The Fourth Sunrise Part 16

"She meant organically, according to her life. Not organically, according to mine."

"Why is that?"

"I'll get to that in a second. Let me tell you how it finished." Sharee perked up.

1998 a" Delta, Colorado - Christine's House, Kitchen, 7:00 a.m.

"I looked at Christine and knew her answer of if something could *organically happen,' that was the closest thing I was going to get toward seeing her more often.

"*It's our third sunrise together,' Christine said, looking out of her kitchen window as the sun continued to rise.

"Christine opened the door and the two of us stepped out onto her porch.

"*You know, this time you have to go.'

"*I will need you to drive me back, so technically I will be seeing you drive away.'

"*We're going to need to leave soon.'

"*I know,' I said. *I'm just taking in the beauty of the sun.'

"*It is spectacular, isn't it?'

"*Breathtaking.'

"*Joel?' Christine asked. *Why do you think this happened? Why do you think, our lives keep slamming us back together?"

"*You see, Christine, I don't look at it that way. I don't look at it as if we have seen each other by chance. I have actually gone to great lengths to try to see you. No. I don't look at it as chance. I look at it as I have longed for you so abundantly that I created my own luck because I was dealt a really unlucky hand.'

"*You were?' Christine asked.

"I had a royal flush right out of the gate and was quickly told it wasn't my hand to play. As a matter of fact, I was told it wasn't my hand and I was going to have to give it to a complete stranger, one who was right beside me. But once every fifteen years I get to spend an entire night with my royal flus.h.!.+'

"*I'm sorry, Joel. I'm sorry for the both of us.'

"*So where do we go from here?'

"*I don't know. You know, I still have the letter back at my hotel.'

"*You still have the letter I sent back to you that you wrote me?'

"*Yes.'

"*I want to see it.'

"*Seriously?'

"*Yeah, I'll take you to your car and then we will go to the hotel.'

"Christine and I went back inside and got completely dressed."

Chapter Twenty-four.

"We went back to the parking lot and my truck had a ticket on it. c.r.a.p. I hated tickets of any sort. They're just a ha.s.sle. I plucked it off the winds.h.i.+eld and rolled my eyes.

"*How much is it?' Christine asked. She was still in her blue vehicle.

"*Fifty-five bucks.'

"*Gotta love it. They probably close this street to parking during the fair.'

"*Actually, I don't love this.'

"*I'll pay it if you like.'

"*No. I'll definitely pay it. I wouldn't trade last night for anything.'

"*So, where now?'

"*Comfort Inn.'

"*Believe it or not, I don't know where that is. So lead the way.'

"So, I led her to my hotel. We went to the room and looked at the letter. Then we parted ways and that was that."

Present a" Delta, Colorado, Coffee Shop, 3:25 a.m.

"Wait! What do you mean that was that? Did you kiss my..." She faded out.

"Did I kiss yourawhat?" I asked.

"a.s.s."

"Did I kiss your a.s.s?" I asked, very perplexed. I had no idea what would possess her to ask me such a question after telling her the story. I stared at Sharee, slowly looked at her very closely. "Sharee, why would you say that?"

"I didn't mean to say my b.u.t.t."

"You actually said, *my a.s.s.'"

"Joel, I know who you are. I didn't mean to say: *Did you kiss my a.s.s.' I was going to ask you did you...did you...kiss my mom?"

"Your mom? Why would I kiss your mother, sweetie?" Then, as the words rolled out of my mouth, I realized what she was trying not to tell me. Not directly.

"Oh! Your name isn't Sharee, is it?" I asked.

"No. Well, it's my middle name."

"Your first name is Megan, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"The daughter of Captain Jack."

"Yes."

"And Christine Norquist."

"Her last name is Connelly."

"I know."

I looked at this beautiful young woman and felt sick to my stomach. I had been bamboozled, fooled. I even felt violated. I was speechless and we stared at each other for long moments. I suddenly began to see the familial resemblance with Christine, and with Captain Jack, too. It was all I could do to hold down my feelings of betrayal.

