"Okay, Caitlin. What's this all about?" Lacey asked her, concern in her voice.
Caitlin was fairly beaming. "Lacey, I'm in love with Daniel."
Lacey's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What? How? When did all this happen?"
"Well, Daniel told me that when I collapsed, he brought me to the military hospital. He said the doctor told him I was pretty sick. For a few days, I was on a ventilator so my lungs could clear up. Finally on Sunday the doctor took out the breathing tube and I was able to talk again. That's when Daniel's friend Sam told me that he hadn't left my side at all. She told me that he didn't eat, sleep, shower, nothing. She said that his friend Jack had to threaten to put Daniel in the hospital himself unless he took a shower and got cleaned up."
Lacey looked confused. "I though Daniel said that you were being isolated, and that no one could go in to see you?"
Uh-oh! Caitlin thought. What do I tell her? She thought for a few seconds. "I was," she finally told Lacey. "But they figured that since he had already been in contact with me when he brought me in, that it was okay for him to stay with me."
"Oh, I see. So he stayed with you the whole time?"
Whew! That was close. "His friend Sam told me that he spent pretty much every moment with me. He ate with me, he did some work in my room, he even slept in the bed next to mine. Lacey, she told me that he said he was so scared that he was going to lose me that he didn't want to leave me for even a second."
"Wow! So what did you tell her?"
"I told him that I was wasn't angry with Daniel any more, but if he thought I was, then he wouldn't love me. I was letting my fears about what happened with Brian and my parents control my feelings for Daniel. But not any more."
"So have you told him yet?"
Caitlin shook her head. "Not yet. I want to see if there's any chance of him loving me in return. Then I'll tell him. But I think he does." Caitlin told her about all the signs she'd seen in the hospital. "But he hasn't said anything about it, so I'm just going to wait a little longer and see how he acts."
"Well, I hope you tell him soon," Lacey commented.
"If he doesn't tell me by Monday night, I'll tell him then. Okay?"
Lacey nodded. "So did you ever tell Daniel why you were angry with him in the first place?"
"Yes. It all came tumbling out on Wednesday evening. I told him everything about what happened with Brian and Tiffany."
"What did he say?"
Caitlin took a drink of her water before continuing. "He told me that what they did was never my fault, nor was my parents' death. He also said that keeping someone from loving me or stopping myself from loving someone wouldn't stop me from getting hurt again."
Lacey smiled. "He's right, you know."
Caitlin looked at her sheepishly. "I know. I guess I just had to hear him tell me that before I could believe it myself." Caitlin scratched her head, thinking for a moment. "Lacey, would you help help me with something as long as the guys are gone for awhile?"
"Sure, Caitlin. What do you have in mind?"
"While I was in the hospital, they wouldn't let me take a bath. They gave me sponge baths instead. I just want to take a nice, hot shower and wash my hair."
"Sure, Caitlin. I can help you with that. I'll even do your hair for you if you want."
Caitlin smiled at her and got up off the couch. "Can you sit in the bathroom with me while I'm in the shower? If I told Daniel I wanted to take a shower, I know he'd want to sit with me to make sure I didn't fall or something."
