End of Innocence- November 1963

The Ties That Bind

"Jack," she muttered, uncertain if her eyes and ears were deceiving her, slowly raising her head up off his chest. "Jack," she repeated, "Can you hear me, Jack, please answer me!" She cried.

Quickly moving her eyes between his hands and his face, Jackie sat motionless, praying that what she felt and heard hadn't been a hallucination. Grabbing his right hand, "Jack, darling, if you can hear me, please Jack, squeeze my hand, open your eyes baby, please, I know I'm not going crazy," she sighed.

Moments suddenly felt like hours as she waited for a sign and then it came, his large, strong, and steady hand she had held so many times prior, wrapped slowly around hers, squeezing tightly.

"Oh Jack," she screeched! "I'm here my love, I'll never let you go, open your eyes honey."

With his hand, still tightly squeezing hers, his eye lids began to flutter, the strain visible on his face as his lips slowly opened, slightly, a faint whisper trying to escape them, "Ja-Ja-Jac-k, Jack-Jackie."

"Yes, darling it's me," she cried as his eye began to blink trying to gain focus. "Those beautiful green eyes, how I've missed them," she gushed leaning into him and kissing his lips softly.

"I, I have to get the nurse," Jackie stuttered, unwilling to leave Jack's side. "Jack, I have to, I have to get the nurse. Oh Jack, I knew you would come back to me. I love you Jack." She cried as her head fell upon his chest once again.

Swallowing hard, Jack moaned in pain. "Don't move darling, I've, I, I got to get the nurse for you," she stuttered again, not knowing what to do or wanting to leave him. Not taking her hand off his bed as she made her way around it and not taking her eyes off him as she quickly made her way to the door, Jackie yelled out the hallway, "He's AWAKE!"

Clint Hill, Jackie's Secret Service Agent, was seated just outside the door when her voice penetrated his ears and he saw a quick flash of her figure appear and disappear again. Quickly jumping to his feet, he ran into the room as she made her way back to Jack's side, "Mrs. Kennedy, is everything ok, you yelled, "He's awake," is he awake?" He questioned.

"Yes, Mr. Hill," she exclaimed, "Please find someone immediately! Running back out to the hallway, Mr. Hill spotted one of Jack's agents returning from the restroom and yelled at him to help him find a nurse or doctor, the president was awake.

Suddenly, a barrage of nurses and medical staff descended upon the president's suite. Vitals' being checked, orders to contact Dr. Burkley being shouted, monitors being examined for any sign of irregularity, the scene became chaotic in a matter or moments.

"Mr. President, squeeze my hand if you can hear me," one nurse ordered. "Mr. President, blink twice if you can feel this," another asked as she checked his limbs for nerve damage.

Trying to mutter something but unable to clearly produce any sound without extreme pain and discomfort, one nurse tenderly advised him, "Mr. President, please don't try and speak, we'll take care you. Are you in any pain?" She questioned.

Slightly shaking his head up and down, the nurse quickly said, "Yes, okay we'll get you something. Please just don't speak or try and move too much, I'll get something to help you."

Sitting in her corner chair next to Jack, Jackie appeared almost in shock as all the commotion surrounding Jack suddenly brought her back to a week prior in Dallas, but this time, with a sense of relief and gratitude. Taking note of Jackie's pale and frozen facile expression, Mr. Hill knelt down next to her and whispered, "Mrs. Kennedy, are you okay, can I get you something, you don't look too good."

Rapidly blinking as she tried to gain her senses once again, Jackie cried, "Oh Mr. Hill, no, I'm wonderful, I, I just can't believe it," she stuttered. "He's awake, I wanted to believe it, I knew he would come back to me but, but, I just....Oh my God, Bobby," she squealed, "I need to call Bobby," she exclaimed as she rose from her chair in a frenzy. "Mr. Kennedy, sit, I'll call The General, you stay here with the President where you belong. Don't worry, I'll get a hold of him."

