Fear gripped him. "Oh my God. Is she alright?" "She's unconscious. The doctor said that there may be some swelling around her brain and that's why she's not responding." "What hospital?" "Methodist here in Houston. She's in ICU." "I'll be there as soon as I can." Vin hangs up the phone and immediately calls Tony. "Tony, this is Vin. Gwen's been in an accident and I need to get to Houston. How long will it take you to make all of the arrangements?" "Give me 15 minutes. I'll meet you at the hangar." Getting out of bed, Vin throws some clothes in a bag. He has no idea if he has everything he needs. If not, he'll get it when he gets into town. Grabbing his laptop, he gets in his Escalade and drives to the airport. It's miracle that he didn't get into a wreck himself. Arriving at the hangar, he finds that Tony has made all of the arrangements and they are ready to take off. "Do whatever you can to make up time." he tells Tony. "I'll do my best." Using his cell phone, he calls Mike and gives him the news. "I don't know when I'll be back. If you need anything, call and leave a message on my voice mail." "Vin, I'm sorry about Gwen. Keep me posted." "I will." Sitting in the darkened cabin, he finally has time to process everything. Gwen's been in an accident and has not regained consciousness. Millions of questions run through his mind. He has never been this scared in his entire life. He silently curses me for swerving instead of hitting the idiot, but then if I had done that, what would the end result be? He curses God for bringing me into is life and then trying to take me away from him. He curses himself for not being there. His emotions are like a tennis match, bouncing back and forth between fear and anger. Silent tears begin to fall. The flight seemed like it would never end. He decided that he'd clean up a little, considering the fact that he would be meeting my family for the first time. Walking into the small bathroom, he grabs his shaving cream and razor and cleans up, then went out and collapsed on the couch again. Finally, when he thought he'd go insane, Tony let him know that they were approaching the airport. "I've called ahead and made arrangements for a cab. It should be at the hangar when we arrive." "Thanks Tony." A few minutes later, they land and true to his word, a cab is waiting to take Vin to the hospital. "Stay here. I'll call you when I know something." he tells Tony as he exits the plane. Giving the driver instructions to take him to Methodist, he sits back and watches the city go by. About 20 minutes later, they pull up at the hospital, where Vin makes his way up to the ICU. Jennifer has been watching the elevators and sees him. Walking up to him, she gives him a hug. "There's been no change since I called you. They've taken her upstairs for an MRI and some other tests to see if they can tell what`s going on." They walk back to the waiting area where several people have gathered. Jennifer introduces him to my parents and sister. This is not the way I had intended on everyone meeting, but things don't always go as planned. I had told my family about him, and though they were skeptical at first, now seeing him here makes them realize that this is not just a passing thing. Jennifer and Vin are talking. "I talked to the nurses and told them that you'd be coming and that you're presence here does not need to be public knowledge. They understand." "Thanks Jennifer. I'm glad you're here." "I wouldn't be anywhere else. She has taken care of me more times than I want to admit." Digging in her pocket, she pulls out my jewelry. "They took her jewelry off of her when she came in." Handing it to him, she says, "I'm sure that she would want you to hold on to it for her." Vin holds up the ring he gave me. "Funny that one small piece of gold can mean so much. You know, she cried when I gave this to her." "I know, she told me about it." Seeing the worry on his face, she assures him, "Vin, she's going to be ok." "God I hope so." A little while later, the doctor comes out to let them know that I was back from the tests. "I'll have the results back in a little while." "Can I see her?" Vin asked the doctor. "And who are you, besides the obvious?" "I'm her fiance," Vin replies, with a grin. "Oh, is that so? Well, in that case, yes you can see her, but I need to warn you that she's pretty banged up." "Thanks," Vin replies, and follows the doctor over to my bed. He was not prepared for what he saw. I had cuts and bruises on my face and my left arm was bandaged up. "The good news is that there are no broken bones. We'll have to see what the tests show about the swelling. I'll be back in an hour or so to check on her." Vin shakes his hand. "Thank you for everything you've done." "We're not out of the woods yet. I'll be back in a little while." Leaning down to kiss my forehead, Vin says, "Hey sweetheart. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He settles down in the chair, holding my hand. The nurse comes by to take my vitals and smiles when she sees Vin. "She's holding her own. Her vital signs are normal." "What happened to her arm?" "Cuts from the glass. You know, she's a very lucky woman. If she had been driving a car instead of a truck, things would be much worse. I'll be back in a little while." He sits with me for awhile, until my sister, Kay, comes in. "Why don't you go get some coffee and something to eat. One of us will sit with her." "I don't want to leave her. What if she wakes up?" "Vin, you need to eat something or you won't be worth anything if she does." Knowing she's right, he reluctantly gives up his place. Kissing me again, he says, "I'll be right back," and he heads out to find Jennifer so they can go to the cafeteria. The doctor reviews the tests and waits until everyone is back together to give them the news. "The swelling is not as bad as we had originally thought and there is no brain damage. The reason for her being unconscious right now is because her body is trying to heal. It may be awhile before she wakes up, but