Will You Still Love Me?

Jen was a senior at Johnston High. She came from a poor family, and was adopted. Her older brother Eddy was also adopted. Jen's boyfriend's name was Jeff, and he was the captain of the varsity football team. Jeff bought her things because he loved Jen, and he was rich.

"Jen, did you hear me?" A male voice penetrated Jen's thoughts of Jeff's handsome body.

"Sorry, Jeff. What did you say?"

"Will you go to prom with me?"

"I'd love to!"

"I'll have Mom take you dress shopping. I can't have my girl show up in a plain dress, and I want you to have a beautiful dress for your senior prom." The bell rang, and Jen couldn't wait to go home and tell her parents the good news.

"Mom, I'm home!"

Eddy came out of his bedroom. "Mom's not home. She felt really sick, so Dad took her to the hospital. I think it has to do with the amount of weight that Mom's gained recently."

Just then, the phone rang. "Hello?…That's great!…I will…Bye, Dad. Tell Mom I love her."

"What did Dad want?"

"He said that Mom's having a baby, and I'm supposed to call family and let them know."

"Isn't Mom too old to be having a baby? She'll be fifty-two next week."

"Apparently not. Dad said he'd call after the baby's born. He also said not to go to the hospital to wait; it might be a while."

"Well, enjoy your quiet evening; I'm off to work. Be home 'round midnight."

"O.K. Have fun, Eddy." Jen sat down to do her homework. There was a chance that Jeff might call, and she wanted to be free to talk.

Sure enough, as Jen finished dinner, the phone rang.

"Is Jen there?"

"Yes, it's me, Jeff."

"Do you want to go out tonight?"

"I can't. My mom's having a baby, and Dad said he didn't want me to go to the hospital and wait, so I have to stay home and wait for him to call."

"Can't Eddy do that?"

"He's at work. I'd really like to go, but Mom probably wouldn't give me permission tonight, anyway, because this is the night we were going to stay home and play games."

"I understand. My mom's had four kids, and is expecting two more. I'll see you in school on Monday."

"Bye, Jeff. I love you."

"Love you too, Sweetness."

Jen hung up, and went to bed. She woke up once that night because the phone rang. Fortunately, Eddy had just gotten home, so he answered. Jen forgot all about the call until breakfast.

"Jen, Dad called last night. He said we have a new baby sister."

"I've always wanted a baby sister to play with. Now I can actually do that. And I can hold her, change her diaper, feed her, and rock her to sleep. Did Dad say what her name was?"

"Jane Laura. She was born at midnight, weighed six pounds, seven ounces, has green eyes, and a small bit of black hair. Mom adores her, according to what dad says."

Later that morning, Eddy drove the two of them to the hospital.

"Mom! Eddy told me about Jane Laura! Can I see her?"

Michelle nodded, and gently handed Jen baby Jane. Jen looked at her tiny sister, who looked back at her. There was an instant love between the two sisters, and a memory came back to the older one. Jen's biological mother had just had a baby. Jen was looking at the baby, and reached into the cradle. The baby grabbed her finger, and gave a baby laugh. Then Jen's biological mother came in and slapped Jen's hand away. The mother proceeded to yell at and smack the frightened toddler upside the head.

"Mom, did I ever have a little sister before I was

adopted?"

Michelle looked sad, like she knew that this day was going to come. "Yes, your biological mother had a little girl, but she wasn't able to take care of either of you properly. She abused you and the baby girl. Right now, she has at least two more years to serve in prison for various abuse charges, and one first-degree murder charge."

"What about my baby sister?"

"She died from Shaken Baby Syndrome."

"That's too bad. But now I've a new baby sister to love. That's all that matters to me right now." Jen smiled down at Jane, who was sleeping. "Look at that. She fell asleep in my arms."

"Your voice must be comforting, and she must trust you."

Two days later, Michelle and baby Jane came home. Things fell into a routine, and everyone was happy.

One starry night in February, Jeff was taking Jen home from dinner and a movie. The left-turn light at the intersection that they had been stopped by turned green. Jeff started into the intersection, and a drunken maniac crashed into the right front side of the car at seventy miles an hour. Jeff's car spun around and flipped over many times.

Jeff came to, twenty minutes later. Someone had pulled him out of the car and laid him on the ground. Emergency crews were on the scene.

"Jen! She's in my car!" Jeff tried to get up, but someone held him down. "Let me up! I have to get my girl out of the car!"

"Jeff," the person said, "she wouldn't know that you would be with her." He recognized the person as his mother. "She's unconscious, even as we speak. The car that hit you hit her door. I hate to tell you this, but she's a bloody, mangled mess, and the paramedics don't think she'll make it."

"I have to see her."

"Not now, you don’t. She's already on her way to the hospital, and the paramedics are on their way to check you out." Mrs. Ackman shook her head. "What happened, Jeff? Was it your fault, or the other driver's fault?"

"I-I think it was the other driver's. The light turned green, and I started out into the intersection. The next thing I knew, we were tumbling. I closed my eyes, because the motion was dizzying. That's all I can remember."

