Palm Terrace >> Season 1 >> The Power Of Love Mini-Series

Kendra sat by Jake's side in the back of the ambulance. The paramedics chattered among themselves, assessing Jake's condition as the ambulance raced closer to Perkins Memorial Hospital. Kendra finally found the strength to look into Jake's face. He was unconscious, but Kendra found comfort in convincing herself that he appeared to be asleep. Five o'clock shadow had settled in, the dark stubble more noticeable against Jake's unnaturally pale cheeks. Jake's eyes, usually wide and sparkling whenever Kendra saw them, were tucked under the blanket of his eyelids.

Kendra closed her eyes, trying to shut out the chilling image of Jake's current condition, only to find flashes of the accident in her mind. Her broken shoe, the oncoming van, Jake pushing her, his body soaring through the air, all flickering frame by frame in her head. Her eyes flew open, hoping to find herself awakened from a very bad dream.

To her despair, Jake still laid unconscious, the ambulance's sirens blared, and the paramedics were still tending to the lacerations on Jake's head and arms. Kendra couldn't bring herself to believe her eyes. Why, Jake? Kendra thought desperately. Why you? It should be me lying there unconscious, bleeding. I still can't believe you did this, Jake.

A new realization struck as Kendra perceived Jake as the only person who has ever done such a selfless deed for her. No one has ever put their life on the line for me, not even those I love. Upon the thought of love, Bryce's face came to Kendra's mind. She wondered if Bryce would have rescued her like Jake had done. She didn't know whether to feel terrible or not when she wished deep down that Bryce would have been her rescuer. After all, I am in love with him. Another thought crossed her mind. Would I have done the same thing for Bryce?

Kendra looked longingly back at Jake. His eyes still closed, face pale, the paramedics were recorded data from computers monitoring Jake's condition. So much blood, but Kendra's stare did not waver. Why did you do it, Jake? Kendra inquired silently. Why did you sacrifice your life for someone you barely know? Is there something you haven't told me, Jake? Kendra reached out and gently stroked Jake's cheek, his skin a little too cool to her touch. She quickly withdrew her hand and looked at the paramedics.

"His blood pressure's dropping," announced one of the paramedics, and the others hovered over him, shielding Jake from Kendra's view.

"Please, Jake, hold on, please," Kendra whispered, tears flowing readily from her eyes.

"Damn rush hour traffic!" Stacia swore, pounding her fist against the steering wheel. She glanced over at Lana.

Lana stared out the passenger side window, struggling to dam her tears. Overcome with heavy worry, Lana could not stop thinking about Jake. He's been through so much during the last few weeks, and now this? Her lips quivered uncontrollably. Oh please, God, Lana closed her eyes to silently pray. Please keep him safe. I can't lose him. I love him. Jake's smiling face faded into her head. His blue eyes, always shining with excitement and joy, bored through her thoughts. She immersed herself in the recollection of every detail she knew of him, from the wattage of his smile to the exact pressure he applied when he embraced her. Lana felt from the very depths of her soul that Jake was so undeserving of all the unfortunate events that had happened to him during the past weeks.

"Lana? Sweetheart, please, look at me." Stacia broke Lana's concentration. Lana looked at Stacia, her usually brilliant and cheerful midnight blue eyes now casting a glum, subdued gaze. "Are you all right?" Stacia asked.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT ALL RIGHT!" Lana snapped angrily, her hands clenching the vinyl covered arm of the seat. She swallowed and calmly apologized. "I'm sorry about that. It's just that, Jake as already been through so much with him losing his job at the Tribune and then learning about Kendra's crush on Bryce. I'm worried sick about him."

"I know you're worried about him, Lana," Stacia replied soothingly. "I'm also worried, and I know Adam's concerned as well. But you can't let your world cave in on you. Jake would have wanted to you to be strong."

"I'm trying, but it hurts me so much to witness him going through all this pain," Lana's eyes allowed for a few tears to escape and she quickly wiped them away. Stacia pulled into the parking lot of Perkins Memorial Hospital. She helped Lana out of the car and walked with her inside the hospital. They approached an information counter, where Lana stood aside sulking while Stacia asked for Jake's whereabouts.

