Scattered Seeds

Chapter Twenty-Two

Eyelids fought to flutter open. The whitewashed ceiling combined with the glare of florescent lights made Jess squint and blink repeatedly until her vision adjusted.

Damn, she was thirsty!

…And still so very tired….

Jess made a weak attempt to move her head. When nothing happened, she paused to muster all of her strength and try it again. The top of Tom’s head, and then the side of his face came into view when she succeeded.

Her heart ached for him.

All Jess wanted to do was touch Tom’s face; kiss him and tell him how much she loved him. He was sleeping so soundly, and he was so handsome. Tom still clutched her hand in his, and Jess made the concerted effort to wiggle her fingers against his palm.

The sleeping man began to stir slowly at first from the movement in his hand. When the memories of the night before came rushing back to him, Tom suddenly jerked up; still half asleep. His head wobbled and Tom’s upper body swayed slightly as he blinked away the sleep in his eyes and looked to Jess.

When Tom saw open, warm brown eyes staring back at him the terrifying emotion of almost losing Jess overcame him.

“Oh, Darling!” Tom croaked as he tried to muffle the sob swelling in his chest. “Oh, Jess!”

He bent forward again and placed his head on Jess’s abdomen; snuggling his forehead against her body and gripping her in a tight hug with one arm, while his other hand still clung to hers.

Jess tried to lift her free hand to pat Tom’s head. When he realized the severe effort it took her to move, Tom raised Jess’s hand and placed it on top of his hair.

He gazed up at her from his position on her belly.

The first happy feeling he’d had since playing Frisbee in the road the evening before burned merrily through him as Tom witnessed Jess’s cheeks pull back, and her lips curve up in a feeble smile for him.

“I missed you,” Tom told her softly, returning Jess’s smile.

Jess slowly blinked in response and held her smile as if to tell Tom that she knew, and that she missed him, too.

There was a knock on the already open door. Tom lifted his head, and Jess’s hand slipped from his hair back down to the mattress.

As Sy, Louise, Harry, and Luke were all standing in the hall. Tom welcomed them in with a grin as he pushed away the moisture at the corners of his eyes.

“How are you feeling, my feisty little friend?” As Sy asked as he stepped up to Jess’s bed.

Jess managed to clear her throat. When she tried to sit up, Tom rushed to lift her torso forward and brace the back of Jess’s body with pillows.

“Be back on my feet in no time,” Jess slowly rasped with a small grin.

The tall, dark man extended his large hand to display the bouquet of wildflowers he’d brought her.

“Louise and I picked these for you this morning,” the UNICEF Director told her.

“I’ll put them in some water for you,” Louise offered.

When she moved to fill a glass mason jar she’d found on top of the cabinet, the petite blonde woman noticed another collection of flowers in a beautiful red Carnival glass vase situated beside the small sink.

“Who are these from?” Louise asked.

Jess looked past her visitors to see a breathtaking arrangement of soft pink English roses with lengths of fern and Lilly of the Valley mixed between their lovely blossoms.