Valerie and Jeremiah had tried to get Dawn to stay at Bryan’s house again, but this time she wouldn’t hear of it. She wanted her own bed. She promised to keep the phone within arms’ reach and to call if she needed anything. Dawn wanted a hot shower too. She hadn’t had one since yesterday morning. They compromised on a bath instead. Dawn was still a little groggy and unsteady from the pain medicine. They couldn’t risk her falling and hurting herself again. Valerie stayed until Dawn was safely out of the tub. Bryan and Jeremiah had already left because qualifying was this afternoon. Dawn didn’t want to go to bed in the middle of the day so Valerie helped her get comfortable on the couch. Dawn took another pain pill and settled in. Valerie put the phone and the TV remote on the coffee table in front of the couch. After Dawn assured her for the tenth time that she was okay, Valerie went home but promised to come back in a few hours to check on her.
Dawn woke up and looked at the clock. She had slept through qualifying. She wondered how Jeremiah and Bryan had done. She heard someone in the kitchen. “Valerie?” she called.
“No, it’s me,” Jeremiah said as a cabinet door banged shut. That made her head hurt. “Sorry ’bout that. How are you feeling?” he asked as he stepped around the corner so that he could see her.
“Better I guess. What are you doing?”
“Trying to fix you something to eat. Valerie said you slept through lunch. Where do you keep your skillet?”
“In the oven. I’ll help you,” she said as she moved to get off the couch.
“No, you won’t.” He put up a hand to stop her. “The doc said for you to take it easy. I’m going to make you one of my world-famous hamburgers. You’re going to sit there and let me take care of you,” He told her and then walked back into the kitchen.
“A hamburger?”
“I can make two things. Do you want hamburgers or mac and cheese?”
“A hamburger.”
“Coming up,” he called as she heard the oven door open and then slam shut. “Oops!”
The hamburger wasn’t bad, but she would have to teach him more things to cook. Over dinner, Jeremiah told her that he qualified tenth and Bryan qualified third. Jeremiah said that Bryan had held the pole position for a little while, but Jayvin Daniels and Sean Vaughn had been among the last to go and had barely edged Bryan out of the top starting spot. Jeremiah also said that several people had asked about her and wanted him to pass along their best wishes.
Valerie called as they finished eating. She offered to bring Dawn some of the pot roast and potatoes she had made. Dawn told her that Jeremiah had cooked for her. Valerie was surprised at that. Bryan had originally planned on staying at the track but had changed his mind. Dawn told them to come over. The four of them had Bible study and then played board games. Bryan wanted to play again because he lost, but the baby was already asleep on the couch. Dawn was getting really tired too. Bryan and Jeremiah cleaned up while Valerie helped Dawn into bed. The Richardsons took their sleeping baby home while she and Jeremiah said their good-nights. He offered to stay on the couch but Dawn told him to go home. She would call Valerie if she needed anything. She heard the front door lock behind him right before she traveled off to dreamland.
After being stuck in the house for most of the day Friday and all day Saturday, Dawn really wanted to go to the race on Sunday. Bryan agreed but only after Dawn promised to go to chapel, then prerace ceremonies, but she had to go straight to his coach as soon as the race started.
Ted was the first to greet Dawn when she got to the track. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? I’m so sorry. I told you to be careful and then I knocked the whole thing on top of you. I am so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. Accidents happen.” She smiled at him, and she could see the relief on his face. He even went to chapel, and he had never done that before. The Lord works in mysterious ways, she thought as she took her seat for the service.
“I can get you a golf cart so that you don’t have to walk,” Jeremiah said later as they walked down pit road for opening ceremonies.
“I’m fine. The walk is good for me and so is the fresh air.”
“Okay, but let me know if you change your mind.”
“I will.” Dawn and Jeremiah stopped at Bryan’s pit to say a prayer of safety before the race. Jeremiah kept his hand on the small of her back as they strolled over to Jeremiah’s pit. She was getting a little tired so she leaned against the car while Wes and Jeremiah went over race strategy one more time. Then he walked over to her with a stupid grin on his face. She noticed that all his crew were gathered around watching them. There was a TV cameraman nearby. Was she about to be the target of some joke? “What’s going on?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Okay,” she said, looking into his eyes for a clue.
“Dawn, I thought my life was good before I met you, but since you have come into my life, I’ve realized how much I have been missing. You helped me reconnect with my heavenly Father. You find the good and the joy in everything. You make me so happy. You complete me. I love you.” Realization hit Dawn like a ton of bricks. Was Jeremiah proposing? She got her answer when he dropped to one knee. “Dawn, I know that I haven’t known you long, only a couple of months, but I already know that God brought you into my life for a reason. I can’t promise that I will never make you mad or upset. I can promise that I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to make you happy. I am absolutely, positively, head over heels in love with you. Will you spend the rest of your life with me as my wife? Will you marry me?”
Dawn heard what Jeremiah said, but the tears in her eyes kept her from seeing all of it. She wiped her eyes so that she could see him clearly when she said, “YES!” I can’t believe this is happening. I thought it might someday but not this soon. This is the happiest moment of my life!
Jeremiah blinked and wiped a tear from his own eye. “You’ll never regret this. I promise,” he told her as he stood up. He started to lean in and kiss her, but he stopped. Looking up he said, “I knew I’d mess this up.” He reached into the pocket of his firesuit and pulled out a velvet ring box. “I think I was supposed to show you this as I popped the question. You know, as an incentive for you to say yes.” He opened the box and pulled out the most beautiful ring Dawn had ever seen. It had a large square diamond in the middle with smaller diamonds on each side. “I’ll get back on my knee and ask again if you want me to.”