"Jake Herrington," The lady scanned the list of patients on a computer screen. "Ahhh, yes, he was just admitted to the emergency room a few minutes ago. Down the hall, hang right, end of the corridor." Before the woman could finish her directions, Lana took off running, the tears gushing freely from her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but Lana could feel herself pulled in the direction of the corridor leading to the ER unit.

"Lana!" Out of nowhere, Lana heard the cry of Kendra Blake and she came to halt. She wiped her eyes with her fingers, confounded to see Kendra approaching her. Kendra's eyes were swollen from crying and she reached out to embrace Lana. Apprehensively, Lana stepped away from her.

"What are you doing here?" Lana's eyes burned with anger, trying to sear Kendra with her glare. "Where's Jake?"

"Are you Lana Whitmire?" A doctor approached from behind Kendra. "You're listed as Jake's primary emergency contact."

Lana was too eager to hear about Jake to listen to the doctor's comment. "Yes, I'm Lana. Is he okay?" The fire in her eyes faded to a look of hope.

The doctor pursed his lips. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news. He's suffered from several injuries. Three broken ribs, broken left arm, several lacerations on his arms and head, not to mention the possibility of a severe concussion. I'm afraid that the next 24 hours are going to be very critical for him."

Stacia, who had just joined Lana's side, gasped with fright. Kendra covered her mouth with her hand and wept. Lana did not want to believe the doctor. "Critical? Oh no, he's going to pull through this," Lana insisted firmly.

"Well," the doctor tried to consider Lana's feelings, "if he's going to have any good chance, he needs to be replenished with blood immediately. We've contacted the blood banks in the Bay Area, but it's a known fact that blood is in short supply."

Suddenly, Lana remembered the conversation she and Jake had regarding his feelings for Kendra. I can't wait to see what happens to someone who does something major, like donating pints of blood for a transfusion to keep you alive. "I will donate blood," Lana declared. "My blood type's O-Negative, it's universal, right?"

But Stacia clutched Lana's shoulder. "Lana, you can't! You couldn't donate last month, they said you were underweight..." Stacia pointed out, looking at her best friend pleadingly.

Lana shrugged out of Stacia's grasp. "I'm going to do this, with or without the weight. I'm in good shape, I can handle this donation. Besides," She turned to face Stacia. "It's not every day you get the chance to give someone else the gift of life."

Stacia's eyes met Lana's, swelling with tears. Remembering their conversation in Lana's office from just moments before, she knew what Lana meant and that nothing she said would change Lana's mind. Lana loved Jake that much and Stacia knew that if given the opportunity, she would do the same for Adam. She hugged Lana then watched as the doctor led her best friend down the corridor.

Lana sipped the apple juice from a carton while watching the nurse rub alcohol on her arm. Even when she finished the box, she continued to suck air through the straw.

Lana nodded, then realizing the carton was empty, she handed it to the nurse. The nurse laughed and disposed the box for her. "There is no need to worry," the nurse assured her. "You're doing a great thing." She brought out the needle, syringe, plastic tubing, and two empty plastic bags. "You're Jake Herrington's relative, sister, or girlfriend?"

Lana cringed at the word "girlfriend" but tried to stay relaxed. "Jake's my best friend. We met each other in college."

"Ohhhh," The nurse pulled Lana's arm closer to her. "This will sting a little, then you might start feeling weak." Lana nodded bravely and the nurse pressed the needle through Lana's skin. Lana winced at the slight pinch before watching the precious red liquid flow through the plastic tubing to the bags.

"This is a wonderful thing you're doing," The nurse remarked. "Such a selfless deed deserves another, that's what I say."

Before Lana could catch the nurse's praise, she felt so lightheaded and closed her eyes. Drifting off into darkness, she saw obscurity and heard silence. The emptiness consumed virtually all of her thoughts and emotions, as if erasing the present from its existence...like the blank screen before a movie began. With a clear mind, Lana remembered the day she met Jake.

