By Tabby
(in answer to One Word Challenge: Resurrection)
He watched the woman pace in the white walled room on the other side of the one-way mirror. She was fidgeting, nervously rubbing her hands up and down her arms as if she was cold even though the room was at a warm 70 degrees F (Banzai had checked twice just to be sure). She chewed on her bottom lip until he was sure it was sore, maybe even bloodied. Her socked feet made little sound as she padded across the hard wood floor. There was a swishing sound from her hospital garb when she moved, but, other than that, the room was silent.
"Buckaroo?"
He glanced back sharply, surprised that he had not heard New Jersey enter the room. "Sid." he greeted, offering a slight, weak smile.
Sidney Zwiebel, aka New Jersey, continued into the observation room, closely followed by Rawhide and Tommy Boy. Tommy Boy instantly stepped over to him and tucked under his arm to offer a hug.
But Banzai wasn't feeling much like being hugged and stepped out of the embrace. He regretted her hurt look, but his mind couldn't seem to focus enough to explain. So, he turned back to watch the woman in the room beyond.
Sid glanced at Rawhide who nodded once, indicating he should get on with it. Taking a deep breath, the doctor stepped up to stand beside Banzai. "It's her." he told her.
Banzai stopped breathing.
Sidney took him by the elbow and turned him until Banzai was looking at him. "I've checked her DNA, blood, finger prints... everything." He paused to make sure he was being heard. When Banzai blinked, he said it: "That is Peggy Simpson Banzai."
Peggy... Peggy... his wife... his dead wife... murdered on the day of their wedding by Haino Xan. In one moment, Xan had succeeded in taking from Banzai the one thing in the world he could not live without, the love of his life, his very heart and soul...
"Buckaroo!" Rawhide snapped, grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him around. "Breath, damn it!"
Banzai gasped, the painful hold shocking him back. Shacking, he reached up and grabbed his friend's arms, holding on to the strong support. "Rawhide..." he gasped. "It's Peggy? Is it really Peggy? Resurrected?"
Tommy Boy came up beside him. "She's back." she whispered. she reached up and took his face in her hands, turning him to look at her. "Peggy's come home." Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Banzai stared at her for a moment, then pulled away from them. At a distance, he looked at his three friends, his mind a complete blank. Then he did the only thing he could know, for sure, that he could do... he had to do.
Spinning about, he reached the door in two steps, yanked it open, and entered the room.
Peggy Banzai spun about to face the intrusion.
They stared at one another, neither fully believing their eyes. But, finally, they couldn't care less if the other was real.
"Buckaroo." Peggy sobbed, a hand coming to her mouth.
Before she had finished his name, Banzai had her in his arms, holding her tighter than he had ever held anything ever before. After all, how often does a man get a chance for love resurrected.
