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THE HOSPITAL
Just as Gabi began to fall asleep, the nurse came in to take Antonio for his CAT scan. Gabi moved to the back corner of the room as they unhooked his bed from the necessary equipment and began to push it out of the room. Antonio woke up as they moved him and looked quickly around the room for Gabi. Sensing his agitation, she stepped to the edge of the bed. "It’s okay…they’re just taking you for a CAT scan," she said reassuringly. "It won’t take long." "Will you be here when I get back?" he asked sleepily. "I wouldn’t be anywhere else," she smiled as she gently touched the bandage on his head. Antonio smiled softly and closed his eyes. The nurse took him from the room. Gabi sat down with a heavy sigh and closed her eyes once again. Carmen flew into the room like an unleashed animal. "Where is my Antonio?" She was calling out like a wildwoman even though it was almost 3 am and Antonio was obviously not in the room. Carmen’s eyes landed on Gabi and her fury unfurled. "You!" she spat as she raised her pointed finger. "This is your fault, bruha!" Gabi felt a tear sting her eye but held her resolve against his mother as Ricardo and Maria entered the room. "You…you have ruined my sons – both of them. You break my Ricardo’s heart into pieces and now, now you have almost killed my baby." Carmen was ranting and raving and Ricardo could see that Gabi was about to lose it. He put his arm around his mother’s shoulder to calm her. "Mama," he said softly. "Remember what I told you downstairs. We can’t upset Antonio. It’s hard enough on him not knowing who we are or even who he is." Carmen reluctantly shook her head. "Anything you have to say to Gabi is going to have to wait. Antonio is what’s important right now." Carmen was shooting daggers at Gabi as she stood with her arms folded in front of her. "Understand mama?" "Si, si…Antonio is important. That whore will have to…" "Mama," Maria spoke up from the doorway. "It won’t help Antonio if we are all angry with each other. You have to put this aside for now." Gabi looked at Maria who smiled reluctantly at her. Maria was as upset as Carmen about what Gabi had done to both her brothers, but she realized the importance of a united front for Antonio’s sake. Gabi dropped her head. "Now," Ricardo directed his attention to both Maria and his mother. "Remember, Antonio thinks that Gabi is his wife." Maria nodded and Carmen seethed. "It has to be that way for now." Ricardo smiled at Gabi. "It will be that way…soon." Carmen tensed her body and Ricardo pulled her against him. Maria surveyed her brother’s visage to see if he was really at peace with what was happening. She decided that for the time being, he was. As long as Antonio’s recovery depended on it, Ricardo would go along with anything. "We had a terrible fight, mi hijo," Carmen cried into Ricardo’s shoulder. "I told him…that he had made his decision about this family, about Gabi." Gabi felt sick hearing Carmen recount her earlier argument with Antonio…about her. "Oh mi hijo…the last memory he will have of his mother is not of love." "Mama, he doesn’t remember you at all," Ricardo said gently. "And when he does remember, we’ll work all that out, together." Ricardo was taking incredible control of the situation. Gabi watched him in amazement as he reassured his mother and Maria and told them what to expect when they saw Antonio. Ricardo left Carmen to Maria’s care and headed over to Gabi. "Are you okay?" Gabi shook her head yes and then had a thought. "Ricardo," she whispered. "Do they know about…the baby?" "No," Ricardo said quickly. "Since Antonio doesn’t know, I thought it best if they don’t. Besides, my mother is dealing with enough right now." Gabi smiled softly and Ricardo gave her a hug. "It’s going to be okay, Gabi. We’ll work it all out." Gabi closed her eyes and prayed he was right. They all waited for Antonio to return. After almost an hour, the nurse pushed his bed back through the door. Carmen gasped as she saw her baby bruised and bandaged, his boyish features scraped with tiny shards of glass. Maria held her mother’s arm as they watched Antonio’s bed be put back in place. Gabi stepped to the side of the bed and took Antonio’s hand gently. He opened his eyes and was shocked to see the crowd of strangers that had gathered in his room. Gabi squeezed his hand and spoke to him. "Antonio, you remember your brother, Ricardo." Antonio looked blankly at his brother. "And this is your sister, Maria and your mother." Antonio’s eyes took them all in with no recollection and then went back to Gabi. "Okay?" Antonio shook his head yes and rested his head back against the pillow. Carmen cried quietly as she moved toward the bed. Her baby boy didn’t know she was his mother and worse, he thought Gabi was his wife. Carmen sent a disapproving look at Gabi, which Antonio observed immediately. Gabi looked away from Carmen and down at the floor. Antonio studied the lack of interaction between them as Carmen glared at the wedding ring on Antonio’s left hand. "Hi, Antonio," Maria spoke up to try and diffuse the tension. "I’m Maria." Antonio smiled at the softness in her voice. He could tell by her mannerisms that she was a sincere, caring person. "How do you feel?" "Okay," he said tiredly. "Kind of tired." He looked back at Gabi…never taking his eyes off her for long. "I’d like to go back to sleep." "Sure," Gabi