Throw Him My Way

Chapter 8

Heidi didn’t know what made her do it. She’d been told that people in comas often heard you. So she sang.

She started softly, humming, but it didn’t look like it was hurting him.

None of the beeping or hushing sounds sped up or slowed down, so it was definitely not doing more harm.

He had missed her performance, hadn’t he? So she did what came naturally to her, what she had always done to get through everything that life had thrown at her, and she sang.

She wished his fingers would move against her as she sang, but they didn’t.

But when the last note died down, she felt that they weren’t alone. A performer learns to feel the presence of anybody listening to them.

Heidi turned and saw a plump, short woman standing there.

But the eyes…

They were Christian’s eyes.

“I’m Gina. Christian’s mother,” said the woman, and Heidi tried to make her smile charming and easy.

“Hello. I’m Heidi.”

“How do you know Christian?”

Heidi smiled.

“He saved my ass, once. And he comes to listen to me sing, quite often. I missed him a few times and asked Rick what was wrong. And so I heard…”

She trailed off.

Gina nodded.

“You sing very well. It’s no surprise that Christian comes to listen to you.”

Heidi’s smile got a bit easier as she nodded.

“Thank you.”

“You’re very pretty, too. Are you his girlfriend? My boy, he thinks I’ll put any girl he brings home through the third degree. But I’m not so bad. I won’t bite.”

Heidi’s smile froze, just a bit.

“We went out a couple of times, but I guess we didn’t talking about it as if we were dating. But… He matters to me. I’ve come to count on him, in ways I hadn’t realized.”

Gina nodded, and Heidi wondered what on earth had possessed her to say a thing like that.

“The doctors say that he might be able to hear what we say. If conversation, bribes and orders don’t get through to him, maybe your music will. I tried ordering the boy to come right back to us, or else. I tried bribing him with his favorite fried chicken. But neither has worked.”

Gina’s beautiful eyes filled with tears, and Heidi did what came to her, what was instinct for her. She stepped to Gina, and wrapped her in a hug.

“He’s the strongest man I know. He’s not going to let some pesky smoke beat him. He’s the most competitive man I know, too, so you might try insulting him next,” suggested Heidi, and was rewarded with a smile.

“Are you the reason why he didn’t ask Peggy out again?”

Heidi’s eyes narrowed.

“Who’s Peggy?”

Despite herself, Gina chuckled.

“Oh, it will be good for him to hear you, I think. He might come back to us sooner if we’re both mad at him.”

Heidi let a tear spill down her cheek, too, and let herself be comforted, this time.

“Or it might make him chicken out. He’s never had me angry with him. I… I’m sorry, I’m intruding. I’ll…”

But Gina gripped her arms with surprisingly strong hands.

“Oh, don’t even think about it. He never brings his girls home. Now I’ve got you in my clutches, I am going to give you the third degree that he was afraid I would. Take a seat, love. My sisters-in-law will be here soon. They will want to meet you, too.”

Dazed, Heidi sat back down, and wondered just what the hell she had gotten herself into, after all.

Two hours later, Heidi made her way back home, feeling more than a bit dazed.

She had met four aunts, and his mom.

She had had to sing many songs.

She had been taught a few songs.

You wouldn’t think that the apple of their eyes was lying in a coma next to them, judging by the way they acted. They had apparently come to the conclusion that the best way to get Christian to come out of his coma was to give him a good old-fashioned celebration to come back to.

They had even managed to sneak in fried chicken and coleslaw.

And Heidi had to admit that it had been good. It had been excellent, in fact.

She had been given a box, for two, to take home with her, too.

Rick had seen the look on her face and burst out laughing. That had not been very sympathetic or charitable of him, thought Heidi.

“Mrs. Spinelli?” she knocked and called.

“Heidi, my girl. Come on in.”

Heidi walked in with the box.

“Got dinner, Mrs. Spinelli. I’m not singing tonight. Taking the evening off.”

Mrs. Spinelli nodded, and took a good look at Heidi.

“You don’t look too bad. I was worried about you.”

Heidi managed a smile.

“I’m exhausted. From everything I was told, it seems like there’s an excellent chance that he’ll be fine, but it’s a waiting game, now. They used a lot of fancy words that I didn’t understand. And I met his family. Boy, what a family,” said Heidi, and sank right down onto the rug.

“Oh dear. That sounds eventful,” said Mrs. Spinelli, but Heidi heard the laughter in her voice.

“It’s not funny, Mrs. Spinelli. I met his mother and four aunts. They know everything about me now. They know more about me than Christian knew. Seriously, if it really is true that you hear things in your coma, he knows me a bit better than I’d want him to, right now!”

Mrs. Spinelli swallowed her laughter.

“You’re not used to dealing with a large family.”

Heidi shook her head.

“But they didn’t seem to hate me. They made me sing for them. A lot. One of his aunts – I think her name is Laura, but goodness knows, it was like having a gaggle of aunts descent upon you like the hosts of heaven or something – has a pretty good voice. She taught me a few country songs. I couldn’t exactly tell her that I seriously dislike country music.”

Mrs. Spinelli nodded again, looking sage.

“Well, looks like you got some food out of it.”

“Cold chicken and coleslaw. And potato salad, I think. Not as good as what you make, Mrs. Spinelli, but it’s pretty damn good. Anyway, so we don’t have to make dinner tonight. We can have beer and proper American comfort food. What do you say?”

The older woman who was the closest thing Heidi had to a mother smiled.

“I say it sounds like an excellent idea, Heidi. We’ll watch some TV, and you can tell me all about your very eventful day. You can have your revenge when your young man wakes up by springing me on him.”

That cheered Heidi up considerably.

To her surprise, she did end up having a pretty good evening. By the time she went to bed, she was even feeling calm enough to think that she might be able to get some sleep.

And she did.

But it was fitful, restless dreams. Most of the fears that she had kept at bay during the day seemed to have been waiting to ambush her in her sleep.

She saw everything that Rick had described, except this time, she was there, and she was supposed to save him.

But she didn’t, and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t make him wake up.

She said his name in her sleep, over and over again, until she finally woke up, her cheeks wet with tears.

“Oh, Christian, you have to be all right. You have to wake up soon. You have so many people who need you in their lives, Christian. You have me, too. I need you, too. You have to come back to us,” she whispered, and hoped that he’d hear her thoughts, somehow, unlikely as it seemed.

And she knew that she would be back at the hospital, the next day, and the next, until he finally opened his eyes, and she saw herself reflected in those compelling eyes again.

*****

“All right, our girl is here to serenade us!”

Heidi grinned.

Christian’s family sure was a cheerful lot. It had been five days since her first visit. There was no change in Christian’s state.

But it had become quite accepted that Heidi would be there every day, and that Gina and all the aunts could take some time off from watching him, in case there was some change, while Heidi was here.