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Better Late Than Never
Chapter 3
Melanie-Anne
Jarod looked from Parker to Sydney and a look of panic flashed across his face. He struggled, trying to sit but Parker gently restrained him.
"Hey, relax."
"P-please. Don't m-make me go b-b-back," he begged.
"It's okay, I won't," she promised, speaking gently.
"Please. C-can't!"
"Shh . . . Syd! Help me!"
"Jarod, we're not here to take you back to the Centre. Don't worry."
The combination of Sydney's soothing tone and Parker's gentle touch seemed to calm Jarod. He stared at Parker, looking confused.
"W-why are you here then?" His throat hurt. What happened?
"What?"
"Where am I?"
"You're in hospital, Jarod." You remember me! "You were stabbed and you lost a lot of blood. You were in a coma for two weeks and they were beginning to think you weren't going to make it. Some stupid doctor even asked me if I would consider donating your organs." She smiled faintly, still stroking his hair.
"Why you?" he asked.
"What?"
"Didn't you stab me?" he demanded, not really thinking she had, but curious nonetheless.
Parker gaped at him, wanting to say something, anything, but her mouth stubbornly refused to function.
"How dare you?" she finally demanded. "If I'd wanted you dead, don't you think I'd have done a proper job?"
"Parker," Sydney cautioned.
"To think I've been worried sick over where you've been! I should have just left you!"
"Miss Parker-"
She stopped speaking and took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm. "I need a cigarette," she muttered, stalking out.
Sydney sat down and began explaining what had happened.
*
Parker sat outside. It was drizzling again but it was the only place to smoke and she had been desperate.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! You can't even speak to him for five minutes without fighting.
She took a deep drag and closed her eyes as she exhaled.
I'm trying hard to be nice, honestly, but it's so hard. How could he think I would stab him? I know I threaten to shoot him all the time but it's not like I mean it.
The rain was falling harder and Parker stubbed out the remainder of her cigarette before heading back inside. Not willing to face Jarod just yet, she bought coffee for herself and Sydney.
At least he recognized you this time, she thought with a tiny smile.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join?" she asked, stepping into the room and stopping short at the sight of a strange man. "Oh. Hello."
"Hi, you must be Mrs. Gates. I'm Dr. Hein Sharman," the man said.
"I, yes, uh . . . you're the neurosurgeon?"
"Yes. We won't be able to assess the extent of the damage or if there's any damage at all until Jarod's feeling a little better."
"He recognized me straight away when he woke the second time. That's good, right?"
"They've been bantering as usual," Sydney added with a smile.
"Well, that is good," Dr. Sharman said. "I still want to run the tests, though."
"Umm, okay. That's okay with you, right, Jarod?"
"Sure, sweetie," he grinned.
Parker bit back a retort. She simply smiled and handed Sydney his coffee, drinking hers quickly.
"You'll get heartburn," Jarod cautioned.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with your brain, is there, Wonderboy?" She said sarcastically.
"Wonderboy?"
"You do know we're not really married?"
He sighed. "I thought it was too good to be true. Although-"
She glared at him.
"Syd explained everything. I'm curious as to why you said you were my wife and not a sister."
She ignored the last comment and asked, "And you believe I didn't stab you?"
He nodded.
"'Cause I'd never hurt you, you know that, right?"
There was an awkward moment of silence where Parker was wondering just when her mouth had developed a life of its own and Jarod tried to fit things into place inside his head. Sydney decided it was time to leave the lovebirds alone.
"I'm going to go home and get some rest," Sydney said. "What shall I tell Raines?"
"Oh, umm, make something up. It doesn't matter."
"Right. 'Bye, Jarod. I hope you're feeling better. If she gets to be too much just call a nurse."
"Syd!" Parker was incensed.
"'Bye, Syd!" Jarod called after his friend.
Parker and Jarod stared at each other and Parker was reminded of the staring contests they used to have when they were children. She inevitably won all of them and this time was no exception.
