A/N: Footloose and beta free - will fix any typos as I find them.
Thank you to all the readers and for all the comments. We are just getting started. Hold tight.
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Chapter 2 - Three hours. After days of him just being awake for minutes a day, today, Philip was fully back. Melanie had come in that morning expecting to find him once again resting, instead she entered to find Philip staring back at her. He had even eased himself into an upright position. It was simply amazing. She had been watching him closely for the first hour, waiting for him to fade away again as he had been doing all week, but he didn’t. He just tracked her with his eyes as she moved around the room. By the second hour, he was following her movements with his head. So Melanie started talking. At hour three she hadn’t stopped and Philip was not only watching her as she moved but also reacting to her words, his facial expressions starting to reveal what he could not convey through speech.
Finally her Philip was back and Melanie allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding since he first responded to Chloe a week ago. She knew about cases where patients came out of comas only to slip away again in a matter of hours. Melanie didn’t want to get her hopes up only to have them shattered so quickly. She wasn’t sure her heart could take another blow. The months had taken their toll, and it was getting harder for Melanie to ignore the fact that all the stress was starting to get to her. If Philip relapsed or left her again, she wasn’t sure she would be able to withstand it. All of her reserves felt spent, her optimism had been running on fumes for months.
She pushed open the door with the side of her arm, a plastic shopping bag in her hand. He was sitting in his bed, semi upright, leaning against his pale blue sheets. The royal blue of his pajamas highlighted his eyes, making them seem brighter blue than usual. His hair was in light brown spikes all over his head. She’d have to fix that before he got his hands on a mirror. When he was on his back it didn’t look so bad, but now sitting up, Melanie could really see what a hatchet job she had done on his head. He needed a shave as well, a week’s worth of growth covered his face. Ever since he arose from his coma their routine had been disrupted. His team of physicians were now ever present, poking and prodding, whispering about defying medical science and even miracles. Philip had definitely surprised them all, when he went from near death to his current state of consciousness. Leave it to Philip to do the unexpected. He never liked being predictable or conventional.
"I know I've been gone longer than ten minutes,” she said as she plopped down into the chair beside his bed, placing the plastic shopping bag on the floor by her feet. “But you know it is so easy to get sidetracked in the hospital. People pulling me in all directions, mostly asking about you. You're the talk of the hospital. Did you know that?" she asked pointing at him.
Philip shook his head slowly, as he listened to her from his bed. He ran his hands over the smooth blue and green quilt, reading it like Braille, periodically pausing to examine certain squares with his fingers.
"Well you are. We’ve been waiting for your big comeback for so long. People are just itching to get in here and see you."
His eyes widened in surprise. Melanie guessed Philip didn’t think that anyone would be interested in his recovery. Really he should be used to the attention. The media followed his activities fairly regularly, even before the accident. The news liked to report about attractive rich playboys. The Kiriakis’ were like the Hiltons of Salem.
"Don't worry I didn't tell anyone you were so alert today,” she said reassuring him. “They all think you're still Mr. Sleepyhead. So you got a little bit of a reprieve. Feel free to thank me. I accept tips.”
Philip gave her thumbs up, seeming pleased with her choice not to let the world know about his new level of alertness.
Melanie flashed him a grin as she took her red hair out of the loose ponytail she had pulled it into hours before. She momentarily worried about how unattractive she must look to him. Pink scrubs, messy hair, no makeup but she quickly let those worries pass, when she looked over and saw Philip smiling at her. Melanie’s stomach did a little flip when she saw his dimples emerge. Philip was back, nothing else mattered.
"I can't get over you smiling like that. I was starting to think I would never see those dimples again.” Philip looked down at his lap, his cheeks reddening slightly. “Sorry I keep staring. It's just so good to see you moving around. I want to like jump on you and squeeze you or something," she giggled excitedly.
Philip drew back a little, looking a bit worried that she might really pounce on him. He held up his hands slightly in defense.
"Don't look so scared. I'm not actually going to do it,” she laughed. Philip relaxed into his former position.