"Can I ask you one question, Joel? I need to know this answer to this one question and then I want to really tell you what I think of you."

"Great. I get to answer a question even before you chew my head off. I guess you are her daughter, so you're ent.i.tled to a question. Just for the record, even if you weren't Christine's daughter, I'd have given you a question."

"Did you ever consider her family? Not even her kids, but her husband? When you were telling a married woman how much you loved her, did you ever consider her family?"

"Of course I did."

"Even my father?"

"Your father was the reason why I never came to Virginia. I respected him too much. I respected her family too much. And maybe I wasn't strong enough to never see her again, but I always considered your family. To be honest, it is the only part of the story I'm not proud of."

"But you're proud of the rest?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I love your mother more than life itself."

Megan was quiet and then she had the most amazing, beautiful smile and said to me, "I know you do. And I think you just might be the only person who can help her."

"Help her?" I asked, alarmed. "Has something happened to her?"

Megan was quiet. Too quiet. Especially quiet. I could tell she was steeling herself to tell me something about Christine. "Then she said, "Joel, you need to understand. I didn't come here to comfort you, nor did I come to judge you. My mother is a beautiful creature who loved and adored her family very much. If loving you from afar allowed her to love us the way she did, I thank you for it. You made my mom's life a better place."

Megan's eyes drifted off, away from my face.

"Sweetie, what is going on with your mother?"

"Joel, my mom is in a coma." Tears dripped from Megan's eyes as she drew back deep inside herself, visibly shrinking after she told me.

My heart sank. I felt faint. "She is alive?" I asked.

"Yes, Joel, she is. Some days, we think she just might come out of it."

"How is your dad handling it?"

"He isn't."

I looked at Megan with curiosity in my eyes. "Tell me what happened."

"Joel, three months ago, my parents were walking on the sidewalk in downtown Aspen, Colorado." Megan paused and I knew this wasn't going to be good. "Right there in broad daylight, in front of the whole world, a drunk in a car...he jumped the curb at three o'clock in the afternoon and hit my parents, smas.h.i.+ng both of them up against the wall that was directly behind them." Megan paused. This one was a lot longer than I knew what she was going to tell, but I knew she had to be the one to say it: "My dad died instantly."

As she said the words, my heart broke, knowing that he had died. Now he wasn't Christine husband. He was, for the first time in forty-seven years, Captain Jack to me. And he was gone. I took a deep breath and nodded to her.

Megan continued, "He was directly in front of my mother. As the car hopped the curb, witnesses say he jumped in front of my mom as the Volkswagen smashed my dad up against my mom, taking the brunt of the car crash. My mother was smashed against the wall with the back of her head hitting first."

"Three months ago!" I asked, horrified.

"Yes."

"She is still alive?" I asked again.

"Yes, she is and some days I think she just might come out of it. Then there are days when I don't think she will ever wake up."

My heart ached on levels I never thought imaginable as Megan described Christine's injuries in more detail. Tears dripped from my eyes, but I refused to show any more emotion just yet. I was in an all-night coffee shop at 4:00 in the morning. But I couldn't keep the tears from falling.

"Why this way? Why tell me like this, Megan?"

"My mom needs you."

"How? How could you know that?"

"Joel, when the accident occurred, my brother and I knew instantly that my father had died and that was devastating to hear. But the only thing we had to hold onto is that my mother is still alive. We see her and every so often, she comes back to us."

"She wakes up?" I asked.

"No, she doesn't wake up. She hardly even moves. But I know. I can't explain it. My mother and I have always had the most unbelievable connection, and I can feel her even though she is asleep. I can hear her voice."

"What is she saying!" I asked.

"I'm not hearing words. I'm feeling her heart. I can feel her longing. I know I sound like a crazy woman, but I'll take that t.i.tle if it means I can bring my mother backaone more time."

I didn't know what else to do other than reach out and give Megan a huge hug. She resisted it at first, but gave in and eventually collapsed in my arms.

"Joel," Megan said in my truck. "My mother loves you. You are the love of her life. I know she loved my father, but I am certain in my heart of hearts that she has always been absolutely in love with you."

"How do you know that?"