Wayward Paths and Golden Handcuffs

by S.J. Thomason

  He looked around the sterile room and at the heartbeat monitor and at all of the tubes in his mom’s body.

  “She may die soon,” he thought as he studied her body, and he’d be left all alone. A feeling of loneliness and sadness blanketed his mind and ruptured any sense of positivity he could stir up within him. If she died, he’d be the only O’Brien to carry on the family name. No siblings. He’d always wanted siblings.

  But he had Tanner. Tanner was like a brother and he was on his way to the hospital. Hopefully he was near; he needed to see his friend. And he was happy to be with Piper too. Piper was a dream to be around.

  “Jesus, if she must die now, please let her join you in Heaven,” he prayed, “Please. She’s been the best mom ever. I couldn’t have asked for more. She helped me so much with my dad. I wouldn’t have made it without her.”

  “It’s time to give the Bible a try.” He opened the Bible, which was still sitting on his lap, and read a few passages from the book of Psalms. His mom’s face showed no response. Nothing. Not wanting to give up, he read her John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Still nothing. Her hand hung limply by her side on the hospital bed and he felt the urge to grab it and squeeze it, which he did. Still nothing. So he turned to other passages that he’d identified on his way to the hospital and read them all. No sign from his mom. Nothing.

  He flipped the pages to the book of Isaiah and read her chapter 53, which described Jesus’ torture and crucifixion.

  “Mom, that passage was written about seven hundred years before Jesus was born. He held her hand tightly. Still nothing.

  Twenty minutes passed before Tanner walked into the room, carrying both a Bible and a book by C.S. Lewis. He pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of Catherine’s hospital bed. He held her other hand and prayed with Nick silently.

  “I read her a bunch of passages from the Bible, which I thought would help her. She told me she doesn’t believe in Jesus, you know. That’s why she never took me to church.”

  Tanner’s eyes filled with tears as he looked at Nick’s mom.

  “I’m so sorry, Nick. I’m here for you and I’ll do what I can to help you. And your mom. She was always good to me.”

  Nick faced his mom and said, “At a time in Israel when women were treated as second class citizens, much as they’re still treated today in some countries of the Arab region, Jesus gave Mary Magdalene the privilege of making the most important discovery in the Bible; the discovery that he has risen. Why would the males who wrote the chapters of the Bible have made that part up? Why would the male church scholars who determined which chapters to incorporate into the Bible select the four gospels, which all identified Mary Magdalene as the discoverer of Jesus’ empty tomb? Wouldn’t they have crafted a story that was more acceptable to the leaders of their times? They were trying to recruit and blasphemy was a death sentence.”

  Nick looked over at Tanner, who was sitting in a chair in his favorite fishing t-shirt and worn tan shorts. Just under his rumpled blonde mop, he watched Tanner smile and say, “I bet Jesus is here right now with us, blessing us and praying over your mom.”

  After a few more minutes, a nurse arrived. She was carrying a notepad and started checking Catherine’s vital signs. She made a few notes and was just about to leave the room when Nick asked, “How’s she doing?”

  “Well, she’s still alive,” the nurse replied before leaving the room. Nick didn’t like her answer, which came across as far too apathetic.

  He read Psalm 23 to his mom and looked for a response. Nothing.

  Tanner followed up with a message he’d read by C.S. Lewis. “Mrs. O’Brien, you may be like those people who consider Jesus merely a prophet or a great moral teacher. I like what C.S. Lewis said about that. He said that one must never say the very foolish thing that people often say about Jesus, that they are ready to accept him as a great moral teacher, but they aren’t ready to accept his claim to be the Son of God. If a mere mortal made the sorts of claims that Jesus made, he would not be a great moral teacher. He would have been either a lunatic, similar to a person who claims to be a poached egg, or the Devil of Hell. People can either accept that Jesus is the Son of God and fall at his feet and praise him, or they can decide that he was a madman or something worse. Considering him to be merely a moral teacher is patronizing nonsense. Jesus did not give us that choice.”

