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in a lecturer s tone of voice.
 You, Charli, nearly died. In fact, twice during the surgery we thought we d lost
you. It was touch and go there for about thirty minutes each time we got your heart
started again, you crashed. And when we finally got you fixed up as best we could, we
gave you a very slim chance of surviving, certain you d be nothing more than a
vegetable if you lived. If anyone had asked, I d have said you had about a one in a
million chance of making it.
When he says that, I suddenly remember what Ruthie told me about anything
worth doing and worth doing right.  You mean I had a one in a million chance of living
and so I had a one in two million chance of living right. Without brain damage. Without
physical impairment. That might be pushing it because, as of this moment, I ve made
no effort to get out of the bed I m in. I look at Ethan and I m sure he can sense my fear.
 Am I physically all right? Does everything work?
 We won t know until you try, love, but considering everything else, I suspect
you re just fine. Nothing about you seems to be normal. His smile takes the sting out of
his words.
 Sorry, Doctor, go on. I want to hear the rest of this.
 Well, I d have said your odds were even slimmer than one in a million if it s
possible. And you can thank this young man here you even had the chance to get this
far. You tell her Ethan, you were there, I just heard about it.
 When Doctor Hardy called you Mrs. Harwood, it s because, well, you are Mrs.
Harwood. Mrs. Ethan Harwood. I married you, Charli, while you were unconscious.
 You what? I m totally flabbergasted.
 I married you. It was the only way I could stop your parents. The look on his face
tells me I m not going to like the next part, and he doesn t seem to be in any hurry to tell
me about it.
 Ethan? I look at him and see this is harder on him than even my wild imaginings.
 When we notified your parents you were hurt, they decided not to come to Seattle.
They knew you were unconscious, they were told of your chances and they directed the
doctor who phoned them to take no heroic measures to save you. No surgery. No life
support. I was there when the call was made. You had my number in your purse, to
contact in case of an accident. His eyes take on a faraway look, and I know he s
remembering.
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Deja You
 See, I told you I needed your number in my wallet. You were the only one I knew,
except LeRoy, in Seattle.
 Thank God you did! I was there when your parents gave the orders to do nothing.
I tried to fight it. The hospital told me I didn t have the right the only person who
could overrule your parents would be your husband. So I lied. I told the doctor you
were my wife, that we d been keeping it a secret because you worked for me. That no
one else knew. And you went by Robertson so no one would find out.
Roland smiles even more broadly. I ask him,  Roland, what do you know about all
this? Did he really do that?
 Yes, he really did. I don t believe I ve ever seen Ethan as upset as he was when he
heard what your parents wanted done. Or rather not done. I was there. I heard him tell
all these lies. I helped him make it happen. You were married by proxy, Charli. I wasn t
even sure it was legal, but apparently, in extreme cases, it can be done.
 So I m really Mrs. Harwood. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea,
but I can t say so in front of these two doctors.  And you overruled my parents. My
eyes meet Ethan s and I find myself falling even deeper in love with this man, brave
enough to marry me to save my life.
 I sure did. I wasn t going to let them hand you a death sentence. Not if there was a
chance of you making it. And even with the slim odds they gave you of surviving the
surgery, I wanted them to try. He pauses, looking at our joined hands.  I care for you
too much to let you die without trying to save you.
 Thank you. It comes out as a whisper but I know he hears.  Thank you for my
life.
 Anyway, Charli, poor Doctor Hardy is trying again,  what I think happened is
you must have heard some of the voices of the people in the hospital room, talking
about what was happening at your building. And if you had an out-of-body experience
any of the times we thought we were losing you, then maybe you really did see
Michael. And Attitude. You might even have seen the building and everything going on
there. We don t know what happens when a near-death experience occurs, only what
people tell us. And your story would fit in with what we ve heard from others who
have had the experience. He smiled, a little sheepishly I thought.  I ve just never heard
so many details of one trip before.
 So the tenants got together and did all the things I thought I was involved with?
Ethan s nodding before I finish asking.  Everything. All the things you described.
They did them. And now they want to do them to other buildings in the area. Try and
pull the district up, one slum block at a time.
 I think it s a wonderful idea. I stifle a yawn, trying not to let it show.
 You re tired, sweetheart. Do you think you can wait until tomorrow to try sitting
up? You re going to need some help. And a lot of physiotherapy. Your muscles haven t
been used for a long, long time. You re going to have to learn to walk and do things for
yourself all over again.
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Kelsy George
I hadn t thought about it. All the talk about seven months hasn t prepared me for
anything like that. I look at Ethan in total disbelief.
 How long will it take me to get up and about? I have to get back to work. I can t
afford to lie here. I won t be able to pay the rent on my apartment. Suddenly I m
babbling, not thinking straight and afraid of the future..
 Hush, don t worry. You re married to the boss, remember? He smiles at me, leans
over and kisses me, then stands.  I ll be right back. I ll just see Doctor Hardy out.
Ethan follows the doctor, leaving me alone with Roland.
 Charli, I am so glad you re back with us. I don t like to think what would have
happened to that boy if you d died. Or if you hadn t eventually wakened. He s been
working himself sick trying to get that apartment building of yours fixed up. I think he
was running out of steam.
Roland tells me again how Ethan cared for me, protected me from my own parents [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]