Love Immortal (14 page)

He didn’t know how long he sat there,
thinking of her. When his Uncle Percy tapped him on the shoulder,
he noticed that the sun was low in the sky. He had been there for
several hours. Maybe he fell asleep. His uncle supported him under
his arm, and they slowly walked together, back down the path to the
house.

That night, Collin was finally able to sleep
in his own bed, in his own room on the second floor. He imagined
showing Jewell his room. It was beautiful. The 1800’s plantation
home was decorated in period furniture. The huge canopied bed in
the middle of the room faced a fireplace on the far wall. Paintings
of southern landscapes decorated the walls. To the right of the bed
stood French doors that opened onto the second floor balcony that
ran around the entire second floor, a mirror to the porch below.
Although it was too hot right now, in the fall, when the weather
changed, he could open the doors, the smell of the clematis and
pine would drift through the room. He wanted to share this with
Jewell. As he thought of Jewell, Collin slipped into a deep
sleep.

Collin spent the next day practicing moving
around the house. By early afternoon, he was walking smoothly with
only a slight limp. Tonight, he thought, he would go to the
hospital and wait for her. He didn’t know if she would be working
but he knew her shift started at six o’clock. If he arrived at
five, and waited, if she was working, he might be able to speak to
her before she went in to work.

“Hey, Uncle Percy, I was thinking…” Collin
started.

“That’s dangerous.” Percy winked at
Collin.

“I’m so tired of being cooped up in this
house. I thought I might go downtown, maybe get a po'boy at Felix’s
then hang at Pat O’s for a bit.” He tried to sound nonchalant,
casual, and indecisive in his plans.

“Sounds like fun! Let’s do it!”

“Um, Uncle Percy, not to be rude, but…”

“Yeah I get it. You don’t need some old guy
hanging on you to cramp your style.” He got up from the table and
walked over to the counter. He pulled open the drawer and pulled
out a set of keys and threw them to Collin. “I figured I couldn’t
keep you penned up in here for long. I took the liberty of
acquiring a new ride for you.”

Collin caught the keys and looked at them.
Chevrolet. He looked at his uncle “Vette?”

“Of course. I didn’t think you’d drive an
Aveo.”

“ZR1?” Collin asked hopefully.

“Try 2LT. Nice try kid.”

Collin sighed dramatically. “I guess it’ll
have to do.” Collin got up and started limping to the door.

“Don’t stay out too late. You’re still not
100%. And if you end up having a good time at Pat O’s, call me,
I’ll bring Carl; we’ll come get you and the car.” He eyed Collin
seriously, making sure that he understood.

“Absolutely Uncle Percy. No drinking and
driving. Got it! I won’t be home late.”

Collin drove to Felix’s for that po'boy. He
had a little time before he had to be at the hospital though he had
no intention of going to Pat O’s. He had other plans. After he had
eaten, it was about four-thirty. He drove directly to the hospital,
parking near the top of the parking garage; fewer cars, fewer
people to see him. At the employee’s entrance to the ER, he found a
shadowed area next to the doors where he could stand, unseen unless
someone looked directly at him. In his black jeans and black
t-shirt, he was nearly invisible in the shadows.

He leaned against the wall, resting most of
his weight on his good leg. He was hoping that he would be able to
stand here until she came in. He glanced at his watch; five
fifteen. He knew that her shifts started at six. Was he here early
enough? Had he missed her? Was she already inside? Was she even
scheduled tonight? He glanced around the corner through the glass
door. He briefly thought about going inside to ask if she was
scheduled to work but thought better of it. Would she get in
trouble if they saw him here? The longer he waited, the more
questions he had, the more worried he became.

After about ten minutes, the flow of
employees into the building began to increase. He carefully watched
each group as it passed, looking for the golden blonde hair that
was unique to her; pure sunlight, captured in golden strands. As
the procession of employees slowed to a trickle, he began to lose
hope. He had just decided that he would leave and try again
tomorrow when he felt his eyes pulled towards the rear of the group
where he caught a glimpse of her hair, behind the crowd, set apart,
walking more slowly. He watched her as she approached. Her eyes
were sunken, black circles shaded the creases below her eyes. Her
skin appeared to be paler than he remembered and the glow to her
cheeks was gone. Beside her, a woman with dark hair had her arm
around her back. She looked worried; concern creased her
forehead.