said as she pulled the blanket up over him. "I’m going to go find the doctor and see what the results of your test were. I’ll be back." She patted his arm lightly and he smiled. Gabi turned away from the bed and Ricardo ushered Maria and Carmen into the hall behind her. "This is crazy," Carmen pronounced as the door closed. "I will not pretend that Gabi is his wife." "You WILL, mama," Ricardo demanded. "I said…you will." His eyes were serious as Carmen tried to be defiant. After a few second of his stern glare, Carmen shrugged her shoulders and conceded defeat. The doctor arrived with a report. "Well," he began. "It appears that the bleeding has stopped inside Antonio’s brain." They all heaved a sigh of relief. "This is a very good sign. We will continue to monitor the amount of blood that is pooled to be sure it is lessening. Again, the next 24 hours are very critical…but my outlook is very positive." "What about his memory?" Gabi asked hopefully. "When will he remember us?" "It’s hard to say Mrs. Torres." Carmen cringed even though it was Gabi’s name. "Your husband could be suffering temporary memory loss as a result of the trauma of the accident or it could be something more permanent. Damage to his brain." Gabi wavered slightly and Ricardo grabbed her shoulders. "We’ll have to run more tests and give it some time." Gabi nodded and the doctor stepped away. "Gabi, you’re exhausted," Ricardo turned her to face him. "You need to get some rest." He eyed her gently and she received his message. "I think you should go with Maria back to the hotel." "No," Gabi protested. "I don’t want to leave Antonio." "Gabi," Ricardo said authoritatively. "You won’t do him any good if you run yourself down. You know you need to get some rest." Gabi nodded. "Maria, will you take Gabi to the hotel and make sure she gets to bed?" "Sure," Maria smiled. "Gabi, why don’t you go say goodnight to Antonio and I’ll drive you back." Gabi turned and went back into Antonio’s room. Antonio opened his eyes when he heard the door. "Hi," he said softly fighting to overpower the drugs that were knocking him out. "Hi," Gabi smiled as she leaned over him. "I’m going to leave for awhile." Antonio’s deep brown eyes popped open and flickered with fear. "You need to get some rest Antonio and so do I. It’s been a very long night." She touched his cheek tenderly and he instinctively leaned into her touch. "I’ll be back first thing in the morning, okay?" This woman, his wife, was so beautiful and caring, her eyes sparkled whenever she looked at him. The way she touched his hand, his face…he could tell that she really loved him deeply. He didn’t think he had ever loved anyone as much as he loved her…but then, how would he know? Gabi leaned over and touched her warm, soft lips to his cheek. Antonio closed his eyes and felt a tingle through his entire body. Even an innocent kiss on the cheek sent a charge of electricity deep into his soul. Gabi pulled back slowly and smiled with a tear in her eye. "I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you." She grazed her fingers across the gauze wrapped tightly around his head. "I love you." Antonio felt a warmth wrap around his heart at the depth with which she said the words. He smiled shyly as Gabi turned around and picked up her purse. "I’ll see you later." "Good bye," Antonio said as Gabi left his room. When she opened the door, he could see the other members of his family standing in the hall. He didn’t want to visit with anyone without Gabi, so he closed his eyes and surrendered to the medication. Gabi returned to the hospital after getting a few hours of sleep. When she arrived, Antonio was sitting up in his bed trying to eat the bland breakfast that lay before him. Gabi entered his room and he looked up with a warm smile for her. "Hi," she threw her purse on the chair and stood next to the bed. "You look much better this morning." Antonio had more color to his cheeks and his eyes had that adorable sparkle returning to them. "Thanks," he said, still uncomfortable that this gorgeous woman was his wife. "Did you get some sleep?" "A little. I wanted to get back and see you." Gabi put her hand on her stomach without realizing her gesture. Antonio watched her intently and raised his eyes to her. "Are you sick?" he asked with concern. Gabi’s hand froze. "No, I, uh, I just haven’t eaten yet this morning." She perused his tray skeptically. "It looks like you haven’t either." Antonio made a face at the breakfast. "The eggs are rubbery and cold and this sausage is…well, I don’t really think it IS sausage." Gabi laughed softly. "I was thinking about trying the oatmeal, though. I mean, can you really ruin oatmeal?" Antonio struggled to raise his very sore arm to the tray. "Here, why don’t you let me help you," Gabi offered as she took the spoon from his hand. Antonio rested back against the propped pillows as Gabi brought a helping of the oatmeal to his mouth. He opened it and Gabi gently slid the spoon inside. Antonio watched her as she lovingly fed him his breakfast, being careful not to drop any on the journey from the bowl to his mouth. She wiped his mouth softly with a napkin after a dab of oatmeal landed on his chin. It really didn’t taste so bad after all and besides, he enjoyed having her feed it to him. "Thank you," he said as Gabi moved the tray from in front of him. "My arm is pretty sore today." Antonio had been banged up quite a