5 End

In that case, the Warrior could now visit the hospital as a family friend, and he was honest. Of course, he never said he was there three or four times a week. He persistently went week after week and spent time with his beloved. He had waited this long, he would wait a little longer. He read to her, told her about the things he had seen in the world, or simply sat in silence. Seven more months passed, and he still hoped for her to improve. At the end of the seventh month, something happened that strengthened that hope even more.

He was bending over her forehead to kiss her as usual and leave when she visibly moved her eyelids. He paused, waiting to see if this was a hallucination. No. The girl moved her eyelids again and opened her eyes. Without looking around the room, she looked straight at him. A wave of warmth washed over him. Her eyes seemed to recognize him. She opened her mouth, whispering a single word, "Dan." Besides the warmth, he felt pleasure. It didn't last long, because a moment later, the girl closed her eyes and fell back asleep. The wave of feelings vanished. He tried to wake Samantha and called a doctor, but she was still in a coma, and the doctor deemed what he had told her impossible. This event heralded some improvement for Dan. And indeed, a few weeks later, she awoke from the coma. This time, however, she didn't recognize Dan, as he stated immediately after saying, "Who are you?" He replied that he was a friend of his brother's and lied about having a friend here in the hospital, so he'd also dropped by. The girl believed him, and another good sign was when she said that it felt like they'd met before.

The doctors considered her return a miracle. Now all that was left was some treatment and physical therapy. Dan continued to visit her, and since they shared similar interests, such as traveling, she took a liking to him. They could talk for hours, and their new acquaintance helped her forget the tragedy. Dan received another positive sign from Peter when he revealed how, during his last visit, his sister had said, "Your friend is cool," and started asking about him.

By the end of physical therapy, he was certain of everything. Scott, as a friend, reiterated what his sister had said, stating that she liked Dan and that maybe something would come of it. Hearing this, the Warrior wanted to jump for joy and praise God. Instead, he excused himself and went to the bathroom to cry. Tears of joy flowed naturally.

Dan's flexibility was very useful now. Samantha was shy about matters of women and men, and all he had to do was end it all. He wanted to tell her how he felt right then and there, but he didn't lose his wits. He'd ask her out, and from a date, he'd arrange it properly.

A week passed, and the day arrived for his discharge. Peter was running errands in another city, leaving only Dan. Samantha didn't mind, though. It was a beautiful spring day, the sun was shining, and Dan felt a new lease on life.

They walked out in front of the hospital. Samantha refused a taxi on such a beautiful day. Besides, she wanted something other than hospital food.

"Then I'll invite you to a coffee shop," Dan offered. "There's one nearby, we can sit down and eat.

" "Is that a date?" Samantha smiled flirtatiously.

"Uh," he said, momentarily speechless. "What if it is?

" "If it is," the girl stopped looking at Dan and glanced at something behind him, "then buy me some flowers."

He turned and looked back. Across the street stood a flower shop. He smiled to himself; he knew how much Samantha liked flowers and what kind they were.

"Okay. Wait here.

" "I'm not going anywhere."

He smiled and motioned for her to stay where she was. She gestured impatiently for waiting too long. He turned and ran across the street. Traffic was heavy, cars swarming everywhere. He dashed into a flower shop, selecting six lilies. He was as happy as before the curse was cast. Nothing could go wrong. He'd miscalculated. Paying for the flowers, he felt a twinge of anxiety. A second later, he heard police sirens. He emerged from the flower shop. A green Opel emerged from a nearby bend at full throttle. Two police cars with their sirens blaring were chasing it. The street they had been traveling on was relatively empty, and the driver could have sped along, but unfortunately, there was too much traffic. The pursued driver did the only thing he could to keep running. He pulled onto the sidewalk in front of the hospital.

Samantha had only time to raise her arms in a protective gesture. The car threw her into the air, sending her rolling across the roof and crashing to the ground. The driver didn't even slow down. The police cars stopped, unable to continue the pursuit. Dan dropped the flowers. For a moment, life froze. He ran to Samantha. He checked her pulse, but knew it would be useless. With her death, he'd lost all sense of her feelings. He leaned down and kissed Samantha on the forehead. He stood up, allowing the ambulance doctor in the parking lot to reach her. The officers tried to keep the gawkers at bay. Dan turned to leave. Tears welled in his eyes again, but he wouldn't despair now. He was leaving. He would wait. He'd finally gotten used to it. He'd wait for another opportunity. He was leaving. He'd disappear for a while. He'd go somewhere to suffer in solitude. Maybe to India; he hadn't been there in ages. Yes, he would disappear. He would leave. First, however, he'll find and visit the driver of that Opel.

The End.