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Chapter or Story
Better Late Than Never
Chapter 2
Melanie-Anne
"Jarod?" Parker stared at the man on the bed. "Jarod, do you know where you are?"
He looked at her blankly and she felt her heart constrict. Please say you know who I am!
"Jarod, it's me. It's Parker. You're in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
He shook his head slightly and she saw no recognition in his eyes. It was a struggle for her not to cry.
"Jarod-"
She gently touched his cheek and he closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.
No, no, NO! It's not fair! Why doesn't he know me? How can he not know me? After everything that's happened…Jarod, I love you. Please don't do this.
"It's usual for patients who have been in a coma for a while to suffer from amnesia," one of the doctors said. "He should regain his memory with time."
"S-someone mentioned brain damage." Parker's throat was dry.
"Well, that can only be determined when he wakes up again and we can run some tests."
Parker nodded silently. The doctor left her alone with Jarod.
*
Hours later . . .
"Excuse me, Mrs. Uh-"
"Gates," Parker said, her eyes not leaving Jarod for a second.
"Mrs. Gates, don't you think you should go home and rest for a bit?" suggested a nurse.
Parker shook her head.
"Well, uh, is there something I can get you? You're going to get sick if you don't change out of those wet clothes."
"What? Oh." Parker had forgotten that she had stood in the rain. She realized she was cold and shivering and saw the wisdom in the nurse's words.
"You're right. I'll go home and change in a little while."
Some time after the nurse left Parker remembered that she hadn't called Sydney yet. She pulled her cell phone out and dialed his number.
"Sydney."
"Did I wake you?" Parker asked, not really caring whether or not she had.
"It's alright. What's wrong?"
"Umm . . . I found Jarod. Well, Broots did actually but I'm with him now and it's not looking so good but I don't want to-"
"Miss Parker, slow down. Start at the beginning."
She told him about finding out where Jarod was, rushing to see him, finding him in a coma and him waking up. "He didn't recognize me," she finished. "They think there might be brain damage."
"I'll be right there."
Parker was so tired. She sat down and, wanting to hold Jarod, settled for laying her arm across his chest. She could feel his heartbeat and prayed again for him to be okay.
*
Sydney walked into Jarod's room and found Parker sleeping, her head resting on Jarod's mid-section and one hand entwined in his. He had been steeling himself for the worst but it was still a shock to see Jarod like that.
He said a silent prayer for Jarod before waking Parker.
"Thanks for coming," she said awkwardly.
A nurse entered, breaking the tension.
"Mrs. Gates, I - oh, hello," she greeted Sydney.
"Uh, this is my father," Parker said.
"Oh, well, I just wanted to tell you that the neurosurgeon will be coming by later today."
"Thank you," Sydney said and Parker whispered, "Neurosurgeon?"
He pulled her into a hug, wanting to comfort her as well as drawing comfort for himself.
"Why are your clothes wet?" he asked.
"I got caught in the rain."
"Go home and change. I'll stay with him and if anything happens I'll call you."
"Okay." She picked up her things and walking towards the door. Then she stopped and looked back at the figure on the bed.
Sydney spoke, half a smile on his face. "Mrs. Gates?"
"I, uh-"
"Go. Get some rest."
He sat in the chair Parker had previously occupied, alarmed at how much this was affecting her. He had always known that she cared about the Pretender but had never realized the depth of her affection until now.
Affection? Or love? Is it possible that she could love him?
He felt something crackle beneath him and pulled out the letter, now tearstained as well as bloodstained. Reading it, everything fell into place and he finally understood why Jarod had never completely left the Centre behind him.
*
Parker stood in her shower, not caring that the water was hot, too hot. She couldn't feel it.
Please, God, let him remember me. Let him get better and I swear I'll make it up to him.
Pulling out an old cardboard shoebox from her closet, she began digging through it. Thoughts of her mother came unbidden to her mind but she pushed them aside. At the bottom of the box was what she sought.
A black and white photograph of her and Jarod as children.
She could remember the day it was taken as clearly as if it had just happened.
"Miss Parker, I have a surprise for you!" Jarod called excitedly, peering down at her through an air vent.
