No matter ho hard she tried to forget him, everything reminded her of him. His face, his smile, the way he was never able to be completely serious. . . No! Ally had to forget all of that. It would be hard , but it had to be done.

To try to set her mind on other things, Ally along with Renee and Elaine had decided to book a cruise for their summer vacation. All three of them had their hearts broken recently and they all wanted to get a away for a while. Besides, a nice exotic cruise would be a good thing. They would surely meet some good looking men, and Elaine was the first one interested in that. The cruise was one week and went to all the islands of Hawaii.

No matter how hurt Ally was deep down, she couldn’t hide her excitement to getting away from Boston. Here, everything reminded her of Larry. Hawaii was a place she had never been before, and therefore, held no memories of Larry. This was perfect. The cruise was a week from now. Now, all she had to do was buy a new bathing suit.

"Ally! Hurry up!" yelled Renee from the front door.

Outside, Elaine was waiting in a cab. The counter was rolling and they had been waiting for her for over 10 minutes. It wasn’t her fault; she wanted to look absolutely perfect. It wasn’t really her usual behavior, but she wanted to have the time of her life on this vacation, and when she looked good, she felt good. She walked out of her room, her hair wavy, wearing a sun-dress and sandals. They had to hurry up, because their airplane was leaving for San Francisco in an hour. From there, they would take the boat to Hawaii and they would party all the time. For the girls, this was a way to forget about the men who had broken their hearts and to take charge.

Once at the airport, Ally started to voice second thoughts to Renee and Elaine, who rolled their eyes.

"Ally! You can’t be serious! Larry’s getting on with his life, too, you know," said Renee. It’s only logical that you’d try to date again. And besides, you need distraction."

"But what if he still loves me! What if he’s not on with his life. And what if . . ." said Ally, panting and babbling her fears.

"Ally, said Elaine in a tone that was trying to be gentle, he left for Detroit without telling you. Chances are, he’s on with his life."

"Yeah. I guess your right, said Ally with tears in her eyes. There is no reason for me to wait for him."

"Come on! said Renee trying to cheer her up. We have a plane waiting for us!"

They found their seats and settled in for the long plane ride. Ally closed her eyes and dozed off.

The airplane seemed hazier than it had been when she fell asleep, so Ally figured out she was dreaming. No-one was there but her. She was breathing hard, she was afraid, she was alone. The airplane was dark and she could barely see anything. . .just the no-smoking signs and the emergency exit sign . . . gently,. . .ever so gently . . . someone touched her shoulder and a blinding light flooded the plane. . .she stood up and fell into the person’s arms. . .like she used to do when she wanted Larry to comfort her. . .it was a man. . .a strong man. . .she couldn’t see his face, but he was strong and she felt comforted by the warmth and strength of his arms. . .she cried. . .he kept telling her "it’s okay. . .it’s alright. . .we’ll be fine. . .you’ll be fine". Suddenly, he began to shake her. . .why was he shaking her?. . .why was he taking her out of her bliss?. . .how did he know her name?. . .his voice seemed so far away, yet familiar. . . "Wake up, Ally. . .wake up. . ."his deep voice became Renee’s voice. . .

"Wake up, Ally, we’re in San Francisco," said Renee, shaking Ally’s shoulder.

"W. . .Wh. . .what the?" said Ally, half asleep and startled, after being forced to leave the mystery man’s side.

"We’re in San Francisco., sleepy head!" added Elaine.

"Did I really sleep all the way here?" asked Ally.

"Seems so! Come on! We have to go get our luggage." said Renee.

Ally followed Renee, with Elaine by her side. She was haunted by the man in her dream and she kept thinking of the way he held her. . .so strong, so familiar. . .like that was where she was meant to be. . .forever. . .

"Is everything okay?" asked Elaine, looking concerned by the way Ally was staring off into space.

"Uh. . . um. . .y, yeah. . .yeah, I’m fine!, she said while faking a smile. Come on, let’s go get our luggage!"