It had been storming all evening. Thunder boomed, warning of worse weather to come. The rain fell relentlessly, shielding any vision from clarity all around the University of North Florida library.

"Cory, wait! We need to talk," 21-year old Lana Whitmire ran out into the darkness outside the library. "Please, stop." She caught up with her boyfriend Cory Danielson.

"Why? Why should I?" Cory turned around to face her, his dark bangs falling into his eyes. "You're only going to continue to chastise me. Why should I stand for this abuse?"

"Why didn't you call me last night? I waited for you," Lana looked up at him pleadingly, blinking constantly to keep the water droplets from blurring her eyes.

"I've waited for you for six months, Lana," Cory said through clenched teeth. "I have needs, you know. Right now, I need to be with someone who recognizes those needs."

"Maybe you do, but I don't even know what you need. You don't open up to me. You won't let me through to you," His opaque green eyes burned in the darkness.

Lana bit her lip, fighting the urge to pour her heart's pain into his hands. She knew he wouldn't understand. "It's so complicated. I need more time-"

"-And I need to stop wasting time. You know, I thought I was falling in love with you," Cory paused, his eyes boring through hers. "Now I don't think you're even capable of loving someone." Lana was too dumbfounded to speak. Her lips parted in awe of the harshness of Cory's words. Her hair stuck to her face, drenched from the downpour. "I guess there really isn't much else to say," Cory looked away from her and started to walk around. "Good-bye, Lana."

Lana didn't reply. She only watched as Cory's back faded into the sheets of rain. Lana's salty tears joined the rain streaming down her cheeks. She looked around the dark, empty parking lot before setting off on the long walk back to the dormitories. She was only a quarter of the way home when the sound of her footsteps were joined by another pair behind her. Not looking back, she quickened her pace. The footsteps behind her gained speed. She looked over her shoulder in time to see a hand grab on to her.

"Hold up, sweet thing," A deep voice slurred nastily. "Or you might not get home in one piece." A man jerked Lana around to face him and pushed her up against the wall of the building. He wore an orange ski mask, a black turtleneck sweater, and worn blue jeans. His black eyes burned like hot coals through the eyeholes of the mask as he glared at her threateningly. He held her chin with one hand, a knife in the other. "Open up your purse and hand over cash and credit cards." His eyes narrowed menacingly. Lana's fingers curled around the strap of her bag. She unzipped the purse carefully. "HURRY UP!" The man yelled into her ear. Startled, Lana dropped her purse, spilling its contents all over the wet cement.

The man's eyes glowed with fury. "You clumsy bitch," he growled. "You bend down and pick that shit up." He pressed the blade of the knife against her neck. "Do it fast, do it-" He stopped mid-sentence and turned his head when the sound of a motor grew louder and closer. Lana frightfully studied his face, realizing her attacker's plans had started to go awry. She prayed the motor would save her from being mugged, or being killed.

The man turned back to Lana. "Well? Pick that shit up. NOW!" Lana's lips trembled and she ducked down slowly to the ground. She grabbed her lipstick and compact first, shoving them back into her purse. She was about to pick up her hairbrush when the man impatiently ordered, "Just empty out the damn wallet!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Another deep voice rose above the beats of the rain drops. Lana looked behind her attacker and saw the headlights of a golf cart. The vehicle was covered in a clear canopy protecting its tiny cabin from the storm. The canopy distorted a clear view of the cart's driver, who shouted "And you, sir, should stay right where you are. I've already contacted campus police. They should be here any second. You're in for some hard time."

Upon hearing those words, Lana's attacker ran off into the darkness. The cart's driver didn't bother chasing after him. Instead, he lifted the bottom of the canopy and stepped out of the cart. He opened an umbrella and approached Lana, who was still stooped to the wet cement. Finally, he stood over her with the umbrella shielding her face from further exposure to the rain.

