We had shared another dream… the night, before.
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We were back on Eden, walking hand in hand towards the city. It was almost dusk. The sunset was amazing, and the red discs could be readily seen as they lost their brilliance and faded into the horizon. The greens were deep and emerald all around us, and the combined fragrance from the flowers and the trees was amazing… sweet and pure.
We crossed the threshold of the metropolis and were surrounded by that futuristic architecture. Melody looked all around in wonder and held tightly to my hand. We kissed as we walked; passersby made room for us, and they smiled at the couple in love. She put her arm around my waist, and I put my arm around her shoulders. We were in step, together, and it was a perfect fit… me against her side, and she against mine.
Sometimes, she would lean her head on my shoulder as we walked, and then, would straighten back up and smile at some new sight or sound. Her hair was flowing over my arm and down her back; each and every strand made feathery sensations on my skin, and, also, on my soul.
Finally, we arrived at the Plaza. We were early, so I ordered us two cups of chocolate from an outdoor café. I tried to pay, but the server wouldn’t take my money. I’m not sure they even used money. We ate our delicious treats, and the effect it had on my vision only made Melody seem more beautiful and more perfect, if that is even possible. We gave our containers back to the waiter and he said for us to enjoy the show… although none of the words he used was familiar, we both understood him. We walked to the edge of the plaza and gazed up at the blue moon making a grand appearance in the sky.
She was in front of me, and I had my arms around her waist. Her hands were on mine, and I periodically would bury my face in the crook of her neck and take in her sweet, sweet smell. She leaned back into me and offered me her cheek. I kissed the smooth surface, and then, the soft lobe of her ear. She sighed and gently turned back to give me a full kiss upon the lips.
The lights went out, and then, the show began.
I watched her watch in amazement. It was the same. Exactly the same show that Giddeon and I had witnessed. The music was identical. The colors and acrobatics were a perfect rendition of what we had seen, and, it was no less phenomenal. If anything, it was more so. Melody would look from the sky to me, and then, back to the sky in abject wonder. Sometimes she would grab my hand and do little hops up and down, as if so excited she couldn’t contain herself. We swayed with the music, and ‘ooohed’ and ‘aaahed’ with the crowd. The little girl was picked up and spun around, again, just like before.
The finale, was equally indescribable.
When it was over, Melody was crying at the beauty of the spectacle. She turned to me and threw herself in my arms, sobbing with joy. Finally, we broke apart and gazed into each other’s eyes.
Then, I said…
“I wanted you to see this… because, other than you, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And, I want you to know… I love you.”
She covered me with kisses and tears, and murmured over and over…
“I love you, too… I love you, too… I love you, too…”
Chapter 69
The prelude to the wedding music began to play. I went back to the boat with Giddeon because I wasn’t feeling very well. I sat there on the couch and tried to collect myself… it was the first time I had actually felt ill since I had been in the coma. After a while, I began to sweat and to tremble; Giddeon gave me some water, but it didn’t seem to help. My stomach was in knots, and I felt slightly nauseated. I could see concern on my subconscious’ face, and then, his eyes grew wide. He grabbed my hand and put it to my nose.
“What do you smell?”
I inhaled and took in the odor of my transformed blood, along with the hint of something else. Giddeon disappeared in a flash, then, returned after a few seconds.
“They’re giving you a transfusion… with Type ‘A’ positive! You’re ‘B’ on that side!! You’re ‘B’, now!!!”
My blood had somehow made the jump. I smelled, again, and I could definitely pick up my old odor. Cramps hit me hard, in my abdomen and middle torso.
“You’ve got to get back… you’ve got to stop them!!” he almost screamed. It was the first time I had ever really seen him lose his composure.
Another wave of cramps hit even worse than the first. I closed my eyes and then opened them, unsure of my whereabouts. I saw a mixture of flashes from the interior of my boat, and, also, from the Spartan rehabilitation room.
A bag of blood was on an I.V. pole, slowly dripping down a tube and into my vein.
“No…no! I don’t want to go there…” I said more to myself than to Giddeon. “I’ve got to get to Melody. I’ve got to…”
Spasms and contractions struck like a sledgehammer. I fell onto the floor. Aseptic white tiles were suddenly below my face.
“Noooo!” I screamed. “Not here!! Not here!!!”
There was darkness, and then, I saw scenes of the exterior of the church. Suddenly, there was the rehabilitation room, again. Then, the church. Images of the two began scrolling past like black and red on a Roulette Wheel… faster, and faster, and faster. I could feel Giddeon’s hand on my back; my sweat created a wet interface between us. The pain intensified and became almost unbearable.
Then, from out of my misery, there came a deafening sound… exactly like a sonic boom in my ears.
That’s when everything changed.
Chapter 70
I could no longer feel Giddeon’s hand on my dorsal surface. The pain within my midsection was extreme, and the area below my arms and knees was no longer smooth, but, quite rough… as if I was on a plane of pebbles. I opened my eyes and was blinded by daylight. Everything was washed out in the brilliance, and unable to support my weight, I collapsed and fell the short distance to the ground.
