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Her relationship with Azucena, too, had grown into one of affection and est half brother, had reatest joy His round happy face lit up with delight when he saw her He would dash cheerfully to her side, knowing she’d lift hihter would echo through the house

In some ways it was as if these cherished little ones were Lorraine’s own children The family she would never have with Jack He’d shown her how much love her heart could hold, and now that love spilled over, e brothers

In the stillness of late afternoon Lorraine sat at her desk and finished up the last of her paperwork The door opened, and half expecting Antonio and Hector, she set her pen aside

"I’m in the office," she called out in Spanish

When no one answered, Lorraine got up and walked to the door She kept regular hours, but didn’t hesitate to see a patient after closing ti area and saw ajust inside the clinic door But this wasn’t a host of Jack Keller

One so real, so lifelike, it was all she could do to keep fro for a chair, she clenched her fingers over the top to anchor herself All the while she greedily drank in the sight of him

Dear heaven, he seemed so real!

Her heart pounded wildly Fear coursed through her, although she believed this particular ghost would never hurt her Her concern was for her sanity She was afraid that so Jack with such intensity had pushed her beyond reason

Or perhaps she’d been working too hard, she thought in those first shock-filled seconds Spending too h time for herself

Could Jack be real? Could he possibly be alive? Had God and the universe made some horrible ht?

She yearned to say his na this dreaht disappear

Not yet Please not yet Let me have him for a fewany longer

"Jack?" His name trembled on her lips

His features relaxed and his eyes softened as he walked toward her With exquisite tenderness he pressed his palm to her cheek His hand felt warht faint

Needing to hold on to hied his palle kiss

"Oh, Raine" He caught her by the shoulders and hisanother moment was more than could be asked of him

She’d dreamed of this so often, it was difficult to know if it could actually be happening If this was a drea anytime soon

She wound her ar into hiency, love and need They blended until coherent thought escaped her She and Jack strained against each other, ers deep in his hair and held tight, alain

"A?" she whispered, desperate for answers "Tell ?"

He lifted his face from hers and closed his eyes "It’s real, Raine, it’s real I’, hardly able to breathe, she clung to hi into his shoulders It wasn’t possible Dr Berilo had told her Jack was dead He’d sat with her, comforted her Jack’s presence here, noas beyond comprehension

"I’m sorry," Jack repeated between kisses "I’ain

"What happened?" she pleaded, needing answers and yet fearing them, too Still, her desire for the truth overcame her fears "Tell me," she demanded "I need to know"

He found a chair, then sat her down and kneeled in front of her He looked into her eyes for a longher face with his hands

"Jack, please Tell me!"

An eternity caht you were married"

That didn’t explain why Dr Berilo had told her Jack was dead

"You loved me," he whispered "Did you think I didn’t know?"

She felt lost in a fog, not understanding where she’d taken the wrong turn, how this could have happened Love should have brought theether, not driven them apart Love was h to convince Dr Berilo to tell you I’d died"

She closed her eyes to keep the rooh to keep fro your life"