Immediately, Collin knew that something was
wrong. Jewell was sick, she shouldn’t be at work. She needed to be
home, resting. Did she have the flu? Would it be safe for her to
work around sick patients? Somebody needed to help her; he needed
to help her.

Collin stepped from the shadow beside the
door. He walked slowly, two steps toward the advancing pair. There
were no other employees in the parking lot behind them. Most of the
employees in front of them had already entered the hospital. He
looked at her, his eyes asking what she needed, but he could not
find the words. His worry kept him from speaking.

The pair stopped as he stepped in front of
them, blocking their entrance to the building without meaning to.
He didn’t want to appear threatening. The dark haired woman grasped
Jewell’s arm, holding her, as Jewell slowly surveyed him, standing
in front of her. She reached her hand out, tentatively, slowly
reaching her hand toward him as if she wanted to touch him to
ensure that he was real. Suddenly, something in her eyes changed, a
spark, a slight glow returned to her face as she started to
collapse.

Collin took two long quick strides toward
her, catching her under the arms as she fell. When he caught her,
she looked up into his eyes. “Collin?” Her gaze made his hands
tremble. The fact that she recognized him made his stomach turn in
knots. Was she happy to see him?

Like a bolt of lightning, realization struck.
He should not be standing here. He should be in a hospital bed for,
how long? He didn’t even know. And after that, how many months of
physical therapy to return him to the condition he was in now? Was
it fear he saw in her eyes? He glanced over to the woman that had
walked in with Jewell. The look on her face was one of both fear
and relief. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she started
inching towards the entrance to the building. It was at that moment
that he realized his being here was a good thing. He was what
Jewell needed.

“Collin,” she whispered. He picked her up so
her feet were no longer touching the ground and held her in his
strong arms. “Honeysuckle” he whispered as he held her close and
buried his face in her hair. Her body quivered, as she felt the
heat of him melting into her. She wrapped her arms around his neck
and held tight, luxuriating in the feel of his warm body.

Something about him, the way he smelled, made
her feel comfortable, safe. She inhaled deeply, trying to identify
the smell. Suddenly, she had a flash of memory. He smelled like her
grandma’s house. Like cedar and rain and laurel in the spring. She
buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent. Too soon, he
let go and set her back on her feet.

Softly, she heard Ashley whisper “I’ll see
you later Jewell.” Jewell had forgotten that Ashley was standing
there. Jewell didn’t respond. She didn’t look towards her friend as
she walked away. All she could do was to stare into Collin’s eyes,
memorizing their color, the same color as the clouds darkening
today’s sky, his full ruby lips, his strong jaw. She drank in his
every feature.

“Collin…how? What are you doing here? How are
you here? Where have you been?” The words tumbled out in an excited
flood.

He responded, the deep symphony of his voice
sending ripples of fire through her. “In order, how – I drove, what
– I came to see you, where - well, that’s a long story.”

Jewell was too light headed to think. She
started to feel dizzy and lose her balance when she felt Collin
pull her into his arms again. She wished that she could stay like
that with him, forever. She shook her head, trying to clear her
thoughts. She tried to remember the days since he had first arrived
at the hospital. How many days had it been? About two weeks, maybe
a little more? It was impossible. There was no way that he could be
healed enough to be standing here in front of her, supporting her,
holding her.

She slowly pushed herself away from him. She
looked again, up into his storm gray eyes. He was taller than she
had thought he would be. Of course, she had only seen him lying
down. His sandy blonde hair was cut short, slightly shorter than a
crew cut. It was probably cut that way because of the injury on the
top of his head. This was certainly better than a reverse
Mohawk.