The paramedics appeared in Jeff's line of view. One of them began to move parts of Jeff's body, and asking if things hurt. Jeff told them that his neck and back hurt especially when they tried to move those parts. He was carefully loaded onto a gurney, and then into an ambulance. He couldn't help but worry about Jen. If she were as bad off as his mother had said, then it would be a while before she would go back to school.

At the hospital, Jeff was set on a table, and X-rays were taken. Then he was transferred to a room that had two beds. The far one was empty.

"How are you feeling, Son?" Mr. Ackman stepped in.

"Sore. The car's totaled, Dad. I'm sorry."

"We can get you a new car. I can't get a new son, or a new girlfriend for my son."

"Dad, can you make sure Jen occupies the other bed? She'd ask the same for me, and I want to be near her. Mom says she's a mess, and she also said that the paramedics don't expect her to live for much longer."

"I can try. But your mother's right. Jen got the full seventy miles of car. There'll be a lot of equipment in here if she's placed with you. The ER surgeon's trying to set bones and close up wounds." Stan looked at his son. "I love you, Son. I'll let you sleep for a while."

Jeff nodded, and closed his eyes. He prayed for Jen, and fell into a restless sleep.

He awoke the next morning at ten. There was something other than his heart monitor beeping. Turning his head, Jeff saw a "roadkill" body. It was Jen. "Jen, if you are awake, I want to tell you that I love you."

A nurse came in. "Glad to see that you're awake this morning, Mr. Ackman. I couldn't help but hear what you said. I don't know if Miss Long heard you or not, because she's in a coma."

"Coma? Why? How?"

"Anyone who has been hit at seventy miles an hour and survives will be in a coma for a few days. Miss Long was thrown about, slightly burned, and very cut up. We have reason to believe that people in comas can still hear someone talking, even if the comatose person doesn't respond. Go ahead and talk to her; it might do her some good. When you are able to leave bed, you should sit by her and hold her hand while you talk to her."

"I feel like this was my fault."

"Everyone feels that way when they are in an accident like this." The nurse finished checking his vital signs, and left. Mrs. Ackman came in.

"How are you feeling, Jeff? I came as soon as I could."

"Sore, Mom. Why did this have to happen? Was it my fault? Who was driving the other car?"

"I know you have a lot of questions. I'll try to answer them all. First, it was not your fault. The car who hit you at seventy miles was driven by your best friend, James Allsworth."

The news hit Jeff like a train going ninety miles an hour. "Wh-what?"

"James Allsworth, Jeff. He walked away without a single scratch."

The rage built quickly inside Jeff. "That, that bastard! He ought to be thrown in jail, and have his license suspended!"

"Baby, please calm down. I know that this makes you angry, but be rational."

"How could I calm down? My best friend has made my girlfriend a vegetable! Would you be able to be calm if I was like Jen, and you found out that your best friend had made me like that?"

"I-I don't know."

Jeff started to cry. Mrs. Ackman held her son, and let him cry.

A few days went by. The Longs had not had time to come visit their daughter, so they came for their first visit. Mrs. Long told Jen that "little Jane Laura misses you, and wants you to wake up." Eddy came and sat with his sister, saying nothing, but holding her hand. Even Jeff's parents sat with Jen. James Allsworth came to apologize, and Jeff yelled at him for being a reckless driver and pretty much killing Jen.

"Look, Jeff, I'm sorry. I went to a party that I shouldn't have, and got drunk. I had a bet that I couldn't make the light, and I took it. It was stupid of me."

Jeff looked at him. "You're damn right it was stupid!" he yelled. "My girlfriend may never wake up because of you! Get out of here, James, before I do something drastic! I don't want to see your face again!" James left, and Jeff sunk back onto his pillows. After a few moments, he turned to Jen's lifeless body.

"Baby, I'm sorry you had to hear that. I just can't believe that my best friend would be so stupid. I lost my temper like any good friend would or parent would. Please forgive me, and I hope you wake up soon."

A week later, Jeff was able to walk around. He spent most of his time with Jen. She still hadn't come out of her coma, and the accident had happened two weeks ago.

The day came when Jeff had to leave the hospital. His neck was in a brace because his neck muscles still weren't strong enough.

"Jeff, you need to go back to school. A month out is a long time, and you have a lot of work to make up."

"I don't want to leave Jen. What if she wakes up?"

"The doctors don’t think she will. Her brain activity has already dropped some. She's starting to die." Stan Ackman put his arm around Jeff's shoulders. "I'll call you the moment anything changes. I promise."

"All right. But if something happens, I'm coming here immediately from wherever I am." Jeff turned to leave the room, and then turned back to Jen. "Give me five minutes, will you, Dad? I want to talk to Jen."

"Sure. Five minutes." Stan left.

Jeff took Jen's limp hand, and held it up to his cheek. "Jen," he whispered, "come back to me. I need you in my life. There's no other girl who's right for me. Please hear me and wake up. When you do, I'll be here as soon as I can." Tears dripped silently down his cheek, and onto her hand. There, they slid down her arm until they ran out. "Please wake up, Jen. I love you." Jeff carefully kissed her cheek, and left the hospital.