Lana looked up into his face and her mouth fell open in awe of his attractive features. The headlights of the golf cart caught honey blond highlights from his hair which stood short but spiked carelessly. His eyes were wide and slightly dark, shaded from the glare of the headlights of the golf cart behind him so she couldn't quite make out their color. They blinked at her with a curiosity and a touch of shyness. His lips curled into the widest smile, illuminating in the darkness and captivating so much that Lana gasped with reverence. He wore jeans and a black polo shirt that hugged the contours of his swimmer's build, which he bent down to assist her with her belongings.

"Let me help you," He said, gathering her brush, her wallet, and the rest of the contents from her purse. Lana held her purse open as he placed her belongings gently into her bag. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you, or steal anything?" Lana, still caught up in admiring him, could hardly breathe. She shook her head. "Good, I'm glad. Here, grab on to my hand and I'll help you up." Lana quickly acquiesced to his words but said nothing. Instead, she studied his face as he pulled her up from the ground and turned toward the golf cart. His eyes radiated with the color of the sky at noon on a sunny day. Lana smiled at them and marveled at how they contrasted the shade of her own eyes, the color of the evening sky.

"You're really brave, to smile after such a frightening ordeal," He laughed at her. "Come on, let's get out of this rain." He held the umbrella over her as they walked to the golf cart. He held canopy open for her so she could slip into the passenger side of the cart's front seat. Finally, he sat down in the driver's seat. "So, where to?"

Lana was forced to speak this time. "Osprey Cove," She said clearly, relieved that her voice managed to escape squeaking. She braced the seat as he put the cart into gear and drove.

"I drive a little slower on rainy nights. The pathways get pretty slick," He explained. "My name's Jake, by the way. Jake Herrington. I work with the campus safe ride team. Why didn't you call us to get escorted back to the dorms?"

"My b-, uh, escort, left me at the last minute. I really couldn't," Lana fibbed. "Thanks for driving me back though. And thank you so much for saving me back there."

"It's my pleasure," Jake replied. "Just happy to be in the right place at the right time. I thought it was pretty sly of you, picking up your makeup and stuff before your wallet. You heard me coming, didn't you?"

"Yeah, the guy started to panic. It was the one time I actually left the pepper spray at home. Believe me, that's not going to happen again." Lana vowed firmly.

"It better not! Don't get me wrong, saving damsels in distress is part of the job. But having to deal with scum like that guy is something I'd rather avoid." Jake pulled up to the front door of Osprey Cove and turned off the engine.

"Let's say that I do call," Lana turned to him. "Can I request specific drivers?"

Jake grinned. "Well, that's only for our preferred customers. I can put your name on the list, if you'd like." He winked at her. "May I?"

Jake whipped out a clipboard and pen from behind his seat. "Lana Whitmire," he repeated, writing the name down. Lana looked at the paper on which he was writing. Above his scrawling of her name were worked-out trigonometry problems. Lana laughed at him. Jake pretended not to notice. "Lana Whitmire. And your phone number?"

Lana's eyes grew wide and she blushed immensely. "555-8090," She couldn't believe the night she was having. Dumped by her boyfriend, nearly mugged by a would-be attacker, and now being hit on by the best looking guy she had ever seen.

Jake finished writing down her number and put the clipboard away. "Let me help you out," He quickly exited the driver's seat and appeared on her side, holding up the canopy with one hand and holding her hand as he helped her from the cart. "Well, it was a pleasure saving you tonight, Lana Whitmire."

"Thank you, Jake Herrington. I really appreciate your saving me tonight." They both looked at each other with mock looks of the utmost sincerity before bursting into laughter.

Oblivious to the rest of the world, Jake drifted through the darkness of a comatose state for what felt like eternity until the familiar shores of the Bay faded into view.

Jake perceived a darkening sky and imminent sunset. The citrus colored sun cast its reach over the turquoise waves of the Bay, holding on for dear life as time pulled it beneath the horizon. Jake could feel its effort, warm against his tanned chest revealing from his unbuttoned white shirt. His khaki pants were rolled halfway up his calves, soaked from the water that tagged his legs and retreated quickly. In one hand, he carried a pair of worn flip-flops and in the other hand, a torn piece of paper. He opened his hand to read the paper scrap. There were faint sky blue lines across a white background and scribbled in smeared black ink was "555-8090". Bewildered by the peculiar numbers, he slipped the paper into his pocket.

