Taking a deep breath, Callie closed her eyes for a moment before she was about to enter his room. There was so very much to talk about, and yet it was one of those times when words seemed inconsequential. Quite honestly, she had no idea what she was going to say or how she was going to say it. She only knew one thing-that no matter what happened, everything would be okay-somehow-because Frank was alive. She had made one request of God, and He had granted her that wish. Now, she knew, she could not hope for more.

After she entered the room, quietly pushing the door open, she stoood for several minutes watching Frank resting before he opened his eyes, as though he somehow sensed the fact that he was being watched. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and Callie was struck by the look in them. When he recognized that she was there, his eyes had softened, filled with love. Weakly he smiled at her and motioned for her to sit beside him on the bed. He stretched, as though gathering his strength.

"Hi," he said, in an incredibly raspy voice. Even the effort of speaking looked as though it pained him, physically, but he would not stop. He could not stop.

"Hi," Callie responded. She reached over and took his hand, leaning over to kiss him gently on the lips.

"How’re you feeling?"

Shrugging, he winked at her. "Well, I have the deep, sexy voice you’ve always wanted for me," he joked, coughing.

Callie shook her head. "You’re something else."

"That’s what they say."

"Yeah."

The silence was awkward. Still, Frank squeezed Callie’s hand, not wanting to push her away. It felt so right to have her near him again.

Callie stared down at their hands now clasped together and blinked back tears. Now was NOT the time for crying. She’d done plenty of that since Frank had been hurt-too much since Cape May. Meeting his eyes, she managed to say, "You know, Frank, you had me worried there for a bit." Well, that was an understatement, but it was all she could think of at the moment.

"I’m sorry, baby," he rasped, sounding ridiculous.

"You should be," she said, seriously.

"For everything," Frank replied, clinging to her hand harder. Callie went to speak, but Frank held up his other hand to silence her and gave up trying to speak normally. Instead, he lowered his voice. Now, barely audible, Callie had to lean closer to figure out what he was saying.

"I was wrong." The look in his eyes, the great sincerity and sorrow, was evident to Callie as she listened to him. "God, Callie, I was so…wrong. I will live with that guilt the rest of my life. Not only for going after Nash, but for thinking what I did about Joe. About you. I made what could have been the best time of our lives together some of the most miserable months you’ve had to face. I won’t apologize again, because you’ll never know how sorry I am. BUT I WILL- and that’s what I’ll have to be satisfied with." He stopped speaking for a minute, stopping to cough and cringing from the pain.

Callie held onto him, reaching over to rub his back while the fit subsided. When he was finally still, he slowly and cautiously wrapped his free arm around Callie, who leaned back against him, resting her head on his shoulder. They sat that way for several moments before Callie finally broke the silence.

Not knowing what to say, she mustered, "I heard about your little escapade with Joe." Turning to face him, she managed a small smile. "I never knew you were so good at hurtling inanimate objects."

Frank returned the grin. "I’m a master at many things."

"MMMM….."

Suddenly, Frank got an idea, and decided to tell Callie about Joe and Vanessa. Although it would be a painful subject for them both to think about, he could see no other way to bring up their uncertain status. Over the course of the next ten minutes, between bouts of coughing and silence because his throat was too raw, Frank managed to tell Callie about Joe’s desire to marry Vanessa and his dilemma about the ring.

"Isn’t that silly?" he ended, knowing that Callie would agree that Vanessa would not need a ring to marry his little brother. Although he meant to end the chronicle on a light note, he found his voice catching as he again posed the irony of the whole situation. Here he was, with the woman whom he wanted and had so badly wanted to marry, discussing his brother’s impending engagement over their broken one.

"That’s great," Callie whispered, smiling despite the fact that her eyes were filled with tears. "It’s about time."

"That’s what I said." Suddenly, Frank stopped replying and reached up to Callie's face, wiping back a stray tear that had fallen. "Don’t cry," he choked out, fighting his own tears. "There’s been too much already."

Nodding, Callie agreed. Without thinking, she nestled further against Frank and let him hold her for a while. She couldn’t help but to think back to how badly she had wanted him to hold her, to tell her he loved her, all of those months when she had been carrying their child. She had felt so empty then, so confused and upset, not knowing what was causing Frank’s distance. The truth had been more horrible then she had ever thought possible.

It should be okay now, though. Frank was okay. She was healing, slowly. Life was returning to normal, whatever that was. It should have been okay.

But it wasn’t. And she knew it.

"What are we going to do?" she asked him, pulling back slowly.

