RENEWAL

PART SIX

by Karen

          Rita lay in bed, wide awake at 3:30 am. She had intended to just look at her photo albums for a little while and then go to bed. But "a little while" had turned into two hours, and then she heard the song on the radio and just started to cry. She had tuned it to a soft rock station a long time ago, and had just left it there. She kept it on all the time--it helped her sleep. At about 3:00, a woman called the radio station and requested the most beautiful song. It seemed to speak to Rita and had brought tears to her eyes.

     Don't be afraid, oh my love
     I'll be watching you from above
     And I'd give all the world tonight to be with you
     'Cause I'm on your side, and I still care
     I may have died but I've gone nowhere
     Just think of me, and I'll be there

     It made her feel lonely and comforted at the same time. She knew that Chris would be there with her if he could, but she still missed him. So much it hurt. She played with her wedding ring hanging from her neck on a thin, gold chain. Again she cursed herself for not remembering to ask for Chris's ring. She wanted both rings to be together.

     She thought of the twins, and fresh tears streamed down her face. Her miscarriage early in her fourth month of pregnancy almost completely devastated her. Julie Rose and Christopher James Jr. were the names she had picked out for them. She couldn't bear the thought of naming them without Chris's opinion, but she knew that Chris had always wanted a son with his name. Rose had been Chris's grandmother's name. Rita knew that Chris would approve.

     Rita turned her pillow over, looking for a cool spot. Her first day to work at the hospital was tomorrow, and she was not looking forward to it. Candi was almost too much to take. Rita smiled as she remembered how desperately Candi tried to keep her out of room 1765. One of the first things Rita intended to do when Candi was off doing something else was find out what was in there. No one told Rita Lance Lorenzo where she could and could not go. An hour later, Rita dropped off to sleep with her face buried in Chris's pillow and her left hand twisted in the necklace around her neck, dreaming of their wedding day.

     The next day, Rita reported for work exactly on time and felt the familiar irritation rise up in her when she saw that Candi was late. Again. Sensing opportunity knocking, she walked down the hall to the mysterious room 1765. She put her hand on the knob and almost opened the door when she saw that the clipboard was gone. Candi had been adamant yesterday when she told Rita to never go in a room when a doctor was there unless a nurse was specifically called. Rita got the sense that Candi had been yelled at one too many times for doing it.

     Rita pressed her ear to the door and listened. She heard two male voices talking in low tones. One of the voices sounded like Chris's. Rita shook her head. Almost every man she saw lately reminded her of Chris in some way.

     She turned on her heel and walked back to the nurse's station and felt a combination of relief and irritation when she saw Candi standing there, waiting for her. Luckily, Candi didn't seem to know what Rita had been up to.

     "Hi, Rachel. Ready to work?" Candi looked at Rita with wide blue eyes.

     "That's Rita, and yes I am," she said in exasperation

     Candi turned around to look behind her and said, "Who's Rita?"

     "Never mind," Rita muttered under her breath. "What do I have to do?"

     "Well, you have two choices. Cleaning bedpans or changing diapers," Candi said, deliberately giving Rita the two jobs that she herself detested doing. How else would she keep Rita away from Chris?

     Rita's eyes misted slightly as she said, "I'll take the diapers. Where's the maternity area?"

     Candi's face clouded in confusion. "The what?"

     Rita dug her nails into her palms as she tried to stay calm. "The babies, Candi. Where are the babies?"

     "Oh. Why didn't you say so before? They're on the floor below this one, which is number. . .um. . ." Candi looked up at the ceiling as she tried to remember the floor number. She was just no good with numbers.

     Rita practically leapt into the nearest elevator. "I'll find it. Don't worry."

     Just as the elevator doors closed, Dr. Miller and Harry Lipshitz turned the corner and headed toward Chris's room. Candi opened her mouth to ask if the doctor needed any help, hoping to get to see Chris, but the two men walked past her without saying a word and without even a glance in her direction. She closed her mouth and watched as they opened Chris's door and went in.

