I watched the exact moment she came awake. She moaned and felt at her shoulder. Her eyes traced around the room and landed on me. I swallowed the chunk of apple I had been chewing on.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Like I've been shot. Are there more of those?" She asked looking at my half eaten apple covetously.
"Covetousness is a sin." I said with good humor.
Her lips curved, "So you have read the Bible!"
"Bits and pieces come back to me now and then I admit."
I helped prop her up and she reached for my apple. I smacked her hand away playfully. "Stealing is a sin too."
"But I'm hungry!" She exclaimed piteously.
"So that makes it all right then?" I asked leadingly.
She rolled her eyes at me and I chuckled, as I reached for a bowl on a nearby table.
"What's that?" She asked suspiciously.
I couldn't help but admit how darned cute she was. I got a spoonful and pushed it in past her reluctant lips. Her face brightened and her lips closed around the spoon, quite taking my breath away in the process.
"Applesauce!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah."
I fed her spoonful after spoonful with her smiling at me all along. With a speculative gleam in her eyes she stated, "Your brother's named James and your John. Your mother named you for the apostles?"
"Just my brother." I admitted grudgingly.
Her brow knitted up in concentration, "Then who?
The light of comprehension dawned brightly in her eyes, "John the Baptist?"
I nodded and she started giggling. I gave her a dark look, but kept feeding her, just glad inside that she was okay. So what if she was having fun on my account, I still had her, which meant that my world was still okay for now.
"What's your middle name?" She asked inquisitively.
I didn't answer.
"Ferdinand?" She asked teasingly.
I gave her a dark look again. She took another bite and then I saw the sudden thought hit her and I groaned inwardly.
"No, she couldn't have!"
"Oh yes she did." I affirmed remorsefully.
"Baptist?"
I nodded.
She laughed hard then and I did my best to bare it out as best as I could. It was a terrible name, especially for somebody like me, John Baptist Kilroy. I would never forgive my parents for it. Sourly, I set the bowl down in her lap and handed her the spoon. She made a real effort to stop laughing then and grabbed a hold of my arm.
"No don't go! I'm sorry for laughing! Please stay!"
I stayed in the room.