Thanksgiving Day

Thursday—November 24, 2016

            The young man silently steered his wife up the hospital corridor.  Sitting somberly in the wheelchair, she was dressed in a white cotton robe—her left arm in a cast.

            He stopped when they came to an intersection.  He looked both ways, then leaned over her and gently kissed her.  “I love you, pretty lady,” he told her.  “I promise—it’ll do you a world of good to get up and out for a while.”

            Allanna MacKay said nothing.  She continued to stare straight ahead…

She believed she would never stop crying over it all—ever.  She used to be so optimistic about life, but now she dwelled on its futility. 

            But she was a lot tougher than she would ever give herself credit for.  Though right at that moment she lacked confidence she could ever again pull herself totally together emotionally, she was destined to do so…

            When they arrived at the end of the wing, Tom MacKay revolved the wheelchair so he could back Allanna through the doors of the sun room.  “Darling, I forgot to mention that there’s a little someone waiting for you inside.  She wants to know if it’s okay today to visit with mommy.”

            The young woman perked up.  “Grace?  Oh, Tom, you brought Grace!”

            Tom wheeled Allanna into the room.  When he swung the chair around toward the wall of windows, Allanna saw her daughter there on the lap of a smiling nurse.  The little girl was cuddling a teddy bear that was outfitted in a flannel shirt and blue jeans—the same clothes that Grace herself was wearing.  Grace MacKay saw her mother and wanted down.  Now. 

            “Maw-mee!” she exclaimed as she chugged across the room to be with the one she most loved in this whole world.  She plopped the bear onto Allanna’s knees.

            Tom grinned at the sight.  He massaged his wife’s shoulders.  “Grace and I agreed that she should bring her special furry friend with her today to help us love you.”

            Allanna kissed her daughter.  The little girl nuzzled her cheek up against her mommy’s leg, and Allanna placed her uninjured hand atop the precious head.

            The young woman looked up at her husband.  He covered her neck with the full of his hands—and she found herself enjoying the soothing affection.  When she saw Tom smiling down with boundless love at both her and their daughter, Allanna’s lower lip began quivering.  She swiped at her eyes.  She sniffled.         

            And then...She quietly returned the smile to her husband—the tears now just cascading down her face.