and stared at Erin. “I hadn’t realized that was you!”
“What was me?” she’d asked as her brow scrunched, pulling at the stitches.
“You’re the face from TV. The image that is showing up on the news.”
“God, that’s the last thing I want.”
“I understand that this was traumatic,” the doctor acknowledged. “And I’m very sorry that my comments earlier seemed trite. I’m sure this has been a hard day for everybody.” He’d looked back down at his chart. “I’m ready to discharge you with concussion protocols for you to follow. I’m also suggesting that you consider counseling after having lived through what you did.”
“I already have a counselor.”
If that statement had surprised him, he didn’t say anything other than to lift one brow.
Normally, she said little about herself, but today, everything had changed. Shrugging, she added, “PTSD from my Army tour in Afghanistan. Let’s just say that today wasn’t the first explosion I’ve heard.”
This time, the doctor had looked at her for a long time before nodding slowly. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Sharon had piped up again.
“She’s going to want to go back upstairs to be with her boyfriend. I assume that’s not a problem?”
Grateful her mom understood that she was not going to go home and crawl into bed, the doctor and nurse had shared a look before answering.
“We require that she be in a wheelchair while she’s in the hospital. If she’s not going to go home and rest immediately, it would be in the best interest of her and for the hospital’s liability for her not to be walking.”
“I’ll be with her the whole time,” Sharon said.
Twenty minutes later, Erin found herself just outside of Torin’s room, hearing his declaration of feelings for her. From the slight gasp coming from her mother behind her, she knew that she’d heard as well. Twisting her head around, she threw her hand up in a halting motion. “Move me away from the door. Please. Now.”
Sharon quickly rolled her backward, moving down the hall slightly. Walking around the front of the wheelchair, she squatted to get down to Erin’s level. “Sweetheart, what is it?”
“He just told his family he loved me.”
“I know, I heard that. I’m assuming he hasn’t said those words to you yet?” Erin shook her head. “And you’re upset because he said something to them first?” Sharon prodded.
Shaking her head again, she said, “No, that’s not it. It’s just, well, it doesn’t seem right. I love him, too, but haven’t told him.” She held her mother’s gaze, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t know if I could love again, Mom.”
“Oh, baby, I would never have told you that you could even though I knew you would. It was something you had to find out on your own. But God gives us an infinite amount of love to offer others in our lifetime. We don’t simply have a measured amount of love and when it’s used up it’s all gone. Love is the one thing that is boundless and endless and continues throughout our lives.”
“But I don’t know if I’m strong enough. Strong enough to accept his love and give it in return, knowing it can be taken away. I thought I’d finally accepted John’s death as just one of those things, but I could’ve lost Torin also. I mean, he lost his mom and then his dad. How can the heart keep beating with so much loss?”
Sharon lifted her hand and cupped Erin’s cheek. “The heart never quits beating, Erin. Not until we reach the end of our life. But until then, our heart can hurt, feel like it’s breaking, it can swell with pride, pound with energy, and dance with joy. And the reason it can do all these things is because of the ability to love. Love does not equal loss. Love is what gives us the courage to accept everything in life and help us deal with loss when it comes.”
As a tear rolled down Erin’s cheek, her mother reached into her purse, pulling out a package of tissues. Erin sniffed, then laughed. “When I was a kid, your purse always amazed me, Mom. No matter what was going on with any of us, you always had the right thing in your purse.” The two women chuckled together, and Erin wiped underneath her eyes and blew her nose. Sighing heavily, she asked, “So, what do I do?”
“I’d say you roll into Torin’s room because if he’s anything like you, he’s been