The waves continued to crash and Jake thought he heard a faint sound. It was quiet at first, but it grew louder, in a slow and constant beat. It echoed behind his head and he turned around. To his amazement, he saw Kendra walking barefoot toward him. She wore the sexiest two piece bathing suit, blazing red, with a sheer black sarong wrapped around her dainty hips. Her gorgeous blond hair was swirled into a bun pinned on top of her head and her icy blue eyes only stared at his. They wore the look of intense rapacity.

"Jake, you're always here. Why are you always here?" With her slender fingers, she pulled three bobby pins that held her hair in place. Upon its release, her hair shimmered as it gracefully floated down from the crown of her head.

Mesmerized by her grace, Jake searched for the most eloquent words. "Kendra, I've always been here for you, and will be here for you. Now and forever. It's been you for so long, I've desired no other."

"It's always me," She smiled radiantly. "Me, me, me. Ahhhh, me. But what about you?" As she spoke, the beeps continued, rhythmically keeping time with her responses.

Jake looked around him for the source of the beeps and figured they were in his mind. "I've lost myself to you," He admitted. "This is how I imagined love would be. Complete surrender to your every grace. I put myself in harm's way for you, without a second thought. Gladly, I would do it a thousand times over, even if it meant I'd hear you say the words only once. But you could hear me shout it with my every breath, I love you, I love you." His eyes fell upon her glossy, full pink lips. He pulled her close to him and bent his face toward hers. She smelled of the salt air and of pineapple suntan oil. He parted his lips and closed his eyes as he leaned forward.

Kendra wriggled out of his grasp. "You don't know what you're talking about," She said airily, whipping her long blond hair over shoulder. "You only think we're connected in some intricate demeanor. But do you have what it takes to love me? How do you know that you have it all?"

"I've felt this connection with you, this romantic connection, that I've never known about before," Jake held her hands in his. "I've wanted to be a better man because of you. You've helped me out when I never expected you to do so. You test my limits and challenge me beyond my comfort zone. I know the real you, the woman who is determined to make her mark in this world. The woman who inspires poetry with every step she takes. The woman who truly understands life as I do, as controlled by the choices we make, not some predetermined destiny. I know you're my true love, Kendra."

"Jake, do you even know of true love? How its pleasure can never be felt without its pain? How deep and excruciating it can be? How it can be found in the most unlikely of places, where you'd never thought of finding it before? How its relentless and unconditional, unwavering and boundless, selfless and unbelievable? And about all else, how it is fulfilled mutually?" Kendra's inquiries sounded in time with the beeping noise. "You need to understand the power of love and its definition before attempting its application. I must go. It's time to go bye-bye." Kendra turned to walk away, but before Jake could stop her, she was mysteriously already ahead of him by fifty yards.

"Kendra! Don't go! Please! I don't want you to go," Jake started to run down the beach. But as he gained speed, he gained no ground on Kendra, who walked further away. He felt so out of breath and stopped running. Before, he had jogged further in less time and never felt as exhausted. He knelt down to the ground, clenching handfuls of sand. Kendra vanished completely from his sight. The beeps grew shrill and numbed his heart. "What's the point of running? You are too far away...were you ever really here?" he whispered. The beeps roared louder in his ears.

The beeps slowed down to a long standstill. The drone of a steady line on the heart monitor set off alarms in the nurse's station of the emergency room.

The screeching of the alarms woke Lana, who found herself laying in a dim lit hospital room. She sat up with fright and looked at the bed beside her. Jake lay motionless and pale. Her eyes darted toward his heart monitors and to her complete horror, there was a long, thin green line. She leapt from the bed and ran to the side of Jake's bed. "Jake! NO! No, please! Don't go, you can't go!" She pleaded to him.

The door to the hospital room burst open and two nurses hurried into the room. They pushed Lana aside and set to work on checking his IV drip and heart monitor. Lana could only stand back and watch tearfully as they worked to resuscitate him. A third nurse entered with an external defibrillator. He pushed Lana further back before proceeding to help with the machine. "Clear!" She heard one of the nurses cry out. She turned away from them.