She hurried her pace a little, to keep up with Renee, who was almost running ahead of them.

Their suitcases in hand, the three friends hailed a cab and asked the driver to take them to the port where their ship was departing.

"This place is amazing!" exclaimed Elaine, while a crew member led them to their suite.

"I know, said Ally in a rare moment of happiness. This is the perfect setting for a fantasy."

". . .This is it, said the pleasant looking employee while handing the key to Renee. Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks!" said Renee. For a few seconds, she struggled to open the door with the key. When she finally got it right, all three couldn’t believe their eyes. They had refused to compromise and take a smaller suite, but they were glad. It was truly amazing. It had a balcony with a really amazing view. The suite had two bedrooms. They would take turns sharing a bedroom. They had a separate living room with two plush couches and a television , and a bathroom with a large whirl tub and a separate shower. This was quite a luxurious vacation.

After changing into lighter clothes, the girls got out of their cabin to visit the ship. There was a spa, a casino, two ballrooms, three pools, two theaters, three clubs, one bar which strangely resembled the Martini with a piano and a small stage where patrons could sing and at the sight of this, the girls squealed with delight. It felt as if they had taken there favorite part of Boston with them.

So many things to do on the ship, they couldn’t quite decide which one they all wanted to do. They decided to split and to meet back at their room in three hours. Renee went to dance at a club, Elaine went to look for rich men at the casino and Ally chose to go to the Spa, to relax.

They parted and Ally got to the Spa and chose two things from the menu: a full body massage and a mud bath. During both treatments, she almost rudely fell asleep. When it was over, she had almost forgotten about Mr. Mystery Man and Larry. She felt invigorated and she decided to go to the Martini look-alike bar. She sat and had a Strawberry Daiquiri. There was no one there, but it was relaxing. It felt like home.

At the bar, she saw the attractive bar tender and saw the possibilities there. Her friends were right. his was good for her it took her mind off Larry for a while. It was exactly what she needed.

" So. . .where are you from?" asked Ally to the man behind the bar. She was surprised by her own actions, but didn’t second guess herself. This was a new her. And maybe it would last a while. . .maybe it could be good.

"I’m from Boston." said the waiter.

"No kidding! I live there too! I’m a lawyer. Cage and Fish."

"Hey! My uncle’s your boss!" said the man.

Surprised, Ally didn’t know what to say. "Who’s your uncle?"

"John Cage. You know him?"

"Of course I know John! We’re all friends!"

"I’m Gregory Cage." he said, extending his arm to reach for Ally’s hand.

"Ally McBeal. So, are you interested in law?"

"No. I’m working on this ship for the summer, to raise money for medical school."

"Interesting. . . "

Ally talked with Greg and didn’t notice the time. When she did, she noticed she was thirty minutes late, so she bid farewell to Greg Cage and ran back to her cabin to meet up with Renee and Elaine. Of course nothing would happen between John Cage’s nefew and her, but it was nice to get away from everything, and yet still feel at home.

When she got back to her cabin, she was greeted by unsympathetic friends.

"Where have you been! We’ve been waiting for you! yelped Renee. I’m starving!"

"Did you get some", asked Elaine.

"No. No! Of course not. Actually, I went for a Daiquiri at the bar that looks like "Our" bar. It turns out the man who was serving me was John Cage’s nefew. . ."

"Speaking of John, he called you on Elaine’s cell phone, said Renee. He said it was urgent."

"Good. I’ll go call him on the pay phone. I’ll meet up with you two in the dining room in a couple of minutes."

Ally dialed John Cage’s home phone number from the pay phone. Today, she was more optimistic than she had been two days ago. Life without Larry was possible. She just had to believe in it and be happy with herself. The rest would follow.

She was totally puzzled as to why John would dare to interrupt her vacation. To tell you the truth, she was a little annoyed. What could be so important that he would phone her almost half-way across the world.

After five rings, a sleepy John answered the phone.