“The doctors made it very clear not to expose you to any excess stimulation until they are done with their tests. I think they’re trying to figure out if you’re in any pain or have any injuries or something.” She focused on him, a thought just occurring to her. “Are you in any pain? I guess I should've asked you that first off, but you were only staying up minutes at a time. This is the first chance I am really getting to talk to you. Well really it's just me talking, and you just looking at me like I'm nuts.” She leaned forward in the chair, her hands moving dramatically as she talked. “Am I driving you nuts? I know I keep talking. I tend to ramble around quiet people. You know I feel this need to fill up the space with my voice or something. So I keep going on and on," she chuckled nervously.
Placing his palm on his cheek, Philip continued to watch her, a slight smile on his lips.
"What? You think I'm talking too much don't you?"
He cocked his head to the side, as if he were thinking about her question. Then he held up his hand, bringing his fingers to his thumb, forming the shape of a beak of a bird, opening and closing his fingers slowly to mimic Melanie’s talking.
Melanie put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Is that supposed to be my mouth? How rude Mr. Kiriakis. Here I am trying to keep you entertained, and you’re making fun of me."
He grinned at her widely, making the talking motion with his hand again.
Melanie tried to keep up her mock anger, but his smile was infectious. She found herself laughing at Philip’s teasing. It felt good to laugh, especially with him. So many things she had taken for granted, things everyone takes for granted really. She never thought she would have to appreciate every smile, or every laugh, until they were all gone. Nothing was worse than seeing Philip devoid of all emotion for months.
"I guess I don't have to ask if you understand what I'm saying. You seem to get it just fine. Well enough to mock me even. But what a sucky nurse I am, I didn't ask you about pain. Ugh I forgot again. Ok, Philip, are you in any pain?"
He shook his head.
Melanie couldn’t help but wonder what Philip was thinking. He hadn’t even tried to speak since he woke up. The doctors assured her this was normal, his vocal cords were weak from lack of use. The other possibility was that Philip could be suffering from some issues getting his brain to control his body. It required more tests according to his doctors. So she hadn’t pushed Philip to try to speak. She figured he would if he could, but she did worry if this were an indication of a larger problem, perhaps brain damage. Melanie pushed that thought from her head, refusing to focus on negatives when so much good had just happened.
"Next question do you understand the words I am saying to you?"
Philip shot her a look, arching his eyebrow at her question.
Melanie groaned inwardly at her stupidity. "Of course you understand. Melanie, stop acting like an idiot. See I'm not usually this spacey. I actually graduated first in my class, well will graduate. I technically haven't gotten my degree yet. Well I earned it, all finished, but I haven't gone to the actual graduation ceremony yet. Not that the ceremony actually means anything. It is just to make the parents proud right? My dad is insisting I walk at graduation, even though I have been done for months. I guess he doesn't want to miss out on the photo op.”
Philip shifted in his bed, so he was leaning slightly on his side, facing her. He rested his chin on his hand and continued to watch Melanie as she talked.
"I'm doing it again aren't? I wish you could just tell me to shut up or something. I guess you will be able to soon. The speech therapists will be working with you, now that you seem to be fully alert. But until then I guess you are my captive audience."
Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Philip nestled down into his pillow, placing both his hands under his head.
"Don't look so disappointed. I have many interesting things to say. You won't be bored trust me. And bonus. You actually understand what I'm saying. You could have woken up like this one lady I read about in class. She came out of her coma and swore she had been living in the Philippines, she even only understood their language. Here's the crazy part, she had never been to the Philippines in her life. She was a claims adjuster from Iowa. She never even knew any other language besides English before she got sick. The brain is one wacky organ, let me tell you."
He shot her a skeptical look.
"You think I made that up?"
He gave his head one affirmative nod.
"I didn't. True story. Do you want to hear another story or would you rather I stop talking? I can you know, stop talking. It might take some duct tape, but it is possible."
He laughed soundlessly, his eyes transforming into slits as his large smile overtook his face.
"Sometimes sucking on a lollipop works too. Gives me something else to focus on. But I don't want to eat candy in front of you since you can't have any yet. That would just be rude. I always hated when parents did that to their kids. You know ate things their kids couldn't have right in front of them. Just so mean."
He stared over at her, just shaking his head at her words.
