I didn’t sleep well that night. My mind was focusing on the things that Julie had specifically asked me not to. Fear had overtaken my senses. It had made it’s home in my body - my mind, my heart, and even my soul. All of these things were surrounded, filled and encased in fear.

I lied there in the dark for a long time, listening to the noise coming from the world just beyond the bedroom window. The sounds mixed pleasantly with the cool breeze sifting through the open window. And with the combination of Julie’s rhythmic breathing it had become a rather peaceful environment. A lullaby intended for the restless.

My normal nighttime thoughts still were finding themselves rather comfortable making friends with my pessimistic thoughts and fears. What I needed was a miracle. But not your average run-of-the-mill miracle...I needed a gigantic one. One with a little substance to it. The ones that soap operas are made of. The “we’re-not-really-brother-and-sister-so-we-can-still-be-in-love” phenomenons*; the kind were people come back from the dead with a sheer stroke of pure luck.

But those things don’t happen. Not in real life; not to the people who need them most.

I shifted in the bed we shared and sighed heavily. I wanted to cry...or run away from the situation and hide under a large rock. I would do neither.

Taking a quick look at the sleeping form beside me, I watched to make sure she wouldn’t stir when I got up. I had decided that since I couldn’t sleep, I’d get a glass of water and maybe find some Nyquil or something similar. I’d found before that the stuff works even when you don’t have a cold.

As I made it towards the doorway I heard a whisper from behind me. “Couldn’t sleep?”

I turned around to face the bed again. Even with the light from the moon sifting through the slats in the blinds, it was difficult to see her. “I just wanted to get a glass of water.”

“All right sweetie,” she replied. I heard the bed shift and figured she had again made herself comfortable again so she could get back to sleep.

I continued out into the hallway and into the kitchen, feeling my way around in order to dodge any obstacles. I opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a bottle of water before stumbling towards the table to sit down.

I sat there for a while. 20 minutes or so... In the dark, alone, silently sipping on the water. I wanted to give Julie adequate time to fall asleep again before I went back into the room to resume my sleepless mode.

After I was finally back in bed beside her, I heard her soft voice again. “Did you find the water?”

I smiled brightly against the darkness. “Yeah.”

She rolled over onto her left side so that she was facing me, and she inched closer towards my warmth. Gently her arm wrapped itself around my abdomen and her head was now resting against my shoulder. I liked it like this. It was more comfortable that way. With warmth and affection shown, a connection made from the subtle touching of our bodies.

“I love you, Nick.”

I took in a deep breath, inhaling the perfumed scent of her hair. “I echo that.”

Her faint laugh emerged, “you love yourself too?”

“I love you too, Julie,” I corrected.

“I know you do, sweetheart,” she replied. “You’ve showed me in everyway possible. You’re such an amazing person, Nick...”

I placed my index finger in front of her lips as she was mid-sentence. “Let’s just go to sleep now, Julie.”

“All right...”

I awoke the following morning from the bright sun shining directly into my eyes. What a wake-up call. The rain had subsided from the day before, and now the birds were singing their usual cheery songs, and the sun was smiling brightly. After my routine of yawning and cat-like stretching, I sat up in bed.

“Oh, so you are awake?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “See the sunshine? Thank goodness it’s not still raining. It’s so depressing when it is...”

“It’s also romantic, I think.”

I stared skeptically.

“Well, the sunshine is nice, but I like rain, personally. We had our first kiss in the rain, Nick. Remember?”

“Of course I remember.”

Her eyes smiled, “you looked so nervous,” she giggled.

I felt a blush rising to my face. “Yeah, well...”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when my thoughts were interrupted by the brash ringing of the telephone. My heart rate was pounding so viciously, I could feel it in my stomach now. Julie laughed to herself. “It was just the phone, Nick,” she said, grabbing it from the table beside the bed.

Taking in a subtle breath of relief, I sighed and listened to a one-sided version of her conversation.

“Hello? Yes. No; yes; are you sure? You’re positive? Yes...my boyfriend. No; sure. Okay...bye.”

“Who was it?” I asked, watching as she slowly hung up the phone.

Her eyes stayed down. Her expression blank, her lips were parted ever-so-slightly.

“Julie?” I asked, nervously, feeling the increased heartbeat finding its rhythm again. “Julie are you okay?” I stared for a few moments, awaiting an answer.

“They found it.”

“What?”

Her face rose and I saw her eyes. Those emerald eyes I had grown so fond of were glassed over. She was crying, or was about to start. “They found one, Nick.”

My mouth gaped open. She wasn’t talking about something being lost and found...she was talking about... “A heart?” I asked. My mind felt like it was throbbing with anticipation; throbbing because it didn’t know what else to do.

Silence filled the room for a second. Only a second, but it felt like eternity. We stared at one another for this one single second. I watched her lips curl up on each side; she was smiling. Those tears were happy tears. And then I knew.

They had found her a heart.