     Harry stood in the doorway, frozen with shock. As the swinging door closed, it hit him lightly in the back. He didn't even notice as he stared at a person he thought he would never see again. Chris's face brightened and he tried to get out of bed.

     "Chris, sit down. Doctor's orders," Miller said.

     Harry went around to the side of the bed and hugged Chris for the longest time. He broke the embrace to take off his glasses and wipe his eyes. Chris's eyes were also wet.

     "I have no idea what to say to you. I was at your funeral, for God's sake," Harry said smiling.

     "Thank you for coming. I can't tell you how good it is to see you and to talk to someone who knows what's going on." Chris looked at Miller guiltily and said, "Oh, not to say that you DON'T know what's going on, I mean. . .uh. . ." He trailed off, wondering if Miller had taken offense.

     Luckily, he hadn't. "I know what you meant, Chris. I'll leave you two to work things out. When you ever do figure things out, please enlighten me." He smiled at the reunited friends and left the room.

     Harry turned to face Chris and said, "The doctor tells me you have amnesia. Uh, what do you remember? I don't want to say something if you don't know what I'm talking about."

     "Well, I didn't know much at first. I talked to Jillian for a long time--" Harry's eyes widened in surprise "--and my memory slowly came back. Now I know everything up until I, um, well, until I. . ."

     "Died," Harry finished for him. "So, you know about you and Rita getting. . ." He stopped, looking for recognition in Chris's eyes.

     In response, Chris held up his left hand with his wedding band on the third finger. "All I want is my wife back. Harry, please, where is she? Nobody knows and it's driving me crazy!" Chris sat up and looked pleadingly at Harry.

     Awkwardly, Harry said, "She's in Boca Raton, Chris."

     Chris leaned forward and said excitedly, "She's here? Where? I have to see her. Does she know I'm alive?"

     "Well, that's the problem. No, she doesn't. She left the force not long after you, um, died. She's staying with Keisha. The last time I talked to her, she didn't sound so good. She had just lost the babies, and--" Harry stopped short, seeing the horror in Chris's eyes. "You didn't know? Oh, damn, Chris, I'm so sorry. I thought you knew."

     Chris's eyes filled with tears as he said softly, "Babies? Plural?"

     Equally quietly, Harry said, "Twins. Julie Rose and Christopher James Lorenzo, Jr. It was a miscarriage. Her fourth month. It almost destroyed her, Chris. That's why I don't know how well she'll take it when she learns you're alive. Surely she can't handle anymore shocks in her life."

     Chris was almost inaudible. "She's not as strong as she seems." He was silent for nearly a full minute.

     Harry reached out and touched Chris's hand. "Chris, talk to me," he pleaded.

     Chris looked up and wiped his eyes. "How long ago did you talk to her?"

     "At the beginning of April. About four weeks ago."

     "Could you call her again, see how she's doing? Don't tell her anything about me, though. Just see if she's stronger, okay?"

     Harry stood up. "Sure, Chris. Anything. Do you need anything? Is there anything I can get you?"

     Chris lay back on the bed, exhausted. "Nothing except the one thing I can't have." He stared out the window, tears rolling silently onto the pillow.

     "I'll be back tomorrow, Chris. Get some rest, okay?" Harry's heart was breaking. Somehow, he just had to get Chris and Rita back together.

     After lunch, Rita avoided Candi and rushed down the hall. Standing in front of room 1765, she noticed that the clipboard was in its plastic holder on the wall next to the door. Perfect. She opened the door slowly and slipped inside.

     The room was empty. The bed was freshly made, and the bathroom was sparkling. Someone had obviously just cleaned the room. She scanned the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. It just looked like a regular hospital room. She crossed the room and looked out of the window. The view was beautiful, and she stood there looking down at the park across from the hospital for a long time, watching parents chase their children around, laughing. A single tear fell from her eye.

     Harry walked down the hall towards the main lobby when he saw Dr. Miller coming towards him, in deep conversation with another man. He heard a part of their hushed conversation as they walked toward him, completely oblivious to everything else.

