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"I sensed so this afternoon when I called," Sa"

She lowered her eyes "Yeah, but no one knehy, at least not right away My oxygen levels dropped significantly and the nurse in charge phonedaround I had a nu with a chest X-ray and then an electrocardiogram"

"Do you feel better now?"

She hesitated before she answered "No"

Sam raised her hand to hisgesture that tears gathered in her eyes She rapidly blinked them away, embarrassed by the display of eer, yet he’d been her rock from the moment of the accident

"Who told you?" she asked

"Nichole Apparently the hospital notified Sunshine …"

"Oh no" Beth groaned "And now she’s probably freaking out"

He grinned "Probably I kno I felt when I heard Nichole sentback as soon as she can get a flight"

"Oh dear I didn’t want her to do that" Beth’s shoulders sagged with regret This art shoas iht of Sunshine cutting it short because of her "I wish she wouldn’t"

"Beth, co She’s worried about you" He hesitated, his hand tightening around hers "For that ood to her, and in her weakened state it demanded every shred of control she possessed not to break into tears

Sa with her emotions "Would you like me to read you another Psalht do it anyway to easeher eyes, Beth s so wonderful"

He chuckled "That’s not a word most people would associate with me"

"I do" It shocked her how quickly he’d come to mean so much to her It’d been only a few days and it was as if her entire day revolved around hiuitar is in ain?"

Of all the things Bethable to play the piano topped the list Yes, she could listen to music, which she did every day, but it wasn’t the sa able to sit down at the piano with her own hands running over the keys The sound pulsed through her fingertips, theher above whatever was troubling her her until her problems dissolved into thin air

Sam released her hand and she immediately felt the loss of his touch "I’ll be back in a jiffy" He took two steps in retreat before turning and hurrying out of the roo why all this was happening to her The instant Sam walked in the room, Beth felt better both emotionally and physically She didn’t want to become dependent on hiht it was probably for the best Then here he was, and she was doing an i that as soon as he’d heard he’d rushed to the hospital to stand at her side

Within a few uitar

"Thank you," she whispered when he pulled out the chair next to her bed and took out his pick

He s requests"

She smiled "How about a little Bob Dylan Hishis hands on the strings, Saentle hed as if he’d wrapped her in a warlanced at her and smiled and she swore the connection between the she’d ever experienced before He played two or three songs before the door to her room opened and one of the nurse’s aides caen levels Over the course of the last few days Beth had gotten to know the nurses, onderful, and the aides, too Jazlanced shyly at Sam as she made a note of Beth’s te what she needed, she hesitated and then asked, "Would you mind if I cracked the door open? Several patients have asked We’d all like to hear the music"

"I don’t aze held his and she s "I’," she whispered