My Father's Gift (22 page)

He looked at his watch.  It was three o’clock in the morning.  “I’ll go in first.  Her children need to sleep a little longer.  I’ll take responsibility for them.”

He donned a gown and mask and went into the room.  Her eyes were closed, but she seemed to be breathing easier, and on her own.  He sat on the stool beside her bed, holding her hand and smoothing her eyebrows.

“It’s all right,” he said gently.  “I’m right here. Chantelle and Carlos are in the waiting room sleeping, but if you want me to, I’ll go wake them.”  She didn’t respond.  “D’Cerner, I know I’ve been a pain in the behind, but I really need to talk to you.  I told you we have wedding plans to make, but I need to ask you if you’ll marry me.  I guess I jumped the gun a bit, so I really need you to wake up now.  There are people here who love you and need to see your beautiful eyes.”

She stirred.  Struggling to open her eyes, it took a moment for her to focus.  Her throat was dry and scratchy as she tried swallowing in an effort to speak.  Cal stopped her.

“Hi there,” he said relieved. “Don’t try to talk.”  He beckoned for the nurse.  “She’s awake.”

The nurse came in smiling.

“Well, you’re finally awake,” she said checking D’Cerner’s pulse and IV drip.

 Cal attempted to move out of the way, but the panic in D’Cerner’s eyes stopped him.  He squeezed her hand and smiled.  “I won’t leave.”  The nurse nodded that it was okay for him to stay where he was.

“What happened?” D’Cerner whispered, barely audible.  “Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital,” the nurse responded.  “And you gave us quite a scare, but it’s all right now. 

D’Cerner tried speaking again, but finding speech painful, pointed to a pitcher of water.  Cal asked if she could have something to drink.  The nurse told him she couldn’t, but she could have some ice chips.  She then left the room to get the ice.  When she left, D’Cerner looked at Cal, her eyes full of questions.

“I’ll explain later, but right now, I need to ask you something before they throw me out of here.  Will you marry me?”

D’Cerner’s eyes widened with surprise in response to his question.  She mouthed, “Why…”

But Cal stopped her and hurriedly explained he had announced they were engaged in order for him to stay at the hospital and to make other arrangements.  “So for now, just say yes, please.

The concern and desperation she saw in his eyes touched her, so she nodded her head, yes.

He kissed her hand and held it until the nurse returned.  He was allowed to feed her a few pieces of ice, until he was asked to leave the room so the doctor could examine her.  D’Cerner didn’t want to let go of Cal’s hand and clutched at him.  She was frightened.  He gently released himself and told her he would be back as soon as they finished the examination.

“Chantelle and Carlos are here, I’m going to go get them.  It’s going to be all right,” he told her just as the doctor came into the room.

While the doctor was examining D’Cerner, Cal went to the waiting room and woke Chantelle and Carlos.  They ran back to the window, with gowns and masks, ready to see their mother.  The nurse signalled that it would be few minutes.  Chantelle was crying, and smiling at the same time.  When Carlos smiled his face hurt because it seemed as though it had been eons since he’d had a reason to smile.  He looked up and said, “Thanks.  I owe you one.”

As soon as the doctor came out of the room, they flew in, both anxious to see for themselves that she was awake.

Looking at her children was all she really needed.  D’Cerner visibly brightened when her children walked into the room.  They wanted to hug her without hurting her and not seeing how, decided to hold her hands instead.  Tears streamed down her face as she tried to talk.  Chantelle started shaking her head, telling her she didn’t need to try to talk, they were fine and she was going to be terrific.

Carlos, back to his usual teasing self, said, “Cookie Lady, it’s about time you woke up.  Were you trying to sleep your life away?”

D’Cerner tried to smile, but it hurt.  Everything hurt.  Although the doctor didn’t explain everything that happened, he did explain to her she had been stabbed, had surgery and she would be sore for a while.  Before she knew it, she had dropped off to sleep again.  Chantelle’s immediate reaction was alarm, until the nurse told her that it was normal.  She suggested they let her sleep and told them she would probably sleep soundly for the next eight to ten hours.

