“I’m here to give Kenneth last rites.”
“No! You can’t. I won’t let you.”
“Please, Francis. Don’t make this harder on any of us. I love Kenny just as much as you do, and it’s time we let him go where there is no more pain and suffering. He needs to be with his mother.”
Turning on his heel, Frankie walked out of the room and saw Kenny’s fiancée standing with her back against a wall. Her eyes were closed, and he knew she was praying. A large flawless emerald-cut diamond ring sparkled on her left hand. Some of the hospital staff had discovered the ring in Kenny’s jacket after he’d been airlifted to the trauma center. They’d also found MacKayla Harrison, Ray, and Frankie in Kenny’s emergency contacts in his wallet. They’d called MacKayla first, and she called Ray, who in turn had called him.
Kenny had been in a coma for a month, and she’d been by his side every one of those days. He had talked incessantly about finding his special woman, and once Frankie met her, he knew Kenny had chosen well. They were perfect for each other.
Ray exited the room, his expression unreadable. “You can go in now.”
Frankie took MacKayla’s hand, and together they returned to the room. He and MacKayla gasped at the same time. Kenny had opened his eyes. He tried smiling, but it appeared more like a grimace. MacKayla squeezed Frankie’s hand. “He’s going to make it.”
Frankie was galvanized into action when he raced down to the nurses’ station. “Kenneth Russell just woke up!”
Less than a minute later, two doctors and a nurse ordered everyone to leave as they tended to their patient.
Kenny moaned softly. He wasn’t going crazy. The voices weren’t in his head. They were the people in the room. Hetried to talk but couldn’t get his tongue to move. He lifted his hand and moved his fingers.
“Can you hear me?” a deep voice asked. “Nod your head if you can.”
Kenny nodded.Hell yeah, I can hear you. I’ve been hearing voices for days. Now, take this damn thing out of my throat.A shuddering sigh echoed in the room when a doctor removed the trach.
“Thank you,” Kenny whispered. Damn, his throat was on fire. “When can I go home?”
The young doctor patted his arm. “It’s going to be after you go through a battery of tests, and if you pass them, then you’ll be discharged.”
He nodded. “I need to talk to Father Ramon.”
The doctor turned to the nurse. “Please go get the priest.”
Kenny closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found Ray leaning over him. “When you were praying for me, I saw my mother shaking her head when I started walking toward her. She wasn’t ready for me to join her.”
“That’s because you have more living to do. I’m going to come back in a couple of days to baptize you. As soon as you’re discharged, I want you and MacKayla to come up to Connecticut. There is no waiting period after you get your marriage license. I’ll marry you two so you can start living your lives together.”
“What about Frankie? Will he be there?”
Ray shook his head. “I don’t know about his legal situation. Because he’s out on bail and is restricted from leaving New York, his lawyer had to ask the judge for special permission for him to come and see you. He wasn’t going to allow it until I asked to speak with him. There’s something about the clerical collar that changed his mind.”
“You were meant to be a priest.”
“I know that now. Get some rest. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
