I grab her shoulders and pull her in. I kiss her passionately and hard. I forget that there’s a doctor, nurses, and her parents are there.

It is a pretty long kiss, but finally I pull back. She stares into space, catching up her breath. Suddenly she stares to blink rapidly, and then looks up at me.

“Bernard? You still here? Wait. What happened? The last I remember was passing out in the operation room?” She says. There is a brief silence and she says, “Why is everyone staring at me?”

So, we explain. And the whole time she is being shocked at every other thing that happened. It was really quite funny. Once her parents left us alone I explain to her about the accident, and how it was Leo, and who I almost killed him in the lobby (she laughs at that part).

She has to stay in the hospital for the next couple of days, for cautionary reasons.And I always make sure she had fresh flowers in her room. The next day when I come in and her parents aren’t there she asks,

“Will you run away with me Bernard?”