Un-betaed

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The JOVAN Saga – A Collection of One-Shots

Chapter 7      Lost and Found

Part 2            Searching

Arriving at the long term care facility I identify myself as a law enforcement officer following up on this case.  They allow me access to her room. Nothing could have prepared me for seeing her again in her current state.  She still looks good but she has lost weight, which she could not afford to lose, and the color has left her cheeks.  Tubes run everywhere and I hear the swoosh of the machine pumping air into her lungs and the heart monitor beeping a rhythm.  Oh my poor sweet Evangeline, why did I delay in coming to see you.  You would never have done me like this.  I am sorry, I really am.  I sit in the chair next to her bed and take her hand.  It is still warm.  What did you expect idiot, she is not dead.  All right just don’t talk to me right now let me talk to her. Go for it, you have the floor but make it good and don’t waste her time.

“Evangeline, it’s me John.  I know that you’re surprised that I’m here but I am here. I’m so sorry that this happened to you and I apologize that it took me so long to come and visit. I know you’re probably asking yourself why I am here.  I’m here because I want to tell you some things.  I’m sure you’ll never remember all the things I’ll never forget.  First I want to tell you that you are beautiful.  After all of these years I have never met any woman more beautiful than you are.  I remember the first time that we met in Angel Square Park when you were working for Kevin Buchanan and the time that you represented me when I was charged with the murder.  You were a force to be reckoned with and I was intrigued.  The time in Mary Barnes’ basement is etched in my memory never to be forgotten and our first football game.  The many times that we made love, at this point you will tell me that we started out having sex and then you starting making love but I got stuck at having sex but you would be wrong.  After my birthday, I started making love to you too because it was at my birthday party that I realized that I was falling in love with you.  Oh and you’re probably saying, great John a lot of good that does me now, years later.  But I did Evangeline and I do.  I prefer so much to tell you when you can respond and I don’t care if you feel the need to slap me but I will say it anyway. I LOVE YOU.  Go ahead and tell me that it is too little and too late but it’s never too late to tell the truth and that is the truth.  I hear you saying, okay John you love me so what am I to do with that in my current position, and that is not to say that I believe you in the least anyway?  In answer to your question, what you do to hearing me say that I love you is to wake up and tell me that you love me too.  No answer okay well I will continue to carry on both sides of this conversation as if you are conscious even though you are still in a coma, until you get tired of hearing me and tell me to shut up.  Of course someone walking in will think that I’m talking to myself but we both know differently don’t we Evangeline?: J = John, E = Evangeline

E – I can’t talk John so how do I tell you that I love you and I’m not saying that I do just so you know

J – Well give some indication that you are recovering and the doctors and nurses will rush in here and take all of these tubes off of you and then you can breathe on your own and start rehabilitation and in a few months you can leave this place and we can have a life together.

E – Are you drunk John?  I have been in this coma for three years so I don’t think that I will just miraculously wake up.

J – Why not?  I’m sure it’s happened before, anyway it happens in the movies and on soap operas all of the time.

E – Ha, ha John but since we are neither in a movie nor soap opera I don’t see that happening.  So any other suggestions.

J – Yes you will wake up now because you believe in miracles. You do think that it is a miracle that I finally came to my senses that I love you and have now professed it to you.

E – Sure John you can say it when I’m unconscious but as soon as or if I ever wake up you will deny that you ever said it.

J- No I won’t but you won’t know that until you wake up.  Ah, you know you want to do it now just to see if I will deny that I said that I love you.  Plus you have to wake up soon because if your mother finds me here she will have me arrested for we both know I am not on the permitted visitor’s list.

E – You are right about that but I don’t know if I can wake up John. Just because you love me isn’t incentive enough for me to wake up.  I thought that you loved me once before but instead you professed your love to Natalie.  Isn’t she waiting for you in Llanview?

J- Natalie and I are not together.

E – Oh so that’s what this is about.  You’re on the outs with Natalie so you come to see comatose Evangeline and pretend that you care for me.  Get out John I hate you.

J- No I am not here because I’m on the outs with Natalie or anyone.  I moved on from Natalie and am not seriously involved with anyone.

E – What do you mean seriously are you not seriously involved with someone?

J – Okay we’re getting off track here, I’m talking to you about me. Let me tell you what I want to happen, so don’t talk just listen.