"It’s in your hands," Frank whispered. He wanted desperately to beg her to stay with him, to plead forgiveness, to do anything, ANYTHING, to get her back. But he remembered his father’s words. "Try anything you can to save your love, because it’s a rare thing. But if she needs her freedom, then you give it to her, and help her along the way, because you owe that to her, at the very least."

And all he could add, knowing his father was right, was, "But I love you." What else really was there to say?

"I love you, too," she replied, touching his cheek. "I always will. You know that."

"I know." Dare he hope?!

"I…I just can’t get over it that easy, though," she choked out. "You…hurt my heart," she sobbed quietly, making an involuntary fist over her chest.

"I know," he whispered, realizing almost at once that he had been crying, too, albeit quietly. "I know," he repeated.

"I just can’t deal with the consequences of everything that happened right now. It’s all too much, you know?" She was taking rapid breaths, trying to control her breathing. Trying, he knew, to be strong. And he loved her for that.

"Okay," he whispered, forcing a shaky smile. He wanted to scream, but his father’s calming voice came back to him. He loved her enough to let her go. It was the hardest thought and decision he had ever had to make, even worse than the awful choice between Joe and Callie back in Cape May that had started this whole nightmare. Because then, there almost really hadn’t been a choice. Joe would have died if he had picked Callie. It had taken him a long time to accept that fact, and he was finally okay with it. This time, though, there was no option. If he forced this issue with Callie, he would lose her. If he let her go, he would lose her. He lost either way, but at least this time, if he let her go, someone would win. He was willing to do that for her, to let her go and make it less painful for her, if it made her okay. Period.

She knew him so well. Eyes wide in shock, she looked at him. He was letting her off the hook, pre-empting the breakup before she had to do it. He loves me that much, she realized at that moment, and then she knew what she had to say, as her heart filled and suddenly everything became clear.

"Don’t ask me to marry you again." Her voice was simple, quiet. She had a small smile on her face, and Frank, heart breaking, knew he had done the right thing. She looked, finally, at peace.

"Okay." He had to ask, though, if she would leave him forever, be completely out of his life. He wasn’t sure if it would be easier that way-to end it all, finally and completely, no strings attached-or to see her, free and happy, building a life without him in it. "Callie?"

"Yes?" Her dark eyes met his.

"Is this over? I mean, totally and completely?"

"For now," she answered, honestly.

Fresh tears sprang to his eyes and he nodded.

After a few minutes of looking at each other, Callie jumped up, as an idea came to her. She sat down a moment later, looking at Frank’s startled expression. "Frank?"

He looked up.

"I have an idea." She reached into her blouse where she had been wearing a necklace and slowly pulled it out. At once, Frank recognized it. Attached to the bottom of the necklace was her engagement ring, as beautiful as ever. Unhooking the clasp, she let the ring slip out onto her hand. "I don’t need this any more."

Frank let out a sorrowful breath. That ring, once so full of promise and excitement, now held only pain for him-for her. "Sell it," he managed, unable to look at it.

"Oh, Frank," she whispered. "I don’t want the money. But if there is any good that can come of this-of our broken engagement-" She stopped a moment to wipe back tears, as Frank did the same, "Then we should do it."

"What good could come of this?’ he choked.

Gathering what was left of her inner strength, she managed a small smile. "Frank, don’t be sad. It’s a ring-that’s all it is, a symbol. For us, it’s useless. But for someone else, I know it could bring the joy that it brought to us-even for a little while," she added sadly. "And there’s no one else who loved this ring more…than Vanessa."

Frank looked up, shocked. It was crazy! How could he handle looking at Vanessa wearing their ring? And then, he realized, maybe he could. If Callie could get by with it, and it would make Joe and Vanessa deliriously happy, what the hell? "You’d be okay with that?" he asked her, incredulous.

"I would. Let’s give them this as our gift-that last thing from the both of us, together-and make a right out of so many wrongs."

After a few minutes of alternating staring between Callie and the ring, he nodded. "Okay, baby."

"I just couldn’t deal with you asking me to be your wife again," she responded, again seeming to feel better. "Remember that."

"I will." The one thing that was saving him from losing control was that Callie actually looked better. And that made him feel better, too. Instinctively, Frank reached over and, touching the back of Callie’s neck, reached for her, and she didn’t resist. Leaning in, their lips met in a lingering kiss that seemed to say everything their hearts were feeling.

Pulling away, Callie managed a wink through her tears. "Goodbye."

"No."

"What?" She asked.

"See ya later. Remember, never say goodbye." They had said that for years, and it just seemed right now.

"See ya later," she repeated, leaving the ring with Frank and, slowly, walking out the door and closing it behind her. Leaning her head against the outside of the door, she smiled through her tears. The past was over. "See ya later," she whispered, and, turning, left the past behind.