-Hello? Who is this?

- Hey John. I’m sorry to wake you up, but you wanted to talk to me?

- Hi Ally. How’s the cruise? he asked in a more pleasant tone.

- It’s really amazing! I cant even begin to describe how beautiful the ship is. . .and you’ll never guess who I met.

- Who?

- Your nefew, Gregory Cage.

- Oh, how is he? I haven’t seen him in a while.

- He seems to be fine. . .but John, why did you call?

- Uh, yeah, about that. . .listen, Ally. Something happened. . ., John mumbled.

- What?

- Something happened to Larry.

- What? What happened to Larry. How do you know? Did he call you?

- No, his ex-wife called you. She was trying to reach you at your office, but I answered because your phone had been ringing off the hook for over five minutes, so I unlocked the door and. . .

- John! What happened to Larry? Ally almost screamed.

- She told me that Larry was in a car crash. He had a head on collision with another car. He’s not dead, but they had to use the jaws of life to get him out of the car. He’s not dead though, the doctors are doing everything they can to keep him alive. He’s in intensive care and he hasn’t waken up. They operated because they had to replace a whole bunch of bones. He had some internal bleeding, but that’s been controlled. This happened yesterday and Helena called today. The doctors said he needed to feel that the people he loves surrounded him, and, well, Ally. . .he still loves you. Very much. Helena wanted you there. There all in Detroit. His parents, Helena, Jamie, Sam, and I told Helena that you were in Hawaii, so she doesn’t expect you to come, but . . .

Everything around Ally started spinning fast. . . Larry’s going to die?. . .He still loves her?. . .She was going to lose the second love of her life? . . .This was too much, she needed to sit down,. . .sit down and. . .cry. . .and. . .

- Ally? Are you still there? asked John.

- Uh. . .yeah. . .I’m still there. John, I have to go to Detroit.

- But, what about your cruise?

- When we reach Honolulu in three days, I’ll get a flight to Detroit there. I have to go John. . .I have to go see Larry. . .before he dies. . . he’s going to die John! she began to cry.

- Ally, don’t cry! Go eat. Go see Renee and Elaine and tell them about this. You need people now.

- Okay. . .

-Ally?

- Mmm?

- Good luck. We love you . . .

- Thanks John. . .

She hung up the phone and collapsed on the floor. She blacked out. All she could think about was Larry. It was all becoming clear again. . .she didn’t want Larry to die like Billy. And now he was going to die. It was all her fault. . .

Ally was in her suite in the ship, crying on the bed. It was dark and all she could see was the moon shining through the window. He face buried in her hands, she cried. That strong arm she had felt before caressed her neck ever so gently and made her shiver. He held her and rocked her softly. The hazy night came to day and she turned to see the stranger’s face. It was Larry. Larry was in her dream, rocking her . . ."it’s all right. . .We’ll be fine. . .I’ll be fine. . ." he kept repeating over and over like a comforting lullaby. Ally cried in his arms. It was the only thing she could do. Suddenly, she felt him tapping her face. " Lady. . .hey ! Lady! Wake up. Come on. Please wake up. . .". It wasn’t Larry’s sweet voice. . .no. . .it was somebody else. . . someone who was now putting his mouth on hers. Quickly, she opened her eyes. . .

"Get away from me, you pig! " she yelled.

Suddenly, the man trying to resuscitate Ally leapt up and looked down at her.

"Are you all right," he asked with a slight smile on his face.

"Y. . .yeah! I’ve never been better." she replied in a grunt.

"You passed out."

"No kidding!" she added sarcastically.

"Do you need help. Do you want to see a doctor?"

"No! No! I’m not dying! Just let me go, okay! I don’t need your help, or anyone’s for that matter. Now if you’ll excuse me. . ."

Ally ran away, holding back tear. The truth was, all she wanted to do now was fall into someone’s arms and cry. She needed to be comforted. Who was she kidding? All she wanted was Larry. Now though, it seems like Larry is the one who needs her. He who was so strong, full of life and spirit, he needed her. And she would be there. Whether of not he wanted her there, she would be there for him.