Slowly, my eyes began to focus. I looked up to see the double doors of the Catholic Church closed before me.
I inhaled, and had a coughing fit. When it was finally over, I looked back to the doors. As they once again came into focus, I saw the blurred image of a metal plate above me. It was to one side of the recessed entrance… I slowly realized that it was a switch that made it easier for the disabled to go inside by automatically controlling the opening. I tried to reach out, but it was impossible with my muscles in their weakened state from 48 months of disuse. Had it not been for the electric stimulation during that time, I don’t think I would have been able to move at all.
“Giddeon!” I shouted… well, it felt like I was shouting. It came out more like a croak mixed with a whisper. “Giddeon… I need help!”
I tried once again to reach up for the plate. The only motion I seemed to be able to make was to sort of roll over using my larger torso muscles. I felt pebbles embedded in the concrete on my bare backside during that maneuver… I was in a hospital gown provided by the rehab facility. My arm was bleeding a bit from where the I.V. had been yanked out by my sudden disappearance… we won’t talk about the state of my urethra due to where the catheter had been.
“Giddeon… you’ve got to crash the door! Can you hear me? You’ve got to crash the door!!”
I waited, in excruciating pain, as nothing happened.
“Giddeon!” I pleaded in a barely audible voice. “I’ve already moved so much inertia over here, a little more won’t matter. Please… concentrate. Please! I did it… so can you!!”
The wind kicked up a small breeze, which actually felt kind of cool and nice in the midst of my suffering. I tried to concentrate on that instead of the spasms wracking my body. I looked back up to the metal square and attempted to help give Giddeon some extra horsepower. In the end, I don’t know if it was him, or me, or both of us together, but I saw the switch flicker and depress.
The doors began to swing open.
Chapter 71
Of course, I was too close and one of the heavy wooden planes banged me in the head as it passed. I didn’t care. The pain I was
already experiencing left little room for more. I heard the music from inside the church stop, and then, a soft, familiar intonation of words:
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union…”
I began to roll. It was all I could do. In fits and starts, I made my way into the vestibule. There was another set of double doors separating that area from the church interior, but, thankfully, those were set on hinges and swung loose like a full length saloon entryway. They totally covered the opening, and the doors had little windows about five feet up… presumably so that people could see through to the other side before opening them. I heard the master of ceremonies going on and on about the virtues of marriage and the importance of family as I tried to guide my pain-wracked body with my new mode of locomotion.
I turned, and turned, again.
Finally, I was at the dual barrier… I could hear the monotone of the minister coming from the other side more clearly. I rested for a few brief moments. Then, from beyond the mahogany came this invitation:
“If there is anyone here that knows of any reason why these two should not be joined together, let them speak, now, or forever hold their peace.”
Chapter 72
That was my cue.
I closed my eyes, barreled through the doors, and rolled down the center aisle at the back of the church. I’m sure every eye was upon me as I completed three circuits, exposing my butt to the crowd in triplicate. Exhausted, I lay on my back, kind of sideways on the thick, red carpet.
I was too weak to speak just then; however, I think I had made my point.
An excited murmur rustled through the guests. I could hear people getting to their feet. I was afraid I was going to vomit, but, somehow, kept it down; I sprawled there panting and sweating, like a dying dog.
I’m unsure of how much time passed as I lay there on the floor, semi-conscious and in horrible pain. Had I not been able to compare it to the time when I experienced the misery of a nuclear holocaust, I don’t think I would have been able to bear it. Relativity, you know.
Then, I smelled her.
She was kneeling down beside me, cradling my head in her hands. I saw the flash of a camera, and, as if from inside of a tunnel, heard someone calling for an ambulance. I looked up and saw her lovely countenance above me, all in white. A man was standing behind her.
Oddly, I recognized him, even without his Scottish-styled hat.
Father McCreely.
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I watched him disappear from my view as he fainted dead away. I suppose there’s more than one way to stop a wedding. Like Giddeon said… it’s always good to have a Plan ‘B’. Melody leaned her head in close when she saw I was trying to communicate. I whispered to her as best I could,
“Hi.”
A tear spilled down her cheek. I watched it make its way in beautiful slow motion over her perfect skin, and, then, drop into the abyss past my peripheral vision.
“Hi,” she answered back.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call… I’ve been… in a coma.”
At that point, I had what felt like a small convulsion. Diffuse epicenters of pain wheeled through my being. When it had passed, I looked back up.
“I’m having a transfusion reaction,” I rasped. “They gave me ‘A’ positive blood… I’m ‘B’ negative, just like you. We’re a perfect match.” I then muttered something about our MHC molecules and how she was sick, but I don’t think she heard me.
She looked up at the crowd gathered around us. “Is the ambulance on its way? Make sure it’s on the way! Tell them it’s a transfusion reaction… he has ‘B’ negative and they gave him ‘A’ positive!”
I told you she was smart.
I struggled to find my voice. “You… you have to go to a doctor… you have lymphoma… or, maybe it’s leukemia. It’s gonna be okay. I know what to do…”
I felt my world going black. I was trying desperately to stay awake. I had to tell her about the cure. I had to write it down. However, the last thing I remember from that day were two words. I didn’t quite get to complete the sentence I had waited so long to say.
