Title - Saying the Words
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Category - JMPR
Summary - Jarod and Miss Parker are finally together in a new 
town with new names and making new friends.  So how come they 
keep on finding the same old trouble?
Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine.  I'm just using them for 
my own entertainment purposes.

* * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 28
* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker pushes her way through the hazy cloudines she was 
under.  She could hear sounds, but they were garbled and she 
couldn't quite make them out.  One sound, however, penetrates the 
fog and it sounded like music to her ears.

"Wake up, Honey."

"Mmm.  Jarod?" she mumbles through her sluggishness.  "Is it 
really you?"  She blinks and sees his face smiling down at hers.  
She smiles back, lifting her hand to touch him. To make sure he's 
real.  She sees a band around her wrist and is confused for a 
second.  

"Where am I?" she asks, trying to look around before a pain in 
her head forces her to stop the movement.

"Take it easy," Jarod suggests.  "You got a little bump on your 
head.  You're in the hospital."

"Hospital?  Why?  What happp-  Lyle!" she gasps, as it all comes 
back to her.

"Shhh!  It's okay," he says, grabbing her hand and kissing it 
gently.   "Lyle is . . . he can't hurt us anymore."

"You mean . . . "

"He's dead," he whispers to her, suddenly unable to look her in 
the eyes.  "I'm sorry."

"Jarod?" she calls to him when she notices his shoulders start to 
shake, as if he's crying.  "Jarod, did you kill him?"

"I'm so sorry," he apologizes again, lifting his tear streaked 
face.  "I know he was your brother, but he was about to hurt you.  
I couldn't let him do that."

"Jarod, it's okay," she says, trying to calm him.  "I understand.  
I would've done the same thing.  Like you said, he can't hurt us 
anymore.  Any of us. Me, you, or our child.  You did that, Jarod.  
You protected us from him."  She smiles tenderly at him, gently 
wiping the tears from his face.

"I love you so much," he sighs, closing his eyes and enjoying her 
touch again.  "I was so afraid I was going to lose you.  If 
Broots hadn't . . . "  He bites his lip, realizing he said too 
much.  He didn't want to tell her the news until he was sure she 
was ready to hear it.

"If Broots hadn't what?"  She looks at Jarod and sees that he's 
looked away again, not meeting her eyes.  "Jarod, you're scaring 
me.  Where is he?  Is he alright?"

"Calm down first," he begs her.  "I'll tell you everything.  But 
you have to settle down.  The doctors kept you here to keep an 
eye on you and the baby.  I don't want anything bad to happen."

"I'm okay," she swears, letting out a deep breath.  "Just tell 
me."

"I was locked in the room most of the time, so I'm not clear on 
what exactly happened.  All I know is that I heard you and Lyle 
talking.  And just when Broots got the door unlocked, there was a 
gunshot.  I was so worried it was you," he says.  He places his 
hand on her stomach not only to reconnect with her, but also with 
the baby.

"The first gun shot was when Lyle killed Lynn," she explains.  "I 
had her in front of me, using her as a shield.  When she died, I 
had to let her fall, she was too heavy for me to hold up.  That 
left me wide open for Lyle.  I think he took another shot, this 
time at me.  All I remember is Broots yelling."

"I had just gotten the door open after that second shot.  Just in 
time to see Broots pushing you out of the way.  And . . . "

"He took the bullet instead, didn't he?" she asks quietly.  She 
sees him nod his head in confirmation, but she had already 
figured something like that happened.  She closes her eyes and 
rubs her stomach, trying to calm down.  She doesn't even try to 
stop her tears.  

"He's not dead," Jarod tells her quickly to ease some of her 
grief.  "But he was in surgery all night. The doctors say it'll 
be a few more hours before the anesthesia wears off.  After that, 
we'll just have to wait and see if he wakes up.  They're saying 
there's a 50 percent chance that he won't."

"Wh- Where's Debbie?" she manages to ask through her tears.  

"I had Sydney take the girls back to our house.  Your new friend 
Celia has been here with me, helping me keep watch over the two 
of you.  She's really nice," he smiles.  "She cares a lot about 
you."

"She is nice.  She helped me the whole time you were gone.  
Helping me focus first and foremost on the baby.  It was hard, 
but I knew she was right.  And I think she has a crush on 
Broots," Miss Parker says with a sad smile.   They would have 
been good for each other, she thinks to herself.  Too bad 
something like this had to happen.  

"Anyway, when I got out of the room, I saw a gun on the floor," 
he continues with his story.  "Maybe yours got knocked out of 
your hand or something.  But I just picked it up and shot Lyle 
just as he was about the shoot again.  Before he could hurt 
anyone else.  I found someone's cell phone and called for 
ambulances.  Lynn was dead at the scene.  Lyle and Broots made it 
back to the hospital, but Lyle didn't make it through surgery."

"So, you're a hero," she smiles.  "We went there to rescue and 
you ended up saving our lives.  I'm proud of you."  She pulls him 
closer to her so that she can kiss him.  It's been so long, and 
now that she has him, she doesn't ever want to let him go.  "I 
love you," she whispers, nuzzling his nose with her own.

"I love you, too," he tells her between his own gentle kisses.