Somewhere, deep in Jen's brain, electricity flowed across a synapse that was long thought to be dead. Slowly, Jen's mind came alive.

Four weeks after the accident, Jeff received a call in school. He ran out of English class, and quickly drove to the hospital.

The Ackmans were outside Jen's room.

"How is she?"

"Very weak. They took the tube out of her mouth about an hour ago. Her parents are with her now."

Jeff slowly opened the door. Jen was semi-upright, and her parents were beside her.

Jen saw him, and tried to smile. "You…woke…me…Jeff."

Michelle explained. "She says you told her to come out of her coma a week ago. Apparently, it cut through the coma."

Jeff nodded. "I remember. I spoke to her in the five minutes before my father made me leave. I'm glad that you're out of your coma, Jen." He kidded her hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like…train…hit…me." The effort to speak made Jen wrinkle her forehead, causing a bit of blood to trickle down into Jen's eye, and Jeff wiped it away. "Thank…you."

Jeff spent the rest of the day with Jen and her family. He was so glad that she was awake.

When visiting hours were over, Jeff left the hospital with Frank and Michelle Long.

"How are you going to pay for the hospital bill?"

"We don’t know." Frank shook his head. "Our insurance won't cover even a fourth of it."

"My dad might be willing to help out," Jeff said. "He knows how much I love Jen."

"We don’t want to burden your family, Jeff, but thanks for

the offer."

Jeff went home, and talked to his father. Stan agreed with Jeff, and decided to pay Jen's hospital bill.

One month later, Jeff received a devastating call. Jen had two brain tumors: one just behind her eyes, and one near her cerebellum, near the brain stem. The surgeons refused to operate on either one because her skull was not thick enough, the tumors were too large, and Jen was still trying to recover from the effects of the accident. That day after school, Jeff went to the hospital.

"Jeff…I've missed you," Jen said sadly. "I…I guess you've heard what's going to happen to me."

"I want so much for you to live, Jen. Why did this have to happen?"

"I don’t know. I just know that I wish I could've lived a longer life. I really wanted to get married and have kids, but none of that will happen." Jen wiped away a tear, and asked Jeff what was going on in school.

They talked until visiting hours were over. As Jeff stood, he said that he'd be back after school the next day.

"I may not be here. I've decided to enter hospice care. That means I can die at home in comfort. As soon as they release me, I'm going home to stay." She tilted her head up for a kiss, which he gave, and watched Jeff leave. A nurse came in for a routine vitals check, and Jen fell asleep.

Jeff visited Jen every day, like he said he would. She looked forward to his visits, because they were the few times she heard about her friends from another person, and also what was going on in the outside world.

The day came when Jen was discharged from the hospital. She had already met the hospice people. Jeff couldn’t be with her because she was in school, but there wouldn’t have been anything for him to do.

Jen got settled at home, and the hospice people left. Jen lay on her bed, trying to hold back her tears.

Michelle came in. "Babe, are you all right? You've been awful quiet lately."

"Why do I have to die, Mom? Why does this have to happen to me? Why?"

"I can't tell you, Sweetheart. I wish you could live a long life. It's going to be hard to let you go."

She put an arm around Jen, and then the tears started flowing. Jen couldn’t accept that she was really going to die at that moment. She had so many plans that had been ruined by some jerk driving at seventy miles an hour, and also by her brain tumors.

Two days later, when he was sure that Jen was settled in at home, Jeff came to visit.

"Jen, are you feeling well?" he asked when she started rubbing her eyes fifteen minutes into his visit.

"It happens sometimes." She decided to tell him everything. She would slowly spiral downward; eventually she would slip into a coma, and her lungs would fill with fluid.

Jeff watched Jen sink slowly. He didn’t go to prom, but gave Jen a very small version of it in her house. By summer, Jen was sleeping a lot and was on heavy medication.

One day in June, Jeff was sitting with Jen, who was sleeping. The periods between the times she woke up were becoming longer. It scared Jeff that the next time she fell asleep would be the time that his love wouldn't wake up again.

"I…fall…asleep?…Sorry…not…good…company." Her speech was slurred.

"It's all right. You can sleep."

"Want…wake…no…die."

"I don’t want you to either. If I could keep you from dying, I would. Don’t try to wake up."

Jen gave an awkward smile. "Love…you."

"I love you, too." He brushed her lips with a soft kiss. Her breathing became slow and deep, for she was asleep.

One July day, Jeff was sitting with Jen's family. The girl was nearing her final breath.

"Love…all…stay…together," Jen said. Little Jane was on Michelle's lap. Michelle was holding one hand while Jeff held the other. Frank had his hand on one leg while Eddy's was on the other. Jen's breathing became labored, and Jane reached for Jen's face. Shortly after that, Jen took her final breath. Tears flowed down everyone's cheeks. They all knew that their sweet girl was gone.

Nearly everyone in the school came to Jen's funeral, and said something about her.

Jeff stayed home and got a job. He didn’t think he could face school so soon after the loss of Jen. His parents understood when he declined a scholarship to any school of his choice. Eventually, Jeff went to school and got a degree in medicine. He helped people understand information about brain tumors, and fought hard against them. Jeff never married; Jen was his only love.