Molly just nodded and without looking back at her friends and family, followed Dr. English to Shane’s recovery room.

            The next morning, Molly woke up, leaned over in her chair, her head resting on Shane’s bed, her hand holding Shane’s. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood up, moving to sit down on Shane’s bed. She kissed her cheek and whispered, “Morning, baby.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 8:50. It would soon be visiting hours and she knew that everyone would be coming soon. They had all spent the night in the waiting room in case something had happened. They wanted to be close by.

            Molly looked back at Shane and smiled weakly. She was glad that she was alive, but she desperately longed for her to open her eyes. She glided her thumb across her lips and feeling how dry they were, she reached into the cup on the nightstand and picked up an ice chip. She rubbed it across her lips, gently wetting them, so they would not crack. A memory flashed before her eyes of a hot July night when they had had some fun with some ice cubes. She smiled to herself and whispered longingly, “Oh, Shane.”

            Placing her hand on Shane’s cheek, she let her eyes wander over her face. Even with all the bruises and stitches, she was still beautiful, still radiant. She brushed her lips against hers and whispered, “Wake up. Please wake up.” She waited for a moment, searching Shane’s face for any semblance of consciousness, but nothing. Not a flinch. Not a fluttering. Nothing. She closed her eyes and sighed. Just as she was about to get up, she felt something. Something tightening around her hand. What was it? She opened her eyes and looked down. She had forgotten she was still holding Shane’s hand. She was squeezing her hand! Molly squeezed back and held Shane’s face with her free hand. She called to her softly, “Shane?…baby?….Shane, open your eyes.” As Shane’s eyes began to flutter, tears spilled from Molly’s eyes, streaming down her face and falling onto Shane’s. Molly smiled as Shane slowly began to open her eyes. “Hey babe,” she said softly, looking into her eyes.