For some reason, the timing was wrong and nothing more happened for quite awhile. Martha and Trevor remained in contact and did things as friends and with friends.

Then one September day, everything changed. The new school year had begun. As Trevor sat in his 7:30am class, he heard a voice whispering to him from the doorway. Figuring it was just because he was still sleepy, he ignored the voice and continued trying to focus on the professor, who spoke faster than was possible for humans to understand. The voice came closer and became more emphatic. It was Trevor’s little sister Ashley. She had come seeking him because Martha had fallen, was in the hospital, and had been asking for him all night.

Not sure what to expect, Trevor grabbed his books and left with Ashley, who guided him to the parking lot where his roommate Mike was waiting for them with his car. Ashley and Trevor promptly went to the hospital. Nothing could have prepared Trevor for what he would see. He was expecting that Martha would have a broken arm or broken leg, but he was instead overwhelmed with the sight of her in a neck brace and lying in the bed in pain with a broken back. He had seen Martha cry when things had gone wrong, but this was different. The pain on her face was incredible and completely indescribable.

Trevor knew then that neither could he nor would he leave her side as long as she needed him. Thus ensued many nights of counting, storytelling, singing, and reading scriptures in Italian to pass the time and ease Martha’s pain. Of course, there were jokes and sculptures made out of delicious hospital food.

All the nursing staff thought the two were already married. When they discovered Martha and Trevor were not married, they assumed they were dating. Again, they were sorely corrected and disappointed to find out that they were only friends. It’s at this point in the story that a wonderful nurse named Fenice foreshadowed that they were in love but just hadn’t discovered it.

Like all things, Martha’s time in the hospital passed. In mid-December she was allowed to go home.

No worries. As close as Trevor and Martha had become while in the hospital, they became even closer after that. They spent many nights together, talking, walking, and star gazing. Needless to say, they ran their errands together and spent their weekends together. They became a support for each other.