E – I can’t talk John remember I‘m in a coma you’re talking for me and for you in your made up conversation

J- All right Ms. Sassy just listen.  I love you.  I want you to recover and come back to Llanview and we can get to know each other again, and talk about marriage.  I know that you don’t believe in marriage but what’s the use of dating if you don’t want to marry.  Dating and having sex seems like an endless merry go round and I don’t want that with you.  So reconsider marriage okay.  Once we get reacquainted and this time no sex because we know how to do that and don’t have to test whether we are compatible in that but this time we do things together that we both enjoy.  I’m even open to going to the opera and the ballet how’s that for a start.

E- Sounds like a good start John.  Speaking of sounds what’s that loud beeping. 

I stop my conversation with Evangeline and hear the monitors beeping like crazy.  The nurse rushes in the asks me to move away from the bed and checks the monitors, the doctor follows and orders me out of the room.  What is happening?  Did I cause something bad to happen?  Oh no what have I done.  All I wanted to do was talk to her.  I wait out in the hall praying that Evangeline is okay.  The minutes creep by slowly and just as the doctor and nurse exit Evangeline’s room down the hall walks the last person that I want to see, Mrs. Williamson.  She takes one look at me and is just about to raise a ruckus when the doctor calls to her.

“Mrs. Williamson we were just going to call you.  There’s been a change with your daughter.  She …”

Before the doctor can finish Mrs Williamson starts to interrogate them about my presence here at the facility.  The doctor replies that this officer came to visit her daughter.  She’s about to object when the doctor interrupts her,

“Mrs. Williamson I don’t know what issue you have with this officer but I would think that you will want to know about the change in your daughter’s condition.”

At that Mrs. Williamson looks at the doctor bewildered,

“What do you mean a change?  What has happened to my daughter?”

“Mrs. Williamson your daughter is now breathing on her own and we have removed the breathing machine and her vitals are improving and it appears that she may be coming out of the coma.”

“Oh my goodness doctor that is great news.  What caused the change?  We thought that the coma was irreversible.  What changed?”

“Mrs. Williamson as much as we doctors like to think that we know everything about the human body there are just some things that are unexplainable. I am a doctor who believes in miracles and today Mrs. Williamson we have a miracle.  We will monitor her closely for the next twenty four hours but I believe that it is safe to say that she is on the mend.”

“Thank you doctor, thank you so much.”

“Mrs. Williamson just one more thing, before you tear into this young man here just know that during the time that he was in the room with your daughter is when we noticed the change in her vital signs.  Your daughter has monitors attached all over her body so that the nurses can monitor the patients from the central desk.  Our printouts show that shortly after this officer arrived your daughter’s vitals fluctuated more than they ever have and right before he exited the room the monitors beeped which indicated a high level change in her vitals.  I don’t know what happened in the room because contrary to popular belief we do not spy on our patients even though we do have cameras present for security sake.  Your daughter’s condition has improved and I believe you have this officer to thank for that.

“I will take that under advisement doctor.  May I see my daughter now?”

“Yes you may Mrs.  Williamson.  I will check on her again before the end of my shift.”

Mrs. Williamson moves to enter Evangeline’s room and then turns to look at me and before leaving she says to me,

“John I am surprised to see you here.  Evangeline has been here for three years and this is the first time that you have visited.  I know that we have never seen eye to eye as it concerns Evangeline but if you are responsible for her improving then I will put all of that aside and say thank you.  Cookie is more important to me than any anger I may feel about the hurt that you caused my daughter.”

“Mrs. Williamson I am sorry for the hurt that I caused Evangeline and I believe that before this happened to her that we at least were on speaking terms. I am sorry that it took me so long to visit but I hope that you will allow me to spend some time with her now that she has a good chance of recovering.”

“That will be up to Evangeline John but until she can decide on that I have no objection to you spending time with her.  Are you staying in town here?”

“I don’t know.  I came here directly from the airport I didn’t think about anything but getting here to see Evangeline.”

“This may surprise you to hear even more than it surprises me to say it but you can stay at my house John.  You’ve made this long trip to visit Evangeline the least I can do is allow you to stay with me.  Layla and Christian are on their way so that we will have a house full if you don’t mind.”

“Thank you for the offer Mrs. Williamson that is very kind of you. Do you mind if I wait for you here and maybe I can see Evangeline again before we leave?”

“Sure John I just want to sit with her alone for a while.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen here when all the tubes haven’t been running out of her from everywhere.”