Healing Touch

Chapter Eighteen

"Where is she?"

Now that Andy was at the hospital, her anxiety was at an all-time high.

Michael took her to Jaime's hospital room then stepped out.

Jaime was lying unconscious on the hospital bed. When Andy looked at her, she was bombarded with memories of her mother, sick, weak and dying. She'd been so pale, and thin, almost as though the cancer had eaten her from inside out, and there was nothing left but a caricature of what she'd once been. Andy had desperately prayed for a miracle even then, knowing nothing could save her but somehow, she'd been hopeful, clinging despairingly to what little remained.

All the pain, hurt, and betrayal she had experienced the last few days seemed to dissipate, and all she wanted was to see Jaime open her eyes and get out of that hospital with a clean bill of health once and for all. If for nothing else, then at least for those who dearly loved her.

At the thought, Andy wondered where Elsie was. The woman was never there when Jaime needed her. Wasn't she supposed to be at her bedside? Comforting her, reassuring her, loving her?

"Jaime," she said softly, "I want you to open your eyes." She gently soothed.

Michael had informed her he'd run more tests on Jaime. The aggressive treatment she'd undergone was still doing a number on her, causing these unpredictable side effects, which according to Michael was supposedly normal. All Jaime needed to do was wake up so they could determine whether something needed to be done.

"Listen to me, okay?"

Andy took Jaime's hand in hers.

"I can't live in a world where you don't exist. It doesn't matter how many times you choose Elsie over me. As long as you're here, breathing, living, safe, then that is all that's important to me."

God, Jaime had come to mean so much to her. It was because of her that Andy had come to learn what true love was. What true peace, joy and happiness was. She'd opened Andy's heart and so much more. She'd shone a light in the dark world Andy had settled in and pulled her out into the sun.

Andy couldn't go back to that. She wouldn't. "If I've never shown you before, if I've never said it, I want you to know that you're the most important person in my life and I won't be able to survive without you because ..." She trailed off as tears started streaming down her face. "Because I love you more than anything else in this world." Tears freely fell down her face as she leaned her head over Jaime's shoulder.

"I love you too." Jaime's weak voice resounded and Andy thought she had imagined it.

She pulled back and looked at Jaime, whose eyes started to weakly open and her hand smoothed Andy's hair. Had the universe finally heard her plea? This was the miracle she'd been praying for.

"You opened your eyes," Andy said, overwhelmed.

"You told me to," Jaime said, delicately touching Andy's cheek. "It's always been you, Andy," she added, wiping away the tears on Andy's face. "I've never chosen Elsie over you."

Andy thought it was the effect of the sedative talking; either that, or she was too dazed to process what Jaime was saying. She pressed a button to call for a nurse, her eyes never leaving Jaime's.

"Please don't go," Jaime pleaded when a nurse walked in and asked her to wait outside.

"I'll be right outside the door," she reassured her.

She found Layla anticipatedly waiting for her outside as she walked past Michael, who came rushing in to the hospital room.

"I'm in love with her," Andy whispered, lacking the enthusiasm that would have normally accompanied the realization.