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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
A week passed by quickly and by the following Monday, Miss Parker had almost fully recovered. Even her ribs and arm bone had almost mended itself completely. The doctors were speechless as to how it could happen so fast and calling it a miracle. Around five o'clock that Monday evening Sydney came by himself to see how Miss Parker was doing. Michele was going to bring Catie by later, around 6 or so. Sydney crept into her room and saw that she was asleep. Deciding to let her get her rest, he turned to leave, but stopped when he heard the bed shift.
"Daddy?" she whispered her voice sounding dry.
"No, Parker. It's Sydney." He said turning back to face her. She was looking at him, with a funny smile on her lips.
"I know." was her reply and Sydney felt his heart flutter and then soar. She shifted again and hit the button to make her bed rise so that she was in more of a sitting position. He walked over to the table beside her bed and poured her a glass of water. Handing it to her, he caught her gaze and she covered his hand with hers before accepting the water.
After she had drunk the glass and handed it back to him, she folded her hands in her lap, grimacing in slight pain at moving her fractured arm, and looked him square in the eye.
"It wasn't a miracle that saved my life, was it?" she asked him solemnly. "It was Jarod. He came here and gave me something."
Sydney didn't answer her with words, only shook his head yes. She sighed, leaned back, and laid her head down on the pillow again.
"I thought I dreamt that, but somehow I knew it was true," she whispered more to herself than to Sydney. She looked at Sydney again and asked, "Did he stay to see if it worked?"
"I'm sure he did, Parker." Sydney honestly told her, "But I never saw him. It was too dangerous for him to stick around in the open."
"I know and I am thankful that he was able to come despite the risks." Miss Parker said softly.
"Parker," Sydney said placing his hand on her shoulder and making her look at him. "He would have come even if it meant he would have been caught."
Miss Parker nodded and he squeezed her shoulder lightly. Before either one could say another word, the door to the room burst open and Catie flew in. She ran over to the bed and wiggled to stand in between her mother and Sydney. Grinning from ear to ear, she leaned over to kiss her mother's cheek.
"Hi, Mama!" Catie said, her eyes shining bright with joy.
This was a very different child than the one who had come earlier in the week. Michele, who had come in moments after the excited five year old, chuckled at the girl's exuberance and Sydney reached out to take her hand.
"I'm sorry. I was going to bring her later, but she insisted on seeing you now. Are you feeling better?" Michele asked Miss Parker, her soft voice happy yet concerned.
"Much. Thank you, Michele." Miss Parker answered the woman, pronouncing her French-sounding name correctly unlike how she said Brigitte's name.
"Mom-Mom Michele and I brought you a present, Mama. I guess it's kinda from Pop-Pop too, but he doesn't really know what it is either." Catie said, hoisting herself up onto the bed and crawling as she talked until she was seated next to Miss Parker and bouncing slightly.
"Oh? What?" Miss Parker asked, smiling warmly at Michele who smiled back. Miss Parker turned back to Catie and began to teasingly said, "I hope it's a pony. I really wanted a pony."
"No, Mama!" Catie said giggling loudly. Catie jumped off the bed again with uncontainable energy and raced over to the door. She opened it and disappeared for a moment. The door opened again and Catie entered backwards dragging someone into the room by their hand. As soon as the person was revealed Miss Parker couldn't help the smile that came acrss her face.
"Nicholas!" she said and reached out her hand to her half-brother. He came closer and took it, then leaned over to kiss her cheek. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Mexico."
"I was." Nicholas said and grinned at the surprised expression on his sister's face. "Mom flew me back in. I couldn't stay away."
"I'm glad you came." she replied and squeezed his hand.
"So am I." he said then made a face. "Of course, all of this sort of makes sense to me."
Miss Parker raised her eyebrow for him to explain.
"It's just typical older sister stuff. You see, the second I find out I have a sister after all these years of wanting a sibling, you try and get out of the deal!"
Everyone laughed and Miss Parker shook her head. "No, little brother. I wasn't going anywhere, if only to get a chance to boss you around."
Everyone laughed again and someone clearing his or her throat loudly brought everyone's attention to the door once more. Dr. Smythe stood there his arms crossed and Miss Parker's chart in his left hand.
"I must be mistaken. I could've sworn the visitor rule was only two at a time for this ward of the hospital." He said looking at each person in turn.