all signs point to the fact that she will." Everyone is relieved, but none more than Vin. He comes back into the curtained area and takes up his place again. Hours pass and still no change. Everyone takes turns sitting with me, and they practically have to drag Vin out when his turn is over. Deciding to take a break, everyone except for Jennifer and Vin leave. Jennifer has everyone's phone number so she can call if there's a change. Vin calls Tony and gives him the news, telling him to fly back to LA and he'll call when he's ready to come home. Calling Mike, he gives him the update. Hours pass with them taking turns sitting and talking to me, even though I couldn't answer. Vin was sitting with me, holding my hand, when it moved a little. He called the nurse over and explained what had happened, and she called the doctor. He came down and gave me a quick check-up, and told them that it was a good sign and that I was coming out of it. Vin never left my side after that, and Jennifer understood. Later that evening, I felt something wet on my hand. Fighting my way through the darkness, I slowly opened my eyes and looked down to see what was going on. Vin was holding it and he was crying. Unable to say anything, I gently squeezed his hand. He looked up and when our eyes met, I have never felt more loved than in that moment. "Hang on baby, I need to get the nurse," he says, making his way down to the nurses station. He comes back with one of the nurses, who checks my vitals and goes to call the doctor. Both Jennifer and Vin are by my bed when the doctor comes in. He checks everything and tells them that everything is fine, and now they can move me to my own room soon. They want me to stay for a few days for observation. "Why am I in a hospital and why do I feel like someone beat the shit out of me?" Vin is holding my hand and can't speak. Jennifer recounts what had happened earlier that morning on the way to work. "I remember the jackass who swerved into my lane and I swerved so I wouldn't hit him. Then everything went black. Oh man, my truck. What happened to my truck?" That's when Vin finally said something. "Your truck? That's all you're worried about is your truck? Damn it Gwen, I almost lost you and you're worried about a fucking truck. Your truck can be replaced but you can't." He is close to losing it. Jennifer is trying to get him under control. "Vin, calm down. She's going to be fine. You can yell at her all you want to later, but right now, shut the hell up!" The nurse comes to let us know that they've got a room ready upstairs for me and that someone will be coming by in a few minutes to move me. Leaning over and giving me a light kiss on the cheek, he says, "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it." "I love you." "I love you too." The orderlies came in, packed up all of my things and wheeled me down the hall to the elevator, with Vin and Jennifer following. We went up a few floors and they took me to my room. Vin puts his things down while Jennifer starts making phone calls to let everyone know that I'm doing ok and that they've moved me. Everyone said that they would come by the next day. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep. I'll stay with her." Vin tells Jennifer. "Thanks." Walking over to the bed, she leans down and gives me a hug. "I'm glad that you're doing better. Now I can go home and collapse." Vin walks over and gives her a hug. "Thank you for everything you've done. She's lucky to have you." "Take care of her. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that Jennifer left. He walks over to the bed and takes my hand, pressing a kiss to it. He's shaking. "Vin, what's wrong?" "I thought I'd lost you. When Jennifer called me this morning and told me what had happened, my heart feel like it had been ripped from my chest. I've never felt like this about anyone before and it scared the living hell out of me to think that I'd never be able to hold you again, to love you. I wish that you had come back to LA with me after Cozumel, but I was too afraid to ask. I thought it was too soon, but looking back, it's what I should have done." "Hind sight is always 20/20. Nobody can predict the future, you know that." "Yeah, but if I had been here, or you would have left a few minutes earlier or later, this wouldn't have happened." "Vin, I risk my life everyday by getting on that freeway. And up until now, I had pretty good luck. But I can't stop just because of one wreck. I live and work in a huge city that requires taking that risk day in and day out. It's part of life." "But if you would have been with me, it wouldn't have happened." "You don't know that. I could have been driving down the freeway in LA and the same thing could have happened." "Yeah, but," I cut him off. "Vin, stop making yourself feel worse than you already do. What's done is done. All we can do now is go from here." "Marry me." "What?" "Marry me. That way you can come to LA with me and we'll be together. Gwen, leaving you after Cozumel was the hardest thing I've ever had to do." "Can we please talk about this tomorrow? I'm tired and I have a massive headache." "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." "Well, if it's any consolation, I hated to see you leave too." He leans up and kisses my lips. "Get some sleep. I'll be right here if you need anything." The next morning, my parents came to the hospital. Vin left and I didn't see him until after lunch. He said that he had some errands to run. Jennifer and Kay came by at lunch to see how things were going. When Vin finally made it back to the hospital, he handed me a set of keys. "What are these for? My truck is totaled." "No," he says, handing the digital camera to me. "Here's the truck that's totaled. There's a new one in the parking lot." Picking up the camera, I flip through the pictures. Vin had gone and taken pictures of my truck. The passenger side of the cab was totally crushed, and the driver's side roof was bashed in pretty bad, but somehow I survived. "How in