She looked up.
"I'm busy."
"Please, it will only take a minute," he begged.
Unable to refuse him anything she agreed. Jarod and Timmy helped her up and they crawled through the vents until they reached their secret room.
"What's the surprise?" Parker demanded.
Jarod and Timmy shared a smile.
"Well?" Parker asked.
"Timmy's going to be working with Raines from tomorrow so we decided to have a party."
She looked around the room, wrinkling her nose. It was obvious the boys had never been to a real party.
"Why? It's not like Raines is anything special," Parker said.
"Yeah, but we won't be seeing him for a while. I thought it would be nice," Jarod said defensively, his feelings obviously hurt.
"Aw, come on, Jar. Don't get upset," Parker said by way of apology.
"Tell her about the camera," Timmy prodded.
Jarod brightened and pulled an old camera from a box.
"Look what I - what we found," he said proudly.
Parker took one look at the camera and wisely kept her mouth shut.
"Hey, Timmy! Take a picture of me and Miss Parker!"
Timmy happily took the photo but refused to have one taken of himself. Parker promised that she'd ask her mother to develop the film so that they could each have a copy when Timmy was finished with Raines.
"See you soon," Parker said to Timmy, hugging him and then Jarod before crawling back into the vents.
*
"Hey, Syd."
Sydney looked up to see a better-looking Miss Parker than the one who had left only two hours ago.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he chided.
"I couldn't. Did he wake up again?"
"No. But they removed the tube from his throat and they say he's looking better."
"And the, uh, the neurosurgeon?"
"He hasn't come by yet."
With that they lapsed into silence, both wanting to say that which they couldn't find the words for.
Parker stood watching over Jarod, gently stroking his hair. Sydney couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"I read your letter," he blurted out, holding it towards her.
"So you know," she said simply.
"Miss Parker, I love him like I love Nicholas. In many ways he's more my son than Nic is. Tell me truthfully, how do you feel about him?"
She smiled sadly, opening her mouth to speak when Jarod opened his eyes. She gasped in surprise and whispered, "Syd!"
Chapter 2
Melanie-Anne
"Jarod?" Parker stared at the man on the bed. "Jarod, do you know where you are?"
He looked at her blankly and she felt her heart constrict. Please say you know who I am!
"Jarod, it's me. It's Parker. You're in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
He shook his head slightly and she saw no recognition in his eyes. It was a struggle for her not to cry.
"Jarod-"
She gently touched his cheek and he closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.
No, no, NO! It's not fair! Why doesn't he know me? How can he not know me? After everything that's happened…Jarod, I love you. Please don't do this.
"It's usual for patients who have been in a coma for a while to suffer from amnesia," one of the doctors said. "He should regain his memory with time."
"S-someone mentioned brain damage." Parker's throat was dry.
"Well, that can only be determined when he wakes up again and we can run some tests."
Parker nodded silently. The doctor left her alone with Jarod.
*
Hours later . . .
"Excuse me, Mrs. Uh-"
"Gates," Parker said, her eyes not leaving Jarod for a second.
"Mrs. Gates, don't you think you should go home and rest for a bit?" suggested a nurse.
Parker shook her head.
"Well, uh, is there something I can get you? You're going to get sick if you don't change out of those wet clothes."
"What? Oh." Parker had forgotten that she had stood in the rain. She realized she was cold and shivering and saw the wisdom in the nurse's words.
"You're right. I'll go home and change in a little while."
Some time after the nurse left Parker remembered that she hadn't called Sydney yet. She pulled her cell phone out and dialed his number.
"Sydney."
"Did I wake you?" Parker asked, not really caring whether or not she had.
"It's alright. What's wrong?"
"Umm . . . I found Jarod. Well, Broots did actually but I'm with him now and it's not looking so good but I don't want to-"
"Miss Parker, slow down. Start at the beginning."
She told him about finding out where Jarod was, rushing to see him, finding him in a coma and him waking up. "He didn't recognize me," she finished. "They think there might be brain damage."
"I'll be right there."
