I felt tugging on each side of my mouth and found myself smiling too. Julie had a heart. They had miraculously found one! It was a miracle, a wonderful act of God... I was beyond speechless and knew at that point that my mouth must've been gaping open! "Julie," I said. Her eyes met mine in a brief moment. I could now clearly see the tears gliding down her cheeks, the smile still evident on her face. "you got your heart."

She smiled even wider. "I don't know what to say...I'm...I'm so happy."

I pulled her in for a tight hug, wanting to never let go. At that point we both lost control of our emotions, and I found myself crying with her, unable to contain my happiness any longer. Inwardly I was thanking God more than I ever had in my entire life.

"Are you scared?" I asked, pulling away and wiping my eyes simultaneously.

"How can I not be?" She sniffled.

"Everything's gonna be fine, Julie. I know it. We got the miracle we prayed for...God's not gonna take it away from us."

She nodded, acknowledging her agreement. "We need to leave soon. The man on the telephone said that they're flying the heart in by helicopter and that we need to be there by 11:30."

I agreed and quickly we both got ourselves ready. The ride there was quiet. It's not that there was nothing to say; quite the contrary in fact. There was too much to say, and I didn't know where to begin. Too much to say, and too little time to say it.

When I found a free parking spot and stopped the car, neither of us made a move to get out. I was scared beyond anything imaginable, and knew she must be also. "Let's go," she said softly, placing her hand on my own. I stared at her for a brief moment before mouthing the words 'I love you'. She returned the sentiment by doing the same. We didn't sit much longer; we went into the building and signed in at the front desk. Before Julie even had the chance to sit down, she was led down a corridor and into a room for preparations. It was Brian's heart surgery all over again. I found myself acting as I had back then. Nervousness iced my entire body, and I felt nauseous.

I sat alone in the waiting room, glancing apprehensively at the overly sterile surroundings. I became quite amused with the large fish tank and the aquatic wonderland is held inside on the wall directly in front of my seat.

"Excuse me, sir," said a burly black man with cornrows. His attire suggested he was a nurse.

"I'm Nick," I said, offering my hand.

He shook it, "I'm Antoine, Nick. I came here to tell you that Julie's ready for surgery and would like to see you."

I nodded listlessly, following Antoine down the winding hallways and towards a bright white door.

Before we entered the room I placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from turning the knob. "Yes?" He asked, turning to face me.

"Do you think she'll be okay after all this?"

His dark eyes scanned my face. "There is a very good chance that she will be able to live with this heart."

"So I shouldn't worry then?"

"No," he began. "We have amazingly gifted doctors here. Your girlfriend is getting the best care."

"Is she scared?"

He nodded. "Just go inside and tell her that everything's going to be fine. She needs to hear it from someone she loves."

I nodded and grabbed for the door handle. I found that it was harder to turn than I imagined. Not because of poor manufacturing, but because my entire body was feeling numb.

Taking fear by the hand, I entered into the room. I saw her, lying on the bed, wearing one of those little hospital gowns. She had tears in her eyes, and her sniffling broke my heart on the spot.

"Nick," she called, outreaching for me.

I approached the bed and clasped my hand with her own. "How're you doing, baby?" I asked.

"I'm scared," she squeaked.

"Don't be scared," I soothed. "Baby, it's gonna be fine. You're got the best doctors working on you." I wavered a smile, but it was over before it even started.

"There's so much, Nick...that I...that I wanna say to you right now," she said in between sobs.

I squeezed her hand. "Julie," I began, fighting back my own tears. "Don't talk like that. You can tell me anything you want after the surgery, okay?"

She shook her head, "No. I need to tell you now. This might be the last chance I ever get."

"No," I said, shaking my head to emphasize my point.

"Please," she begged.

I stopped my objecting. What if this was going to be the last opportunity I ever got to talk to her? The last time I ever got to hear her sweet, gentle voice say my name? What if this would be the last page of my scrapbook of memories of her? Why end it on a sour note?

It was her turn to squeeze my hand. I watched intently as she briefly took a moment to collect her thoughts. She took a few deep breaths and wiped her eyes. "I love you...with all my heart and soul - and everything in between. You're everything that I ever asked God to bless me with and then some. Even in my dreams," she said, gently stroking my hand. "I couldn't have made you any better than you are. You've blessed my life so, so much and I thank God for that." She used her free hand to wipe her eyes again. "Someday you're gonna make another girl very happy. Just love her as well as you've loved me, and everything else will fall into place."

I didn't know what to say. I blinked and realized my eyes had unknowingly filled with tears. I grabbed her and engulfed her in a huge hug, squeezing her as tightly as possible. I wanted the feeling to last forever, but sadly it was cut short when Antoine said I had to leave. I hadn't had the chance to say anything back. "I love you," I whispered into her ear before I left her warm embrace.

Back into the waiting room I went.

Please leave me feedback. I really appreciate it. Let me know what I can do to make it batter. :) Thanks in advance!