Chapter
20
After lunch,
Kevin and Howie were visiting Brian when a nurse came into the room.
"You have
a visitor, Brian," she said, smiling at him. Kevin and Howie had already
told him who was coming to see him, so he was expecting it.
"Great!"
he said. The nurse went back out into the hall and brought Angel in. She was
sitting in a wheelchair and wheeled an IV pole next to her.
"Angel!"
Brian shouted, grinning. "What's up, girl?"
Angel's eyes
lit up and she grinned back at him. "Not much. How are you doing?"
she asked, her smile fading as she studied him. He was very pale and weak
looking still, and he was hooked up to an oxygen tank and IVs. His chest was
wrapped up in bandages to help his ribs and lung heal.
"I'm
doing fine," he said, smiling at her. "How are you?" Angel
didn't look that much better herself. She was also quite pale, and had lost a
lot of weight, since she couldn't yet eat solid food.
"I'm
great!" she said.
"That's
good," he said. "Come over here," he said, motioning for Kevin
to wheel her up to the side of his bed. "That's better," he said,
when her wheelchair was parked beside him.
"I made
you a card," she said shyly, handing him the blue envelope.
"You did?
Awesome," he said. He started to open it and noticed the
"S.W.A.K." on the back. "What's this?" he asked, pretending
not to know.
Angel blushed
furiously. "It stands for 'Sealed with a kiss'," she said hesitantly.
Brian grinned.
"Really?
That's cool!" he said. He opened the card and smiled as he read it. He
closed it and grinned at her, a lump in his throat. "Thanks a lot,
Ang," he said sincerely. "That means a lot to me." He took her
hand and kissed it gently. He looked up and grinned when he saw the look on her
face. She was embarrassed, but overjoyed. "I'd kiss you on the cheek, but
I don't think I could reach your cheek, and I doubt you could bend over
much," Brian said with a grin. Angel just smiled happily back at him.
Howie and
Kevin left a few minutes later so Angel could have Brian all to herself. She
stayed for another hour before a nurse came to take her back to her room.
***