“No,” Dawn said, “that’s okay.”
“Good,” Jeremiah said as he slipped the ring on her left hand. He looked into her eyes. They were so blue. So beautiful. They made the diamonds look like plain old rocks. “I love you,” he said again. “I hope you never get tired of hearing it ’cause I’m going to tell you every day for the rest of my life.”
“I’d prefer to hear it for all eternity.”
“Consider it done,” he said before he lowered his head to hers. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Dawn told him just before his lips touched hers. They had kissed before, but this was the best yet. It was a new beginning. She touched his face, and he pulled her even closer. When the kiss ended, she looked into his eyes. As far as she was concerned, they were the only people on the planet. Sounds from somewhere nearby brought her back to reality. First she noticed the cameraman who had captured the whole thing. Then she turned to see Bryan and Valerie standing with Jeremiah’s crew. They were all applauding and shouting their approval.
“But Jeremiah isn’t here yet.” Dawn wailed as she was pushed down the hospital hallway on a gurney.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Jones, but these babies are coming now whether your husband is here or not.”
Jeremiah was in Talladega, Alabama, where he was racing this weekend. He hadn’t wanted to go, but he couldn’t get out of it. Dawn had r
eminded him that their twins were not due for three more weeks. She was scheduled to be induced in ten days, so he wouldn’t miss the birth of their children. So when Dawn woke up this morning not feeling well, she didn’t think much of it. She hadn’t felt good in two months. Carrying twins wasn’t easy. Dawn’s mom and dad had flown in from Arkansas to be with her until after the babies were born. Dawn already had a doctor’s appointment for that afternoon. Every other visit had been fine, so Dawn was shocked when the doctor said her blood pressure was way too high, and the babies had to come today.
Dawn had called Jeremiah immediately but had to leave him a voicemail when he didn’t answer. He had called back ten minutes later, saying he was on his way. That was two hours ago. Unfortunately, there were thunderstorms in Charlotte today, so Jeremiah couldn’t land. Right now he was somewhere 30,000 feet over the city about to miss the most important moment of their lives.
Dawn was in the operating room ready for the C-section. She was groggy from the anesthesia she had been given, but she was alert enough to know what was going on. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought of doing this without Jeremiah. The doctor had just begun making the first cut when they all heard a loud noise just outside the OR. “I’m here,” she heard Jeremiah yell. Dawn was so relieved. Fresh tears formed in her eyes when she saw him through the glass in the scrub room. He tried to come into the operating room when he had finished washing his hands, but a nurse stopped him to make him put on a gown and mask. The doctor paused until Jeremiah was sitting on a stool beside her. “Can I lower my mask to give her a kiss?”
“Of course,” the doctor answered.
Jeremiah lowered his mask to briefly kiss Dawn on the forehead. “Father,” he said, closing his eyes after the kiss, “thank you for this wonderful, glorious day and this wonderful, glorious woman in front of me. Be with the doctor, and guide his hands as he brings our children into the world.” He wiped his eyes and looked at her. “I love you.” Then he nodded for the doctor to continue.
It was quiet in the operating room for the next few minutes as the doctor worked. The only talking was what was absolutely necessary. “And you two have purposely chosen not to know the sex of the babies until now?” the doctor asked Jeremiah, breaking some of the tension in the room.
“We only know that its twins because our other doctor thought it was best that we prepare for two. But we don’t know if we have boys, girls, or one of each.”
“Well, you’ll know in just a few seconds,” the doctor said.
“This is it,” Jeremiah whispered into Dawn’s ear.
“I know. Our lives are changing forever. Are you ready?”
“With all my heart,” Jeremiah answered, squeezing the hand he had been holding since he had arrived.
“Do you have names ready?” the doctor asked.
“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, sucking in a deep breath as he waited.
“Baby number one is a…” he paused as he pulled the baby out of Dawn’s womb, “boy!” The baby wailed.
“Jeremiah Bradley Jones Jr.!” Jeremiah exclaimed. He saw one nurse look at the clock, write down the time, and name as the doctor handed the baby to another nurse. She went over to a table to weigh, measure, and clean up the baby. She then bundled him up in a blue blanket and took him over to show him to Dawn and Jeremiah. “He’s beautiful!” Dawn whispered, touching her son for the first time.
“Perfect.” It was all Jeremiah could manage as his throat closed up from all the emotion he was feeling. A huge tear ran down his face.
“Here’s boy number two!” The doctor announced, causing Jeremiah and Dawn to look toward him.
“Steven Patrick Jones,” Jeremiah called out. Again, the nurse wrote down the name and time while the second nurse took the baby to be examined.
“We did it!” Jeremiah said, looking at Dawn. “We’re parents!”
A couple of hours later, after both babies had been examined and declared perfectly healthy, Jeremiah stood in the hospital room. It had been a long day. Both sets of proud grandparents had just left. They had held the babies and taken a ton of pictures. The spoiling had already begun. He no longer feared hospitals. Truthfully, he would probably never like needles, but the bad memories of the past had been replaced by the happy ones of the present. He looked at his beautiful sleeping wife. She was going to be a great mom. Then he looked at the two tiny boys sleeping in their beds. He stood over them and smiled. He touched each of their little heads. Little Stevie stirred at his father’s touch. “Thank you, Father, for all the good things in my life. I am truly a blessed man.”
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