A Short Tail

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It was almost 2am when she looked up to see if the doctor was coming down the hallway. He wasn’t. She sighed. It had been more than 6 hours already. What was taking so long, she thought. Janna couldn’t sit still. She jumped up to go to the soft drink machine again. Her hands were shaking as she placed the money in the machine picking out a drink that she didn’t even want. When it clanged down into the tray, she was startled, her mind off in the operating room.

“I have got to get a grip on myself. I’m no good to anyone like this, especially not Paul. Oh, where is that doctor?”, she muttered to herself.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway brought Janna back to full alert but it was a nurse headed for the nurse’s station on this floor. She knew she should be staying in the waiting room but it was especially crowded tonight for some reason. The staff had set up recliners and soft couches for those who stayed overnight. Usually, there was plenty of room, she was told. Tonight, it was incredibly full. Most of the people were seeing those in the Intensive Care Unit. Janna was waiting for the results of Paul’s surgery.

“What am I going to do without Paul? Why am I even THINKING that?” She was shocked at that thought coming into her mind at all and then she said it. Surely, Paul will come out of the surgery just fine. She knew that! Of course, she did.

“Paul is certainly young. He can handle this! I have to remind myself that Paul is a fighter. He won’t let this get him down. Besides, we could not live without Paul!” More thoughts like that entered her mind. It was harder and harder to deny the possibility that Paul might not make it through the surgery that he was having right now.

“Why oh why is this happening to us? I just don’t understand it. We’re good people. We don’t hurt anyone. Why? What did I do to make this happen? All I wanted to do is love someone. And Paul came into my life. He’s made me so happy. I love him. What is this all about? What’s happening to us?” The thoughts kept coming and coming through her mind, one negative thing after another. Through the night, she felt the shadow getting closer and closer.

“I feel so alone.” she sobbed quietly. “This is nuts. I know better than that. Father, please help my husband, Paul, make it through this surgery. Please bring him safely back to us who love him. Give us the peace from You that passes all understanding. Bring divine healing to Paul. Give the hands that work on him the skill needed to complete the task. Give the doctors the knowledge to see the problem and fix it quickly. And, Lord, help Paul to see You in all of this so that he does not deny You again! Thank You, Lord, for standing by me in all of this. I am sorry I have not been talking to You as much as I should have lately. Thank You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”

Just then, a hand was placed on her right shoulder, very warm and comforting. Janna started to look around but felt the need to stay very still. A quiet peace, like nothing she had ever felt in her life, washed over her and throughout her body. Her mind quieted down and she knew that things would be all right. The hand slowly left her shoulder. She began to smile. Janna knew that she was not alone, that she never had been alone. It just seemed that way because her grief was overshadowing the joy of the Lord.

Janna was so busy thinking about things of the Lord that she did not notice the doctor standing in front of her. “Janna, Paul is out of surgery. He’s doing fine now but it was touch and go for a little while. We were not able to stop the bleeding from the wound. All of us tried everything we could but it didn’t work. Nothing did until a light shined right where we needed to cut. When we did that, we found the bleeder. We never would have found it had it not been for that light. I have no idea where that came from. I had nurses trying to find the source but to no avail. One of the nurses said it was a miracle. You know, if I were a believing person, I would say that God stepped into the operating room tonight. I can’t explain it any other way.”

“Oh yes, Paul will be in ICU for about 24 hours. You can visit him there. This is one for the books. I may write a paper on it” The doctor walked away shaking his head.

Janna sat there for a couple of moments with her head bowed down. If there had been someone else sitting there, they would have heard her thanking God for His miracle. She rested her head on the cushion. “This is truly a good day”

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