Save My Soul (4 page)

"Wait…you are telling me that you
heard everything, even when you flatlined?" Adam said.

"Yes, I, uh, was still in my body and
could hear everything, even when I was...dead." I took in a breath
and let it out. I could feel a lump in my throat, and my eyes were
burning as if I were about to cry. I was alive, what did I have to
cry about?

"How?" Adam and Mason both said
together.

I didn't know whether to tell him the
truth now, or a little at a time over the next seven days. I
thought it better to wait a while. I needed answers from him
myself. "May I ask you a personal question?"

Adam looked at Mason, then back to me.
"I may or may not answer it, but you can ask whatever you like,
Kendra."

I smiled at him and he smiled back. He
had beautiful teeth, very white and straight. I wondered briefly if
he had ever had braces on those pearly whites; I'd needed them when
I was younger. "What happened in your life that made you stop
believing there's a God?"

Adam lost his smile and stared at me
for a moment as though I had just lost every marble I'd ever
possessed, then he shook his head slowly. "That's a little too
personal, Ms. Larkin. I don't see how answering your question will
lead to any answers to the questions we have about your remarkable
recovery, so any questions pertaining to my private life or
beliefs, are not now, or ever will be any of your concern." He
looked away from me and moved a paperweight to a small stack of
files on his desk. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence he
finally sighed and looked back at me. "You told us that you would
explain this..." he motioned to my undamaged body with his hand,
"Phenomenon. I'd appreciate it if you'd get to that; I need to make
my rounds."

I was getting angry. My face was
turning red. I could feel the heat rushing up my neck, into my
cheeks. Why did he have to be so damn difficult? He wanted personal
answers from me, and I asked just one about him, and he wouldn't
play fair. I jumped up, forgetting all about not having a bra on,
but at the moment I didn't give a shit. I only had one week to help
Coen get this jerk on the path to good. "Why should I tell you
anything? You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

He looked surprised at my outburst, or
maybe it was the fact that my breasts were so very obviously
unleashed, because his eyes wondered there for a moment before
meeting my gaze again. "Why would you think that? I haven't acted
like I didn't believe anything else you've told me. The fact that
you were able to hear when you were dead is pretty farfetched, but
I believe you, Kendra. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to
tell me what happened in the operating room earlier. I don't think
Mason relayed any information to you. He seems as bewildered as I
am."

I'd had enough. He might have very
well thought I was crazy, but how else could I explain healing this
quickly? I didn't have a choice. I had to tell him the truth.
"Fine…You have a guardian angel and a guardian demon. Coen is your
guardian angel, and he's giving me one week to get your life on the
right path. The only reason I lived today is so I can save your
ass, or rather your soul. I hear you've never lost a
patient."

Disbelief was written all over his
face, but he responded to me without calling the psych ward for a
straight jacket. "I've been a surgeon for six years without losing
anyone, that's correct."

"Well, I can promise you in one week's
time, if you don't change your way of thinking, you'll lose
one…me." I pointed to my chest and a tear fell on my hand. I hadn't
noticed that I was crying until that moment. Oh well, the damage
was done. I sat back in the chair and Mason handed me a
tissue.

"So, you're saying that you made a
deal with my uh…guardian angel? That he's the one that healed you,
and is letting you stay alive for…what was it, another week?" Adam
said, but there was something in his voice and in his eyes that
told me that no matter what answer I gave him, he wouldn't believe
it.

I dabbed my tears with the tissue and
blew my nose. "Yes," I whispered around the lump in my
throat.

"It's the only possible explanation,
Adam. She couldn't have healed so quickly and so thoroughly through
natural processes." I'd regretted Mason being in the room while I
talked to Adam until that moment. Maybe he could help me with my
mission.

Adam looked dumbfounded at Mason. He
rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't tell me you're buying this
bullshit."

That was it. I had to get away from
Adam for a little while. I turned and started for the
door.

"You can't leave, Ms. Larkin. We still
have to do tests on you to make sure there is nothing physically
wrong before you can be discharged. I think you need to be mentally
checked out as well."

I turned and thrust my arms out where
he could see them, then pointed to my face. "Does it look like
there is anything wrong with me?" I looked at Mason. "How many
stitches did it take to close me up, Mason?" He lowered his head. I
could tell he believed me, or wanted to, but he didn't have a clue
as how to help me with Dr. Chamberlain. I was beginning to like
Mason more and more.

"I will sign myself out, and there
isn't a damn thing you can do about it." I turned then opened the
door. Mason ran after me.

"I'll make sure you don't have any
trouble getting out of here," Mason said as I hit the elevator
button with a shaking hand.

"Mason! Get back in here!" Adam
shouted from his office, but Mason didn't turn around. The doors
opened and he entered the elevator with me. Guess he wasn't too
worried about losing his job.

"I believe you, Kendra. It's amazing
and unbelievable, but I believe you," he said, and I broke down. He
pulled me to him, wrapped his arms around me, and let me cry. He
made shushing noises and rubbed my back. He didn't say it would all
be all right, because he couldn't have known if it would. But he
believed me. That had to count for something.

The elevator doors opened to the
ground floor. Mason walked me to the reception desk. "I need to
sign a form that doesn't hold the hospital responsible if I leave
and something goes wrong with me. I've got to get out of here." The
receptionist's mouth fell open and she shot a questioning glance at
Mason. He closed his eyes and nodded to her. She looked back at me
with her mouth still wide open, then handed me a sheet of paper
with writing on it. There was a signature line at the bottom with a
date line beside it. I signed and dated the form, then handed it
back to her. I started to turn and leave, but she finally
spoke.

