* * * * *
“Where is that call button?”
“What can I get for you Mrs. Mitchel?”
“I want to see my husband,” Said Michele somewhat irritated.
“We're just waiting on the doctor so he can explain some things to you. He's in the hospital and should be up in a few minutes. Try to relax a bit, okay,” said nurse Hathaway.
It was about twenty minutes later when the doctor and nurse Hathaway came back pushing a wheelchair.
“Hi, Mrs. Mitchel, I'm Doctor Dukes. I've been treating your husband. He has some very intensive injuries but it looks like he'll pull through. It was touch and go for a while and he is still in a guarded condition. We're going to get you into this wheelchair and take you to see him now.”
“Oh my God.” Gasped Michele as they pushed her into Billy's room.
Her husband of 41 years lay in front of her with tubes in his nose and mouth. Monitors lining one whole side of the room and both legs in full casts hanging from weights and pulleys. The whole left side of his head appeared to be missing under the loose bandages.
“Billy, are you awake? Can you hear me?”
“I'm sorry Mrs. Mitchel, but he's in an induced coma right now. The pain would be unbearable for him if we didn’t keep him heavily sedated.” said Dukes. “Let me explain what's going on with his injuries. He broke both legs and his back. Those should heal up with no real problems. We can't see any spinal damage that would paralyze him, so that's good. The biggest problem is his head wound. I've seen the same type of injury many times in Afghanistan, caused by flying shrapnel. The left part of his skull was ripped right off from the impact.”
“Oh, my goodness. Is there damage to his brain? Will he be able to remember who I am?” Sobbed Michele.
“It doesn’t appear that his brain was damage at all. In fact, I'm really surprised by how little swelling there is. We've kept the side of his head open so we can keep an eye on the brain. Once I'm satisfied that there are no injuries to it we'll fit a new cadaver skull section to cover the area. We'll attempt to do a skin graph as well, but don't expect any hair to grow. I think he'll fully recover with time. Why don't you visit for a little while. Don't stay too long though, you both need to rest.”
“Thank you doctor. Can you keep me informed on his condition?”
“I'll stop by and see you every time I check on him, Mrs Mitchel. He's on the top of my list. I will see you later.”
“Michele, it's time that you went back to your room and got some rest.” said nurse Hathaway. It's a good thing this happened so close to our hospital. Dr. Dukes is one of the top experts in this type of injury. Your husband's in good hands.”
* * * * *
“Jen, I mean nurse Hathaway, is Doctor Dukes coming in today?”
“Michele, we've gotten to know each other pretty good in the past two weeks, please call me Jen. He should be in shortly. They're going to bring him out of the coma today so there will be a couple of other people here to help him.”
“Billy, I don't know if you can hear me or not but they caught the man who did this to us. He's a young father who was on his way home from a business trip. He had not seen his two kids for three days and was in a hurry to get home to them. He thought you were taking too long to move over and was just trying to scare us a little bit. He misjudged the distance and hit us. Oh, honey, I feel so bad for him. He actually turned himself in because of his guilt. He'll probably end up in prison because of a moment of anger. He wants to see us as soon as you're awake. He is out on bail and ...”
“Hello Mrs Mitchel.”
“Doctor Dukes, you startled me.”
“I'm sorry. We're here to see if we can wake your husband. You'll have to wait outside. It'll probably take us a few minutes or longer. Someone will come out and get you as soon possible.”
“Mrs Mitchel, he's awake and asking for you. That's a good sign.” said the assistant.
“Billy, it's me. How are you feeling?”
“Hi honey, sort of like I got hit by a bus. But I sure am glad that you're okay. I guess I've been out for a while?”
“A little over two weeks, baby. You've been in good hands with Doctor Dukes. It's amazing what they were able to do. You need to get some rest. I'll explain it all when you're a little more awake. I'll be right here by your side.”
“What were you saying earlier about the guy that hit us?”
“You heard that?”
“Yes, I've been listening to you a lot lately. I just couldn’t respond back. I know that you've prayed over me. Both God and I heard you,” said Billy with a smile
“I'll tell you about the man that hit us after you get some rest.”
“Doctor Dukes, can I talk with you out in the hall for a moment please?” Asked Michele.
