"If They Don't Win It's a Shame"
Chapter 1
The quiet of the hospital seemed to draw him as he walked deeper into the heart of it with one purpose in mind, to see Mrs. Henderson who'd apparently had a stroke in the middle of the night. He clipped his pager back onto his belt as he walked through the corridors watching the numbers on each door. Finally, he spotted room 223 and he quickly rapped on the door.
Janet Henderson's daughter, Pauline, answered the door and ushered him inside. "Mom, Pastor Andre is here." she whispered in the stillness of the dark room.
He smiled at Mrs. Henderson as he took the seat near her bed, "How are you, Mrs. Henderson?"
The woman stared at him with a blank look in her eyes.
"Can I pray?"he asked both women, yet only Pauline answered him with a nod.
Gently, he lay his hand on the woman's forehead and prayed for her. After he'd prayed, he sat long into the early morning hours with Pauline and Janet. Finally, Pauline noted his weariness and looked at him pointedly, "Go home and get some sleep, Pastor."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded, "I'll call you in a few hours to update you, promise."
He smiled, "God bless you." After saying a quick good-bye to both mother and daughter, he made his way back down the corridor.
However, instead of getting right back to the exit, he ended up going past the nursery. A soft humming stopped him in his tracks. What was that? Slowly, he walked up the corridor, only to see movement inside the glass of the nursery. A woman sat in the soft light, rocking a tiny whimpering baby. However, this time instead of just humming she began to sing what sounded like an old hymn, and Andre was frozen to his spot in awe of the woman and her voice.
Blonde curls cascaded down from the top of her head to the middle of her back, he could barely make out her facial features, only enough to see the outline of her eyes, nose and mouth. Yet, somehow he could hear the beauty of her soul in only the song she sang. As he listened closer, he could hear the song she sang.
"I am weak but Thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong. I'll be satisfied as long, as I walk dear Lord close to Thee."
The words seemed to go straight from her mouth to the heavens, and Andre couldn't help but stand and watch in amazement. Something about this woman was different, yet he couldn't stay around to find out. What would he tell her? I walked by the nursery and heard you singing? Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, he turned tail and walked back the way he'd come. He needed sleep, and right now.
--
Aria MacKenzie held the tiny baby in her arms, she swallowed against the onslaught of tears this was the hardest part of what she did. Knowing that not one of these babies was her's, and that no matter how much she did for them nothing would bring back her baby. Her world swirled around her, mixing reality with flashbacks. The crying of the baby in her arms mixed with the memories of Isaac's cries as they took him from her arms.
"Aria?" a soft voice broke into her memories bringing her back to the present.
"Yes?" she asked, hoping to cover over the fact that she'd been having yet another flashback.
"It's time for the next shift, Holly's going to bring Jacob here to his parents." smiled Kristine, her fellow nurse.
"Oh..okay." gently, she lay the baby back in his tiny bed before grabbing her things from under the desk and walking toward the exit.
Outside, the sun was already rising, somehow it felt like she'd just got to the hospital. However she'd been there for hours, and now it was time to get home. Jumping into her car, she took off toward home remembering all the things she had to do today. As soon as she pulled up in front of her home, she parked the car and jumped out. The house still stood exactly how it had for years, it had been her parents house, and when her mother had left she'd taken over. Now, Aria cared for her father, brother, herself, the house, and the dog.
As quietly as possible, Aria crept into the house and smiled at the dog who haulted at her feet wiggling all over. "Morning Fisher, what've you been up to?" she asked the excited dog.
He yipped before running toward the kitchen where her father already sat at the table. He smiled at her, despite the wheel chair and all of the pain Aria knew he was in. "Morning Dad." she kissed his forehead as she came around to grab a dozen of eggs from the refrigerator and began to crack them into a bowl. "How do eggs sound this morning?"
Her father nodded.
Heart constricted in her chest, Aria watched as he mouthed, "Sounds good."
Just as she was about to say more, her brother rounded the corner. "Morning." he growled, taking the seat next to her father's.
"Morning Braeden." she smiled as she finished making the eggs and lay a plate in front of each of them. Everyone who met her told her she worked too much, that she did too much for her family, however in all reality doing so much kept her mind off of her past. And that was a very good thing.
"That Jazzelle Douglas called for you again." grouched Braeden as he shoveled eggs into his mouth.
"Did she leave a number this time?" she asked her brother, taking a seat at the table.
He nodded, "Yeah, it's over on the cork board."
"Thanks Brae."
"Anytime." he offered with a shrug.
Her heart lept, her brother who'd recently been having trouble with everything and everyone was finally beginning to become himself again. Sure it was tough to be sixteen and have your world crashing around you, but he would come around. She had to believe that. Just like everything would work out with the guy Dr. Douglas was trying to set her up with.
--
Jazzelle walked out of the hospital with purpose, things were looking up. She'd talked to Aria MacKenzie, the nurse she'd picked out for Andre. The woman was sweet, adorable, and she was learning to completely rely on God. Something Andre, a pastor, would appreciate. Her heart felt light as she took steps toward her car, one last match to make.
Time to get home and get some sleep, and somehow wait for everything to work itself out.
