Three: Kidnap an Angel

Richie straightened and took a box out of his pocket. He knelt by Jen’s bedside, and cracked open the box.

Jennifer’s eyes moved to see the ring. “Oh, Rich...” she said.

“Jennifer,” Richie said, his voice cracking, and unshed tears pooling in his eyes. “I love you more than I thought it was possible to love another person other than my daughter. I want us to share our lives together, however long or short that may be. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Jon watched from the window as Richie proposed to Jen. Though he couldn’t hear his words, he could see the mixture of joy and pain on Jennifer’s face. Then he saw her nod and watched as Richie slipped the ring on Jennifer’s right hand. Richie stood and kissed her again, and Jennifer shakily raised her hand to cup the back of Richie’s head and deepen the kiss. Jon felt Tiffany come up behind him and put her arms around his waist.

“Dammit, Tiff,” he said, as his wife pressed into his back. “Rich just proposed to her.” He turned to hug his wife fiercely. They looked in on their friends a few more minutes, arms wrapped around each other. “I have an idea,” Jon said.

He took Tiffany’s hand and headed to the nurse’s station. “Excuse me,” Jon asked the nurse. “I’m sorry to bother you, but could you call the Chaplain for us? We want to talk to him about Jennifer Petruzzo.”

The nurse was sympathetic, having heard the woman’s whole story from Krissy. “Of course,” she said, and placed the call. Several minutes later, an older man, very tall and very thin with gray hair and wire-rimmed glasses approached them. He was wearing the garb of a traditional Catholic priest, and held a small, leather-bound Bible in his left hand.

“Good afternoon,” he said quietly as he approached the nurse’s station. “I’m Father Michael,” he said, “the chaplain this week. Someone asked for me?”

Jon got the priest’s attention. “Father, the woman in there,” he indicated the ICU room, “is dying. My best friend in the whole world wants nothing more than to marry her, and I was hoping you could make that happen for them.”

Father Michael frowned. “Do they have a marriage license?”

Jon shook his head. “Father, they don’t care that this wouldn’t be legal in the state. They just want to be married to each other, for as long as is possible. It would give them both comfort.”

The priest nodded. “I can do that for them.”

He opened the door to the room and walked softly to the bed. “I hear congratulations are in order,” the priest said with a sad smile.

“Hello, Father,” Jennifer said, returning his smile.

Richie stood. “Father,” he said, shaking the clergyman’s hand.

“Somebody told me,” the priest began, “that you two want to get married.”

Richie looked to the window and saw Jon looking in. He mouthed ‘thank you’ and turned back to the priest. “More than almost anything else in this world,” Richie said.

“And you?” he asked Jennifer.

She nodded. “Can you get my parents?” she said to the priest.

He went to the door and asked Jon to go get the Petruzzos. The nursing staff had been wonderful in bending the rules for Jennifer’s family. They knew she had a “no heroic efforts” waiver on file, and if it gave the woman comfort to have her friends and family around her, then the nurses were inclined to let it happen.

The door opened a few minutes later, and Jennifer’s family and her friends filed into the room formed a circle around the bed.

The priest said a few words of welcome, asked Richie and Jennifer to join hands. He had them exchange simple vows, and there wasn’t a single dry eye in the room. Even the nurses were crying. “Do you have rings?” the priest asked. When Richie shook his head, Jennifer’s parents took their rings off and gave them to the priest.

“Use these,” John said, his voice barely a whisper.

The priest blessed the rings, and watched as each slipped a platinum band on the hand of the other. He then pronounced them husband and wife in the eyes of God, and told Richie he could kiss the bride. When Richie leaned over and did just that, the beeping of Jennifer’s heart monitor slowed.

“Jen?” Richie asked, his eyes wide with panic.

“Baby, I’m sorry, I’m just so tired, I want to go to sleep,” Jennifer said. “But I’m so happy to be your wife, and I don’t want to miss a minute of it.”