     "How in the hell are we going to tell him his wife is here, Mike?"

     "I don't know. Is there some way we can assign her to another floor? You must be able to pull some strings, right?"

     "Well, her superior nurse has managed to assign Rita to maternity until further notice, but--" He stopped when he saw Harry staring at them.

     "Oh, uh, Harry. Nice to see you again. This is Mike Abrams. He works in the mental health wing. Mike, this is Captain Harry Lipshitz."

     Abrams's hand trembled slightly as he reached out to shake Harry's hand. He was shaking because he recognized Harry's name. Rita had told him about her police captain and how close they were.

     Harry said firmly, "I think we need to talk."

     The two doctors glanced at each other. Miller nodded slightly. The three men walked into an unused conference room and closed the door.

     Harry spoke first. "I'll get right to the point. I think Chris and Rita should be together as soon as humanly possible."

     Both Miller and Abrams shook their heads vigorously. Miller spoke. "We both feel that, given Mrs. Lorenzo's delicate state, we need to wait for the right time to give her yet another shock."

     Harry said, "I'm sorry. I don't feel that way. The woman earned a gold shield, for God's sake. She's not some hysterical female who faints at the first sign of stress."

     "We understand your position, Captain Lipshitz," Abrams said, "so please try to understand ours. We are responsible for the welfare of our patients, and we both feel that it would be in the best interest of both Chris and Rita to--"

     Harry cut him off. "You don't know the first thing about them. They were made for each other. Every minute they are apart is torture for them. I have known them for years. I ought to know what's in their best interest. And I plan to make sure they are reunited, with or without your permission."

     With that, Harry walked out of the room and out of the hospital. Abrams and Miller stared at each other.

     Suddenly, Rita heard movement outside the door. She had to think fast. If someone came in here, they would know that she had no business in this room. She darted into the bathroom and shut the door. She pressed her back against the wall as the door to the room opened.

     Candi pushed Chris in his wheelchair down the hall of the hospital. Chris had just come from physical therapy, and he was ashamed of the frailty of his body. He had evidently been hurt worse that he had thought.

     Candi's mind raced as she tried to think of something to say to him. He looked so gorgeous, even tired and covered with sweat. She couldn't think of anything to say. Being this close to him made her a little dizzy. She pushed the wheelchair into the room and helped Chris onto his bed. She tried to say something but Chris cut her off.

     "Thanks, Candi. I'm going to try to get some sleep now. I'll see you later, okay?" He smiled at her and she just couldn't say anything. She managed to smile back and walked towards the door.

     Candi paused, looking curiously at the door to the bathroom. People usually left that door open after they cleaned in the rooms. She shrugged and left.

     Rita took a deep breath. Candi had finally left the room. Now all she had to do was wait until the guy in the bed went to sleep. Then she could just walk out.

     Twenty minutes later, she eased the bathroom door open. She glanced towards the bed, and saw the man was turned away from her, on his side. She listened to his breathing, and it sounded steady and even. Good. He was sleeping.

     She quietly closed the bathroom door and tiptoed to the door of the room. She had her hand on the doorknob when she got a strange feeling. It was the same feeling that she had while looking through the photo albums with Keisha. The feeling that Chris was alive and somewhere near overwhelmed her. She stepped back from the door and turned towards the bed. The sleeping man had rolled over onto his other side and was now facing Rita. She took a step forward, took one look at his face, and fainted.

     Harry drove toward Palm Beach in angry silence, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. He couldn't believe what those incompetent doctors were doing. How could they keep a husband and wife separated? He wished he were younger; he didn't have the energy anymore to argue with people.

     Just then, he thought of someone who was very experienced in coercing people to do something. This person instantly let her opinions be known to anyone who disagreed with her. She would definitely help him find a way to change the doctors' minds. She also owed Harry a favor. And, it just so happened, he was married to her. He stepped on the gas and the car sped forward, racing home to Frannie.

     After much deliberation, Abrams and Miller decided that the best thing to do was detain Harry if he came back to the hospital and tried to reunite Chris and Rita.

