Buddy. But I have a feeling they will be.” He picked the child up and settled
him in his arms and they looked on at the tender scene unfolding before them;
as two people affirmed their undying love for each other. The End
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