Noah's Stroke

Noah wakes early with a headache. He sits by the window, watching the creek. He feels a tingling in his hand, then a pounding in his head. He loses his sight and hears a roaring sound. He realizes he is having a stroke. In his last moments of consciousness, he thinks of Allie, waiting for the story he will never read. He is unconscious for days, hooked to machines. Doctors predict paralysis and loss of speech. He drifts in and out, thinking of Allie. Finally, he wakes and asks for water. Dr. Barnwell welcomes him back.