Thinking back

Jason smirks and shakes his head. “I’ll never understand how no one else can read me, but you can see into my mind.”
He is silent for a moment, thinking about what had been on the tip of his tongue. But maybe he hadn’t quite figured it all out yet anyway…sorting through it was half the battle…perhaps contemplating some more was okay. He turns his head towards the window as Katie mentions the rainbow. He smiles a little. “Last time I saw a double rainbow was back home…Austin and I got home late from work and it was storming bad. We’d planned a picnic for supper…it was just an all-around lousy day. But as we pulled into the driveway, we looked up, and there was an awesome double rainbow…kinda made us sit and think about what we were thankful for… We ended up having a picnic after all, so it ended up alright.” He chuckles. “I haven’t thought of that in a long time…” His voice trails off as he once again, drifts into a thoughtful state. “Funny….” He looks up at Katie, the fire showing in his eyes. “I did it.”

Cindy finishes her coffee, then rises slowly. “Let me go say goodbye to Jason, then I’ll be ready to go.” She throws her cup away in the trashcan, and turns to look at Wes again. “Thank you. You’ve been so much more than kind to me these last few weeks.”

Rainbow

*Wes smiles.*"Not at all."

*Katie giggles* "People sure do like to intarupt us huh? Ah well. I know you wanted to say something alse but I wont push you into telling me. I know when your ready you will." *Katie stands and streaches. Going over to the window the rain has almost stoped. Looking up at the sky she see something amazing.* "Ohhh...there is a double rainbow here. Its so pretty looking. Its funny how something so simple can be so wonderful and fill us with joy huh."

There's more...

Cindy feels Wes hand, and looks down, but doesn’t pull away. “Sure…that is…if you don’t mind.”


Jason sighs and leans back in his pillow, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry, Katie.” He looks back at her again, suddenly growing serious. “When I…when I was down in that basement…I got to thinking a lot.” He forces as dry laugh. “Took me hanging from a rafter to be still enough to think things through I guess. But I thought about things you’d said, and things Adam said…. There was just a whole lot that hit me at once. I thought about what you’d said about me, and what you say now fits with it. And I guess maybe you’re right….maybe I was a jerk. For so long…I was hiding who I really was…it was like I was just a made-up me…something I’d imagined so I wouldn’t be left vulnerable. But…” He looks her in the eye. “I think I’ve figured a few things out. I think I...”

“Well, Jason, I can’t explain it…” JT walks into the room, carrying a clipboard. “Your bloodstream shows no sign of poison at all…it’s just…gone.” He shakes his head. “I certainly can’t explain it medically, that’s for sure.” He sets his clipboard down at the foot of the bed. “Keep this up and I’m gonna let you go home here pretty soon.”

“That would be awfully nice.” Jason sighs. He throws Katie a look that conveys his annoyance for yet another interruption. He hadn’t been finished yet. “I may have been asleep for three weeks, but it still feels like I’ve been here forever.”

JT chuckles. “I’m not surprised at that. Just rest easy for a bit longer. I want to keep an eye on you for just a while. I’ll be back and we’ll talk about what you’ll need to do once you’re out of here.”

Jason watches him leave, then frowns good-naturedly. “If it wasn’t good news he interrupted me for, I’d be ticked. Oh well…I guess I was finished anyhow.”

Jerk

*Wes places his hand on Cindy's and smiles.* "It's ok. I'd rather people here for the people who need me. Would you like me to take you back to the ranch, after you say bye to Jason?"

*Katie smiles as Jason. As his question is asked she stops and thinks for a long moment. Now that she wasent angry and hurt many more her mind could think more clearly.* "I guess I wouldent say you looked down on me. I was angry and it came out all wrong, But yes you were kind of a jerk when you first came." *Katie looks down at her hands.* "Its felt like you thought you were better than me and I dident know how to do anything, But than we got to know eachother and that changes J. We both understood eachother, and relized why were how we were. We both went through so much it shaped us to be who we are., but than we both started changing as well. We started to be shaped into new people. And if that was me trying to change you. I am sorry J. I wasent trying to. I just wanted to help you cuz I new you were hurting. You could be that Jerk and I would still like you."

Did you mean it?

Cindy rubs a hand over her face and nods. “Yeah…I should probably sleep a little bit.” She eyes Wes, and shakes her head. “I really appreciate you sticking around all this time. I’m…I’m sure you’ve been anxious to get back to the ranch, and I…” She lowers her gaze to the table. “Thank you.”


Jason squints at Katie for a moment. “The only place I’ve ever felt a part of something was at TJY…I guess I’m not used to other people caring that much.” He studies Katie’s face, wondering about her care in particular, but lets it pass.
He shrugs, and tries to pull himself up into more of a sitting position, wincing against the pain in his leg. “Naw, I’m not hungry at the moment. I’m sure I’ll get some ‘real nice’ food brought to me in a while.” He becomes quiet for several moments, seeming to contemplate something deeper than his next meal. “Katie…what you said before all this happened…about….about me looking down on you when I first came… did you mean that?”