"Why are you here, Parker?"
"I- uh, Broots found you."
"How did he know where to look?" Jarod prodded. This was like drawing blood from a stone.
"I was worried about you," she confessed. "You just vanished and . . . I was worried, that's all."
"Why? Scared you'd lost your chance to bring me in?"
She shook her head.
"No, I thought you were mad at me for what I'd said. You know, the whole 'you run, I chase' thing. Do you remember that?"
"Yeah. I, uh, have something for you. In my jacket pocket-"
"Jarod, how conscious were you when you were unconscious?" Parker interrupted.
He laughed.
"What?"
"Well, I said some things and I was, umm . . . wondering how much you heard." She stood up and walked to the window.
"Things like what?"
"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?"
He didn't reply so she turned to see he'd managed to maneuver himself into a sitting position.
"Well?" he asked.
"I read your letter," she began and saw a smile creep onto his face. "Uh, I guess . . . damn, this was easier when you weren't looking at me!"
Somehow she ended up sitting on the edge of his bed although she didn't remember walking across the room.
"And?"
"And what?"
"What did you think?"
"Of what?"
"The letter."
"Oh, that. Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you were right and I was wrong."
"Speak up, I can't hear you," he said with a smile.
And then she kissed him, or he kissed her. They were still arguing about it when Dr. Sharman walked back in.
"We're ready for you now, Mr. Gates."
Jarod was surprised by the look of worry on Parker's face.
"Hey, I'm okay," he said.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the photograph of the two of them, the one Timmy had taken.
"Keep this close," she whispered and leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "I'll be waiting for you."
He smiled. "See you in a bit. Uh, could you get me some PEZ?"
"Anything."
"Another kiss?"
Resisting her natural urge to protest, she gave in. As he was wheeled out, Jarod looked back over his shoulder and said, "This time it was definitely you who kissed me!"
"Stop pushing your luck. Or no PEZ!" Parker called back and she settled into a comfortable position for some well-deserved rest.
Chapter 3
Melanie-Anne
Jarod looked from Parker to Sydney and a look of panic flashed across his face. He struggled, trying to sit but Parker gently restrained him.
"Hey, relax."
"P-please. Don't m-make me go b-b-back," he begged.
"It's okay, I won't," she promised, speaking gently.
"Please. C-can't!"
"Shh . . . Syd! Help me!"
"Jarod, we're not here to take you back to the Centre. Don't worry."
The combination of Sydney's soothing tone and Parker's gentle touch seemed to calm Jarod. He stared at Parker, looking confused.
"W-why are you here then?" His throat hurt. What happened?
"What?"
"Where am I?"
"You're in hospital, Jarod." You remember me! "You were stabbed and you lost a lot of blood. You were in a coma for two weeks and they were beginning to think you weren't going to make it. Some stupid doctor even asked me if I would consider donating your organs." She smiled faintly, still stroking his hair.
"Why you?" he asked.
"What?"
"Didn't you stab me?" he demanded, not really thinking she had, but curious nonetheless.
Parker gaped at him, wanting to say something, anything, but her mouth stubbornly refused to function.
"How dare you?" she finally demanded. "If I'd wanted you dead, don't you think I'd have done a proper job?"
"Parker," Sydney cautioned.
"To think I've been worried sick over where you've been! I should have just left you!"
"Miss Parker-"
She stopped speaking and took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm. "I need a cigarette," she muttered, stalking out.
Sydney sat down and began explaining what had happened.
*
Parker sat outside. It was drizzling again but it was the only place to smoke and she had been desperate.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! You can't even speak to him for five minutes without fighting.
She took a deep drag and closed her eyes as she exhaled.
I'm trying hard to be nice, honestly, but it's so hard. How could he think I would stab him? I know I threaten to shoot him all the time but it's not like I mean it.
The rain was falling harder and Parker stubbed out the remainder of her cigarette before heading back inside. Not willing to face Jarod just yet, she bought coffee for herself and Sydney.