Jewell tried to think of all the injuries he
had when he arrived in the emergency room, surveying each as she
moved down his body. The cut on his head, she couldn’t see that
without asking him to bend down. His right cheekbone had been
crushed, his eye swollen completely shut. She carefully reached up
to touch his face, trailing her fingers lightly along the bone. She
saw his eyes close at her touch. She moved her fingers to his nose,
straight and beautiful. Her hands trailed across his lips which
were slightly parted. A small moan escaped his lips as she touched
them. Her inspection continued, down to his collarbones, across his
ribs. She moved her hands to his arms, gliding them down to his
hands. She entwined her fingers in his, lifting his arms carefully,
turning them over. Then she slowly, reluctantly dropped his hands
so that she could step back and gaze down at his legs; neither had
a cast nor a brace.

Collin watched her as she began surveying
each of his injuries one at a time. The touch of her fingers sent
fire shooting through his body. Where her fingers touched him, it
left a trail of heat and pleasure. He closed his eyes, feeling the
light touch of her hands as they moved across his face, touching
his lips, and moving down to his chest and along his arms. His
fingers wrapped around hers as she entwined them in his. For a
moment, he wondered if she was going to bend down and run her hands
down his legs as well. When she released his hands and he felt the
warmth from her body move away, he opened his eyes. He saw her,
staring at his legs, her mouth hanging partway open. He waited
silently for the questions he knew were about to come; the
questions for which he had no answers.

“Collin, this is…it’s impossible. Your
injuries; there’s no way that you can be standing here. It’s
medically impossible.” As Jewell said the words, she almost
expected this apparition standing in front of her to fade, to leave
her once again, standing alone and despondent.

“I’ve always been a quick healer.” Collin
said lightly, knowing that this answer would not be enough.

“But…how?”

“Honestly Jewell, I don’t know. I don’t know
why I’m able to stand here, to hold you in my arms. A part of me
wants to believe that it’s because I couldn’t stand to be away from
you, and this was the only way I would be able to see you again
before I died of loneliness.”

“I thought you were gone. I thought…”

Collin laid a finger on her lips to silence
her thought. “I will never leave you Jewell. It is physically
impossible for me to be away from you. This last week, you’re all
I’ve thought about, every moment I was awake, every moment I was
asleep. I would wake with your name on my lips thinking, hoping,
believing that you would be there. The emptiness I felt when I
realized I was only dreaming made me feel like I was a ghost, like
I no longer existed, like I had no substance without you.”

“Collin, I’ve missed you so much. I don’t
ever want to be away from you again.” She stepped toward him,
wanting him to fold her in his arms, wishing that they could melt
together into one person.

Collin held her, breathing in her honeysuckle
scent, memorizing how she felt in his arms. “I have to go,” he laid
his hand on her lips as she began to protest. “You need to work,
and I need to get back home before my uncle comes looking for me.
I’ll be back in the morning waiting for you, right here, at
six-thirty.” He gently lifted her chin and lowered his face to
hers. She felt his lips brush against hers, not a kiss, but a
promise. His breath tasted of honey and almonds. His lips trailed
along the line of her jaw and up to her ear. The warm breath of his
whisper sent fire through her body “I will be back for you,
always.”

He let her go, and walked swiftly away.
Before Jewell could react, he had disappeared once again into the
shadows

When Jewell walked into the locker room, she
walked right into Ashley who was waiting for her by the door.
Jewell yelped in surprise. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you
supposed to be upstairs working or something?” Jewell pushed her
way past into the locker room so she could get changed glancing at
her watch and realizing that she only had five minutes to get
ready.

“Duh! What happened out there? Did you think
I didn’t notice? Wasn’t that Collin?” She said his name with a
teasing tone in her voice.

“Ash, I’ve got to get to work. I don’t know
about your supervisor, but Nurse Yohanan will be heated if I
haven’t checked in on time.” Jewell pulled her scrub shirt over her
head, grabbed her shoes and slammed her locker shut. She started
walking briskly toward the locker room door, carrying her
shoes.

Ashley followed behind her, obviously waiting
for any crumb that Jewell might accidentally drop. Just outside the
door, Jewell threw her shoes to the floor and shoved her feet in as
she ran towards the ER.