"You shouldn't swear!" Catie piped up, making even Dr. Smythe chuckle.
"You're right, young lady." He said to Catie before handing her a cherry lollipop from his lab coat. He looked at Miss Parker and smiled.
"She is definitely your daughter." He said then turned to address everyone else.
"This one," he said indicating to Miss Parker, "has been nothing but trouble since she got here. Always ringing the nurse's bell, demanding to see me. Then when I came, all she asked was when she could go home. You would think she wanted to leave us or something!"
Laughter erupted again and even Miss Parker gave a grunt of a laugh. Dr. Smythe turned to her and grinned. "Now, we usually don't allow this considering you have only had a week to recover, but in your case we've decided to make an exception. Miss Parker, although it's not as nice as the one your daughter gave you, I have a gift for you also."
"Is it a pony?" Catie asked innocently, from her spot next to Miss Parker again and Miss Parker pulled her closer to shush her.
"No, I'm afraid not, but I think you'll like it too, Catie." Dr. Smythe said to the young girl, his mustache curling up with his lips in a smile. "Your mom is free to go home, as long as she follows strict orders from me and doesn't go back to work for good three weeks."
"Maybe you can convince her to go vacation or something." He added and winked at the girl.
Miss Parker beamed and held out her hand to the doctor. He shook it and she whispered her sincere thanks. Sydney did the same and after making arrangements for Miss Parker to go home the following morning, Dr. Smythe left. Catie kneeled so that she was face level with Miss Parker and Miss Parker placed her hands on Catie's cheeks.
"I'm coming home, baby." she said her voice full of happiness and Catie grinned.
"Yay!!" Catie cried throwing her arms around Miss Parker and hugging her tightly. Catie sighed and nuzzled her face into her mother's neck, too happy to continue her normal chatter. Miss Parker breathed in the scent of her little girl and was struck by a severe longing to see Jarod.
Suddenly, she felt the urge to look at the window on the hospital door and in doing so found herself staring into the deepest set of dark brown eyes she had ever known. Jarod smiled and winked at her through the window, then as quickly as he appeared he was gone again.
Miss Parker's eyes misted and she held Catie tighter. The tears were not of sadness though, but of joy, for she knew that she would have a second chance to make her family work. The second the truck had hit, her all her fears, hopes, and dreams had flashed before her and when she had woken up she knew she could no longer let her fear control her life. It was time to heal, but little did she know that although the road of Hell she had been on was coming to an end, she had one last revelation to go.
"Daddy?" she whispered her voice sounding dry.
"No, Parker. It's Sydney." He said turning back to face her. She was looking at him, with a funny smile on her lips.
"I know." was her reply and Sydney felt his heart flutter and then soar. She shifted again and hit the button to make her bed rise so that she was in more of a sitting position. He walked over to the table beside her bed and poured her a glass of water. Handing it to her, he caught her gaze and she covered his hand with hers before accepting the water.
After she had drunk the glass and handed it back to him, she folded her hands in her lap, grimacing in slight pain at moving her fractured arm, and looked him square in the eye.
"It wasn't a miracle that saved my life, was it?" she asked him solemnly. "It was Jarod. He came here and gave me something."
Sydney didn't answer her with words, only shook his head yes. She sighed, leaned back, and laid her head down on the pillow again.
"I thought I dreamt that, but somehow I knew it was true," she whispered more to herself than to Sydney. She looked at Sydney again and asked, "Did he stay to see if it worked?"
"I'm sure he did, Parker." Sydney honestly told her, "But I never saw him. It was too dangerous for him to stick around in the open."
"I know and I am thankful that he was able to come despite the risks." Miss Parker said softly.
"Parker," Sydney said placing his hand on her shoulder and making her look at him. "He would have come even if it meant he would have been caught."
Miss Parker nodded and he squeezed her shoulder lightly. Before either one could say another word, the door to the room burst open and Catie flew in. She ran over to the bed and wiggled to stand in between her mother and Sydney. Grinning from ear to ear, she leaned over to kiss her mother's cheek.
"Hi, Mama!" Catie said, her eyes shining bright with joy.
This was a very different child than the one who had come earlier in the week. Michele, who had come in moments after the excited five year old, chuckled at the girl's exuberance and Sydney reached out to take her hand.
"I'm sorry. I was going to bring her later, but she insisted on seeing you now. Are you feeling better?" Michele asked Miss Parker, her soft voice happy yet concerned.