Anything

*Wes sits down next to Cindy.* " I am so happy Jason is ok Cindy. God is good." *Wes looks to Cindy studing her face and seeing her tired eyes.* " Why dont you Rest? Jason is going to be ok now."

"We are thrills J, cuz we all care and love you. Your important to all of us. Weather you like it or not since you first came to the ranch you became one of us." *Katie notices something new about Jason and can feel something new as well, but she cant put her finger on it.* "Are you hungry at all? need anything to drink?"

*Angel nods to Luke.* "Ya...I dont think anything like that could be easy."

*Wendy smiles at Clint.* " I think if you pray hard enough, and really believe God can do anything."

Something is different

Cindy eases down in a chair in the cafeteria. She wants to immediately go back to Jason, but holds herself back, knowing he wouldn’t appreciate being smothered. She sips her coffee slowly, the weariness sinking deep.


Jason isn’t quite sure how to react to all the attention, and accepts it quietly until he’s alone with Katie again. He furrows his brow at her statement about everyone being happy. “I…guess I’m not sure why. I mean…sure, I’d call y’all friends, but… I don’t understand why everyone is so thrilled about this.”
He shakes his head. “Naw, I wouldn’t say I had any interesting dreams. It just felt like….like I’d slept real hard, then was on the verge of rolling out of bed, but couldn’t wake up enough to do it. Like…I knew when people were in here, and I could hear their voices and…and feel their presence.” He glances at Katie again, a slight heat rising to his face as he recalls her own presence, and he hopes she doesn’t notice. “And there were thoughts…thoughts about what had happened before you found me…” His eyes suddenly show a spark that had been absent since he first came to the ranch…something has changed.


Luke laughs and holds Angel’s hand tight. “I’m so glad Jason’s going to be okay…we don’t need a loss right now, and I couldn’t imagine what poor Cindy must have been going through these last few weeks.”

Clint cocks his head, still unsure about the whole thing, though he returns Wendy’s hug. “Ya really think God does things like this?”

Mericles do happen

*Rosetta enters the room.* "Jason...oh Jason, its so good to see you awake. We were all praying for you." *Rosetta smiles at Jason. After a bit Rosetta leaves to get Coffee with Cindy.*

*Wes enters next.* "Hey Killer. Glad to see you up. You scaired us all." *As Cindy leave we follows her.*

*Katie smiles.* "Everyone is so happy J. Its great to see your mom smile." *Katie cant stop smiling. Her best friend is alive and well what more could she ask for.* "Words can not express J how happy I am. And I know I keep saying that, its just amazing. Have any intresting dreams while you were sleeping? I know some people say they do."


*As the new hits Angels ears she grabs Luke's hand and raises her face to the sky.* "Thank you Lord. You are an amazing God. Thank you."

*Wendy smiles to Clint.* "God does answer our praying." *She gives Clint a hug.*

Disbelief

Jason's eyes grow wider as Katie explains. "Three weeks?" It suddenly hits him that he really had been close to death. "I...wow." He looks down for a moment as he thinks of how it must have affected his family. "I've got foggy recollections of people being here...things people said...it was like a dream or something." He glances up, catching Katie's eye. She'd been with him the whole time...he had felt her presence...he had heard her voice...he was slowly remembering her words. A strange new feeling slowly seeps into his heart. He allows the moment to pass though, not wanting to approach it now. "So did you..." His voice trails off as he looks up, seeing someone in the doorway.

Austin can't believe his eyes, and shock takes over. "Jason...you're....awake....you're...alive."

Jason rolls his eyes. "Yeah, sorry...guess you gotta put up with me a while longer."

Tears form behind Austin's eyes. He turns around to see the others, and focuses on Cindy. "He's...awake."

"What?" Cindy's heart leaps into her throat. "I...how..." She forces her legs to carry her into the doorway, and she peers inside, almost afraid to look. Her son gives her a little wave and a grin. Overcome with an emotional barrage, Cindy simply stands in shock for several moments. Finally she walks slowly to Jason's bed and sits in the chair, the tears starting to flow again. She takes his hand in hers and buries her face in his palm as she cries. "Oh, Jason...I thought I had lost you."

Jason swallows hard, not liking to see all the tears around him, and uncomfortable in the spotlight. "It's alright," he tries to comfort his mother. "I'm here...and I'm not going anywhere."

Cindy sniffs and straightens to look at him, her smile full of love. "I'm sorry....to you this is probably nothing... but I just can't believe it."