"Uh…Ms. Larkin," the receptionist
said.

I turned back to her and she finished
her sentence. "You have friends and family members in waiting room
number three. It's the only waiting room we have that's big enough
to hold them all."

I had completely forgotten that the
friends who had been rappelling with me were the ones who had
brought me in. They must have called my parents and half the state
by now. Shit! I just wanted to go home and cuddle with Hercules. It
had been a long day already and the sun was still out. I sighed.
"Where's the waiting room?"

"I'll take her," Mason said, and then
he grabbed my hand and began to walk away from the receptionist's
desk. I pulled my hand free; he let go without turning to look back
at me. I could follow him just fine. I didn't need to be attached
to him.

He stopped at a door and opened it. He
was standing in front of me, so I couldn't see who was in the room.
There was a lot of noise, but soon everything went
silent.

"Is she okay, doctor? Please, tell me
my baby is okay." It was my mom's voice, and I could tell she was
frantic. I started to move around Mason, but he moved so I
couldn't. What the hell?

"I have good news everybody. Kendra is
going to be just fine."

"Well, when can we see her?" My dad
asked.

"Right now." I could hear the smile in
Mason's voice. He opened the door a little wider and stepped inside
so the entire room could see me. I recognized everyone, and I was
surprised by the number of friends and family that had showed up.
Dear God, there were a lot of people. There had to be sixty or
seventy people in the semi-small room. There were people sitting on
the floor and standing up against the wall. Word travels
fast.

"Kendra!" My mom screamed. She hurled
herself across the room and engulfed my body with her smaller, more
petite, frame. I was suddenly smothered in hands and arms. Through
all the chaos, I could hear Mason's light snickering. I looked and
found him out in the hall. For some reason, I wanted to be out
there with him instead of in this room with all my loved ones. I
felt claustrophobic and I wanted to escape. I guess he could see my
discomfort, because he stepped back in the room and spoke
again.

"Now, let's all calm down. Kendra has
been through a lot today, and I'm sure she needs a little
rest."

Rest…yeah. A little rest was exactly
what I needed. Like until sometime next year…if I lived that
long.

Slowly, the hands and arms started to
fall away from me. Thank God. I instantly felt better. I don't know
what had come over me, but I needed Mason near me. It may have been
because he had been by my side for the last couple of hours, but I
needed to touch him in order to feel completely relaxed. I reached
for him and he touched my hand. I laced my fingers with his and he
drew me away from the crowd and into him. What was wrong with
me?

He brushed my cheek with his hand, and
I looked up at him. The touch was so tender, and tenderness was
something I wasn't used to. I avoided it most of the time, but for
some reason I needed him near me; I wanted his tenderness. I felt
as if I would drown if he didn't keep my head above
water.

I had been staring at his beautiful
gray eyes. His eyes were the type that would seem to change color
based on the shirt he was wearing. If he wore blue or bright
colors, I was sure his eyes would appear blue. If he wore gray or
dark colors, I was sure they would appear gray. He was wearing deep
hunter green scrubs and his eyes were light gray with a dark blue
ring around the iris. I couldn't look away from him, but I didn't
want to.

"Kendra." I heard Aven's voice, and I
looked toward him without pulling away from Mason's embrace. Aven
was one of my best friends, and it just so happened that he had
been with me this morning when I fell. He was also a friend with
benefits, and for those of you who aren't up to date on the
terminology, it means that we have sex with each other. We date
other people, but having a friend with benefits means we don't have
to sleep with the people we date, hence not adding anymore notches
to our headboards, and if you don't know what that means, well…it
doesn't matter anyway.

Aven dated other people and I dated
other people, but I don't think either if us had ever seen the
other with another person. He honestly looked hurt, or maybe he had
just been worried about me, but he wasn't happy. He held out his
hand and I went to him. I knew he was worried, they all had been.
By avoiding them, I was acting like a selfish bitch just so I could
comfort myself, and I was somehow okay with that.

I hugged him back and he kissed my
forehead. He usually kissed the top of my head, but my hair was
still wrapped up in a towel. I pulled back and he kissed my lips.
That was crossing the line. I may be twenty-nine, but my parents
were in the room, for Christ's sake. Only a couple of our friends
knew how close Aven and I were, and I didn't want anyone else to
know. I especially didn't want Mason to know. He was standing right
where I had left him, staring at me with absolutely no
expression.

I pushed against Aven's chest with my
hand and backed up. I gave him the "you've gone too far" look, and
he let me go. "I want to go home."

"Okay, I'll take you home," Aven said,
and tried to pull me back to him.

I resisted, and he stopped smiling. "I
want to go home alone, Aven."

He put his hand over his mouth then
rubbed his chin. "I thought I'd lost you, Kendra. We all thought
you were gone, and here you are without a scratch on you, and
cuddled up with a nurse that you've never even met before today.
That's not like you."

He was right. It wasn't like me, but
then again, I hadn't been myself since I'd died. "Look, I'm just
tired, and Mason helped save my life today." I looked at Mason. He
knew the truth; Coen had saved my life, but I didn't want to tell
anyone else what had happened. I didn't have the energy. "I would
like to go home and get some rest. I will turn my phone back on
when I get up tomorrow. I just need to be alone for a
while."

My mom and dad hugged me again. "Okay,
honey, we're just glad you're all right."

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm really fine." I
didn't have the heart to tell her that I may be putting her through
this again in a week, with no miracle to save me then. I wanted to
hold her tight and never let her go, but on the other hand, I
wanted to be alone, completely alone with only my dog for
company.

She let me go, and I hugged each and
every person in the room. My best friend, Kobhye, cried the hardest
because she thought the accident was her fault.