The quiet of the hospital seemed to draw him as he walked deeper into the heart of it with one purpose in mind, to see Mrs. Henderson who'd apparently had a stroke in the middle of the night. He clipped his pager back onto his belt as he walked through the corridors watching the numbers on each door. Finally, he spotted room 223 and he quickly rapped on the door.
Janet Henderson's daughter, Pauline, answered the door and ushered him inside. "Mom, Pastor Andre is here." she whispered in the stillness of the dark room.
He smiled at Mrs. Henderson as he took the seat near her bed, "How are you, Mrs. Henderson?"
The woman stared at him with a blank look in her eyes.
"Can I pray?"he asked both women, yet only Pauline answered him with a nod.
Gently, he lay his hand on the woman's forehead and prayed for her. After he'd prayed, he sat long into the early morning hours with Pauline and Janet. Finally, Pauline noted his weariness and looked at him pointedly, "Go home and get some sleep, Pastor."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded, "I'll call you in a few hours to update you, promise."
He smiled, "God bless you." After saying a quick good-bye to both mother and daughter, he made his way back down the corridor.
However, instead of getting right back to the exit, he ended up going past the nursery. A soft humming stopped him in his tracks. What was that? Slowly, he walked up the corridor, only to see movement inside the glass of the nursery. A woman sat in the soft light, rocking a tiny whimpering baby. However, this time instead of just humming she began to sing what sounded like an old hymn, and Andre was frozen to his spot in awe of the woman and her voice.
Blonde curls cascaded down from the top of her head to the middle of her back, he could barely make out her facial features, only enough to see the outline of her eyes, nose and mouth. Yet, somehow he could hear the beauty of her soul in only the song she sang. As he listened closer, he could hear the song she sang.
"I am weak but Thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong. I'll be satisfied as long, as I walk dear Lord close to Thee."
The words seemed to go straight from her mouth to the heavens, and Andre couldn't help but stand and watch in amazement. Something about this woman was different, yet he couldn't stay around to find out. What would he tell her? I walked by the nursery and heard you singing? Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, he turned tail and walked back the way he'd come. He needed sleep, and right now.
--
Aria MacKenzie held the tiny baby in her arms, she swallowed against the onslaught of tears this was the hardest part of what she did. Knowing that not one of these babies was her's, and that no matter how much she did for them nothing would bring back her baby. Her world swirled around her, mixing reality with flashbacks. The crying of the baby in her arms mixed with the memories of Isaac's cries as they took him from her arms.
"Aria?" a soft voice broke into her memories bringing her back to the present.
"Yes?" she asked, hoping to cover over the fact that she'd been having yet another flashback.
"It's time for the next shift, Holly's going to bring Jacob here to his parents." smiled Kristine, her fellow nurse.
"Oh..okay." gently, she lay the baby back in his tiny bed before grabbing her things from under the desk and walking toward the exit.
Outside, the sun was already rising, somehow it felt like she'd just got to the hospital. However she'd been there for hours, and now it was time to get home. Jumping into her car, she took off toward home remembering all the things she had to do today. As soon as she pulled up in front of her home, she parked the car and jumped out. The house still stood exactly how it had for years, it had been her parents house, and when her mother had left she'd taken over. Now, Aria cared for her father, brother, herself, the house, and the dog.
As quietly as possible, Aria crept into the house and smiled at the dog who haulted at her feet wiggling all over. "Morning Fisher, what've you been up to?" she asked the excited dog.
He yipped before running toward the kitchen where her father already sat at the table. He smiled at her, despite the wheel chair and all of the pain Aria knew he was in. "Morning Dad." she kissed his forehead as she came around to grab a dozen of eggs from the refrigerator and began to crack them into a bowl. "How do eggs sound this morning?"
Her father nodded.
Heart constricted in her chest, Aria watched as he mouthed, "Sounds good."
Just as she was about to say more, her brother rounded the corner. "Morning." he growled, taking the seat next to her father's.
"Morning Braeden." she smiled as she finished making the eggs and lay a plate in front of each of them. Everyone who met her told her she worked too much, that she did too much for her family, however in all reality doing so much kept her mind off of her past. And that was a very good thing.
"That Jazzelle Douglas called for you again." grouched Braeden as he shoveled eggs into his mouth.
"Did she leave a number this time?" she asked her brother, taking a seat at the table.
He nodded, "Yeah, it's over on the cork board."
"Thanks Brae."
"Anytime." he offered with a shrug.
Her heart lept, her brother who'd recently been having trouble with everything and everyone was finally beginning to become himself again. Sure it was tough to be sixteen and have your world crashing around you, but he would come around. She had to believe that. Just like everything would work out with the guy Dr. Douglas was trying to set her up with.
--
Jazzelle walked out of the hospital with purpose, things were looking up. She'd talked to Aria MacKenzie, the nurse she'd picked out for Andre. The woman was sweet, adorable, and she was learning to completely rely on God. Something Andre, a pastor, would appreciate. Her heart felt light as she took steps toward her car, one last match to make.
Time to get home and get some sleep, and somehow wait for everything to work itself out.
posted by Jo*Marie at 8:11 AM
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