Austin and Con join her, both shaking their heads in disbelief. Con gives Jason a teasing look. "Hotshot, don't you ever do this again, do you hear me? I wouldn't be able to last through another bout like this."

Jason gives him a wry grin. "Glad you missed me, Con."

The room quickly fills with the others, all shocked but happy. JT glances down the hall, wondering at the quiet commotion. He goes to them, and when he sees what's happened, he stares in disbelief. "Good heavens..."

Austin smiles at JT. "I'm sure you don't like being called wrong, but..."

"I sure am glad I was wrong about this one." JT approaches Jason, sidling in next to Katie to check on Jason's vitals. "Kid, you're a walking miracle. You should have died ten minutes ago." He takes Jason's pulse, then retrieves a needle to draw some blood. "How are you feeling?"

Jason squints an eye as his arm is pricked. "I feel like I've been run over by a truck."

JT laughs. "That's pretty good for someone in your position. Can you be more specific?"

Jason answers him as JT continues to poke and prod. "My ribs are pretty sore...my face hurts a bit....my left leg feels like it's got a cement block sitting on top of it."

JT nods. "One good thing about you being asleep for this long is that your injuries have actually been healing quite nicely, and probably faster than if you'd been up and around - despite the poison that was in your system." He finishes taking blood. "I'm going to have some tests run on this to see what happened. I don't want to assume you're out of the woods yet."

Jason gestures to his leg. "So how bad is it?"

JT sighs, thinking. "I did as much reconstruction as I could. I replaced part of your knee...bone fragments caused a lot of damage and hassle, but I'm confident I removed all of them. Probably the worst of it was that there was some tearing in the muscles and tendon around the knee. A lot of healing has happened in three weeks, but the downside is that you haven't moved it at all. The mobility and strength that you'll gain back is questionable. I can't predict it." He leans in, looking closer at Jason's face. "Looks like we can get these stitches removed for you."

Jason grimaces slightly. "Just call me scarface." He glances to the side at a hand mirror.

JT raises an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Show me," Jason nods.

JT hands him the mirror. "You're lucky there was no damage to your eye itself."

Jason looks at his own face, only now seeing the severity of the knife blow he'd received. It was evident that he would wear a diagonal scar across his eye and down to his cheek. But he shouldn't care - he was alive, and apparently that was amazing in itself. "Well...that's one battle scar I can show off."

Con chuckles. "You can wear that one with pride."

JT laughs and begins to retreat. "I'm going to run this blood sample down to the lab. For now, don't try to get up or anything. Just rest easy until I get back."


Things begin to quiet back down a little bit, and the room grows less crowded as some leave to make phone calls. Exhausted, Cindy finally pulls herself away as well to go get some coffee at the cafeteria that she's come to know so well the last few weeks. Once again, Katie is left with Jason.


"Praise the Lord!" Sparky's smile spreads from ear to ear as he hears Austin's voice. He covers the mouthpiece and shouts into the mess hall area from the kitchen. "Jason's awake, y'all!"

Feeling you again!

*Katies face goes more stern as she explains everything to Jason.* "...Finally your body started to shut down. You were on a breathing masheen for a very long time. Me, Austin, Con, Mick, Rosetta, you mom. We never left this hospetal. This chair has been my bed for the last 3 weeks or so. You have been here in a coma that long. Today your mom had decied that she was going to have them take you off everything, so she could let you go. She said its what you wanted. I dident want you to Die alone so I sat here with you, and than you woke up. I dont know how, but I guess it just wasent your time." *Katie smiles so big is covers her face. As Katie sits talking to Jason a suddon serge of energy fills her. Jason....it was Jason. She could feel the connection again.*

*Rosetta and Damien follow Austin. Not knowing what is going on Rosetta keeps a hand on her gun. Something feels strange, like there is a calming. Stress is lifted. And pain was no more.*

Groggy

Still a bit in a fog, Jason tries to sort through what Katie is saying. “I guess I’ve been out of it for a little while, huh?” He shakes his head. “Feels like I was stuck in a long dream and just couldn’t wake up enough to…be awake.” He frowns at her apology. “Good grief – is that what you think? I didn’t exactly expect you to follow me into the men’s room, personal hero or not.” He gives her a wry grin. The memories are coming back now, and he begins to remember more to how this situation came about. He concentrates on Katie for a moment longer though, his face reddening slightly. “Yeah…I thought I heard a familiar tune. I won’t give Con too bad of a time about it – I’m sure he had his reasons. Just don’t spread it around, eh?”
He furrows his brow, but cringes as his sore and eye and face resist the movement. He puts a hand to the long wound, feeling the stitches, and for the first time, he realizes that his leg is propped up and wrapped. “I'm not in the greatest shape, am I...but why are you so surprised to see me awake? What happened?"

Austin nods to Rosetta and aims for Jason’s room.