talked to her again, either. It didn’t matter. She would not forgive or forget. And Ryan had never asked her to. He probably knew that what he did was unpardonable.
Suddenly Lexy’s emotions started to choke her. She couldn’t breathe. It was too much. Memories and Mary and Ryan. Tears ran out of her quickly, as if her past was trying to cry itself out of her body.
“I can’t,” she managed, and took off before she suffocated.
* * *
Ryan awoke to see his wife rushing away from him. Instincts kicked in immediately and he shot out of bed to go after her.
He had forgotten that his body was useless.
He remembered when pain shot through his arm, and his leg gave out as soon as it hit the cold hospital floor.
“Ryan!” some blonde woman screamed. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Need her,” he managed to get out.
“Help!” the blonde woman screamed. “Help me!”
“Need her.” He struggled to get up. If he couldn’t he would crawl.
“Relax, honey. Relax. She needed some air.” The woman gazed at him with warm blue eyes. “Mama can take care of you.”
Something in her voice told him that she might not be coming back.
Suddenly a team of doctors and nurses rushed in the room. His dark angel had gone. His world went black.
His mother was the only person there when he woke up. Not the woman he had grown to depend on. She stood looking out the window, at the world outside the hospital. Seeming to sense his gaze, she turned around to look at him.
“My boy is awake,” she said in her sweet accent.
“Where?” He struggled to speak, his throat still on fire as he looked around the room.
“She might not come back, Ryan. I wouldn’t blame her if she never came back. You were a bad husband—a very bad husband. But God gave you a second chance and you better take it.”
A second chance? He didn’t remember the first. How could he have been bad to his wife? What exactly did he do?
“You’ve got to be sweet to her and not pretend sweet, either. You need to love her. God knows Lexy has spent most of her life under loved. That is your job, son. You need to love her, take care of her and support her, because if you don’t she’ll leave you. She’ll leave you and you won’t know which way is up. She’s a good woman and your only job for the rest of your life is to be a good man. A good husband. Do you understand me?”
He nodded. It was all he could do. What had he done to deserve this lecture?
“Good. Just because you’re thirty-two years old doesn’t mean I can’t spank you.” She gave him a gentle smile and patted his arm. “The doctor said you don’t have to wear the IV, especially if you’re going to insist on darting out of bed. He also said that if you think you can get out of bed then that’s a good sign. You’ve got your fight back. Just make sure you don’t fight with your wife.”
He frowned at her. He wasn’t a fighter by nature. Most of the time he just walked away. That’s what got him in trouble with... His head ached. He suddenly couldn’t remember who he avoided arguments with. He shut his eyes. His world spinning. Thinking had even become too much.
His mother stayed with him for hours. His wife still hadn’t returned, prompting him to think that everything his mother said was true. He tried to make the best out of a bad situation and listen to the woman who claimed to be his mama. He heard tales of his childhood of his family and the people of his small town. His listened carefully, trying to conjure up images from his life, trying to remember the things his mother spoke so fondly of, but nothing came to him.
He knew he was a person who had lived on earth for thirty-two years, who had seen and smelled and touched life, but right now he didn’t even know what state he was in. All the thinking was causing his head to spin and soon he slipped into a deep foggy sleep.
When he woke again a beautiful orange light was washing over his room. His mother was gone
Suddenly Lexy’s emotions started to choke her. She couldn’t breathe. It was too much. Memories and Mary and Ryan. Tears ran out of her quickly, as if her past was trying to cry itself out of her body.
“I can’t,” she managed, and took off before she suffocated.
* * *
Ryan awoke to see his wife rushing away from him. Instincts kicked in immediately and he shot out of bed to go after her.
He had forgotten that his body was useless.
He remembered when pain shot through his arm, and his leg gave out as soon as it hit the cold hospital floor.
“Ryan!” some blonde woman screamed. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Need her,” he managed to get out.
“Help!” the blonde woman screamed. “Help me!”
“Need her.” He struggled to get up. If he couldn’t he would crawl.
“Relax, honey. Relax. She needed some air.” The woman gazed at him with warm blue eyes. “Mama can take care of you.”
Something in her voice told him that she might not be coming back.
Suddenly a team of doctors and nurses rushed in the room. His dark angel had gone. His world went black.
His mother was the only person there when he woke up. Not the woman he had grown to depend on. She stood looking out the window, at the world outside the hospital. Seeming to sense his gaze, she turned around to look at him.
“My boy is awake,” she said in her sweet accent.
“Where?” He struggled to speak, his throat still on fire as he looked around the room.
“She might not come back, Ryan. I wouldn’t blame her if she never came back. You were a bad husband—a very bad husband. But God gave you a second chance and you better take it.”
A second chance? He didn’t remember the first. How could he have been bad to his wife? What exactly did he do?
“You’ve got to be sweet to her and not pretend sweet, either. You need to love her. God knows Lexy has spent most of her life under loved. That is your job, son. You need to love her, take care of her and support her, because if you don’t she’ll leave you. She’ll leave you and you won’t know which way is up. She’s a good woman and your only job for the rest of your life is to be a good man. A good husband. Do you understand me?”
He nodded. It was all he could do. What had he done to deserve this lecture?
“Good. Just because you’re thirty-two years old doesn’t mean I can’t spank you.” She gave him a gentle smile and patted his arm. “The doctor said you don’t have to wear the IV, especially if you’re going to insist on darting out of bed. He also said that if you think you can get out of bed then that’s a good sign. You’ve got your fight back. Just make sure you don’t fight with your wife.”
He frowned at her. He wasn’t a fighter by nature. Most of the time he just walked away. That’s what got him in trouble with... His head ached. He suddenly couldn’t remember who he avoided arguments with. He shut his eyes. His world spinning. Thinking had even become too much.
His mother stayed with him for hours. His wife still hadn’t returned, prompting him to think that everything his mother said was true. He tried to make the best out of a bad situation and listen to the woman who claimed to be his mama. He heard tales of his childhood of his family and the people of his small town. His listened carefully, trying to conjure up images from his life, trying to remember the things his mother spoke so fondly of, but nothing came to him.
He knew he was a person who had lived on earth for thirty-two years, who had seen and smelled and touched life, but right now he didn’t even know what state he was in. All the thinking was causing his head to spin and soon he slipped into a deep foggy sleep.
When he woke again a beautiful orange light was washing over his room. His mother was gone
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