A LOVE STORY

GREGORY

When Elizabeth's plane landed, she was filled with relief. The flight seemed to take forever, but Colin had spoken to her daughter on the phone, giving her the arrival time and making sure she would meet her mother. Strange, she thought, how Colin had stepped in to make it as easy as possible for her. She wondered what Angela would say about that! She had never once mentioned she had met someone - but after all, at forty-seven, she pretty well could do whatever she wanted, and Colin was unexpected, her guardian angel.

Angela was waiting for her, her bright red hair falling down around her shoulders, a bit fly-away from the wind. They embraced and headed to the terminal luggage pickup point.

"Mom" she exclaimed, "you left with only one bag and come home with two! Whatever did you buy over there?"

"Just a couple new outfits - and a few sounveniers - but most will be coming by post.
No matter! Tell me what happened, how is Gregory?"

Angela's brown eyes turned a shade darker as she explained that Gregory had been out riding with friends and they had stalled out on some railroad tracks. There was no way the train could have stopped in time. Mom, two of his friends died, and Gregory is not in very good shape. He's got tubes and IV's and his face is messed up pretty bad."

"Let's go right to the hospital. I need to see him, hold him." Elizabeth was not far from tears.

They made their way to the parking lot, and found her mother's Chevrolet Cavalier without difficulty. It had to be the oldest car in the lot, with distintive rust and a dented fender. Elizabeth asked for the keys, and slipped in behind the wheel. Fastening seat belts, they soon were on the road, heading for St. Mary's Hospital.

She pulled into the hospital parking lot and cut the motor. "Angela, thank you for picking me up at the airport. It means so much to me to see you again!." Angela nodded, and said "I'm just really glad you got home so quickly. The man that called was so nice about everything, and quite concerned about you. Who was that, anyway?"

"My guardian angel. I met him on the flight over, and we spent a few days together traveling over the countryside. You'd like him, Angela. He's about my age, and -"
"Okay, Mom. We can talk about that later. He did say he needed to know as soon as you got here. Should you call him before you go inside?" "Better that I wait until I see Gregory." Elizabeth replied.

They got out, locked the car, and went inside. They made their way to the elevator and went directly to the intensive care unit. Elizabeth was not prepared for what she saw when she walked into Gregory's room. Swathed in bandages, her son lay still. She could barely see that he was breathing. Every other thought faded as she stood by his bedside, and reached for his hand. His eyes flickered open, but she could tell it was hard for him to try to speak. He mouthed the words "I'm sorry, Mom - "

She gripped his hand tightly and tried to smile. "It will be all right, son. You are young, you'll heal and soon be up and about again. Football season is not that far away!" Tears were in her son's eyes. Elzabeth felt faint, and Angela came to her side with a glass of water. She drank deeply. Gregory turned his head away. The morphine he'd been given was taking affect, and he was drifting off to sleep.

Angela took her mother's arm and led her out of the room. "Better to let him sleep for awhile, Mom." she said. Outside the room, an older couple sat quietly. "Mom, these are the parents of the boy who was driving." Elizabeth went to them, and the two mothers embraced in tears. "I am so sorry. Our son didn't make it, but Gregory was his closest friend and we both hope he will be all right."

"How can a young man of twenty-three be all right?" Elizabeth thought to herself. Gregory was alive but it would be a long time before he would be able to come home, and so much for him to go through.

Anglea again took her mother's arm and bid the Parkers goodbye. "We will be back soon, but Mother has a phone call to make and needs to get some lunch."

Ellizabeth held Angela and cried. "I should have been here... Angela replied "Mom, it wouldn't have made a difference. It's not like he was living at home anymore. He has his own apartment and all grown up now. Like me."

Elizabeth dialed Colin's phone number. Several rings, and then his secretary answered. "Oh, Elizabeth! Colin said you would be calling. Did you make it back all right? How is your son?" Disappointed in not hearing Colin's voice, Elizabeth told her briefly that she had arrived safely, that her daughter had been there to pick her up and that they had just left Gregory's room. "I do need to talk to Colin.." she said.

The secretary said she would reach him as quickly as possible. "He's at the hospital, his father has suffered a heart attack." "Oh, No!" Elizabeth said, "Just tell him I called and he can call me when he is able."

Elizabeth sank down into a chair in the waiting room. This can't be happening, she thought. She closed her eyes and remembered how sad he had looked when she left.
More than one reason to be sad, she said to herself. Poor Colin.

Across the ocean, Colin sat with his mother, talking quietly. The surgery would take place in the morning and Colin tried to calm his mother's fears. "He's pretty strong for his age, Mother. He'll come through it. Da is not ready for Heaven, and Heaven's probably not quite ready for him." Trying to make a joke, Colin fought his own fears. "They've got him sedated right now, so the best thing we can do is to go home and get some rest. The hospital will call if there is any change and I can have you back here in minutes."

Meredith nodded. "I do need to go home, get a shower and a change of clothes. It's been such a long day."

They looked in again on his father, noting that he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and left the hosptial after making sure they had the home number and his pager number should anything change.

Colin's thoughts turned to Elizabeth and how she was coping with her son's tragedy. Her daughter had told him more than he let on to Elizabeth. He knew Gregory was seriously injured and that it would be months before he would be out of the hospital.

He could not imagine not seeing Elizabeth for that long. She had been a bright light in his life, after years of mourning Rebecca. As soon as his father was back home, in better health, he would fly back to the States and find her. In the meantime, long distance would have to keep the relationship alive.

"Colin" his mother said, "what about Elizabeth? You love her?" Colin didn't hesitate to answer. "I do, Mother. She brought me back from the blackness of night that I was in for so long. In time, I will go to her, and if she'll have me..."

"She'll have you, Colin. I could tell by the happiness I heard in her voice when you were traveling. She was bubbling on the phone. So excited at seeing everything, so eager to tell me what you two were doing "

Colin smiled. He could almost see Elizabeth, standing at the cliff's edge, looking down at the swirling water below, her hair sprinkled with gray and her eyes full of excitement. He had taken her picture there. For those few days of happiness, he would be forever grateful, no matter what the future had in store for them.

The cellphone rang once before Colin answered. "Colin, here..." His secretary relayed the message that Elizabeth had called and arrived safely. She had just been to see her son. She asked that you call her when you were able to. She was very concerned about your father. Colin wished that his secretary had not told her about his father, but understood that she had been caught up in the moment and didn't think. "Thank you, Elsa. I will call her as soon as mother and I get home."

Turning to his mother, he said "she made it back okay, and has been in to see her son.
He's going to have a rough time of it." His mother's face expressed her concern. As he drove toward home, he thought how his little frightened doe would handle it all.

That evening, he called Elizabeth. Both were exhausted but the connection was a boost for both of them. Colin wished that he could hold her in his arms, and assure her that everything would work out. Elizabeth told him that it would be a long haul for Gregory, both physically and emotionally. "I know" Colin said. "I plan to come there as soon as I can, once Da is out of the hospital and regaining his strength."

An hour later, Colin put down the receiver, the connection between them still strong and he experienced a deep longing for her. "i'm going out for a walk" he told his mother, as he grabbed his jacket and cap.

It wasn't far to the cemetery. He walked there often, to the grave of his wife and their baby. The marble stone stood out, white against a hazy sky, and he sank to his knees beside it. There and then, the tears came as he finally let the pain out.