Parker was so tired. She sat down and, wanting to hold Jarod, settled for laying her arm across his chest. She could feel his heartbeat and prayed again for him to be okay.
*
Sydney walked into Jarod's room and found Parker sleeping, her head resting on Jarod's mid-section and one hand entwined in his. He had been steeling himself for the worst but it was still a shock to see Jarod like that.
He said a silent prayer for Jarod before waking Parker.
"Thanks for coming," she said awkwardly.
A nurse entered, breaking the tension.
"Mrs. Gates, I - oh, hello," she greeted Sydney.
"Uh, this is my father," Parker said.
"Oh, well, I just wanted to tell you that the neurosurgeon will be coming by later today."
"Thank you," Sydney said and Parker whispered, "Neurosurgeon?"
He pulled her into a hug, wanting to comfort her as well as drawing comfort for himself.
"Why are your clothes wet?" he asked.
"I got caught in the rain."
"Go home and change. I'll stay with him and if anything happens I'll call you."
"Okay." She picked up her things and walking towards the door. Then she stopped and looked back at the figure on the bed.
Sydney spoke, half a smile on his face. "Mrs. Gates?"
"I, uh-"
"Go. Get some rest."
He sat in the chair Parker had previously occupied, alarmed at how much this was affecting her. He had always known that she cared about the Pretender but had never realized the depth of her affection until now.
Affection? Or love? Is it possible that she could love him?
He felt something crackle beneath him and pulled out the letter, now tearstained as well as bloodstained. Reading it, everything fell into place and he finally understood why Jarod had never completely left the Centre behind him.
*
Parker stood in her shower, not caring that the water was hot, too hot. She couldn't feel it.
Please, God, let him remember me. Let him get better and I swear I'll make it up to him.
Pulling out an old cardboard shoebox from her closet, she began digging through it. Thoughts of her mother came unbidden to her mind but she pushed them aside. At the bottom of the box was what she sought.
A black and white photograph of her and Jarod as children.
She could remember the day it was taken as clearly as if it had just happened.
"Miss Parker, I have a surprise for you!" Jarod called excitedly, peering down at her through an air vent.
She looked up.
"I'm busy."
"Please, it will only take a minute," he begged.
Unable to refuse him anything she agreed. Jarod and Timmy helped her up and they crawled through the vents until they reached their secret room.
"What's the surprise?" Parker demanded.
Jarod and Timmy shared a smile.
"Well?" Parker asked.
"Timmy's going to be working with Raines from tomorrow so we decided to have a party."
She looked around the room, wrinkling her nose. It was obvious the boys had never been to a real party.
"Why? It's not like Raines is anything special," Parker said.
"Yeah, but we won't be seeing him for a while. I thought it would be nice," Jarod said defensively, his feelings obviously hurt.
"Aw, come on, Jar. Don't get upset," Parker said by way of apology.
"Tell her about the camera," Timmy prodded.
Jarod brightened and pulled an old camera from a box.
"Look what I - what we found," he said proudly.
Parker took one look at the camera and wisely kept her mouth shut.
"Hey, Timmy! Take a picture of me and Miss Parker!"
Timmy happily took the photo but refused to have one taken of himself. Parker promised that she'd ask her mother to develop the film so that they could each have a copy when Timmy was finished with Raines.
"See you soon," Parker said to Timmy, hugging him and then Jarod before crawling back into the vents.
*
"Hey, Syd."
Sydney looked up to see a better-looking Miss Parker than the one who had left only two hours ago.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he chided.
"I couldn't. Did he wake up again?"
"No. But they removed the tube from his throat and they say he's looking better."
"And the, uh, the neurosurgeon?"
"He hasn't come by yet."
With that they lapsed into silence, both wanting to say that which they couldn't find the words for.
Parker stood watching over Jarod, gently stroking his hair. Sydney couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"I read your letter," he blurted out, holding it towards her.
"So you know," she said simply.
"Miss Parker, I love him like I love Nicholas. In many ways he's more my son than Nic is. Tell me truthfully, how do you feel about him?"
She smiled sadly, opening her mouth to speak when Jarod opened his eyes. She gasped in surprise and whispered, "Syd!"