Ally stumbled into the dining room. She spotted Renee smiling and waving at her. Seems eating a nice meal helped her mood out. But to Ally, no one’s mood really mattered. All she wished to do was get back to main land as soon as possible, to be near Larry.

When she plopped down on her chair, Renee and Elaine were dying to know why John had to speak to her so urgently, but more importantly, why it took her so long to come back.

"Well? asked Renee. What did he have to tell you?"

Ally broke down crying and Renee rushed to give her a big hug. Ally let herself fall into her arms. For the first time, she let herself cry. Neither one of her friends even had to ask what had happened. To get Ally in such an awful state, only one thing was possible. Something had happened to Larry. When Ally came back to her senses, Elaine was the first to speak.

"Ally, sweetie, what happened to Larry?"

"He had a head on collision with another car. He’s been unconscious, in intensive care for the past 36 hours, and. . . "

Ally began to cry.

"Helena wants me to go to see him at the hospital in Detroit because the doctors aren’t sure if he’s going to make it. Supposedly, he still loves me."

"Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry, said Elaine in a gasp. Are you going to go?"

"I have to! I love him. I’ll hate myself forever if he dies and I don’t get to see him one last time. . ."

The girls each took one of Ally’s hands and Renee declared: "I’m going with you. There’s no way I’ll let you go off alone to Detroit."

"Yeah, me too", added Elaine.

"Guys, it’s okay, really! Enjoy the cruise. I’ll be fine."

"No, said Renee. There is no way I’m letting my best friend suffer alone."

Ally went to bed that night and cried. Renee and Elaine gave her the extra bedroom. She prayed to God that he would get out of this alive and fell asleep praying. . .as if it guaranteed anything. . .as if it was the only thing keeping him alive. . .

In the darkness of her bedroom in Boston, Ally cried. The floor was hazy and the only light illuminating her room was the dim glow of the moon. A knock on the door made her whip her head towards it. . .a shadow came towards her. . .it was a man and he sat behind her. . .slowly, her caressed her hips. . .he kissed her lips. . .she couldn’t quite see who it was, but she was letting him. It just felt too familiar. . .too sweet. . .she wrapped her arms around the man and the morning came. The bright and cheerful sunlight illuminated her room. She could now see his face. . .Larry. . .but he didn’t look too good. He was bruised and Ally’s heart broke to pieces when he started to cry. . ." I love you Ally. Goodbye. . .". He drew a breath and collapsed into her arms. . .Ally panicked. . .He wasn’t breathing. . .he was gone. . .Ally began to sob uncontrollably, rocking Larry in her arms . . .she heard a voice. . .a woman’s voice. . .an angel?. . ." Ally, it’s okay sweetie. . .wake up."

Elaine held Ally and rocked her softly as she sobbed, weeping Larry’s name softly.

"Oh, Ally, it was just a dream" said Elaine, reaching over to give Ally a tissue.

"But it was so real. He died in my arms. He just. . .stopped breathing."

"Come on. Lets go to the bar. Have water, coffee, a martini. . .whatever. You need to set your mind to other things."

"Lets go," said Ally, slightly more enthusiastically, faking a smile.

They walked to the bar in their pyjamas. It wasn’t deserted. There were a few sleepless patrons left and the bartender seemed to be fighting sleep. It was Greg, John’s nefew. They sat at the bar and ordered two glasses of water with lemon. Greg stood across from them and Elaine kept whispering to Ally how cute he was.

Greg was cute. He had short and curly dirty blond hair like John’s. He had brown eyes and had that John-Cage-ish mug that was just so adorable. But unlike the biscuit, Greg was tall and muscular. He was really handsome and both Elaine and Ally recognized that he would break many hearts with that smile that had nothing to do with John’s courtship smile.

"Hey Ally. Who’s your friend. . ."