the world did I manage to have just a few cuts and my truck looks like that?" "By all accounts, you should not be lying here right now. You must have had your guardian angel with you that morning." "Thank God. But what did you say about a new one?" "That's what took me so long to get back. While I was taking the pictures, I noticed the dealership tag on the back. I went and talked to your salesman, and he looked up the information on your truck. I told him I wanted one exactly like it, so he did some checking and found that he had one on the lot. So I bought it." "You bought it? Just like that." "Well, after a couple of phone calls to arrange the funds, but yeah, you've got a new truck." "No, you've got a new truck." Handing the papers to me, he says, It's titled in your name, Gwen. Which means that you own the truck." "Yeah, and I owe you a chunk of money now." Leaning down to me, he quietly says, "We'll discuss the terms of payment later," and gives me a quick kiss. The doctor came in and said that everything looked good, so they were going to take out the IV line. Later that evening, everyone had gone home and Sue, my boss from work came by. "So, I finally get to meet the elusive Mr. Diesel." They shake hands as I introduce them. Vin excuses himself and goes down to the cafeteria. "Well, kiddo, you don't look too bad. You know there's no rush for you to come back to work. I've got everything covered for you to be out for a couple of weeks. How is Vin holding up?" "Putting on a very brave front now, but he fell apart last night. And if memory serves me correctly, I think he asked me to marry him." "And?" "I told him we'd talk about it today." "And have you?" "Not yet. I'm scared though. I would be leaving a wonderful job and going someplace where I don't know anyone and on top of that, I wouldn't have a job." "I think I can help you out with the latter." "How?" "Have you forgotten that we have a branch office in LA? Let me make some calls to see if they might have a place for you there. That way you`ll keep your benefits and not have to start over. "I don't know. It's all going so fast. It was only a few weeks ago that he told me that he loves me, and now, he wants to get married." "Sometimes it takes something like this to make a person reevaluate their priorities. Maybe that's his way of coming to terms with his feelings. Gwen, he loves you and you know it. He came down here because of his love for you. Let me see what I can do about the job. Would that help you make your decision?" "Honestly, no. I've already made my decision, but I don't want to seem like a burden. You know me, Ms. Independent." "My God, woman. He's going to be your husband. Why don't you give up some of that control and let him take care of you?" "Old habits are hard to break." Vin walks in. "What habits?" I started laughing. "The ones that the nuns wear." "Well, I can see you're feeling much better," he says, dropping a kiss on my lips. "Alright guys, I'm outta here. Gwen, I'll call you tomorrow. Vin, nice to finally meet you. Take care of her." "I will," he says as she walks out. He comes over and sits on the end of the bed. "So, what were you talking about before I came in?" "Girl talk." "Which translates into men, right?" "Yep. Can you do me a favor?" "Yeah." "I want to take a shower but I need help. I can't get this bandage wet," I comment, holding up my left arm. "No problem. I'll go start the shower while you get your things." Moving around is not too bad. I'm still sore, but that will pass in time. I join Vin in the bathroom and he takes the gown off of me. "Step in and I'll wash you." Think you can behave? I`m not making any promises, but I`ll try, he says, grinning. Soaping up the washcloth, he runs it all over my body and then I rinse off and wet my hair. He rubs the shampoo into it and then helps me to rinse it out. Stepping back out of the shower, he dries my body with a towel. I put on a pair of shorts and t-shirt and Vin gently pulls me to him. This is the first time that he's been able to hold me since the accident. "I love you so much," he whispers into my ear. "Have you thought about what we talked about last night?" Pulling away from him, I go sit on the bed, with him sitting beside me. "Yes I have. But there are some things that we need to discuss." "What?" "First of all, I want you to understand something. I am a very independent woman and giving up that independence to be with you is very scary." "Gwen, I don't want you to change. I'm not going to take over your life. I just want us to be together." "But I have been alone for so long that it's going to take some time to adjust to having someone in my life full time." "Well, at least we agree on that point. What's next?" "If I move, I won't have a job. Well, Sue is checking on that. We have a branch office in LA and she`s going to make some calls, so we should know something tomorrow." "I can take care of you, you know that." "But I need this, Vin. I don't want to sit around all day while you're out doing your thing." "So don`t work and pursue your writing full time. That way you can stay home or travel with me. Any other points you'd care to argue?" "Hmmm, let me think. Oh yeah, I get the left side of the bed." "You can have any part of the bed as long as your answer is yes." "Yes," I say, smiling. "Yes," he repeats. "You said yes. You'll marry me?" "It looks that way." He grabs me and hugs me. Quickly letting go, he asks, "Did I hurt you?" "No, I'm still a little sore, but it's not too bad." Pulling my jewelry out of his pocket, he says, Let me do this the right way. He slides the ring on my finger and asks, Gwen Matthews, will you marry me? I look into those dark eyes of his and answer, Yes, Mark Vincent, I will marry you. "I love you more than you'll ever know," he says, leaning down to kiss me. He curls up in the bed next to me and we fall asleep, only to wake up a few hours later so the nurse can check my vital signs. "I'll be glad to get home so we can get a full nights sleep," he comments. Gwen