Yvonne and Christopher leaned over the guardrails of the hospital bed where Tom Sawyer lay, still unconscious after surgery.
Yvonne rubbed the patient's arm. "It's alright, Tom. You're going to make it through, and you're going to make a full recovery. Alex is going to be so happy to see you. We all are."
Yvonne continued to speak to Tom, as if he could hear her. She remembered reading somewhere that coma patients in the hospital could still understand the words of loved ones who came to visit. So just in case, she wanted Tom to know she was there.
Her voice was soothing as she spoke to Tom. Yvonne was a ray of sunshine in a hospital where patients' lives hung in the balance.
Christopher stood at Yvonne's side. He admired how caring and attentive she was. He still couldn't remember much about Yvonne from the past, but he knew, right now, he had strong feelings for her. It felt like the universe was pulling them together.
Christopher thought about how she insisted he come to the hospital to perform the surgery despite his misgivings. Yvonne just wouldn't take no for an answer. And because of her dogged persistence, his friend and patient, Tom Sawyer, was going to pull through.
Christopher's lips curled up into a slight smile as he gazed at Yvonne in admiration. He patted her on the shoulder. "You know, it's all thanks to you."
Yvonne looked shocked to hear Christopher say that. "What do you mean? You're the doctor. You did all the work."
Humbly, Christopher shrugged. "Yeah, sure, but you were the only one who believed in me. I would have never gone through with it if you didn't encourage me."
His kind words touched Yvonne. She felt special as if she truly meant something to Christopher. "Well, of course, I believed in you. It's hard not to believe in the best doctor in all of Baltimore."
Christopher smirked. The best doctor in all of Baltimore, he thought. I could get used to that. The thought crossed his mind that he also could get used to Yvonne being by his side, but he quickly dismissed it.
"Well," he said. "Coming from the best buttoner in Baltimore, that means a lot."
Christopher reached down, wanting to hold Yvonne. As his skin brushed hers, the vital signs monitor started to beep.
[SFX: Medical Machine Beeping]
Yvonne and Christopher whipped their heads toward Tom Sawyer.
His eyes flickered open. As he awoke, he saw his friends standing over him. While he was glad to see them, he was confused. "Where, where I am?"
With careful concern, Yvonne leaned next to him. Her voice was soft and calm. "You're in Baltimore General Hospital. You got into a nasty fight with a super soldier. It almost crushed your skull, but everything's fine now. Alex took care of the super soldiers, and Christopher completed a successful operation that fixed your brain."
As Tom's eyes scanned the room, he lifted his hands to his head. A thick bandage was wrapped around his cranium. "Oh, my god. I remember the super soldier coming after me, but everything after was a blur. Where is Alex?"
Christopher put his hand on Yvonne's shoulder. He smiled warmly at Tom. "Alex and Louis stayed behind. He's at home. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."
When Tom saw Christopher, he reached out to his friend. "Christopher, thank you. You saved my life."
Jokingly, Christopher swatted Tom's hand away. "Listen, man, it was nothing. Plus, you kind of saved me too, in a way. I had a hard fall in the forest. It caused me to lose all of my memories. When I saw you, some of them came back. So, I guess I'm the one who should be thanking you."
Tom chuckled. "Look at that, even in a coma, I'm doing the Lord's work."
Christopher lifted an eyebrow. "Yvonne here gets to take some of the credit, too. She's the one who insisted that I come to the hospital to do the surgery. That was even before we know you were the patient."
A blush crept up on Yvonne's cheeks. "Really, Tom, it was all Christopher. I just drove him here."
"Thank you. I owe you one, Yvonne. I owe you both." Still drowsy from the effects of the anesthesia, Tom's eyelids drooped a little.
With a playful eye roll, Yvonne stood up. "So, I guess once you're good to go, we'll take you back to Alex's. I'm sure he'll want to help with your recovery."
Tom nodded. "I think I'm ready. Once I'm cleared, let's go back."
Christopher placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Get some rest for now. You're not going anywhere until I give the okay. Got it?"
Tom's lips lifted into a slight smile. "Got it, doc. Whatever you say. But the sooner I can get out of here, the better."
***
For the last few hours, Alex spent all of his time appeasing his family. When his mother wanted a drink, he got her one. When his father was in the bathroom and ran out of toilet paper, he got him that. When Justin asked what he did to screw up his relationship with Debbie, he gave him a solid punch in the arm.
Dealing with his family was not easy. He had to be on his toes every minute of the day with his mother, his father, and Justin underfoot. For a brief moment, Alex wondered what he had been thinking to invite them here.