"I missed you so much.  Jarod, I'm lost without you."  She claims 
his mouth again, trying to make up for all the times in the past 
she was denied this pleasure.  Trying to make most of right now.  
And making promises for the future.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sun makes its way through the darkness, signalling the start 
of a new day.  Celia had been long awake, however.  She takes a 
sip of her fourth cup of coffee in as many hours and adjusts the 
blanket on her lap.  She look over at the clock and sees that 
it's shift change time.  Broots would be getting another nurse 
soon.  Another nurse who would try to send her from the room, but 
she wasn't leaving.

"Celia," a voice whispers from the doorway.  She turns around and 
sees Sydney and Lisa standing there next to a teary Debbie.

"You guys are back," Celia says, standing to stretch her back.  
"Debbie, honey.  Did you get any rest?"

"I'm worried about my dad," the girl says with a sniff.  "How is 
he?"

"I'm sure he would love to hear your voice," Celia smiles, trying 
to give some encouragement to Debbie.  "Why don't you and Sydney 
visit with him for awhile?  Lisa and I need to go check and see 
how Kylie's doing this morning."

"Okay," Debbie says quietly.  She sighs contently when Celia puts 
her arms around her and hugs her tightly.  It felt nice to be 
held like that.  "Thank you, Celia.  Thanks for staying with my 
dad.  And for caring about him."

"I care about you too, Sweetheart," she says, smiling down at the 
girl.  "Just let me know if you need anything.  Anything at all."

"The hug is nice," Debbie blushes.

"I'll always have one for you," Celia says with a wink.  "Now, 
you go and sit with your dad.  Let him know you're here, okay?"  
She waits for Debbie to nod before heading towards the door.  
Lisa follows her out, gently closing to door behind her so that 
it won't slam.  She looks into the room one last time and wonders 
to herself what that aching in her chest is.  She's known this 
guy for less than a day and already she can feel the pain of 
separation.

"You coming, Mom?" Lisa asks, breaking her from her pondering.

"Yeah.  Let's go," she sighs, already counting the minutes until 
she can return.

* * * * * * * * * *

Miss Parker stands at the door, her hand frozen halfway between 
her body and the knob.  She knows she has to walk through that 
door, but she can't seem to get her feet to agree with her.

"You don't have to do this," she hears Jarod say softly into her 
ear.  The warmth of his body presses against her back and she can 
feel his strength infusing into her.

"Yes.  I do," she says aloud, trying to convince both Jarod and 
herself.  She takes a deep breath and forces her hand to the 
knob, turning it and opening the door quickly before she can 
change her mind.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Jarod asks.  She just nods 
her head, unable to speak at the moment.  He grabs onto her hand 
and gently pulls her inside the room.

All the breath leaves her body as she takes in the still body in 
front her her and she wobbles a bit in her trek.  Jarod's arms go 
around her and pull her to his body.

"I'm fine," she whispers after getting her footing back.  "I'm 
just surprised, that's all.  I didn't expect the wires and tubes 
and monitors."

"It's life support," Jarod explains.  He leads her to a chair 
that's been set up next to the bed and helps her to sit.  "To 
keep his organs alive and functioning."

"Until the doctors can harvest them and give them to someone who 
deserves them," she guesses.  She lifts her hand tentatively 
towards Lyle's face and it hovers in the air for a moment.  She 
finally allows it to touch him, her fingers gently tracing the 
outline of his lips.

"He had my . . . I mean, our mother's mouth.  And her nose.  I 
never noticed that."  She sits for almost an hour with him, not 
saying a word.  Silent tears pour down her face, not for the man 
laying before her, but for the brother she lost so many years 
ago.  Long before she even knew he existed.

"Are you ready?  You should be getting back to your room," Jarod 
says, placing a hand on her shoulder.  He let her stay much 
longer than he should have.

She looks up at him and nods, holding out her hand for him to 
help her up.  

"Good bye, Lyle," she whispers into his ear.  "I really hope you 
find more peace in your next life than in this one.  No one 
deserves what we had to go through."

Jarod leads her silently back to her hospital room, getting her 
tucked back into the bed.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asks her.

"It's weird," she says with a yawn.  "I never wanted to think of 
Lyle as my brother.  But I realize now that I always did.  It's 
like . . . a piece of me is missing.  Actually, it's more like a 
piece of me has always been missing, but I'm just now realizing 
now what it was.  Does that make sense?"

"He was your twin.  I'm sure there was some kind of connection."

"But there wasn't a connection.  I think that's what was 
missing," she yawns again and her eyes start to drift shut.  
"That bond was long ago broken.  Don't ever let them break us, 
Jarod.  I can't lose you."

"Shh! You sleep now," he whispers, kissing her forehead.  "You 
won't lose me.  Not now.  Not ever.  I promise you."

A small smile pulls at the corners of her mouth before she drifts 
off completely.  Jarod sighs, wondering how he was going to keep 
his promise to her.  Despite all of their precautions, the Centre 
was still able to keep up with them.  They couldn't live their 
life being barely one step ahead of them.  There really was only 
one thing for them to do.  And he really didn't want to do it.  
But if it meant safety for her and the baby, then it was a 
sacrifice he'd have to make.

To be continued . . .