At least he recognized you this time, she thought with a tiny smile.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join?" she asked, stepping into the room and stopping short at the sight of a strange man. "Oh. Hello."
"Hi, you must be Mrs. Gates. I'm Dr. Hein Sharman," the man said.
"I, yes, uh . . . you're the neurosurgeon?"
"Yes. We won't be able to assess the extent of the damage or if there's any damage at all until Jarod's feeling a little better."
"He recognized me straight away when he woke the second time. That's good, right?"
"They've been bantering as usual," Sydney added with a smile.
"Well, that is good," Dr. Sharman said. "I still want to run the tests, though."
"Umm, okay. That's okay with you, right, Jarod?"
"Sure, sweetie," he grinned.
Parker bit back a retort. She simply smiled and handed Sydney his coffee, drinking hers quickly.
"You'll get heartburn," Jarod cautioned.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with your brain, is there, Wonderboy?" She said sarcastically.
"Wonderboy?"
"You do know we're not really married?"
He sighed. "I thought it was too good to be true. Although-"
She glared at him.
"Syd explained everything. I'm curious as to why you said you were my wife and not a sister."
She ignored the last comment and asked, "And you believe I didn't stab you?"
He nodded.
"'Cause I'd never hurt you, you know that, right?"
There was an awkward moment of silence where Parker was wondering just when her mouth had developed a life of its own and Jarod tried to fit things into place inside his head. Sydney decided it was time to leave the lovebirds alone.
"I'm going to go home and get some rest," Sydney said. "What shall I tell Raines?"
"Oh, umm, make something up. It doesn't matter."
"Right. 'Bye, Jarod. I hope you're feeling better. If she gets to be too much just call a nurse."
"Syd!" Parker was incensed.
"'Bye, Syd!" Jarod called after his friend.
Parker and Jarod stared at each other and Parker was reminded of the staring contests they used to have when they were children. She inevitably won all of them and this time was no exception.
"Why are you here, Parker?"
"I- uh, Broots found you."
"How did he know where to look?" Jarod prodded. This was like drawing blood from a stone.
"I was worried about you," she confessed. "You just vanished and . . . I was worried, that's all."
"Why? Scared you'd lost your chance to bring me in?"
She shook her head.
"No, I thought you were mad at me for what I'd said. You know, the whole 'you run, I chase' thing. Do you remember that?"
"Yeah. I, uh, have something for you. In my jacket pocket-"
"Jarod, how conscious were you when you were unconscious?" Parker interrupted.
He laughed.
"What?"
"Well, I said some things and I was, umm . . . wondering how much you heard." She stood up and walked to the window.
"Things like what?"
"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?"
He didn't reply so she turned to see he'd managed to maneuver himself into a sitting position.
"Well?" he asked.
"I read your letter," she began and saw a smile creep onto his face. "Uh, I guess . . . damn, this was easier when you weren't looking at me!"
Somehow she ended up sitting on the edge of his bed although she didn't remember walking across the room.
"And?"
"And what?"
"What did you think?"
"Of what?"
"The letter."
"Oh, that. Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you were right and I was wrong."
"Speak up, I can't hear you," he said with a smile.
And then she kissed him, or he kissed her. They were still arguing about it when Dr. Sharman walked back in.
"We're ready for you now, Mr. Gates."
Jarod was surprised by the look of worry on Parker's face.
"Hey, I'm okay," he said.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the photograph of the two of them, the one Timmy had taken.
"Keep this close," she whispered and leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "I'll be waiting for you."
He smiled. "See you in a bit. Uh, could you get me some PEZ?"
"Anything."
"Another kiss?"
Resisting her natural urge to protest, she gave in. As he was wheeled out, Jarod looked back over his shoulder and said, "This time it was definitely you who kissed me!"
"Stop pushing your luck. Or no PEZ!" Parker called back and she settled into a comfortable position for some well-deserved rest.