  “Good one, Tanner,” Nick whispered, “well put.” He hadn’t heard those words before, but they applied to his mom. He and Tanner each held one of her hands, but he still felt no response. Nick wondered if her spirit had already left her. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his strength and stood up.

  “Tanner, could you stay here for a few minutes? I need to check on my mom’s nurse. She was driving the car when they had the accident. She’s just down the hallway.”

  “No problem, Nick, I’ll stay here.”

  Nick walked down the hallway to see how Fey was doing. Fey was a petite woman with salt and pepper hair, probably in her fifties, and of Hispanic descent. She spoke with a slight accent and Nick decided that she’d probably been raised in one of the Central American countries. He knew little else about her, other than the fact that his mom really liked her. When he got to her room, he found her awake, though injured and in a neck brace.

  “How are you doing?” He asked, “I’m so sorry about the accident.”

  “Oh Nick,” she responded, “It’s not your fault! That driver was going the wrong way down the highway. We didn’t stand a chance.”

  “Well I’m glad you’re conscious and I can talk to you. My mom is still unconscious,” Nick uttered.

  “Well, she can hear you, Nick. She’s listening to each and every one of those Bible passages you’ve been you’ve been reading to her.”

  “How’d you know that?” Nick was astonished.

  “Oh, let’s just say that a little butterfly told me,” she answered with a wink.

  Nick was a bit taken aback. She’d never talked like this before. “Butterfly?” He stared at her for a short while. “Fey, do you believe in Jesus?”

  “Are you kidding? You bet I do! And I know he’s standing next to me right now praying over me and giving me strength. I should be getting out of here no later than tomorrow. He’s doing the same for your mother too.”

  “You give me hope Fey,” he said as he walked up to her and gripped her hand. “Thank you and God bless you. I’m sure he has a place prepared for you in Heaven.”

  “God bless you too. I’m sure he has a place prepared for you too. Now go back and tend to your mom. She needs you.”

  Nick bid goodbye and headed back to his mom’s room. He couldn’t wait to share Fey’s message with Tanner. When he arrived, he found Tanner sitting next to his mom, praying over her audibly.

  Chapter 24

  The Decision to Believe

  Nick held his mom’s hand tightly, yet let her go when the doctor approached. He moved his chair back to let the doctor do his work. He watched as he checked her pulse and changed the supply of fluids in her feeding tubes.

  “How’s she doing?” He asked.

  “About the same.”

  Nick moved to the other side of the bed where Tanner was sitting.

  “Tanner, mind if I hold her hand?”

  “Of course not buddy,” Tanner said as he gently let Catherine’s hand go so that Nick could hold it. Nick held tight. He prayed silently as he watched a heartbeat line on the monitor next to her bed. Her heart was still beating.

  He winked at Piper who was watching them from her chair by the window.

  “Nick, I’m sorry that you’re going through this.”

  “Thanks Piper. And thanks for being here.”

  “Well, the company couldn’t be better.”

  Nick smiled as he turned to his mom. “Mom, if you can hear me plea
se listen to this. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can find the Father without first going through his son Jesus, who died for us and for our salvation. He forgives sins and will forgive even some of the worst sinners so long as you believe in him. Ask for forgiveness and believe in him, Mom, and you will be saved.”

  He waited but couldn’t detect any sort of response.

  “I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check on her,” the doctor said as he left the room.

  Nick felt his mom’s hand as it suddenly gripped his hand. She whispered, “Please forgive me Jesus.” He felt her hand become limp as the heart monitor flat-lined. Nurses and doctors rushed into the room to revive her. They pumped her heart and tried several methods of resuscitation. Nick watched them, half in shock, as he backed the chair he was in away from them to give them some clearance and stood up.

  As he stared at the frenzy of doctors and nurses in the room hovering over his mom, he whispered the Lord’s Prayer, over and over and over in a slightly audible voice.