     Abrams was very emphatic about the fact that Rita would not be able to handle such emotional stress without many more weeks of his therapy. Miller hadn't ever met Rita before, but from Chris's description he thought that Rita was much stronger than Abrams thought. He decided not to push the issue, though. After all, Abrams was the psychiatrist, not Miller.

     Rita came to gradually, feeling strong arms around her and hearing a voice she never expected to hear again. "Rita? Hey, partner, wake up."

     She opened her eyes and stared at her husband. Her mind went absolutely blank and she shut her eyes again. She had had dreams like this before, and there was no reason for her to think that this particular one was real. Any minute now she'd wake up in the guest bedroom of Keisha's house. Rita opened her eyes again.

     "Rita, wake up." She felt a hand against her cheek and she sat up. Chris was sitting on the floor of the hospital room, leaning over her. He had covered her with the blanket from his bed.

     Rita's first thought was that she was hallucinating. But hallucinations don't cover you with blankets and call you 'partner.' She whispered his name and burst into tears. Chris wrapped his arms around her and slowly rocked back and forth, tears sliding from his closed eyes down his cheeks.

     Frannie, Harry, and Keisha stormed through the main entrance of the hospital. All three were furious. Abrams and Miller jumped up from their chairs and attempted to prevent them from continuing down the hall. The three shoved their way around the stunned doctors and dashed towards Chris's room. Abrams and Miller trailed after them, calling for them to stop.

     Candi wondered for the third time in ten minutes where Rachel was. She left the cafeteria at lunch so quickly. Candi hoped to walk with her back to the nurses' station, making sure Rachel didn't get a chance to get into Chris's room. Rachel was kind of pretty in that teacher-like sense, and Candi didn't want Rachel messing everything up.

     Candi was fairly certain that Chris was falling in love with her. He was always talking to her or touching her arm or something. Thinking about him always gave her chills. With a self-satisfied smile on her face, she turned around and was almost run over by Dr. Miller and four other people. They were talking angrily and pushing each other out of the way. Miller grabbed Candi by the shoulders.

     "Miss Dawes, you've got to tell us where Rita is."

     Candi blinked. "Who is this Rita person?"

     Miller let go of her shoulders and stared at her. "The woman who works for you, Miss Dawes." Seeing no recognition on her heavily made-up face, Miller rolled his eyes and spoke slowly. "About five feet four, brown hair, green eyes, athletic?" he said impatiently. "Come on, Candi."

     Candi's face brightened. "Oh, you mean Rachel. I don't know where she is. She left lunch in a hurry."

     Harry asked, "You don't have ANY idea where she is?"

     "Well, I sent her to change diapers this morning. Maybe she's there. Anyway, how am I supposed to know where she is?"

     "Miss Dawes, you are her supervisor," Miller said coldly. "Although maybe I can do something about that," he said under his breath. "She's not in the maternity ward. We've already checked. Did you tell her anything about room 1765?"

     Candi narrowed her eyes. Why did all these people want to go to Chris's room? "Yes, I told her not to go in there. I'm supposed to be the only one who does," she said proudly.

     Keisha said, "Oh, no. She specifically told Rita not to go in there. I'll bet that's exactly where she is. You know how Rita hates being told what to do."

     Miller asked, "Miss Dawes, is Sgt. Lorenzo--uh, Chris--still in physical therapy? We have to know if he's in his room or not."

     "Well, I took him to his room before, but. . ."

     "Was there anyone in there?"

     Candi said, "There was, once Chris was there." Miller dropped his head into his hands.

     Abrams said loudly, "I'm sorry. We cannot permit you three into the room. Please sit in the waiting room until you're called. There's no telling what emotional damage you could do if you say anything to her."

     Harry pushed Abrams aside. Frannie and Keisha followed him. Abrams and Miller followed them. Candi stared dazedly after them as they all stopped in front of Chris's room. Frannie put a finger to her lips and pushed the door open. The five people filed into the room.