bit from the impact of the crash. Remarkably, he had no broken or fractured bones – just a few sore muscles and, of course, his head wound and memory loss. "Tell me about the accident?" "Well," Gabi began with a sigh. "You hit a tree and I guess you weren’t wearing your seatbelt since you hit the windshield with your head." Antonio winced as she recalled the state of the crash and Ricardo’s rescue. "And as soon as he got you free, the car…exploded." Gabi’s voice cracked with the realization of just how close he had come to dying. If he hadn’t crashed where he did…if he had been just a mile down the road, no one would have found him and he would have died in the explosion. Antonio could see that whatever she was thinking was upsetting her. He touched her hand. "Where was I going, do you know?" Gabi looked down at his hand and Ricardo’s wedding ring on his finger. She started to speak when his door opened. Ricardo and Maria came into the room. Gabi was relieved to not have to lie to him right then. "Hi Antonio," Maria called out cheerfully. Ricardo saw Antonio holding Gabi’s hand and smiled at them both. "How are you feeling this morning?" "Maria?" Antonio confirmed and she smiled. "I’m better, thank you." "You look better," Ricardo joked. "You looked like hell yesterday." Antonio’s eyes were focused on his brother’s face. He had no idea that Ricardo was his reason for surviving. "Gabi told me that you pulled me from my car." Ricardo dropped his head. "Thank you. It’s a miracle that you were there…were you in the car with me?" Ricardo looked at Gabi as she held Antonio’s hand tightly in hers. "No, I found you after the crash." Gabi closed her eyes as Ricardo talked to Antonio. "You weren’t far from where I was and I heard the crash. I ran to the wreck and couldn’t believe when I found it was you." "Gabi told me how you saved me. I don’t know how to thank you." Antonio felt his own eyes tearing as he looked at the man before him. "I owe you my life." "No you don’t, Antonio," Ricardo answered. "You’re my brother and I would do anything for you." Ricardo turned his eyes to Gabi. "Anything." Gabi smiled at him and turned her head back to Antonio. "I’m going to find the doctor to get an update." She rubbed her hand down his arm and turned to leave. Antonio watched her leave and then smiled at his brother and sister. Maria sat down next to his bed and took his hand in hers. She brushed her fingers across the wedding ring and smiled. "Mama slept in this morning, but she’ll be here later. She was so worried about you and she was exhausted." "That’s okay," Antonio replied. "Gabi’s been here with me for awhile." He paused for a minute. "Do you know Gabi well?" Maria looked at Ricardo. "Actually, Ricardo knows her better than I do." Antonio turned his attention to Ricardo. "They’ve been…friends for a long time." "Did you know her before me?" Antonio asked. "She said we’ve been," he paused shyly, "in love for a long time." Ricardo nodded his head. "How long?" Maria smiled sympathetically at Ricardo. "I don’t really know when you fell in love, but you’ve been friends for almost two years." Antonio laid his head back with a smile. "She loves you very much, Antonio." Maria was surprised to hear Ricardo say those words. "I got that feeling," Antonio said while staring at the ceiling. "You were at our wedding then?" Ricardo was searching for an answer when Gabi returned to the room. "Well, the doctor says they’ll be doing another CAT scan in a few minutes." Antonio rolled his eyes sending a dull ache through his head. Gabi saw his reaction and walked over to the bed. "They have to make sure the excess blood is gone, Antonio. It’s very important." The way she spoke so softly and with so much concern comforted him immensely. He probably would have believed anything she told him. "I want you to get better so we can take you home." "Where is home?" Antonio wondered. "I don’t…" he stopped and sighed. "I don’t remember." Gabi felt tears stinging her eyes. Antonio was becoming frustrated with not knowing anything and she knew it was getting to him. "It’s okay, Antonio. You don’t have to remember it all right away." She touched his cheek. "We’ll all help you." Antonio felt helpless relying on strangers to tell him about his life. He was angry with himself and wanted to scream to release some of the pressure. Ricardo and Maria could see that he was upset and quietly excused themselves from the room. Antonio blinked away the tears that he felt, embarrassed to be so weak in front of his wife. Gabi sat down next to him on the bed and took his hand. "I want you to relax, Antonio," she commanded him softly. "It will all come back to you…you just have to relax and let it come naturally." "I’m scared," he admitted as his hand clutched onto hers. "What if I never remember anything, or anyone…or you?" He closed his eyes tightly and Gabi felt her heart breaking. "How can I not even remember you?" "You will, baby," she whispered as she took him into her arms. Antonio rested his head against her warm body and reveled in the scent of her soft perfume. Her hands caressed his back as she held him close. Her touch felt so comforting and so familiar, he held onto her like a child for fear of letting go. "I love you, Antonio and we’re going to get through this. I promise." And she did promise to help him remember, for as long as it took.
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