"I can go. Maybe leave you alone for a bit,” she said rising from her seat. “I can put in a DVD. The doctors said no TV yet, but there are few approved DVDs here.” She rustled through the pile of DVDs on the shelf under the wall mounted television. “One might be something about the Amazon River. I don't know why the hospital thinks nature shows are low stimulation. I mean I personally can’t stand to watch lions chase down those poor gazelles and have them for lunch. I am always rooting for the gazelle to get away.” Melanie noticed that his eyes were closed. “Do you want to sleep or something?"
Philip quickly opened his eyes and shook his head, straightening up his posture to appear more alert.
"Ok I am going to go then. Should I put on the DVD?" she asked as she offered him the remote to the dvr player.
Philip pushed her hand away, shaking his head to indicate he didn’t want it. He leaned forward slightly and pointed to the bag on the floor.
"What are you pointing to?” asked Melanie looking around the area. “Oh I almost forgot. This is why I left in the first place.” She picked up the plastic shopping bag and peered inside it. “I swear I would forget my head if it weren't attached. Actually that's not true I am pretty organized about stuff, just sometimes my mind starts racing and flitting about and I get all off track. So yeah I totally got caught up in the Philippines and forgot all about your surprise."
Philip eyed her curiously as she pulled out a bright red Speak & Spell with yellow buttons from the bag.
"Don't look at me like that. It was either this or the Ouija board Darcy from the fifth floor had in her locker.”
Philip raised an eyebrow at her.
“No I didn't ask why she had a Ouija board at work, but then again she is assistant to one of the meanest doctors in oncology, so maybe she needed some reinforcements to deal with him. To each their own. You know what I'm saying?"
He put his hand on his forehead, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
"So we just need to figure out how to use this thing.” Melanie flipped the toy over in her hands looking for a power button. “I think you can type some words on it and talk to me. I'm sure they have some high tech stuff to use somewhere in this place, but we are trying to keep a low profile today. I'm not ready to share you just yet. Once they find out you are so alert, the doctors will be all over you. I'm being selfish but I thought it would be nice to have one afternoon alone with my favorite patient.”
Philip tilted his head and gave her a small smile.
“I can go get the doctors though if you want."
Philip shook his head taking the Speak & Spell from her hands. He turned it on, a boyish smile lighting up his face.
"I guess you know how to work it then. Had one as a kid?"
He nodded, still playing with it. The toy asked him to spell the word "chair" in its digitally synthesized voice.
"I never had one of these before,” she explained sitting back down in the chair, watching him play.
“Maybe they weren't popular when I was a kid? Or more likely Trent didn't give a damn to buy me educational toys."
He looked up at her words, his eyes narrowing.
"Sorry. Childhood stuff, always gets to me. You know. So, should we try this out?"
“Yes,” he typed, holding it up to show her.
"How did you get it not to talk that time?"
He pointed to the volume settings and showed her how he switched it to mute.
"Cool. So what should we talk about?" she asked inching forward in her chair. Finally she was going to be able to really communicate with him.
Philip paused for a moment in thought, and then he started typing. He tilted the Speak & Spell toward Melanie so she could see that he had written the word “crash”.
"The crash, you don't play around do you? I thought we would start with something easy like the day of the week. I really am not supposed to talk to you about the accident. The doctors don't want me jarring you. Can't we just be happy everyone survived and leave it at that?" she asked uneasily.
With an audible sigh and a slump of his shoulders, Philip reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Can I try?"
He clutched the toy to his chest possessively, leaning out of her reach, a serious look on his face.
“Someone doesn’t know how to share.”
Philip stuck his tongue out at her and grinned.
Melanie reached across the bed to grab the game, as Philip leaned further back trying to keep it away from her. He playfully held it up higher, almost over his head, as Melanie reached for the Speak & Spell again. Melanie frowned in mock anger as he continued to try to evade her. Finally he handed it over to her, his eyes dancing with amusement.
“Thank you,” she said. Her heart soaring that Philip had been able to do so much. Maybe he would make a full recovery after all.
She typed in her name, just messing around with the buttons. He leaned over her and erased what she wrote, his fingers grazing hers as he typed in his own name.
"I guess I don't need to ask if you know who you are," she chuckled.
He smiled at her as he tapped rhythmically on the screen. It was as if he was trying out all his senses, getting reacquainted with his body and the world.
