Remember Me?

"Please don't leave me Cody," Vanessa whispered.

"You said you wouldn't go away," Tessa added.

As he was being lifted onto a stretcher, one of Cody's eyes opened and he stared at Tessa

"I'll be back Tessa...." his voice was no more than a whisper "I promise..."

Tessa nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I love you Uncle Cody," she whispered back.

"Love...you...too..." Cody whispered as he was rolled away. Halfway to the operating room he passed out and the race to save his life was on.

Vanessa didn't truly know how to feel at the moment.

Cody's life was literally hanging by a thread. That he hadn't bled out was a miracle in and of itself. Now, several hours after he'd been rescued from a junk-filled warehouse, he was fighting for his life in the ICU. There was a nasal cannula to help him breathe and he was ghostly pale now that all the blood had been washed away. Truthfully he looked more dead than alive.

Vanessa sat outside the room, too scared to enter the room.

When her mother wasn't looking, Tessa toddled into the hospital room, determined to see her Uncle Cody. Using a chair, she climbed onto the bed and nestled next to Cody's still arm,

"It be okay Uncle Cody, I protect you," Tessa muttered.

For a long time Cody didn't move. But then...slightly, ever so slightly, his one arm began to move and slowly curled around Tessa's tiny body.

Tessa smiled.

Randy came in a short time later and smiled when he saw the two in bed

"That's it Cody" he smiled gently "I knew you'd make it."

"Hi Randy," Tessa smiled.

"Hi Tessa" Randy looked around and frowned "Where's your mother?"

"Out there," Tessa pointed to the hallway.

"Nessie?" Randy looked out and sighed when he saw Vanessa curled up on the floor "Oh sweetie..." he bent down and pulled her into a gentle hug "Cody's okay, really, come on, I'll take you in to see him."

"Randy, this is my fault," Vanessa muttered.

"Oh sweetie no..." Randy pulled her closer and rubbed her head comfortingly "This isn't your fault, this isn't anybody's fault, we had no way of knowing they'd find us here."

"If I woulda never ran from them, Cody'd be okay!" Vanessa cried.

"If you hadn't gotten away..." Randy sighed "You and Tessa would probably be dead by now."

"I just want him to be okay," Vanessa sniffled.

"He will be" Randy whispered "Come on, come see him, he needs you right now."

"Okay," Vanessa said softly.

Cody's arm was still around Tessa when Randy and Vanessa came in,

"You see?" Randy pointed to Cody's arm and smiled "Cody's in there, he just needs to heal right now."

Vanessa just nodded.