Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

Jade had no idea where he was going with this, but the diversion
felt wonderful. Though her voice was scratchy and weak, for
the first time that day it held a trace of humor. "I can see that."
"But yesterday I remembered a quote from Shakespeare." Jade lifted her eyebrows. "`Wherefore art thou
Romeo?"' "No." Tanner smiled, though the sadness in his eyes
remained. His voice grew more tender, if that were possible. "`Give sorrow words: the grief that does not
speak whispers the o'erfraught heart and bids it break."'
The quote played over again in jade's mind. This was so like
Tanner. Whether he was in front of a jury or sitting beside her on
their back deck, his thoughts were always profound. Still, there
was no way she could give her sorrow words. Not now, with a
thousand yesterdays blocking her ability to speak.
Fresh tears spilled onto Tanner's cheeks and rolled off the end of his chin. "And so I have to speak, jade.
Otherwise... otherwise my heart will break."
She nodded and tried to lift her head from the pillow When
her body wouldn't cooperate, Tanner lowered his face to hers and
kissed her-not the passionate kiss of two lovers, but a kiss of
longing and sorrow and grief. It was Tanner's attempt to express
the depth of what he was feeling.
When he pulled back, he shifted to his elbow again. "I love
you, Jade. In all my life I've only loved you."
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She forced back the lump in her throat. "I love you, too, Tanner."
"I keep asking myself, what if you don't know me when you wake up? What if you don't remember
Virginia or Kelso or Ty or Maddie? And if something happens, how long before I'll see you and Jenna in
heaven ... what if..."
Then, despite his obvious desire to say something eloquent and memorable in these, her last hours before
surgery, he hung his his face over hers
as positioned
head and wept. Taking great care,
had done earlier. and wrapped his as beneath "Don't go, jade..." His voice was racked with torment.
"Don't
leave me. Please... Come back to me, baby."
"I Will..." She kissed his neck, clinging to him. "I will, Tanner. I will..."
Jade wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, but at some point they fell asleep, side by side. uAs
though they
haptpy back night at home, holding each other through
instead of clinging to their final moments before jade's surgery.
At five the next morning, a nurse woke them. "They're ready for you, Mrs. Eastman."
Jade squinted at the machines
Then surrounding her and it all came flooding back. d It
remember what was happening
from after was the morning of the surgery. Her eased
himself surgery. Tanner coughed and see that he wanted to ask the nurse
too late. Preparations for the another few minutes alone. But
surgery were already in motion.
Minutes later two technicians and Dr. Layton entered the room. "Good morning, jade." He smiled and she