30

GRACE

Before I opened my eyes the morning after Hope's wedding, I lay for a moment, allowing the warmth of the sunshine to bathe my face. The melancholy I'd felt for the past eight days filled my soul even before I was fully awake. A constant reminder of everything I'd lost.

But I didn't want to ruin Hope's happiness. She deserved so much better from me.

I started to get out of bed, but a strange pain shot through my back, and I moaned.

Why did my back hurt?

I tried to open my eyes, but they were heavier than usual, and it was hard to focus. I blinked several times, but I couldn't seem to wake up.

"Grace?"

I froze, my heart pounding a strange rhythm at the sound of that voice.

"Mon amour, can you hear me?"

"Luc?" I said his name, but my throat was dry, and my mouth felt like cotton. I forced my eyes to open, and they slowly cleared.

Luc rose from a chair near my bed and took my hand in his. "Grace!" He knelt beside me and lifted my hand to his lips, tears in his eyes. "Thank God you've come back to us."

My gaze traveled around the large room, confusion clouding my mind. The tall ceiling was white and rounded, and large bright windows were positioned between each bed.

I was in a hospital.

In 1912.

"Your mother just left for a moment," he said as he held my hand between his, using his shoulder to wipe a tear from his cheek. "She will be so relieved."

"What happened?" I whispered, my voice not wanting to work.

"Your aeroplane malfunctioned on Long Beach nine days ago. You've been unconscious ever since."

"Unconscious?" Realization dawned, and I stared at him, breathing hard. I hadn't died. My physical body had been unable to wake up here, so my conscious mind stayed in 1692 until I was well enough to wake up again. "What day is it?"

"October 10th."

Which meant tomorrow would be the 11th when I woke up in 1692. I still had time to make my final decision.

"The doctors didn't know if you would ever wake up again." Luc blinked away his tears. His smile was brilliant as he said, "But your parents and I have not stopped praying for or believing in a miracle."

Tears of relief and love dripped down the side of my face into my hair. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I have been living in 1692 for the past eight days, believing I died here and that I would never see you again."

"I'm here, mon amour." He gently wiped away my tears, love in his voice. "I will always be here."

"Grace!" Mama's voice traveled across the distance of the large hospital ward. There were at least a dozen other beds and many female patients, but the beds were spaced far enough apart that I felt some semblance of privacy.

"Mama." I cried happy tears as she rushed up to my bed and gently kissed my cheek.

"Thank God you're awake."

She called the doctor over to examine me, though she could have done it herself. He said he believed I would make a full recovery, though I needed to give myself time to heal. I was given some water, which helped my dry throat, and was promised something to eat soon.

"May I sit up?" I asked.

"If it doesn't hurt too much," the doctor told me. "Take your time."

"You'll be dizzy and probably nauseous," Mama cautioned.

They helped me sit up, though the movement did make me dizzy. There was pain in my back, but the doctor told me it was only bruising. Miraculously, I had no broken bones, just a very serious concussion that had left me in a coma for the past eight days.

After the doctor left, Mama said, "The body is a beautiful, miraculous thing. You are going to be fine, Grace. Better than fine." She smiled. "I'm going to call your father and Tacy. They've both been here every day. They'll be so happy."

"Wait, Mama." I held her hand, thankful Luc knew about my time-crossing so I could speak freely in front of him. "I want to tell you what's happened."

Mama nodded, her expression eager.

"Isaac took Hope and me to New York."

At the sound of Isaac's name, Luc sat up a little straighter.

I put his heart at ease by adding, "Hope and Isaac were married yesterday, and they are very happy. They will wait out the hysteria in New York."

Mama pressed her lips together, more tears coming to her eyes. "I'm so happy for her," she managed to say. "I can't wait to tell your father."

She wiped her cheeks with a handkerchief and then left to phone Daddy, leaving Luc and I alone again.

He pulled his chair closer to my bed and took my hand in his again. "Is Isaac a good man?"

"One of the very best," I said with a smile. "But only one of them."

Luc also smiled, his eyes looking bluer today than green. He was even more handsome than I remembered, his accent dearer, his presence more comforting.

"I've been miserable these past eight days," I said. "My grief was crushing."

"Mine, too." He looked down at our hands, and I saw the anguish lining his eyes and mouth. It had taken a toll on him, just as it had on me. "All I could think about was our last conversation, when you told me you had chosen 1692. And I worried I would never get to speak to you again. I have never known such heartache in my life, Grace."

"I made a mistake." I choked on the words, trying to gain control of my emotions, wanting him to understand. I knew what I was giving up with Hope, and my heart was breaking—but if anyone could understand, it would be her. She would tell me to do this. "When you asked me to marry you, I should have said yes without hesitation. I've had a glimpse of life without you, and it was bleak. I believe God has given me a second chance to do the right thing. To choose the life that is right for me."

"Even if that means giving up Hope?"

I smiled through my tears. "I won't ever give up Hope. She will forever be a part of me—even if we can't be in the same place and time. Our life together prepared us for the lives we'll lead apart—and I think that was God's plan all along."

He stood, holding my hand, and leaned forward to kiss me. It was tender and brief—but heartfelt and hopeful. "Does that mean you'll say yes if I ask again?"

"Will you, please?"

He laughed, and it was the most joyful sound I'd ever heard. "Will you marry me, Grace Cooper?"

"Yes." I nodded. The motion made me dizzy, but I didn't care. I was already starting to feel stronger.

"I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy."

"You already have."

"We can live wherever you want—New York, or near your parents in Washington, DC. We can live here, too, if you want to be close to Tacy—or even in Paris, if you'd like. I don't care where we are, as long as we're together."

Was it possible that I could have Luc and my parents? "It would be nice to be near my parents."

"Done." He smiled, but it was a different kind of smile, one that was filled with reverence. "I lost my father when I was very young, and my relationship with my mother has not been good for a long time. Your parents have treated me with so much love and kindness. They have taken me under their wing these past eight days, caring for me as much as they have for you. We've had wonderful conversations, and they've taught me so much." He shook his head. "My greatest joy is in marrying you, but second is knowing that I will have parents again. I could not ask for more, Grace. Truly."

I gently squeezed his hand, wishing I were healthy enough to walk out of this hospital with him right now. But that would come in time, and we would be married and start a life together near my parents. I would write, and together we would start a flying school. "I could not ask for more, either."

He kissed me again, and this time I put my hands up to his cheeks to hold him closer a little longer.

It would take time to understand all that had happened, but I knew one thing for certain: I would not take this life for granted.

And tomorrow, when I woke up in 1692, I would tell Hope that I had made my final decision. As much as I loved her, my life—my love—was here in 1912.

A new kind of pain pressed against my heart—the pain of saying good-bye.