"Thank you Mr. Hill, thank you," she repeated, taking his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "If it hadn't been for you, the first one in the car with us, who knows what could have happened. You saved our lives," she gushed. "No, no Mrs. Kennedy, I didn't do anything but react too late and for that, I will never forgive myself," he choked, quickly turning to leave before she could see the swell of tears in his eyes.

Regaining his composure as he made his way back out the hallway, he quickly grabbed the special White House phone that had been installed at the nurses station and exclaimed, "Get me the Attorney General immediately please!"

"This is Bobby!" "General, this is Agent Hill, Mrs. Kennedy requested I call you....." Before Clint could continue, Bobby interrupted hastily, "Clint, what's wrong, is she okay, is Jack okay, what's going on? Why are you calling?"

"Sir, yes sir, she's okay, the president....," "What, what's wrong with my brother," Bobby once again interrupted before Mr. Hill could finish speaking. "Mr. Kennedy, the president is awake, Mrs. Kennedy asked me to call and get you down here as soon as possible."

The phone was silence, with the exception of a muffled sniffle coming from the other end, "General, are you there," Clint questioned, "Are you okay General?"

"Yes, yes," Bobby replied, his voice cracking, "Thank you Mr. Hill," Bobby sniffled, "Please tell Jackie I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm leaving now," hanging up the phone before Clint could say anything else and before he fully broke down in tears.

As Mr. Hill made is way back into the room, he ran into Dr. Burkley you had already been in route to the hospital when the last call to him was made to inform him the president was awake. Unaware of the current situation, a frantic doctor asked Mr. Hill what was going on as he made note of all the commotion.

"He's awake," Mr. Hill replied as the gray-haired doctor turned on his heals and made a beeline run into the room.

"Dr. Burkley,' Jackie yelled as she caught sight of the doctor coming through the door, quickly rising to meet him, "He's awake," she gushed, tears swelling in her eyes. "He's awake," she repeated as if the spoken words would cement it into her brain that her husband was in fact awake.

With tears in his own eyes, the Admiral, unable to restrain his own emotions hugged Jackie, "Yes Mr. Kennedy, it's a miracle." he sobbed. "I knew he would doctor; I knew he wouldn't leave me," she cried.

Releasing his embrace from the First Lady, Dr. Burkley grasped her hands in a reassuring gesture that everything would be okay now. "I must examine the president now, Mrs. Kennedy, please excuse me." Releasing her hands slowly, one at a time.

Ordering the night nurse to contact the president's team of doctors, Dr. Burkley proceeded to examine the president. A concerned looked overshadowed the doctor's previous elation as he began to test Jack's responses to stimuli in his lower extremities. Taking precautions to not cause the president any undue pain, Dr. Burkley advised Jack not to attempt to speak until they could complete more accurate examination of his neck wound but requested hand signals to verify sensations to which the president was not responding to.

Unwilling to make any diagnosis determinations until the president's whole team of doctors were available to examine him, Dr. Burkley ordered the administration of morphine, intra-venously to help manage his pain, ultimately putting him back to a light sleep. Neurological damage had been of great concern over the last week but Dr. Burkley tried to remain positive for Jackie's sake.

"Mrs. Kennedy," he began, "The president looks incredible given what he's been through this last week. It's an absolute miracle he's alive, much less awake and we must focus on his full and complete recovery now. I don't want to speculate and make assumptions without a complete neurological and cranial examine of the president. It's been an exciting day, he needs his rest, we need to manage his pain. We will know more once Dr. Field and Dr. Critchley arrive. Please Mrs. Kennedy, you need to get some rest as well."

Just as Jackie was about to respond to the doctor, the door swung open, revealing Bobby's presence. "Oh Bobby," Jackie squealed as she ran towards him, wrapped her arms about his neck and exclaimed, "He's awake Bobby, he's awake!"

With tears in his eyes, Bobby held Jackie tight as she sobbed in his arms.

The scene was heart wrenching yet elating. Dr. Burkley covered his face with his handkerchief to control his own tears as Mr. Hill exited the room, overcome with his own emotions. No matter what the final diagnosis, he was awake and that is all that mattered to any of them at that moment.