Please, God, help him hold on. It's not his time right now, not yet. I haven't even had the chance to say good-bye. At least allow for me to let him know how much I love him. Lana prayed silently, closing her eyes but still allowing for tears to flow.

Flashes of Jake's radiant smile echoed in her mind. She could see him laughing, his sapphire blue eyes twinkling with their amazing warmth and charm. She couldn't bear living the rest of her life with only those memories to keep him alive. She wanted to pour all of her strength into his mangled body, even if it meant sacrificing her own health. She still felt weak from the blood drawn earlier, but she knew she still had more strength than Jake, whose life was teetering on the brink of death.

All of her life, she never knew what it was to live for another. At that very moment, it was as if she could feel her own heart is being cloaked by death's shroud. Every other aspect of her life resembled miniscule significance compared to the horrifying thought of losing Jake. While he had helped life make sense again, she knew losing him would shatter her entire world. She wanted to beat herself for growing so dependent on him for emotional stability. But that was the strength he inadvertently provided for her. She succumbed quickly to their convenience and felt that without him, life wouldn't have meant much more than trudging for the simple sake of survival. With Jake, life not only meant ambition and passion but also freedom, mirth, and generosity. She naturally lost the inhibition of selfishness and saw life in a precious light.

The drone of the steady alarm had silenced and the beats on the heart monitor relieved Lana's fears. She turned to see the third nurse pushing the defibrillator out of the door while the other two nurses replaced his IV bag and checked his vital signs. She approached the bedside cautiously. A nurse glanced up at her with an encouraging look and said, "He's stable now, but he could fall again. I'll be back to check on him in thirty minutes."

The nurse looked down at Jake and smoothed the blanket. "I'm afraid not, sweetie. There really isn't any more we can do for him." With their work finished, the nurses headed for the door. But the one nurse turned around to tell Lana, "But you can sit by his side and pray for him. Maybe talk to him soothingly. Who knows, he might listen to you."

The door closed behind the nurses. Lana pulled a chair to the side of Jake's bed and sat down. She hated to see all the tubes running from his arms and his chest but otherwise he only looked fast asleep. She studied his face. His eyes were closed, his skin unusually pale, and his slightly pink lips chapped.

"That was a close call, huh, Jake?" She said to him, stroking the white blanket on his bed. "Yeah, I'm talking as if you can hear me all right." She ran her fingers through her hair and caught a glimpse of the heart monitor. "That's my blood coursing through your veins, did you know that? I'm not sure if I want to tell you that when you wake up though. Would you consider that too much information?" She laughed nervously. "Jake, can you hear me? You don't have to answer me, just listen. Gosh, it's easy to talk to you right now. You're not awake to contradict me." She ran her fingers up the blanket toward his hand. "But I'd give you a hundred more pints if it meant you could wake up and argue with me right now."

Lana sighed and sat back in her chair. She folded her arms in front of her. The heart monitor beeped softly, breaking any silence in the room. She stood up and leaned over him. She touched his forehead and traced the outline of his face with her index finger. "I was so afraid to lose you. Me, scared." She took his hands in hers and rubbed them with her thumbs. "The thought of losing you is insufferable. I don't want to think about life without you. I would do anything to see you open your wondrous eyes. What can I do to see you smile again? What can I do to bring you back for good?"

Lana's eyes filled with tears. She bit her lip and fought a sniffle. She sat back down on the chair but rested her arms on Jake's bed. She held one of his hands. "Can you feel it? Can you feel what I'm saying?" She rose from the seat again and placed his hand on her heart. "Can you feel this? Will this help lead you back to me? I've been saving it for you. Maybe now you can feel how much I need you. There is so much ahead of us, lots that we haven't been able to do. I need you to see me through career changes, more break-ups, losses of loved ones, and birthday celebrations. Geez, only Oliver has seen me through more than you have, so that's just a glimpse of all that you mean to me. And I want to be there with you through your trying times, to suffer from your pain and to rejoice in your happiness. After all, you're my Bruce Wayne and I can't be Alfred without you." The tears flowed freely now and she wiped them away. "If only I could give you my own strength to pull you through this. If only you could feel the strength of my love for you." She paused to choke back more tears. She rested her ear against his chest, listening intently to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Closing her eyes, she whispered to him, "It's taken me all this time to tell you this and I don't even know if you can hear me. So I'm just going to keep saying it, to make sure you do. I love you, Jake...I love you...I love you...I love you...I love-"

