TEARS IN HEAVEN
Chapter Two
Rome, Italy
July 8, 2004
Rasheed Muhammad stared at the figure that
lay still on the tiny hospital bed. It had been nearly a year since his friend
had been hit in the head with a piece of concrete, putting him into a coma. A
coma he still had not awoken from. The doctors wanted to pull the plug on him,
not believing that the young man would pull through, but were restrained by the
law that stated only the next of kin could make that decision. Rasheed knew his
friend had a family back in the states, a wife and three little ones, he had
said, but he didn't know how to get in contact with them. Having lost his son
to war some years ago, he acted as the young man's father, staying beside his
continuously, taking up residence at a nearby apartment, here in Rome.
"Hey, buddy," Rasheed greeted as he
took his normal seat next to the bed. But unlike every other day, the figure
responded slightly, making a gurgling sound. Rasheed jumped, not expecting to
hear anything. He stared intently as the young man slowly opened his blue
eyes...
Four Weeks Later
August 14, 2004
"What's the date, Rasheed?" Jack
Dawson asked as his friend and surrogate father came into his hospital room.
"Fourteenth of August."
Jack's eyes filled with tears.
"Rose," he whispered.
Rasheed gave him a confused look.
"Rose?"
Jack shook his head. "Nothing. I don't
mean to be rude, but could you leave me alone today? I need time to
think."
"But your physical therapy..."
Rasheed objected.
"Please?"
"Oh, all right. Tomorrow we try walking
again, eh?"
Jack nodded. While his head injury hadn't
really left him with any mental problems, it had affected his nerves, causing
him to lose feeling in his hands and legs. But he was getting it back more and
more every day. The doctors said that it would probably be some time before he
could walk completely on his own, but that he would. Shaking that from his
head, he made himself think about Rose. Today was their third anniversary.
Where was she? How was she? He didn't even know, as he wasn't able to write her
yet and his hands weren't stable enough to call her. Call her? He realized at
the moment, he couldn't even recall their phone number. Jack knew he could just
have someone else write to her for him, but something stopped him. His letters
to her were much too personal for him to dictate to another person, especially
what he wanted to say after no contact in over a year. Momentarily, he wondered
where her letters were, how he would love to sit down and read them, to see the
familiar handwriting. Pain shot through his heart as the image of her on their
wedding day popped into his head. Had that day only been three years ago? It
seemed much, much longer.
Santa Monica, California
Rose stood up and straightened her clothes
before attacking Colin with another round of tickles. The child laughed and
kicked wildly as he attempted to squirm out of her grasp. "Oh no you
don't!" she declared, picking him up and pulling him into her lap. Colin
laid his head on his mother's shoulder.
"Love you, Mama."
Rose kissed his head. "I love you too,
sweetie."
Just then two and a half year old, Josh came
bursting into the room with Dada the dog barking behind him. "BAM! GOT
YA!" he shouted, pointing his imaginary gun at his little brother.
Rose gave him a stern look. "Don't point
your gun at people, Josh. You know better then that. And keep it down,
Janelle's sleeping."
Josh nodded and climbed up on the couch next
to her. "When is Gamma coming?"
"Grandma will be here in a few hours,
Josh. You better be a good boy for her tonight," Rose warned. Just
recently her angel of a son had succumbed to the inevitable terrible twos stage
and loved to act up for his baby-sitters, whether it be Ruth or Helga.
Josh gave her an innocent smile. "Perfect
angel."
Rose smiled back at him. "Yes, be a
perfect angel for her. And don't pull your sister's hair tonight. Be a nice
brother."
"Okay, Mommy. I go play with Dada
now."
Rose wrinkled her nose at the overgrown
chocolate lab her son so intensely loved. It's not that it wasn't a good dog,
it was and it protected the kids fiercely, but it was so...rowdy. If a dog
could be rowdy, this dog definitely was. "All right. I'll call you when
Grandma gets here."
*****
"Are you doing okay, Rose?" Ruth
asked, concerned as she came into her daughter's home.
Rose gave her mother a smile and Ruth noted
that it was a genuine one. "So far. The kids have kept me so busy I
haven't been able to think of much else."
"Maybe you should stay here then. Keep
your mind off today."
Rose shook her head. "No, I need to
spend this time alone."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mom. I'm going to get going.
Dinner's in the fridge."
Ruth nodded. "All right. I'll see you
later."
Rose kissed her mom's cheek and left, once
again thanking God for her. When Jack died, Ruth had moved out to California
without a second thought. Having been through the pain of losing a spouse, she
had been a big help for Rose.
Slowly Rose approached the spot on the beach
where she wanted to spend this time. She would stop by the cemetery before
going home, but for now, she only wanted to go where they had spent so many
happy times. Sighing, she sank down into the warm sand, watching a family play
catch together down the beach. A young couple with three kids. A sob escaped
her throat. That should be them! He was only twenty-one when he died, for God's
sake! They had still had so much time ahead of them to live, to spend their
lives together. And it had all been cut short. Rose glanced away from the
family, down at her left hand where her gold wedding band still resided. Even
after a year, she couldn't bring herself to take it off. Somehow she knew she
never would. She would inevitably spend the rest of her life alone. Surely she
would never love again. She wouldn't let herself.
Rome, Italy
Jack lay in his bed, staring at the moon
outside, his heart torn. The only comfort he held was knowing, somewhere, Rose
was underneath that same endless sky.