Jake waited patiently for Serena to wake, the process slow as the hours pressed on. He squeezed her hand gently to let her know he was there. It was no easy task, watching the friend he grew up with and the woman he fell in love with at the end of a life cut too short. But there could be no regret in being with her, in giving her his all.

"I gave Courtney the hope chest today. She loved it."

She smiled weakly in response. "Take me out to the garden, Jake."

He ...