  A doctor pushed the heart pump, vigorously and methodically, while Nick stared at the heart monitor. “C’mon Mom. You can do it. Please Lord.”

  A few minutes passed. Then something unusual happened. The monitor indicated that her heart had started beating again and her body soon regained some color. The nurses and doctors cheered as his mom appeared to be gaining strength. A few left the room, while a few stayed. Moments later, only one nurse remained in the room. She’d been stabilized.

  “I love you Mom,” he said as he moved closer to her hospital bed. Watching her closely for a reaction, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly. He could feel her grip his hand in return and watched her as her face regaining all of its color.

  Her lips moved. “Love. I felt love. So much love.”

  Nick hugged her as tears fell from his eyes. Tanner and Piper followed.

  “Mom, maybe all of this is just God’s way of working on you to bring you closer to him.”

  “I have much to learn,” she whispered.

  “I love you Mom. I’m here with Tanner and Piper, a girl I’d like you to meet when you feel well enough.”

  Nick, Tanner, and Piper soon fell back into their seats as they watched Catherine.

  The final nurse in the room took her vital signs. “She’s doing better. It looks like she has the will to pull through this. Regaining consciousness was a big achievement. But she’ll need to rest as she recovers from her two broken ribs. Other than that, she has no other physical injuries, aside from a few minor cuts and scrapes.”

  Nick took a breath and stood up and walked over to the window to look out over the city of Orange Bay, over its many buildings and streets. The sky was still bright as the sun wouldn’t set until around 8:30 p.m., which was two and a half hours away. He thought of Christmas with his mom, and Easter, and his birthdays, and Thanksgiving. He felt blessed to be her son.

  “Hey, I want to check on Fey. You guys want to join me?”

  “Sure,” Piper said as she stood up.

  “Okay,” Tanner said.

  The three walked down the hallway and into Fey’s room. They walked in and walked right up to Fey and each gave her a hug.

  “She said she felt love, Fey. Lots of love.”

  “But it’s not her time,” Fey said, “Jesus wants her to complete her mission on earth. She has many gifts and can use them to serve him very well.”

  “Thanks Fey. You’re so insightful.”

  Piper and Tanner smiled at her.

  “Nick,” Fey said as their eyes met, “she had the ears that could hear.”

  Fey looked at Tanner and Piper, “Thanks for offering your support. Your prayers and love have been heard and felt.”

  “Thank you for your kind words,” Piper said.

  “For sure,” Tanner confirmed.

  Nick smiled. “I’m going to head back into my mom’s room. Rest up, Fey.”

  “Thanks, Nick.”

  Nick, Piper, and Tanner returned to Nick’s mom’s room and sat down on the chairs in the room.

  “This is a hard one,” Nick said, “I really appreciate you two for being here with me. You’ve really helped my mom. But it’s getting late. I know you need to get going.”

  “We’re here for you, Nick,” Tanner said.

  “Yeah, Nick, we are,” Piper said.

  They all adjusted themselves in their chairs for comfort and watched Nick’s mom as she lied in the hospital bed. She looked stronger than she’d initially looked and it appeared that she’d win this battle. It appeared that she wanted to win this battle, and her battle against cancer. She’d been given strength.

  A short while later, Tanner said, “Hey, I think I’m ready to head out, head home, grab some grub. I’m a little tired.”

  “No problem, and thanks for coming by. You really helped my mom.”

  Nick turned to Piper, “Are you ready to get home?”

  “Yes,” she said, “I’m a little tired too.”

  “Thanks Piper. Thanks for coming with me to the hospital. You’re the best.”

  Nick got up and the two walked through the hospital corridors to its front doors. He planned to return to the hospital after that and would spend the night in his mom’s room, if permitted by the hospital staff. Otherwise he’d camp out in the lounge just down the hallway from her room.

  As they exited the hospital and headed to its parking garage, Nick looked upward into the sky and said another prayer. That’s when he spotted a magnificent double rainbow. His eyes welled up in tears, but tears of joy.