"You've really mastered that smiling thing. Are you happy?"
She wanted to reach out and touch him, almost to prove to herself all of this was truly happening. Melanie tended to have extremely vivid dreams, maybe this was one of them. She needed to pinch herself to see if she were really awake, or better yet pinch him to see if he responded. But she held back, trying to follow the doctors’ orders to take it easy on him.
“Confused,” he typed, shrugging his shoulders.
"I know.” Melanie patted his shoulder quickly before pulling her hand back, the only contact she would allow herself. “Soon you will know everything okay?"
“Okay,” he typed. They sat quietly for a moment just staring at the screen, until he leaned over again and typed, “Mother”.
"Oh Kate. She was here already. Constantly in fact. You were always sleeping though. She is going to be so thrilled to see you finally awake. Your dad too. I will call them in a little while. So they can come back and see you. Sound good?"
“Good,” he typed giving her a bright smile.
"Maybe we should play one of the games on here,” suggested Melanie.
Philip nodded enthusiastically taking the toy from Melanie.
The door swung open and in walked Malika with a very unhappy Parker in her arms. Philip’s eyebrows shot up as the woman entered.
Malika’s slender 5’10” frame, deep brown skin, and dark hair made her a favorite of many of the male patients in the hospital. Even with a crying baby in her arms she looked stunning. Melanie quickly hopped out of her chair and went over to them.
"What are you doing here?" Melanie asked in hushed tones, hoping Philip didn’t overhear. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Philip was listening. Thankfully, he was engrossed in the Speak & Spell.
"He got really fussy in the nursery after you left. I think when he saw you for the few minutes when you got the game, he was upset you didn't stay. No one can calm him down. So I brought him to you. Is that okay?" asked Malika.
Melanie took Parker out of Malika’s arms, rubbing his back. Parker instantly calmed down as he rested his head on Melanie’s shoulder.
"It's fine. We just got to do some creative thinking here with Philip, but luckily I am fast on my feet. Maggie will be here soon to pick him up anyway."
"So good to see Philip conscious,” said Malika looking over at Philip on his bed. “I can sit with him if you want, while you tend to the baby or something. Not everyday I get to spend time with a patient as gorgeous as this one,” she added with a quick wink.
"Ok wipe the drool. He's mine." Malika was cool people, one of her closest friends from nursing school, but she also had the reputation for being a shameless flirt.
"Easy girl,” Malika laughed. “Just appreciating the man. I'm just happy he’s back with us. I'm happy for you Mel."
Melanie realized that she was happy. Philip on the mend, Parker in her arms, maybe things were on the upswing. It was nice to have her two Kiriakis men in the same spot, this time both alert. She couldn’t tell Philip about Parker yet, but they could at least meet each other unofficially.
"Thanks. We're going to be good here."
"Talk to you later," said Malika as she walked out the door.
Melanie turned back toward Philip with Parker in her arms. She adjusted his clothes, straightening his navy knit pants and tugging down the sleeves on his white shirt. He was about to meet his daddy, truly this time, she wanted him to look his best.
"Sorry about that,” said Melanie as she eased into the chair, placing Parker in her lap facing Philip. “This little prince here was demanding my attention."
As if on cue, Parker cooed and smiled at Philip, leaning forward to get to him on the bed.
Philip typed, "Cutebaby" on the screen.
"He is very cute, just like his daddy. This is Parker," said Melanie standing Parker up on the edge of the bed, holding him steady underneath his arms.
Philip reached out and took Parker's hand. Parker gripped onto Philip’s finger happily. Wrapping her arm around Parker’s torso, Melanie sat him down on the bed beside Philip.
"I think he likes you."
Philip smiled and nodded as he continued to play with the baby. While Philip was distracted with Parker, Melanie pulled out her phone and quickly tapped an SOS text to Maggie with her free hand.
"Do you mind if we come sit next to you?” asked Melanie, turning her attention back to the duo. “The doctors want me to watch it, but you said you weren't in pain."
Philip slowly moved over making room on the bed beside him.
"That's better. That way you guys can get acquainted easier."
