EPILOGUE
Mason was lying in a hospital bed, in the hospital uniform, his face as pale as the white pillowcase. He looked so exhausted and weak, with dark circles round his eyes.
At first Julia just peeped into the ward. He was breathing evenly, and she thought he was sleeping. She felt a grip come over her heart, and slowly, trying to make no noise, she walked in and sat at his bedside. How long she''d been waiting for him!
Timidly, Julia raised her hand and very gently touched his cheek with her fingers. "Oh Mason," she said almost inaudibly, trying not to cry, "I love you."
He opened his eyes, and she could see he heard. She did not mind.
"Julia," he said as softly. Then, in his turn, Mason raised his hand, touched her hair and drew her head close to his face. He kissed her tears off her eyelashes. Julia trembled. He let her go.
"How''s Matthew?" he asked louder.
"He''s ok. Growing. Missing you."
"I miss him too. How are you? And -" he placed his fingers on her belly with awe, "our baby?"
Julia smiled a wet smile. "Like Matt: ok, but missing you badly."
"I''m sorry." He paused. "You are beautiful. But you look tired."
"Well, I haven''t been sleeping much, lately. Waiting for you, thinking of you--"
She caught his eye and stopped. "I''m sorry, Mason."
"No," he protested. "I''ve been thinking of you, too. It seemed to me I - I saw you coming to me, talking to me."
Julia gasped.
"Yes, I did," Mason assured her.
"I - I didn''t plan to tell you, but it seemed to me sometimes that I heard you calling my name," Julia confessed.
Mason''s eyes smiled. "This is good. Means you''ve really been thinking of me."
Thinking of him! She would not tell him how she had been spending hours by the window, how she had been checking her answering machine every quarter of an hour.
She was so happy he was here now, alive and safe.
"Julia," Mason said. "I don''t want to read your letter. I want to marry you."
He was watching her intently.
The woman with whom he could dare to be himself; with whom he could both cry and laugh, be both brave and vulnerable. She challenged him, she turned him on, she was his equal in everything except for things she was better at. He hoped they could always remain as competitive with each other, at the same time remaining as good friends and as passionate lovers as now. Julia was the light in his life; the future when he had thought he was destined to forever live in the past. She had given him his life back. And he could be as sure as ever was possible that Julia would always be honest with him, and, hopefully, loving and loyal. Before, Mason had thought he needed a port in the storm and that Julia would do; now he could see there was a chance for so much more.
For mutual love, involving every aspect of human life.
So, Mason was watching Julia, waiting for her answer. He knew it was not quite fair to trap her at such a moment, when she had just saved him and still was in a state of shock, but was he ever known to play fair?
Julia shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay."
"Okay?" he echoed raising his eyebrows. "What do you mean, okay?"
The door opened, and the great CC Capwell walked in. "Son, I--"
Mason jumped up. "Dad?!"
CC shook his head. "Son, I''m so sorry--"
Mason controlled himself. "Look, Dad," he said earnestly. "Will you please wait in the corridor. I need to talk to Julia."
"Julia?" CC mumbled casting a glance at her.
"Yes. Please Dad, it''s important," Mason said pulling Julia back by the hand as she had started standing up.
"Oh--" but CC really must have felt ashamed. "I will."
He left the ward, nodding awkwardly to Mason''s "thank you dad."
"So," Mason turned to Julia, "what did you mean, okay?"
Julia smiled. She loved seeing Mason like this. "I meant, okay don''t read the letter."
"And--"
"And what?"
Mason rolled his eyes. "And - will you marry me, Julia?"
"Ah, this!" She could have enjoyed it a bit longer. "Okay, I shall."
Mason grinned happily, pulled Julia to him and kissed her on the lips. "As soon as I can stand on my own," he said. "And I have every intention to be able to, as soon as possible."
"Hurry up," Julia teased, "or your bride will soon be not as huge as she''s now."
"She''s the most beautiful woman," Mason said. "I''m planning to get out of here very soon, Julia; to get you a ring and everything. Do not think I''ll leave you without a wedding night."
She blushed and he laughed.
Mason knew there was one more thing he had not said. He was about to say it - that he loved Julia - but then he thought he''d wait; it would be a proper wedding gift.
:P The End (here, but the SEQUEL is available here)
Olga Lisenkova