"Oh, I’m sorry. Greg, this is Elaine."

Elaine shook his hand and then smelled hers. Ally frowned looking at her and Elaine apologized.

Seeing the tears in Ally’s eyes, Greg asked: "Ally, what’s wrong?"

When she began to cry, Elaine felt the obligation to explain it to Greg. It was also an excellent ruse to achieve eye contact.

"Her ex-boyfriend in Detroit was in a car crash yesterday. He was badly injured and the doctors aren’t sure if he’ll make it. Your uncle called yesterday to talk to Ally and to tell her that Larry’s ex-wife said that she wants her there because he still loves her. But she cant go there until we get to Honolulu in two days. "

"That’s awful! Ally, I’m sorry. . .", said Greg before staring into space blankly.

"What’s wrong?" asked Elaine.

"Oh, nothing. But I just had an idea. On the ship, we have two helicopters for emergencies. My best friend is the pilot of one of them. Both he and I could lose our jobs for this, but would you like for me to get him to take you to L.A. to take a plane."

"Really? When can I leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning, if I can reach him tonight. He owes me a favor and I am going to use it on you. . ."

"Greg, it’s really not necessary. . ." said Ally.

"Of course it is. Any friend of my uncle’s in a friend of mine."

"Thanks Greg."

"I’ll call him now."

Greg picked up the phone and dialed a four number code to reach his friend’s room. After explaining the situation to his friend, he listened for a while and thanked his friend before hanging up.

"He’ll be right down."

A few minutes later, dressed in a pilot’s uniform, walked in Greg’s friend Liam. When Ally looked at him closely, she noticed that Liam was in fact the guy who had tried to give her mouth to mouth that day. They recognized each other, but for whatever reason, just decided to not mention that to Elaine and Greg. They would tell them later, probably. But now, it wasn’t important.

After a brief discussion with Liam, he announced to Ally that they would be leaving in two hours, at 6 am. Ally thanked him excitedly, kissed Greg and Liam on the cheek and ran out of the bar. She got to her room and got changed into some blue jeans and a black shirt. She gathered her things, left a note to Renee and headed to the helicopter deck, where Liam was waiting.

"You know, your Larry, he’s really lucky to have such a committed ex-girlfriend." said Liam.

Ally had no clue what that was supposed to mean. She felt a little insulted, because it seemed as if he told her that what she was doing was useless. He had indeed left her to go to Detroit. But something told her that if Helena wanted her there, she was right to suppose he still loved her.

The helicopter ride to L.A. seemed to last ages. She felt uncomfortable in there with Liam. After all, she was being self-centered: she was risking two people’s jobs to go see a comatose ex-boyfriend all the way across the country. She wanted to pay him back, somehow. . .anyhow. . .but she didn’t know how to.

"You know, said Liam, breaking the awkward silence that still reigned one hour after their departure, my girlfriend died from a car crash. She was in the hospital for a week. I never went to see her. I was at sea. I never thought of using the chopper to go see her. I will always regret it. The only reason I decided to do this for you, it’s because I felt I’d help someone else not do the same mistake I did. I will always regret not seeing her face one last time."

"Liam. . .I’m really sorry. . .You must have loved her as much as I love Larry."

"If you both loved each other so much, then why did you break up."

"I’ve been asking myself that forever. I dumped him because I didn’t trust him. But I had no reason not to trust him. . .And when his associate told me that he had moved to Detroit, I just couldn’t believe it. I was devastated. He hasn’t even called me. . ."

"I really hope you two can work it out. You truly deserve him. . .Ah. . .Ally, look outside. There’s L.A. We’re here."

Liam landed the helicopter in a field just outside the city and Ally kissed him on both cheeks before running out of the helicopter. She waved at him, clutching her bags.

She walked to a service station 1 mile away from where she had landed and called a cab from there. When it arrived, she climbed in and yelled at the driver to go faster until he turned around and shouted: "Hey, lady, do you want to pay my speeding ticket?"