  “Piper, look at the double rainbow.”

  “It’s beautiful. What colors!”

  “Piper, have you ever seen a double rainbow show up on a sunny day?”

  “No, I can’t say I have.”

  Nick put his arm around her and winked, “Nothing is impossible with God.”

  ***

  While driving Piper home, Nick reflected on the day. He thought of how it started in such a pleasant way at the beach and ended in such a surprising way in the hospital. He looked at Piper and smiled. He was lucky to be with the girl he’d admired all through high school.

  “Nick, you’ve impressed me today. It’s too bad I didn’t realize what a great guy you were a long time ago.”

  “I probably wasn’t such a great guy a long time ago. Life’s changed me.”

  “It does that.”

  ‘I’m glad you were with me today, Piper. You’re a good woman.”

  “Thanks, Nick.”

  Nick turned on the radio and flipped stations to a Christian station. He heard “Lord I Need You” from Matt Maher and hummed along. He heard Piper humming with him and he could tell she was familiar with the music. That made him happy.

  When he pulled into her driveway, he said, “Wait just a minute.” He stepped out of the car and circled to her side and opened her door, hoping to be as chivalrous as he could without seeming too cheesy.

  “My dear.”

  “Why, thank you Nick.” Piper stepped out of the car and he walked her to the door. He thought of trying to kiss her but decided he’d be the complete gentleman.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Sounds great. I had a nice time with you Nick, even in the hospital.”

  “Likewise, Piper. I can’t wait to see you again.”

  She walked up and hugged him and they held each other tight.

  ***

  A short while later, he pulled his Mustang into the garage and walked into the house.

  Chipper was there to greet him, as always. The miniature schnauzer mix always brightened his day. She was a blessing, the perfect dog. He thought of a bumper sticker he saw while driving to the beach and recalled its words, “Who rescued whom?” He knelt down to pet Chipper before grabbing her leash.

  “Do you want to go for a walk?”

  “Woof!”

  “Let’s go.”

  He slip
ped on her leash and walked her out of the front door and onto the lawn where she immediately did her business. Then he walked her around the neighborhood. She sniffed and chased squirrels and lizards all along the way, as always.

  “So spunky and curious. Our little chief security officer,” he thought. They walked for about an hour before she started to seem a little more relaxed and ready to return home.

  “You ready girl?” Nick knew her answer as they turned back towards the house. Once they got home, he fed her the usual fancy fare that his mom had purchased for her. His mom put Chipper on a pedestal and treated her very well. He fluffed her blanket and placed it on her dog pillow to prepare a place for her to sleep. She climbed onto her pillow and stared at him.

  When he turned to go up the stairs to shower, she followed closely behind. Once he was finished and dressed, she followed him back down the stairs. She watched him as he prepared himself dinner. Nick relaxed on the couch with her for a short while before heading back to the hospital around midnight.

  “Bye girl. Watch the house. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.” Nick watched as Chipper resumed her place on her pillow and stared at him with her lonely eyes. He felt a little guilty.

  “See you soon Chipper.” He closed the garage door and got into his car and headed back to the hospital. He knew it was going to be a long night, and that he wouldn’t be sleeping well, but he hoped the blanket and pillow he’d brought along would make things somewhat comfortable.

  Chapter 25

  Poor in Spirit and Rich in Love

  Nick woke up the next morning and found himself lying across two chairs in the waiting room of the hospital with his pillow under his head and his blanket bunched up at his feet. He checked his watch. 6:13 a.m. He got up and patted his hair down and tucked his t-shirt in to his shorts before strolling down the hall to his mom’s room with his pillow and blanket tucked under his arm.

  When he walked in, he found her propped up slightly on the hospital bed and awake.

  “Hi Mom. How are you feeling?”

  “Better. Thanks. I didn’t sleep much last night, but that’s alright because I’ve had a lot of time to think about things.”