Chapter 14 - THE RING BESIDE THE OLD BOOK
Nicholas proposed on the anniversary of the night he awakened.
He brought me back to St. Jude's.
Not to Room 412.
To the hospital's new rehabilitation library.
He had helped fund it through a transparent charitable donation.
The library provided books, audiobooks, and reading programs for patients recovering from serious illness.
I stood in the doorway.
The shelves were beautiful.
Warm lighting.
Comfortable chairs.
A window overlooking the city.
Nicholas stood beside a small table.
On it lay the old novel I'd read to him years earlier.
I smiled.
“You kept it?”
He nodded.
“Every page.”
I opened the book.
Inside was a small velvet box.
My heart stopped.
Nicholas took my hands.
“Clara Jenkins.”
His voice trembled.
“When I woke up, I thought I was asking you to keep reading because I was afraid of the silence.”
He smiled.
“But I think I was really asking you not to leave.”
My eyes filled.
“You showed me what kindness looked like when I had forgotten how to recognize it.”
He lowered himself onto one knee.
“Will you marry me?”
I laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
He slipped the ring onto my finger.
And when he stood, I wrapped my arms around him.
For once, there were no alarms.
No guards.
May you like
No threats.
Only us.