She safely got to the airport and paid the driver. She bought a ticket for the next flight to Detroit which departed one hour later and went for coffee until the plane left. She found a quaint little coffee shop where she tried desperately to relax. He heart was beating a million miles per hour. All she could think was that maybe he was already dead. She chased those thoughts desperately from her head.

One hour later, they announced the boarding of her plane and Ally leapt and ran to the gate without thinking. She was acting by instincts. She could barely control what she thought and did.

She boarded the plane and sat down, staring out the window. A few minutes later someone sat down beside her but she didn’t look to see who it was, nor did she even care. Everything seemed to be going so slowly. When the plane took off, she sat back and looked at the person sitting beside her. What were the odds she would sit next to someone she knew: it was Tracy!

"Ally McBeal."

"Tracy Clark! You abandoned me," said Ally crying.

"Well, if it meant that much to you. . ."

"No it’s not that. . . "

"Okay, well your upset about something and Detroit is a long way from here. Do you want to talk about it?"

"My ex-boyfriend was in a car crash."

"Okay. . .and you are going to Detroit because. . .if it upsets you that much, you should be with him in Boston."

"He lives in Detroit. He moved there to be with his son when I broke up with him. You might have met him; he took up your office when you moved. He read my file and that’s how we met."

Ally then told Tracy the whole story. Every painful tid bit. She laughed, she cried. Then, when she was done, Tracy didn’t give her advice instead she said: "I’m so proud of you! You said I abandoned you, but you don’t need me! You handled everything like a pro. I couldn’t have given you any better advice than the one you gave yourself! Don’t worry about Larry. He’ll be okay. . .he’s got you.

For the rest of the ride, the caught up on old news, like old friends. Tracy told Ally about her new life in Foxborough and how she was visiting a college friend in Detroit.

When the plane landed, though, Ally’s heart began to beat faster than before. She said goodbye to Tracy and ran to get her luggage and a cab. She went to the hotel first, to drop off her things. She made the cab driver speed to the hospital. They were lucky not to get pulled over and she paid him a hefty tip in gratification.

She ran into the hospital and briskly asked a nurse where intensive care was. Once given the indications, she took the elevator and went to the second floor. She ran to the receptionist and asked her: "Is Larry Paul still alive? What room is he in?"

Ally was incredibly relieved when she told her that he was indeed still alive and that he was in room 35. She ran there to find Sam sitting in Jamie’s lap and Helena sitting across from her. When she saw Ally, Helena leapt to her feet and ran to give Ally a big hug.

"Ally! Thank you so much for coming. I’m sure Larry wants you here. "

"I came as fast as I could", Ally cried.

"He’s right in there, but I have to warn you, he’s pretty beaten up. The doctors say it’ll take a while before he can walk again and that his legs might not ever fully heal."

"Can I go in? "

"Of course.">

Ally walked into the room. Beside Larry, holding his hand was a tall woman with brown hair. She stood up and shook Ally’s hand.

"Hi. You must be Ally. I’m Emily, Larry’s little sister. I heard a lot about you."

"You. . .did?"

"Of course. He loves you. I’ll leave now. I’ll let you talk to him alone."

Ally sat beside Larry and took his hand in her. Around her, life support machines were everywhere. IV’s in his hand and heart monitors and machines she had never seen or heard of. Softly, she stroke his hair and held his hand softly, afraid of breaking him.

"Larry, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m here for you. I’m not sure what to tell you. Maybe first that I’m sorry for leaving you. I just want you to get through this. You leaving to go to Detroit was a good thing. I learned to be happy again, but I realized the most important thing: Though I can live without you, I just don’t want to. I love you Larry. You can fight this. And if it means anything to you, I believe in you. Please, don’t leave me. I love you."

Softly, ever so softly, Larry squeezed Ally’s finger. Her eyes filled with tears and she stroked his hair. She kissed his hand and held it. She refused to leave his side. She told him about how things were going in Boston. She read the paper to him and every time he squeezed her hand, tears streamed down her cheeks.

