Six months passed, and Katerina talked so much to Marcus that she had to work longer to pay the phone bill. It had been a while since she saw an event, which he paid for in full. Before the flight to the next event, Katerina once again climbed the roof to look at the full moon again.
    "I feel so close to him, like - like our hearts or minds or something is connected. Do I love him?" She asked herself. Katerina thought of her father. Of how he didn't believe in her or acknowledge her existence. Marcus did. She didn't feel lonely anymore, and she missed him, so much it hurt. She knew Marcus might be asking himself the same thing. She sighed, wrapped her arms around her bent legs, and imagined her arms were his. Keeping her warm, and safe.
 
    "What does he look like? Does he look the same since I last saw him?" Katerina asked rapidly. Paul laughed heartily. "Yes - I have no idea why you're worried about what he looks like. I'm worried about his match with the Big Bossman. No DQ." Katerina paced the floor.
    "Does he - talk a lot about me?"
    "Duh - of course he does!" Paul frowned. "Can't keep his mind on anything else. I'm gonna be really surprised if he wins." Suddenly, a stagehand burst into the room. His face was pale and he looked scared.
    "Quick! He's been hit - bad - he's unconscious - we gotta get him to the hospital!" Katerina gasped. Paul grabbed her hand and raced out of the room, pulling a stunned Katerina with him. The stagehand led them to the ambulance, where the paramedics were prepping Marcus to go to the hospital. Katerina looked over one of their shoulders. What she saw stopped her heart. Marcus' eyes were rolled in the back of his head.
Blood gushed from a huge wound on his forehead, and Katerina could see the skull and the horrendous crack it had. She began to shave violently as Paul pulled her away.
    "Do you want to ride with him or follow the ambulance in the hearse? " Katerina began to cry, and Paul knew he had said the wrong thing. Quickly, he pushed Katerina and heaved himself into the ambulance. Paul sighed as he surveyed the ICU hospital room. Marcus' cracked skull would heal, but the trauma that he had gone through had left him in a coma. Paul shivered as he glanced at the tubes that the nurses had hooked up to Marcus. But what was more pitiful was Katerina. She sat on the couch where she had attempted to sleep for the past three nights. She was as white as the sheets on the bed, and her eyes, once sparkling, were dull and lifeless. She hadn't spoken to anyone, nor had she left the room or touched any food. Paul sat down next to her and placed his fat, short arm around her shoulders.
    "Kat?" he asked cautiously. She glanced at him.
    "Can he hear us?" Katerina asked in a small, cracked voice.
    "I think so. Talk to him."
    "Paul - I'm scared."
    "I am too, honey. But talk to him. Who knows, he might respond. Love - is a very potent medicine." Katerina nodded and slowly walked over to the bed. She pulled a chair over to Marcus' side, and slowly lifted his large hand into the palm of her petite one.
    "Marcus? I don't know if you can hear me, but, I gotta get this off my chest." She snickered weakly.
    "I'm not good at speech-making, so, here goes." Katerina inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Remember when you told me about soul mates? You said that you were always watching for that special woman, who shared the same soul you did. Well, I've thought a lot about what you said. A soul mate is a best friend, someone who you can rely on, who's always there and listens and loves you no matter how you burnt the toast."
    She paused.
    "You've been my best friend - you've made me laugh, you comforted me when I cried, you listened when I bitched about work and life and everything. I haven't burnt your toast yet, so I don't know about that." She laughed a little. "You're everything to me, and I would sell my soul to hear your voice.." Katerina could feel
the tears welling in her eyes. "If you left me, I would die with you. I'm a piece of you Marcus, I - I love you."
    Katerina let the tears flow. She buried her face in his long, dark hair. Her heart ached so much her
breathing became labored. Everything in the room seemed to move. Even Marcus seemed to stir.
    "Katerina, look!" Paul pointed to Marcus.
    Katerina raised her head and gave him a confused look, then she looked at their joined hands. Marcus'
hand began to move, and he uttered a groan. Paul ran out of the room to get the nurse as Katerina backed away
from the bed, knocking the chair over. The nurse rushed past an astonished Katerina and removed the tubes
from Marcus' mouth. She helped him sit up. Marcus turned his head slowly towards Katerina and slowly
extended his hand toward her. She placed her own in his and without words, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply. All the nurses began to clap. Paul sobbed loudly and blew his nose equally loud.
    "It's all so beautiful!!!!!!!!!!"
    Marcus pulled away a little from Katerina and smiled. "My soul mate, at last."
    Marcus stepped out of the hospital and breathed in the crisp November air. Katerina lugged a huge overnight bag out and Paul excitedly bounded to the waiting taxi. It was a miraculous recovery, the doctor said, and Marcus now had a clean bill of health. He picked up the bag with ease.
    "You shouldn't do that!" Katerina said with concern.
    "Don't worry, I feel fine, thanks to you." He kissed her and kept his arm around her. "You know, now
that I'm well, we should get more serious."
    "Serious?" Katerina asked, confused. "How do you do that?"
    "Easy!" He said, pulling her closer and whispering in her ear. "With 20 karats."

    Copyright 1999 by Lady Destiny

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