Free Second Chance for Love by Leona Jackson Page A

fine though I think it’s best to keep a watchful eye on your vision.”
    He finished looking me over and told me the ladies would rejoin me shortly.
    “Do you have to tell them about my eyes?” I asked.
    He hesitated. “No,” he finally said. “I don't have to tell them anything, Chase. I think you should be the one.”
    I had a few moments alone and the minutes seemed like hours. I had so much I wanted to say to Jetta and I didn't care who was around to hear it. Sure, I wouldn't be able to look into her eyes when I spoke to her, but that didn't matter. I knew what she looked like. Her image had been carved into my mind many years ago.
    I heard the door open and small footsteps running across the room.
    “Daddy!” Abby shouted. “Daddy, you're awake!”
    I grinned back at her. “Hey Abby!”
    “Did you decide not to be an angel?” she asked while climbing onto the hospital bed with me.
    I laughed out loud. “What do you mean?” 
    “Grandma said you were talking to other angels and deciding if you were ready to become one or not.” She giggled as if she realized the idea was ridiculous.
    “Nah, I'm nowhere near ready for that. Too many things I want to do here before I get my angel wings.”
    “That's what I told her.” 
    It was Abby who first mentioned my eye problem.
    “Daddy, why aren't you looking at me?” she asked.
    “I am, sweetheart,” I lied.
    “No, Daddy, you're not.”
    “Your daddy isn't done being hurt yet,” my mother told her. “He needs a little bit more time to get all better.”
    I felt Abby's weight disappear from the bed as my mother lifted her off.
    “I don't want to leave, Grandma,” Abby whined.
    “We need to go grab some dinner and let your father get a little rest. Sleep will make him better.”
    I heard footsteps as most of the women left the room. Jetta’s mother stopped at the door.
    “Chase, you listen to me now. You’d better not break Jetta’s heart again because I'm a lot scarier than any car accident.”
    She left the room without giving me a chance to answer.
                                                           
     
    Chapter 19: Jetta
     
    My heart skipped a beat once we were alone in the room. I had asked for them to give us privacy and now I wasn't sure what to say. Just hours ago, I’d been in a crumpled heap on the floor crying and praying that Chase would live, that he would wake up and now here I was sitting in front of him.
    Some things were still uncertain, like his sight, though the doctor seemed optimistic about his condition. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. Nothing seemed appropriate.
    I’d slept with him and left in the middle of the night, like some cheap one night stand. Yet he still had wanted to come find me to try to work things out. Guilt churned in my stomach when it occurred to me that if I hadn't left, Chase wouldn't have been in the accident.
    “Thank you for coming,” Chase said softly.
    “Of course, I had to come, Chase. Nothing would’ve kept me away. I’m so sorry.”
    “Don't be,” he replied. “I'm not mad at you. I expected you to leave.”
    “Why?”
    “Because you were hurting. You had just lost your father and I should’ve known better than to fall into bed with you while you were grieving.”
    “Yes, I was grieving. That doesn't change how I feel,” I said, taking his hand. “I've never stopped loving you, not for one day. Not even for one damn second. What happened when we were kids was bad. There's no denying that. We did what most people would do. We both took the easy way out, or at least what we thought would be the easy way. We made bad choices.”
    Chase chuckled. “That’s an understatement.”
    “I know, baby, I know,” I said, leaning in close to him.
    I rested my forehead against his and studied his blue eyes. After a few deep breaths, I found the courage to continue speaking.
    “Things are messed up. So freaking