(A day later: Tasha, Lita, Edge, Matt, Steph and
Sara are still in town, but they are staying at the hotel to get some rest.
Jeff is at the hospital with Jami.)
Jeff and Jami slowly walked down the hospital hallway.
The doctor had been urging Jami to walk more, to build her strength.
And possibly to save her sanity by giving her something to do. Jeff
kept one arm wrapped around her waist, the other nervously playing with the
edge of his black t-shirt.
Jami did look better on that day. She was out of
the hospital issued gown and into a pair of her own pajamas. They were
plaid pants with a cute plaid tank top. Her brown hair was pulled back
in a ponytail. Her color had come back to her. She looked like
his Jami, except when he looked into her eyes. They were still empty
looking.
"Jami, did you get any sleep last night?"
Jeff asked her. "Yeah, the nurse gave me a nice pink
pill that knocked me loopy. Did you sleep?" Jami asked.
"Oh, I got some sleep. I was worried about you." Jami
nodded. "Jami, baby, is there anything I can do to make you
feel better?" Jeff pleaded with her. "Jeff, you've
done everything you can. You love me. As long as you stand by me
through this, I'll make it. I'm scared now. But someday I'll be
back to who I was before." Jami told him.
They continued their walk down the hall. Jeff
stiffened when he realized where they were. The door ahead of them
read in large letters NURSERY. He quickly tried to change their
direction, but Jami had already seen it.
"Jeff." she breathed out. He
felt her tremble and he tried to brace her. Jami leaned back onto the
wall and slid down to the floor. She pulled her legs up to her chest
and wrapped her arms tightly around them. Then the rocking back and
forth began as another couple entered the room and you could hear a baby
cry.
Jeff bent down to shelter his wife from curious
on-lookers. "Jami, look at me. We are going to go sit
outside and talk okay? Fresh air will be good for you." he
lifted Jami up and helped her walk outside. They found a park bench
under a beautiful shade tree. They sat down next to each other.
Jeff straddled the bench so he was facing Jami. Jami sat with her back
straight, staring straight ahead.
Jeff tied his white bandana around his bleached blonde
hair. Then he slid his sunglasses to let them rest on top of his head.
He sighed and gently reached out and touched Jami's brown hair. He
gently rubbed a few strands between his thumb and finger. "Baby,
please-just tell me what you are thinking." Jeff pleaded with her.
Jami still hadn't looked at him, but he saw her eyes
move to her left hand. The hand that held her engagement ring and
wedding ring. "Jeff, I love you so much. And right now
you are the only one keeping me going. Where I'm going, I have no
idea. But my soul feels like it's made out of kleenex-the slightest
move can shred it. And it's already been mangled so badly. Part
of me wants to crawl into bed and never wake up. Just sleep forever.
But part of me doesn't want to because then I'd never see your face again,
or Lita's, or Tasha', or Edge's, or my sisters, or my families, and all
those other friends of mine." Jami mumbled.
Jeff pulled her against him so her head was leaning on
his chest. The sun was shining down on her, and it made her sleepy.
And now Jeff watched her sleep against his shoulder. She looked like
at any moment she would jump up and go running through the park, screaming, "The
Monkeys is coming for your naners!" at the top of her lungs, like
she had been known to do once or twice before. Jeff sat there
wondering if the old Jami would ever return to him. Or had he lost
both his son and his wife in one night? Had he lost his soul?
Chapter 12