“I love….”
Chapter 73
I was out for three days. I don’t remember any of it. No Giddeon, no Boris, no golf or MangoMooManias. When I finally did open my eyes, she was there. She had never left my side. That was against all kind of hospital rules, but my physician was apparently a big-wig at the institution and allowed it.
Outside of my hospital room was a small circus, of sorts. Reporters and media waited in the hallway when they could get away with it, or, if not, in the lobby, for news. My brother apparently was accosted with questions each time he came and went; everyone wanted to know more about the guy that had come out of a coma to stop a wedding.
__________
We were a national story, and, a smash on YouTube. The Videographer for the wedding pretty much caught everything on camera. I have to give it to him, he was cool under pressure. From the high definition close up of ‘… let them speak now or forever hold their peace.’, to my butt-cheeks crashing through the door and rolling down the aisle, he never shook. Steady as a rock. It was some mighty fine camera work. Father McCreely going pale and falling backwards into the congregation’s arms… Melody leaning in close with tears streaming down her face. It was awesome.
The number of hits far exceeded anything ever posted.
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Her wonderful aroma invaded my world, once again. I swam through the darkness around me, struggled to consciousness and opened my eyes.
“Hi,” I said, again.
“Hi,” she replied. She was sitting beside my bed, holding my hand. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she gazed down at me. “I… dreamed of you.” Her voice was almost a whisper. A beautiful, melodious whisper.
“I know.”
Melody seemed like she could hardly believe the reality in the room around her… as if it was all still only part of a dream. Then, she said, “You were really in a coma… for all of that time?”
“I’ve been trying so hard to get back to you,” I replied, softly.
She looked at me with those smoke grey eyes… all of creation was distilled down into two beautiful orbs.
“How did you get to the church? They almost arrested your brother… they thought he brought you there.”
“You won’t believe it right now, if I told you. We have… a lot to talk about.”
I tried to sit up a bit, but couldn’t do it. She hit a button on the side of my bed and tilted the back forward. “Could you get me a pencil and paper?” I asked. My voice was ragged, already going out.
There must have been something in the way I made the request that relayed urgency to her. Melody got quickly up, went through the door and then down to the lobby. I could hear a commotion along with shouted questions. After a few moments, she came back to my room with a notebook and a pen, evidently requisitioned from one of the reporters. She sat down and handed them to me. I tried to form my fingers around the instrument and write ‘Turmeric’ on the pad, but my muscles wouldn’t cooperate… that spice was the first ingredient on the list I had memorized. Melody took the writing utensil and notebook from me, and I dictated the list in my faltering voice. Then, I relayed the instructions. When I was done, I was exhausted. She leaned me back, questions in her eyes.
“You have cancer,” I said. “That will cure you. You have to drink it every day for a year.”
She nodded, as if humoring me.
“I feel fine. I’m just a little run down… that’s all.”
At that point, a male doctor and a female nurse came rushing into the room. I was surprised it had taken them so long to arrive; most likely the monitors and devices I was connected to had relayed my activity to the nurse’s station. I was just thankful for the few minutes that Melody and I had been able to share up until that point… it had at least given me the time to recite the formula to her before I forgot it.
; The physician started examining me, shining a light in my eyes and probing here and there. Eventually, Jeremy and his wife also arrived; they were allowed brief access to me.
My brother hugged me gently, as if he was afraid I would break. Janice did the same.
The doctor, a nurse, and then another doctor… a specialist, I presume… all went over my reflexes, responses and chart for the better part of two hours. Melody, my brother and his wife all huddled out of the way, in the corner near a table, while they did.
When the experts were finally done, they pronounced that I needed to rest. I disagreed, since I had been asleep for 1472 days, counting the recent three. However, they won out, and everyone was ushered from the room. I wasn’t sure I should close my eyes because I wanted to make sure that I stayed on this side of reality. Eventually, however, I fell into a deep, sound slumber.
__________
When I awoke, she was there, again. Right by my side. I noticed a bandage was over her cubital fossa… the area from where blood is usually drawn. She reached out and took my hand.
“Hi, again.” This time, she said it with only a smile. No tears.
“Could I have some water?” Melody reached over and got a cup from the bedside table and positioned the straw, that was there in the liquid, near my lips. God, it tasted good. She tilted my bed up and gave me some more.
“Thanks.” I looked into those mesmerizing eyes, again, and asked, “Do you remember the dream? The night before you were supposed to get married?” A terrible thought then occurred to me. “You didn’t still get married, did you?”
I glanced down at her left hand. There was no ring there.
She shook her head gently back and forth. “No… I didn’t. And, I do remember the dream. It was beautiful… the city, the people flying through the air… the music.”
“Don’t forget the chocolate.” My voice was a little stronger.
“Oh, my God… the chocolate.”
I smiled and nodded. “It was real. The show, I mean. It was on a planet far away… thousands of years in the future.”
I saw a little crinkle between her eyebrows. I’m sure she was confused, and maybe wondering if she should call the doctor.