They left the room with lighter hearts than when they arrived light years ago.  They told Cal she had fallen asleep again and what the nurse said.  He convinced them to go home and get some sleep so they could come back, at least looking fresher and not so scared.  When they suggested the same thing to him, he reminded them he had fresh clothes and had arranged to be there.  They left to go after a promise from him to call them if anything changed.

Cal went back to D’Cerner’s room and just sat there at her bedside, watching her sleep.  After an hour of this vigil, the nurse encouraged him to go lie down and get some sleep himself, reminding him he would be no good to D’Cerner or anyone else if he were incapacitated from lack of sleep.

Cal consented to getting some sleep, but before he did, he called Pastor Gibson, and Angela to inform them of the change in D’Cerner’s condition.  They were both elated and promised to be at hospital later that day.  When Cal hung up the phone after talking to Angela, he stretched out on the couch in the waiting room and promptly fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty-seven

When D’Cerner was transferred to her private room a few days later, Cal spent every possible moment with her and sometimes stayed late at night.  He had refused to go home until she was transferred to the private room and by now the staff knew him well enough to know he didn’t care about their rules.  He spent a few hours answering all of her questions about what had happened at the prison since her memory regarding the incident was still a little fuzzy.  He also told her how Tyra, Sarah, Angela and Pastor Gibson had kept a diligent vigil for her and had been at the hospital almost every day. Cal noticed the frown at the mention of her pastor’s name, but he didn’t bother to ask her right it away what it meant.  Whatever the frown was about, Cal didn’t think it was important enough to concern himself for the moment.  His only concern was D’Cerner’s recovery.

D’Cerner didn’t attempt to tell Cal about her pastor’s betrayal. She knew that he wouldn’t like what she had to say.

D’Cerner spent the next eight days in the hospital.  They carefully monitored her reaction from medications and the incision from the surgery.  The kitchen knife that plunged into her chest caused a great deal of damage.  She had severed nerves, muscle tissue, and an arterial damage.  D’Cerner was fortunate that the knife had just missed her lung.  Had it entered from another angle by a matter of a few centimeters, she could have suffered severe respiratory problems from a punctured lung.  She had also suffered a mild concussion, probably from her hitting her head on the floor when she was stabbed.  The doctors also wanted to see an increase in her appetite before removing all the intravenous apparatus.  By the time she started complaining about the food and how much her incision hurt, they knew it was time for her to be released. 

They released her with strict orders to take it easy, care for her wounds, and instructions about her diet.  One of the many tests she had taken revealed her cholesterol level was at a dangerously high level.  Cal was there to take a very tired, but happy D’Cerner home to be with Chantelle and Carlos. 

The next few weeks flew by while she was recuperating.  There was so much to do and so little she could do, in the time that it needed to be done.  So they decided that Cal would make the arrangements for the wedding.  She gave him free reign for everything except choosing the church and the pastor who would perform the ceremony, which she took care of herself.  When he questioned her about who she wanted to perform the ceremony, she had to tell Cal about her pastor’s part in the fiasco that took place that resulted in her being stabbed.  Upon hearing what had happened as well as the part that his own former pastor had played, he conceded to her choice.  She called upon an old friend of hers, Pastor Gregory Thomlinson at Christian Life Center. 

He agreed to come to her house to give them their initial instructions and to do their premarital counselling   After giving Cal the information needed for their marriage license, he was able to apply for and obtain their marriage license without incident.  Due to all of the recent blood testing that both had gone through and with the help of the doctors at the hospital, they were able to get a waiver for the HIV screening counselling required by the state. Since D’Cerner had not been able to make the hearing as originally scheduled, Cal had also contacted the pastors’ council to request a postponement of the hearing until after their wedding which was to take place in September, as soon as D’Cerner had her last examination with the doctor.  The council also granted them additional time for them to take a honeymoon.