“Sure. Let me check his head first and then we can talk.”
“What is the prognoses? How's he going to be in the long run?”
“His head wound looks great. I don't see any damage to his brain. It was good that he remembered you and asked for you right away. Also good that he heard what you were saying while he was in the coma. His broken bones and back are healing just like they should. I think that in another week he'll be able to go home. Somebody was watching out for you both.”
“That would be the Lord. He's good all the time. We trust Him for everything and in every circumstance. He brought us to your expertise and the great staff here at the hospital. God knows what He's doing even when we don't.”
“If you say so Mrs. Mitchel. Personally I rely on people who have been trained to do the job needed.”
“So do we Doctor. But we rely on God to put them in our path just like He did you. We also know what would have happened if either one of us didn’t make it. We put our trust in Jesus years ago. What about you Doctor?”
“I don't want to get into it with you. Like I said, I believe in people and the education process. Actually, I think that those who believe in a God are not very well educated.”
“Well, since you opened the door. Back in our home church we have two medical doctors, a veterinarian, four high school teachers, one school administrator, and three professors at the University of Michigan. Isn't that where you did your undergraduate work? The Bible says that a fool believes there is no God. I'm not calling you a fool Doctor Dukes, but give it some more thought before you call believers uneducated.”
“I'm sorry I opened that can of worms with you, Mrs. Mitchel. It looks like your husband will have a good recovery.”
“That's good to hear. In about an hour the man who hit us is coming to talk with us. Could you be here? I'm not sure how much strain my husband can take and I would like you around just in case.”
“I'll still be in the hospital so I'll come up in about an hour.”
“Thank you Doctor.”
An hour later Jake Stroder, his wife Susie and their two children met with Michele in the waiting room. Wiping the tears from his cheeks Jake said, “I'm so sorry that I have caused you this grief Mrs. Mitchel. I have no excuses. I simply lost my cool and took it out on you two. Is your husband going to be okay?”
“Yes, Dr. Dukes said he should make a full recovery. I want to wait for him before we go in to see Billy.” As an after thought she added, “Just in case he gets upset and can't handle things with his injuries. Here he comes now. I would leave the children out here, my husband is pretty banged up.”
“No, they need to see what my anger did. They need to see how I'm going to handle it. I don't want them to grow up with uncontrollable rage like I had.”
“You said 'had'?”
“Yes, I've done a lot of soul searching and I have decided that I need help to deal with my anger.”
“Good for you. Let's go in then.”
“Honey, this is Jake and Susie Stroder. He's the young man that forced us of the road.”
“Mr. Mitchel, I'm so sorry. I don't know what else to say.” Jake put his face into his
hands and sob uncontrollably.”
Jake's five year old threw his arms around his daddy's neck and said, “Daddy, don't cry it'll be alright. Mommy will kiss it and make it all better.”
“Jake, I don't think mamma's kiss will make this go away. Although it wouldn't hurt.” Billy said with a smile. “Ephesians 4:32 tells us that we are to forgive as Jesus forgives us. I don't know your relationship with the Lord but I do know mine. Jake, I forgive you for running us off the road. I do want you to get help though, so it does not happen again. I'll also ask for leniency when you go to court. Your kids need you more than the State does. ”
“You forgive me? Why would you do that? I almost killed you and your wife. How could you … why would you do that?”
“Like I said, Jake, God forgave me through His Son, Jesus Christ. Even while I was His enemy He still sent His Son to forgive my sins. The least I can do is forgive you, regardless of what you've done.”
“Let me get this straight. This man put you and your wife into the hospital with life threatening injuries and you forgive him just like that?” said Dr. Dukes with a snap of his fingers. “That makes no sense at all.”
“On the contrary Dr. It makes all kinds of sense when you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He makes all the difference in the world.” said Michele.
“I guess I'll have to give this church business a little more thought.”
“It is not about church, Dr. Dukes, it is about a relationship with Jesus.” said Michele
* * * * *
We, here at Concerning Life Publishing, hope you have enjoyed this short story.
Author Dennis Snyder, has just released the first book in the Lake Haven Murder series, Personal Vengeance. You can find more information on Dennis Snyder's books at www.concerninglife.org
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