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THE HOSPITAL
Antonio fought with desperation to push his eyelids open. It felt as if they were weighted shut. The light from above the bed hurt his eyes. He blinked furiously to clear the film from his vision. His eyes searched frantically to determine where he was. Soft moans escaped him as he struggled to sit up in bed. Gabi hadn’t been asleep long when she heard the deep moaning coming from Antonio’s bed. She sat up with a start and rubbed her eyes. She jumped from the cot and rushed to Antonio’s side. She could see that his eyes were fluttering open and he was becoming agitated. Gabi grabbed his hand and leaned so he could see her face. "Antonio...It’s Gabi. Antonio, can you hear me?" She fought to control the tears in her eyes. Antonio was desperately trying to focus on Gabi’s face. He was trying to pull himself up when the IV line pulled in his arm. He let out a loud groan. "Antonio, please relax. It’s okay." She pushed his shoulders gently back against the pillow. "Lie back, Antonio. Everything’s going to be okay." Slowly, his eyes began to focus and he could see Gabi’s beautiful face, her eyes shining on him with love. Antonio wanted to lift his hand and touch her, but he couldn’t make his arm cooperate. Gabi sensed his frustration. "Antonio, you have to lie still. Can you hear me?" Antonio tried to speak, but his throat was so extremely dry he couldn’t get anything out. He was gulping and trying to make his voice work. "Antonio, if you can hear me, try and blink your eyes." Gabi held his hand tightly. Antonio blinked. The tears fell freely from Gabi’s eyes now. Antonio was awake ... she could hardly control herself. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, on the forehead, on his nose, and finally on his lips. Gabi reached for the nurses’ button to summon Vicki. She never took her eyes off Antonio. Vicki rushed in. "Well, he finally stirs." Vicki began checking all of Antonio’s wires and IVs. Gabi never let go of his hand, gazing constantly into his eyes. Antonio just lay there looking at Gabi. He had just seen her, he thought. She had been sitting on his bed talking to him and he called out to her, but… He closed his eyes remembering his experience. "Antonio," Gabi was scared that his eyes closed again. "Antonio, are you okay?" Antonio opened his eyes again and, with tremendous effort, managed to smile softly at Gabi. Gabi laughed softly as the tears fell once again from her eyes. She had Antonio back, and this time, she was never going to leave him again. The doctors had asked Gabi to step outside so they could give Antonio a thorough check. She fought for a moment, but relented when Antonio smiled at her again. She paced the hallway now, waiting for someone to come out. She hadn’t called Ricardo yet. She wanted to make sure everything was okay before she called anyone. The doctors filed out of Antonio’s room. "You can go in now, Gabi." Vicki touched her shoulder gently. Gabi smiled and started into Antonio’s room. Antonio was propped up against the pillows. Some of the machines had been disconnected and moved away from his bed. Gabi stood at the door as Antonio turned his head to her. Antonio thought Gabi had never looked more beautiful. There was something about her…he wasn’t quite sure what. Gabi began walking to Antonio’s bed. She couldn’t find the words she wanted to say. She reached down and took his strong hand in hers. "H...hi...Ga...Gabi..." Antonio managed to get out before he began coughing. Gabi smiled and the tears filled her eyes. Antonio stopped coughing and smiled sweetly at her. She picked up his hand and touched it to her face. "Oh, Antonio. I was so scared. I didn’t think you would ever wake up." Gabi tried hard to control her emotions. The pregnancy had made her so unstable she could cry at the drop of a hat. "E..ever?" Antonio’s voice was scratchy and deep. Gabi realized that he had no idea how long he had been unconscious or that his heart had stopped, for that matter. "Shh...don’t try to talk. We have plenty of time for talking later." Antonio laid his head back against the pillow and took in her beauty. "I should call your family, you know. They are very worried about you." Gabi reached for the phone on the table. She quickly dialed Ricardo’s number. THE LOFT Ricardo was sitting quietly on the bed in the dark. He took another big swig off the whisky bottle and closed his eyes as the liquor stung his throat, despite the fact that he had already consumed half the bottle. Ricardo was remembering every date he and Gabi had gone on. The birthday party she threw for him at Surf Central. When they were trapped on the SS Neptune during the tidal wave and how Gabi had slipped while climbing the ladder and Ricardo caught her with his hand. How Gabi had given him mouth to mouth after he was knocked out trying to swim through the capsized vessel. He remembered pulling her out of the rubble after the explosion at AJ’s office. He had been so scared that she and Antonio would die down there. Ricardo grabbed the whisky bottle and guzzled it until the liquid ran down his chin. He ruggedly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Images of their wedding day flashed through his mind. He saw Gabi coming down the aisle looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her. Antonio started the service and Ricardo said his vows. He remembered the pained look on Gabi’s face when she told him she couldn’t marry him. Ricardo threw the bottle viciously across the room and it smashed into the wall, shattering into a hundred pieces. He jumped off the bed and stumbled across the room to the television set. He picked up the picture of him and Gabi and held it to his chest. He tried to walk back to the bed, but tripped over a lamp he had knocked to the floor. Having Gabi back in Sunset Beach ... so close to him but just out of his reach ... was torturing him. He lay in the middle of the floor, tears falling from his eyes. "I’ll get you back, Gabi. You’ll be mine again." He vowed to God that she would be his again soon. He loved Gabi with all his heart. The room began to spin and Ricardo passed out cold. He never heard the phone ring.
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