D’Cerner felt that all the company that paraded in and out of her house was infringing upon her privacy.   Angela was there every day along with Tyra and Sarah.  Although she knew they meant well, she almost resented them being there so often because it cut into the time she had with Cal.  But she knew they loved her and wanted to help out while she was recuperating.  They took turns bringing food, helping to change bandages, shower, getting dressed, and walking her through the house for exercise.  After awhile, she decided to relax and enjoy their attentions because after all, she thought, she would have the rest of her life with Cal.

For the most part, Cal was so attentive that at first she was a bit nervous with him around so much.  He stopped by in the mornings to have breakfast with her before going to his office and then had lunch delivered every day.  Since some of the church members and her friends usually brought enough dinner for everyone, he ate dinner with her.  Two days a week, he spent time at Dexter House after work, but the other days, he stayed with her until she was ready to go to bed.  Every night before he left, they prayed and he would kiss her on the forehead or her cheek before saying good-night. She thought it was sweet of him to treat her so gently and thoughtfully.  

Their children also managed to spend quite a bit of time together, really getting to know one another.  D’Cerner was pleased they got along so well.  She remembered thinking, one night before falling asleep, that it was going to be so nice to have such a great family around her.  The thought of complete serenity and happiness caused her to smile as she drifted off to sleep thinking about Cal. 

Two weeks before the wedding, Cal became withdrawn and more like his old self than ever before.  He stopped coming for breakfast and dinner and seldom stayed for more than a couple hours in the evening when he did come.  His visits were actually more of a managerial nature than a bedside visit to a love one.  The only thing that seemed to matter to him was the house was running smoothly, and that D’Cerner was sticking to her diet and exercises.  She didn’t even get her little chaste farewell kisses any more before he left.  

D’Cerner tried to attribute the change in his behavior to pre-wedding jitters and didn’t think too much about it, until the night before the wedding.

They had spent the day at the church decorating.  At least the wedding party decorated and D’Cerner supervised.  Cal still didn’t want her attempting to do too much that might cause her any problems. Later that evening, when they had finished the decorating and everyone had time to go home and change, they had the wedding rehearsal.   During the rehearsal Cal seemed aloof, but she refused to let his attitude cause her to stumble into regretfulness.  As attentive as he had been when she first came home, she noticed he barely looked her way and spent more time talking to others than with her. 

Considering the change in his behavior, she was inclined to think he had changed his mind, but then realized that it was just part of his personality.  He was pleasant to everyone while she was recuperating and she had even seen him smile on more than one occasion, but he had never attempted any real intimacy.

The rehearsal dinner became the bookmarker for this chapter of last lonely hours. When they arrived at her house after the dinner, she almost expected a kiss and then remembered how distant he was.  She decided to ask him if he had changed his mind.

“Cal,” she asked hesitating, “Is there something you want to talk about?  Have you changed your mind and don’t know how to tell me?”

“No, I haven’t changed my mind,” he answered sighing.  “And there’s really nothing that we need to talk about.  All the arrangements have been made and we’re getting married tomorrow.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time preparing to take time off and it means making sure that everyone else knows what they’re to do.  I don’t have an assistant director to leave in charge like you do.” 

“Cal, I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more to help, but you insisted that you wanted to take care of everything.”

“D’Cerner, there’s nothing wrong.  I don’t blame you for anything and I know you wanted to help more, but you couldn’t.  I did what needed to be done and that’s that.  Besides it has been a very long day for both of us.  Let’s not argue about this tonight.”

It had been a long day and she thought he might have been as tired as she was.  She decided to leave well enough alone and dropped the conversation.  He saw her into the house and left immediately. 

****

Cal knew that she was wondering what was wrong with him and indeed there was something seriously wrong.  For the first time in many years, he was increasingly aware of how easy it was for being to fall into sin.

Only the two of them really knew why they were getting married—out of obedience, to stop the gossipmongers, and because he really loved her.  He wasn’t sure where she stood on that emotional plain.  He knew that he loved her.  He wasn’t sure yet that he was in love with her.  Everyone else thought it was a love match, but they knew that had they been obedient in the beginning, that much of what had happened could have been avoided.  Cal had taken great pains to explain this to her when she was in the hospital.