"Much. Thank you, Michele." Miss Parker answered the woman, pronouncing her French-sounding name correctly unlike how she said Brigitte's name.
"Mom-Mom Michele and I brought you a present, Mama. I guess it's kinda from Pop-Pop too, but he doesn't really know what it is either." Catie said, hoisting herself up onto the bed and crawling as she talked until she was seated next to Miss Parker and bouncing slightly.
"Oh? What?" Miss Parker asked, smiling warmly at Michele who smiled back. Miss Parker turned back to Catie and began to teasingly said, "I hope it's a pony. I really wanted a pony."
"No, Mama!" Catie said giggling loudly. Catie jumped off the bed again with uncontainable energy and raced over to the door. She opened it and disappeared for a moment. The door opened again and Catie entered backwards dragging someone into the room by their hand. As soon as the person was revealed Miss Parker couldn't help the smile that came acrss her face.
"Nicholas!" she said and reached out her hand to her half-brother. He came closer and took it, then leaned over to kiss her cheek. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Mexico."
"I was." Nicholas said and grinned at the surprised expression on his sister's face. "Mom flew me back in. I couldn't stay away."
"I'm glad you came." she replied and squeezed his hand.
"So am I." he said then made a face. "Of course, all of this sort of makes sense to me."
Miss Parker raised her eyebrow for him to explain.
"It's just typical older sister stuff. You see, the second I find out I have a sister after all these years of wanting a sibling, you try and get out of the deal!"
Everyone laughed and Miss Parker shook her head. "No, little brother. I wasn't going anywhere, if only to get a chance to boss you around."
Everyone laughed again and someone clearing his or her throat loudly brought everyone's attention to the door once more. Dr. Smythe stood there his arms crossed and Miss Parker's chart in his left hand.
"I must be mistaken. I could've sworn the visitor rule was only two at a time for this ward of the hospital." He said looking at each person in turn.
"You shouldn't swear!" Catie piped up, making even Dr. Smythe chuckle.
"You're right, young lady." He said to Catie before handing her a cherry lollipop from his lab coat. He looked at Miss Parker and smiled.
"She is definitely your daughter." He said then turned to address everyone else.
"This one," he said indicating to Miss Parker, "has been nothing but trouble since she got here. Always ringing the nurse's bell, demanding to see me. Then when I came, all she asked was when she could go home. You would think she wanted to leave us or something!"
Laughter erupted again and even Miss Parker gave a grunt of a laugh. Dr. Smythe turned to her and grinned. "Now, we usually don't allow this considering you have only had a week to recover, but in your case we've decided to make an exception. Miss Parker, although it's not as nice as the one your daughter gave you, I have a gift for you also."
"Is it a pony?" Catie asked innocently, from her spot next to Miss Parker again and Miss Parker pulled her closer to shush her.
"No, I'm afraid not, but I think you'll like it too, Catie." Dr. Smythe said to the young girl, his mustache curling up with his lips in a smile. "Your mom is free to go home, as long as she follows strict orders from me and doesn't go back to work for good three weeks."
"Maybe you can convince her to go vacation or something." He added and winked at the girl.
Miss Parker beamed and held out her hand to the doctor. He shook it and she whispered her sincere thanks. Sydney did the same and after making arrangements for Miss Parker to go home the following morning, Dr. Smythe left. Catie kneeled so that she was face level with Miss Parker and Miss Parker placed her hands on Catie's cheeks.
"I'm coming home, baby." she said her voice full of happiness and Catie grinned.
"Yay!!" Catie cried throwing her arms around Miss Parker and hugging her tightly. Catie sighed and nuzzled her face into her mother's neck, too happy to continue her normal chatter. Miss Parker breathed in the scent of her little girl and was struck by a severe longing to see Jarod.
Suddenly, she felt the urge to look at the window on the hospital door and in doing so found herself staring into the deepest set of dark brown eyes she had ever known. Jarod smiled and winked at her through the window, then as quickly as he appeared he was gone again.
Miss Parker's eyes misted and she held Catie tighter. The tears were not of sadness though, but of joy, for she knew that she would have a second chance to make her family work. The second the truck had hit, her all her fears, hopes, and dreams had flashed before her and when she had woken up she knew she could no longer let her fear control her life. It was time to heal, but little did she know that although the road of Hell she had been on was coming to an end, she had one last revelation to go.