Melanie had to turn away from them to hide the tears that were building in her eyes. It was an incredible feeling to see Philip and Parker interacting this way, finally. They seemed to be taking to each other so naturally. Parker was trying to inch closer and closer to Philip, Melanie could feel him wiggling in her arms. Philip couldn’t take his eyes off of Parker, giving him his full attention as he let the baby play with his hand. She watched Philip rub his hand gently over Parker’s blond hair. Melanie wanted to tell Philip that Parker was his. She wanted him to pick him up and hold him, to give him all the love that she was so sure Parker had been missing.
"Well boys, playtime's over. I've got to get this little one home." Instead she had to separate them, her heart twisting as Philip’s face fell as she lifted a suddenly whiney Parker from the bed. "Be right back Philip."
Melanie stepped out into the waiting area, leaning her back against the door momentarily to compose herself. She spotted Maggie rushing toward her from the elevator.
"Melanie, my word, I got your frantic text. I thought something was wrong," said Maggie when she reached her.
"Something was. I had Philip and Parker together and I couldn't tell him that Parker is his son."
"It's not like Philip can talk to ask any questions."
"Philip is communicating. Not talking, but still he is curious. He wants to know about the accident."
"Give it time,” said Maggie patting Melanie on the arm. “Everything will be out and dealt with. For now we just have to keep Philip calm. We just got him back, we don't want to shock him."
"I just hate keeping things from him, especially something as big as this. I almost broke down in tears when I saw Philip playing with Parker. I have been wishing so hard for a moment like that."
Maggie gave Melanie a sympathetic smile. "Our prayers have been answered. It's a good thing. Just be patient for the rest."
"See you soon baby," said Melanie as she kissed Parker on the cheek and handed him to Maggie. She watched Maggie carry Parker to the elevator, before she turned to go back to Philip.
From the doorway, Melanie watched as Philip slowly tried to roll up the sleeves on his pajamas. He licked his lips in concentration as he focused on getting his hands to cooperate. A small smile broke on his face when he finally was successful.
"Sorry about that,” said Melanie alerting Philip to her presence in the room.”Parker’s ride was here. Have you been playing without me?"
Philip shrugged, looking down at the Speak & Spell in his lap. His mood had seemed to change since just a few minutes before.
"What's wrong? You seem a little down now? Getting tired?" asked Melanie with growing concern.
Philip shook his head. "Claire", he typed, holding the toy up so Melanie could read the screen.
"Seeing Parker made you think about Claire?" asked Melanie as she stood next to the bed.
Philip nodded, turning to look at her quizzically.
"Sorry Philip. I know you must miss her."
He nodded sadly.
"I can maybe bring Parker back again to visit. You two seemed to like each other."
"Likethat", typed Philip, perking up at the suggestion.
"Good." She sat back next to him on the bed. He shot her a curious look. "I know that we're breaking the rules. And if they come in here and catch us together on the bed, I'm just going to blame you."
His eyes widened in surprise, at her words.
"It's all your fault. You forced me to sit next you. I can't help it if my patient finds me irresistible," she teased.
He poked her in the arm with a finger as he laughed silently.
Melanie leaned back against the pillow, closing her eyes, just enjoying the feel of him next to her. It had been a week since she had been this close to him. The constant stream of doctors and Victor and Kate had made it hard for Melanie to get any alone time with Philip. She felt his elbow gently nudge her side. She looked down at the word he was showing her on the Speak & Spell.
"Kiss? You're really pushing your luck Mr. Kiriakis,” she smiled. “But I won't tell if you won't." She leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek. Philip leaned back from her a surprised smile on his face. "What? You didn't want a kiss there? Why don't you show me where you want a kiss?"
Philip shook his head and looked down at her hand, lightly touching her wedding rings.
"My rings?” Melanie squirmed next to him. They would have a lot to talk about in terms of their relationship. She really didn’t know where to begin. “I guess we should talk about that. Not now though. Soon."
Philip shook his head emphatically and erased the word from the screen. She watched as he wrote a new word on the Speak & Spell and handed it to Melanie. She looked at him in shock, tears starting to puddle in her eyes as she let their meaning sink in. He had written "misschloe".
"Miss Chloe?" Melanie read aloud, hoping that somehow he had meant something else.
Philip just nodded sadly, and looked away from her, his blue eyes clouding with emotion.
bless her heart. 
