Walking slowly up to the bed the woman said, "Hello, my name is Danielle Pierce, but you can call me Dani, and this is Madison."
"Mommy, can I give my angel a hug?"
With a tear in her eye, Alex held out her arms, and Dani gently set Madison on the bed. The little girl crawled up and wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck. After a long hug she pulled back and placed a hand on each of Alex’s cheeks. Looking deep into her eyes she said, "Thank you for being my angel. I prayed every day for God to make you better. Momma said that sometimes God will call his angels back home to him, but I wanted you to stay with me." She curled up on top of Alex, and placed her head on her shoulder. "I’m glad he let you stay."
Alex wrapped one arm around the little girl, and wiped away her tears with her other hand. "Me too, sweetheart, me too." She closed her eyes and laid her cheek on the top of Madison’s head, and listened as Nikki and Dani stepped to the foot of the bed.
"What’s the verdict?" Dani asked.
"Not sure yet, but everything’s looking surprisingly good so far." Nikki leaned against the bed and placed her hand on the mattress beside her as she spoke.
Alex listened to the sisters as they discussed her, and was surprised at how familiar the tone of their voices and speech patterns seemed to her. It was as if she had known them for a very long time instead of having just met them both. Curious at the feelings of familiarity and trust they inspired, she opened her eyes and watched them converse. Now that the two were side by side it was obvious they were twins. She hadn’t really noticed earlier as she was so taken aback by Madison. Nikki’s hair was short and just curled at the tips, while Dani’s was long and hung in ringlets just like Madison’s. That was the only discernable difference between the two.
"As you can tell from talking to her, there doesn’t appear to be any serious brain damage. As a matter of fact, she remembers far more than is normal for her type of injury."
"Thank God. What about physically? Will she walk?" Dani asked.
Alex smiled and wiggled her toes. When neither woman noticed immediately, she stretched just a bit and touched Nikki with her left foot. Startled, Nikki looked down at the wiggling toes and smiled. She looked up at Dani who grinned. "That’s a good start," Nikki said as she looked at Alex. "This leg’s going to give you hell for the rest of your life though." She stepped around the foot of the bed and placed her hand on Alex’s left knee. "The knee was badly damaged and required reconstructive surgery." She ran her hand up the leg briefly and stopped mid-thigh. "The femur was broken in two places and required surgery, and your pelvis was cracked. You fractured your left scapula and clavicle, and had a rather serious head injury."
Alex closed her eyes as Nikki’s hand traveled up her leg. She could feel the warmth radiating through the thin blanket that covered her. She shook off the stirrings of desire and opened her eyes. "Sounds like I’m going to need to find a new exercise regimen," she replied quietly.
Dani stepped up on the right side of the bed and looked down at her sleeping daughter. "She was so excited when she found out we were visiting today that she failed to take her nap." With suddenly weak knees, she dropped into the chair beside the bed and looked at Alex with tear filled eyes. "Thank you for giving me my daughter back. Every day I have with her is a gift you’ve given me. I owe you a debt I can never repay."
Alex reached her hand out towards Dani who grasped it tightly. "Will you do something for me?"
"Anything."
"Love her unconditionally, support her at every opportunity, and be the best parent you can be. Raise her to be who she was meant to be, not who you want her to be." She squeezed Dani's hand and pulled her towards the bed. Once Dani was close enough, she released her hand and wiped the tears from her cheek. "If you can do that, then it will have all been worth it."
Dani grabbed her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. "That’s a given."
"It isn't for everyone."
Dani tilted her head slightly as she considered the tone in Alex's voice and nodded. "For her it is."
Alex smiled. "Good."
Dani stood, wiped her face one last time, and smiled down at Alex and Madison. "We should be going. I’m sure it's already been a long day. You should get a nap of your own." She reached down and gently scooped up her daughter.
"Mommy, I don’t want to leave yet."
Alex reached up and gently tugged one ringlet until Madison looked down at her. "Will you come back to see me another time?"
Madison smiled. "Yes. Next time I’ll bring my Momma too. Would you like to meet my Momma?"
Alex looked up at Dani, confused. "Your Momma?"
Dani's eyes darted away briefly before once again meeting Alex’s. "My wife, Rachel."
"I see."
"Is that going to be a problem?" Dani asked as Nikki looked on, interested in the answer.
"I’d love to meet her."
Dani sank down into the chair and searched Alex’s face for the truth. "Are you sure?"
Alex reached out and waited for her to take her hand. "What are you so afraid of? I am a stranger that you could walk away from and never look back. Why does it matter to you if I approve or not?"
Dani wiped a tear from her cheek. "We may be strangers, but you have forever changed our lives. And while today is the first day you’ve met us, we’ve been visiting you here three or four times a week." She