"Alex!" Flora called out from the living room. "Maybe you could get one of the older photo albums out! I can switch these pictures of Debbie for you."
With a sigh, Alex paced into the living room. "Mom, I can switch them later. Please, it isn't a big deal."
Flora huffed. "It is to me. It's a huge deal to me. A mother knows what's best for her son."
Alex curled his arms over his head. He was getting desperate. "Fine, Mom. Whatever."
Luckily for Alex, a knock at the door interrupted his mother's nagging.
In a flash, Alex opened the front door. He prayed it was Yvonne and Christopher. And then he thought that almost anyone would be welcome at this moment if they took him away from his family's never-ending demands.
Thankfully, Yvonne and Christopher stood at the front door. However, they weren't alone. Tom Sawyer stood in between them, with his arms resting on their shoulders. He sported a bandage wrapped around his head.
Alex was pleasantly surprised. "Tom!" He brought his friend in for a hug. "What are you doing here, buddy?"
Christopher pushed past them, walking into the house. "Tom was the patient in the coma at the hospital."
Concerned for his friend, Alex pulled back from the hug. "What?"
Yvonne looked to the side. "Yeah, he was attacked by a super soldier. It almost killed him."
Alex's stomach dropped. He was filled with regret. "Oh, my gosh. I was so caught up in fighting Riley that I didn't even wonder if you were okay. He sent a super soldier after you?"
Before Tom Sawyer could answer, Yvonne noticed Alex's parents standing in the room. She took a deep breath. Obviously, Alex hadn't heeded her warning. "Flora, Gideon… what are you all doing here?"
Flora rushed to hug Yvonne. "Oh, sweety, you know me! If my baby needs me, I will come to his disgustingly renovated home in a heartbeat."
Alex pulled his mother off of Yvonne. "Mom, enough complaining about the renovation. This isn't about you. It's about Tom."
Irritated, Tom crossed his arms. "Oh, really? It's about me now?"
Tom's sudden anger confused Alex. "What's wrong?"
Tom raised an eyebrow in Alex's direction. "You serious? You forgot about me, Alex. I was in a coma for weeks. No one wondered where I was?" Tom reached out to lean on Christopher for support. He was, after all, still recovering from brain surgery. Christopher took a quick look at his patient's bandages, just to make sure there had been no bleeding on the way here.
Alex knew that Tom was right. He rubbed his temples. "I don't know what to say. There's no excuse. My mind just hasn't been in the right place. I'm so sorry, Tom."
He turned toward everyone else in the living room. "I'm sorry to all of you. I've been a bad friend and an even worse boyfriend. I hope you can all forgive me."
Tom patted Alex on the back. "It's alright, man. I forgive you."
Yvonne stepped forward. "Me too, Alex. It's been such a stressful time. We all haven't been the best versions of ourselves."
Christopher agreed. "Some of us don't even remember the best versions of ourselves."
Alex smiled at his friends and parents. He had no idea what he did to deserve such an awesome crew. He motioned for everyone to come to him. "Bring it in. Group hug. I don't know what I'd do without you guys."
Everyone rushed toward Alex. As they all embraced, everything felt right. It was like the worst was behind them.
As the hug broke apart, Flora glanced around the room. "Has anyone seen Justin? He missed the group hug! Maybe we should have a second group hug when he gets back. I'd hate to see my baby boy left out."
Alex chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "Sure, Mom."
Before everyone walked away, Alex pulled Christopher to the side. "Hey, man. I just want you to know everything I told you about Yvonne, it wasn't true. I was just jealous."
Christopher shrugged. He wasn't offended by Alex's confession. "I kind of figured as much. It isn't a big deal, Alex."
Alex held out his hand. "For what it's worth, I think you two would make a cute couple."
Christopher shook Alex's hand, gazing at Yvonne as he did. "Yeah, I do too."
After Christopher walked away, Alex sighed to himself. Finally, I was able to make everything right, he thought. Then, he looked at Debbie's picture on the bookcase. Well, almost everything. I hope Debbie is okay. I wonder where she is now.
******
As Alex celebrated making amends with his friends, all was quiet at Enrichment's office. It was late and all the staff were home with their families. Even though no one was present, Todrick Dangles was still on high alert. He kept glancing around looking for a late night officer straggler or the cleaning crew. He tried to remain as quiet as possible. And he was frustrated that even though Debbie and Mark were unconscious they still were making noise.
He dragged their unconscious bodies out of his car, up the elevator, and then through the hallway of Enrichment. The only noise that could be heard was deafening to him—the slow scraping sound of Debbie's belt against the hardwood floor.