“I know you’re tired, Mrs. Sambora,” Richie said, cupping her face, and kissing her so tenderly, that everyone in the room had to look away. “And I’m so glad to be your husband.” His heart was breaking, but Richie knew what he had to do. “If you need to sleep, then sleep. It’s alright. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jennifer said, raising her hand to cup Richie’s face. Her voice was getting very soft. “Sing me to sleep?” she asked. Richie took Jennifer’s hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. He held her hand between his and nodded.

Jennifer’s mother sobbed and turned her face into her husband’s shoulder. Jon and Tiff and John and Sue had their arms wrapped around each other and were crying openly. Jennifer’s friends were all standing clustered together, holding on to whatever hands they could reach.

Richie cleared his throat and began to sing, his eyes locked on those of his new wife.

When I think back on these times and the dreams we left behind
I'll be glad ‘cause I was blessed to get to have you in my life
When I look back on these days I'll look and see your face
You were right there for me

In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart there'll always be a place for you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am there you'll be

Well you showed me how it feels to feel the sky within my reach
And I always will remember all the strength you gave to me
Your love made me make it through ooh I owe so much to you
You were right there for me

In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart there'll always be a place for you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am there you'll be

Cause I always saw in you my light my strength
And I want to thank you now for all the ways
You were right there for me

In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart there'll always be a place for you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am there you'll be
There you'll be

When he was done, he smiled at Jennifer. She was smiling back. “That was so beautiful, Rich,” she said. “Can you sing me one more? Can you sing me one of yours?” She squeezed Richie’s hand, and the lack of strength in her grip almost made his knees buckle.

“I can’t deny you anything, my love,” Richie said, his eyes shining with love. He kissed Jennifer long and tenderly, and smiled at her. He sat gently on the bed next to her, and pressed his forehead to hers. He cleared his throat, and started another song; one he knew was one of Jennifer’s favorites of his.

It's hard to remember a time
When I didn't have you
When I didn't have nothing but
A cold bed to come to at night
That was all I knew, until there was you
And then you took my world and turned it all around
I couldn't live without you now

Baby, if I can't have your love
If I can't feel your touch I got nothing
Baby, if I can't taste your kiss then I don't exist
I got nothing
No I can't imagine living life without you
I can't imagine living life without your love

Jennifer let out a sigh, closed her eyes, and relaxed, a smile twitching around her mouth. Richie straightened when the beeping of the monitor slowed even more. Ma started her rosary.

I wake up with you by my side
Can't let go,
I can't even bear the thought
Of you in another man's eyes
I would lose control, I would die
'Cause now you're in my heart and I can't let you out
I gotta keep you here somehow

Baby, if I can't have your love
If I can't feel your touch I got nothing
Baby, if I can't taste your kiss then I don't exist
I got nothing
If I can't be your man, I wouldn't know who I am
I got nothing
I got nothing
No, I can't imagine living life without you
I can't imagine living life without your love

'Cause I can't imagine living life without you
Can't imagine living life without your love
Believe me baby I don't mean to doubt you
But if you ever leave, that would be the end of me, baby

Jennifer murmured softly, but with perfect clarity, “I’m sorry, baby; I’m just so tired. I love you.” Richie gripped her hand harder, but she had no more strength in her grip than a newborn. The last chorus Richie sang was shaky and horrendously off-key, but nobody noticed.

Baby, if I can't feel your touch I got nothing
Baby, if I can't taste your kiss then I don't exist
I got nothing
I got nothing
If I can't be your man, I wouldn't know who I am
I'd be nothing
Baby, if I can't have your love
If I can't feel your touch
I got nothing

The monitor let out a long low beep, and Jen’s hand went completely limp in Richie’s. He sobbed openly, whispering the last lines as he trailed a hand down the side of Jennifer’s face.

I can't imagine living life without you
I can't imagine living life without your love

A nurse crossed the room and pressed a button on the monitor, and the room was silent.