At the end of the day, she had to go back to her hotel, to sleep, but she gave the hospital her number there, so they would call her if something changed, good or bad.

Every day, Ally spent the whole day by Larry’s side. She read him the paper, told him about the weather and told him jokes. And every time he squeezed her hand, she felt as if she was slowly getting him back. It was like a flash of hope. It was like beauty in a cold ice desert.

One night at two in the morning, the phone rang in Ally’s hotel room. In an extremely sleepy voice, she answered the phone:

"Hello?"

"Ally, It’s Helena. . ."

"Hey Helena, did anything happen to Larry?"

" Actually, he woke up. And. . . "

"I’ll be right over!"

It didn’t take long for Ally to get a cab, though it seemed like it took forever. When she got to the room in the hospital, Sam was sitting in a chair by his dad’s bed. Jamie was in the hall waiting for him and Helena jumped into Ally’s arms when she saw her.

"Thank you for coming! Can you believe it? He’s awake."

"Can I see him?"

"Sure. Of course. He’ll be thrilled."

Ally walked in and Sam stood from his chair to greet her.

"Hey Ally."

"Hey buddy", she said crouching down to be at eye level with him.

"How have you been?"

"Good, you?"

"I’m doing so good now that dad’s awake."

"Yeah! "

"I’ll leave you alone with him. G’bye Ally."

"Bye Sam."

Sam hugged Ally and went off into the hall. Ally smiled at Larry and made her way towards his bed.

"Hey Sweetie, she said softly. How have you been?"

"I don’t look too good, do I?"

"No. No! You look fine! Really Larry. I’m just glad you’re alive. You had me worried sick"

"Yeah, me too. I’m sorry I left. . ."

" Don’t be sorry!"

"I wish you didn’t have to see me like this. I’m in really bad shape, aren’t I?"

"Stop saying that! You’re doing better. The doctor said so."

Ally sat down and took his hand in hers like she had when he was unconscious. Though this time, he grabbed back. He squeezed her hand and kissed it and Ally smiled.

"You wouldn’t believe how much I missed you. Everyday, I thought of you."

"Me too. . .this. . .you leaving taught me one thing: I can live without you, but Larry, I don’t want to. Larry Paul, will you marry me"

"What?"

"Will you marry me?"

"Ally. . ."

"No. Larry Paul I am not letting you leave me again. I want to be with you forever. I am even willing to move to Detroit for you, but there is no way on earth that I am going to let you leave me. . . "

"Ally, please calm down. Let me explain," said Larry who was still ached and exhausted. I want to marry you. That’s not it. We’ve been apart for three months. If we left each other, there must be a reason. I’m not saying that this reason is going to keep us apart. I’m not going to let it. But we need to find out what it is so we can get over it and be happy together again."

Ally began to cry and Larry looked at her with tears in his eyes. He asked her to come closer.

"When I get out of the hospital, I’ll go back to Boston to see you. We’ll try living together again. Just promise me one thing."

"Sure."

"Let me propose next time."

"Of course."

Ally leaned over and kissed Larry on the forehead and she rested her head on his hand.

Larry was happy that Ally had asked him to marry her, but he didn’t accept. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to. It was because he was afraid she asked him to marry her because she had been afraid of losing him forever. But he new in his heart that he would always be there for her.

Ally stayed in Detroit until she had to go back to work. Everyday, she went over to the hospital, brought Larry papers, talked to him and mostly, just held his hand.

Larry’s wounds began to heal and his bones were better. Two weeks after the accident, his bones were better and he could get into a wheelchair to go out for lunch. During the time she was there, Ally fell in love all over again with Larry. Despite his injuries, he was still the happy guy who always made a joke.

One month later, Ally headed back to Boston, her heart a little heavy, but still happy to have Larry again. So many more hurdles had to be passed, but with love, they could do anything.