     Rita lay asleep in Chris's hospital bed, Chris cradling her head and shoulders in his arms. Chris was smoothing Rita's hair and was so absorbed in her that he didn't notice the people staring at them. They slowly backed out of the room.

     "Finally," breathed Keisha.

     "I knew it," gloated Frannie. She and Harry and Keisha walked out of the hospital. Abrams and Miller looked at each other in mute amazement.

     Two days later, Chris was discharged from Boca Raton Hospital. As they were walking out to Rita's car, Abrams caught up with them.

     "Young lady, I have a feeling you don't need me anymore," Abrams said good-naturedly, seeing Rita's radiant smile. "Love looks good on you, Rita."

     "Thanks for all your help, Doctor," Rita said, leaning over to kiss Abrams on the cheek.

     "Yeah, thanks, Doc," Chris said, shaking Abrams's hand. "You were there for my Sam when she really needed someone. I won't forget it. I just wish I could have been there."

     "Sam?" Abrams asked questioningly, but then he remembered that Rita had already explained the nickname to him.

     "Well, at least you're here now, and there's no way you're ever getting away from me again. I hereby make you my captive," Rita said, smiling. "If you come along quietly, no one will get hurt."

     Chris flashed a smile as he got in the passenger side of Rita's car. "Yes, ma'am!" They sped away from the past five months without a look back.

     Late that night, Chris and Rita checked into a hotel on their way to their new home in Pensacola. They sat on the bed side-by-side, talking and laughing. The conversation gradually grew serious.

     "Chris, I don't know how to say this," Rita began.

     Chris's eyes grew large with concern. "Sam, whatever you have to say, please, tell me."

     She said hesitantly, "The past five months--well. . ." she trailed off. Her eyes filled with unshed tears and she wiped her eyes with her hand. Chris put his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.

     "Sam, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I can't imagine what it was like for you. I was unconscious for all that time. To think that you had to go through it alone. . ." Chris's voice broke.

     "No, I wasn't alone. Keisha was with me, and Dr. Abrams, and you were there, too. I felt you with me all along. Maybe a part of me didn't really think you were dead. I'm not sure. But that's not what I was trying to say. What I meant was that the past five months have, uh, changed me somehow. I don't think I'm the same person that you--" Rita started to cry softly

     Chris suddenly understood. "You mean that you think you're not the same person I fell in love with, right? Did you really think that I suddenly wouldn't love you anymore? Oh, Sam, come on. A few bullets didn't change that. I'll love you no matter what."

     "I know," Rita said, inwardly relieved. "I just needed to hear it."

     "You'll hear it for the rest of our lives."

     "Mmm, you promise?" Rita teased.

     Chris smiled down at her. "Of course. Remember this?" he held up his left hand. His wedding band glittered in the light from the room. She laid her left hand on top of his, their rings touching.

     "You know, we haven't been following our wedding vows."

     Rita looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"

     "Well, didn't we say 'till death do us part'?"

     "Mm-hmm. I was there. I remember."

     "Well, until recently, I was dead. And we're still together. Does that mean something?"

     "Definitely. It means that nothing can get in our way when we stick together. Not even death."

     Chris leaned back on the bed, pulling Rita down next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder. They were quiet for a long time.

     "Sam?" Chris whispered.

     "Yeah?"

     "I know that nothing can take the place of the twins. But do you think that, maybe someday, we could try again?"

     Rita paused, her eyes blurring with tears for an instant. She sat up and took a deep breath. Then she pretended to think it over as she turned off the light. "Oh, I think so," she said as she leaned over and kissed her husband.

THE END

     Questions? Comments? Criticisms? Smart remarks? Email me at kdl@gulf.net. Just write "Karen's Story, conclusion" on the subject line. Any and all comments are welcome. I live to get email. Okay, if you really hated this story, you are now allowed to tell me. Of course, if you really hated it, why are you still reading it??? No infringement intended on anything, anyone, anywhere, at anytime, for any reason whatsoever.

     The song "I'll Be There," by The Escape Club, is the property of Atlantic. No copyright infringement intended. Please don't sue me. Thank you.