Lana was interrupted by the sound of the door opening behind her. She sat up quickly and jerked around to see Kendra standing in the doorway. Flushed with embarrassment, Lana jumped from the chair and ran past Kendra, who looked after her with astonishment.

Jake lay on the shore of the bay, his head resting on the sand and pounding with a panic. The mysterious beeping noise had slowed with a decrease in volume but still lurked deep in his ears. But his ears allowed for a whispering voice to make its way into his head.

"I love you, Jake... I love you... I love you... I love you..." Jake could hear the calming whisper, persistent in its repetition of those three words. He opened his eyes and saw the waves crashing on the shore. He tilted his head and caught sight of the sheer black sarong. He quickly turned his head up to see Kendra kneeling beside him. She appeared to be whispering the words he had longed to hear for some long. "I love you...I love you...I love you..." Though her lips moved slower than the words being said, Jake's heart believed in Kendra's soft proclamations and surged with rejuvenation. He sat up beside her and and took her hand in his. Her lips continued to move but now there were no words being said. He reached up to caress her cheek and she bent her head toward his hand. The feel of her skin warmed his heart and he found himself breathing deeper.

"I knew it. I knew that you've felt this way for me all along." The resemblance to reality took Jake by surprise and he couldn't believe his sudden turn of luck. "But why haven't you said this before? Why are you telling me this now? Is it because this is a dream?" Kendra's lips still moved wordless. Jake couldn't understand why he heard no words. "Say something. Please tell me anything."

Kendra blinked her icy blue eyes at him and stopped moving her lips. She stared deep into his eyes intently and pulled his face close to hers. Jake felt goose bumps rise on his skin and the pace of his heart quickened. He heard more whispers in his ears but he couldn't understand the words. He saw that Kendra's lips still remained motionless. The whispers raised in their distinction and Jake finally understood their last phrase. "What can I do to bring you back for good?"

"I'm here, I'm here! I'm back, I'll stay with you forever!" Jake promised to Kendra, whose stare began to lose depth and shimmered with a blank expression. "You've said the words and they were all I needed to bring me back for good. I'm back for good. I'm back." His vision began to blur, the sounds of the whispers and waves began to fade, and his body began to feel limp and numb. He struggled against the paralysis but only sank deeper into a more sedated state until he encountered only obscurity. For a moment, Jake heard faint sounds around him. He heard what sounded like a door slamming and the now familiar rhythmic beeps.

Breathing became a little easier. Jake drew in a deep breath and moaned softly. There was a gentle touch upon his arm. He still felt weak but slowly, he willed himself to open his eyes. His vision was still distorted and he had to blink his eyes several times to regain focus. He found himself staring up at a white plaster paneled ceiling. There was only one light in the room but even its dim beam hurt his eyes. He tilted his head to the side, blinking slowly. To his surprise, Kendra sat next to his bed, stroking his arm.

"Jake? Oh my gosh, you're awake!" She jumped up from her chair and leaned down to him. "How are you feeling? Can you move?"

At first, Jake couldn't speak. He felt nothing but extreme exhaustion and difficulty in breathing. He moved his lips as if to speak but only a few raspy sounds escaped.

Kendra smiled and stroked his forehead. "That's good enough," She leaned down, kissed his forehead, and then looked at him with her beautiful icy blue eyes glinting with tears. "Welcome back."

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I would offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
There's no doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms of rage are rolling wild and free
Down that highway of regret
The wind of change are blowing wild and free
But you ain't seen nothing like me yet

There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy, make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love