Chapter 7 – Wishin' and Hopin'
And so we waited. And waited. And waited. After three days of waiting, I was about as exhausted as you could be every which way possible – physically, mentally and emotionally. About the only thing I had the energy left to do was get dressed and lay by Doralice's bed.
On the fourth day, Bret came to the conclusion that I needed to get up, get cleaned up, and change clothes. I agreed with him. As he started to help me up off the floor, I thought I heard something. I didn't know what, but it was something. He got me to my feet, and we stood there and waited. And I heard it again.
"Don't you hear that, Bret?"
"Nope, Bart, I don't hear a thing."
Now, men ain't supposed to have the greatest hearing in the world, and I know mine's no better than Bret's, but, by God, I heard something. Later on we figured out why I heard it and he didn't, but for now, let's just let it lie. I heard it again and again and again. And then, like an answer from God above, I knew what It was. The sound of someone taking a breath. And there was only one person it could be. Doralice.
For days on end she'd been drawing breath so shallow that you couldn't hear her. But she'd begun to breathe deeper, and I heard her. "Go wake up Simon. Doralice's breathin'."
"You're serious?"
"One hundred percent."
Bret went tearing out of the room and in what seemed like mere seconds, returned, with Simon trailing after him. Simon had his stethoscope with him, and he placed it gently on my beauty's chest. He moved it around to two or three different places, then removed it, and oh so gently placed his ear on her chest. When he was done with that, he stepped back from the bed and got eye-level with her chest. When he finally stood up he looked at me and smiled. "You were right, Bart, it was her breathing. I don't know how, but her heart sounds stronger, too."
"What does that mean, Simon?
"It might not mean a lot, but it could mean she's getting stronger. And if she's getting stronger, then she's got a chance. The next two or three days are gonna be critical. Somebody needs to be with her all the time. I'm gonna go home and get cleaned up, and then I'll be back and I'll recheck her. You're right, Bart; you've been right all along. She's a lot stronger than we gave her credit for being."
I wish I could say that was the end of it; that Doralice was miraculously cured and we had nothin' further to worry about. But, of course, that's not how life goes. Simon left to get cleaned up and Bret went home to his own family. I'm the one that sent him home; he'd spent enough time baby-sittin' me. Speaking of gettin' cleaned up, I asked Lily Mae to sit with Doralice a while so I could wash the
outdoor stink off me and change into clean clothes. I hurried, scared that I would find things had changed back to the way they were before I could see her breathin'. They hadn't; and when Lily Mae went back to the kitchen I asked her to fix me something to eat. I couldn't remember when I'd last had a meal.
In just a few short minutes Lily brought me a plate of eggs, potatoes and bacon, with toast on the side, and a tall mug of coffee. I wolfed it down like there was no tomorrow and cleaned the plate, and I wish you could have seen the smile I got when Lily came back for the dishes. She'd just picked up the plates when Doralice coughed, a petite little sound, but it made both of us jump when we heard it. It was the first time she'd made any kind of sound other than breathing, and we were both thrilled.
Soon after that Simon returned and began his re-examination. When he was finished he asked me to come into the hall with him so we could talk. Lily Mae came back in to sit with blue-eyes.
"She's definitely getting stronger," he pronounced. "That does not mean that she's anywhere near well, or even well-enough at this point. She has improved, and I would imagine that if she keeps going at this pace she should regain consciousness some time in the next several days. You're gonna have a long haul ahead of you, Bart. It's gonna be quite a while before she is strong enough to be the woman she was before . . . if she ever is. We just have to wait and see. Be patient. She's going to be as frustrated as you are. But she's alive, and that's something I never expected. You got a miracle, my friend; don't ever take it for granted. I'll be by this evening to see how she's doing."
And with that, Simon was gone.
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For the next few days that's the way it went. Simon came, examined Doralice, had a cup of coffee while we chatted, and came by for a few minutes in the evening to see if there was any change. And then, one morning, he pulled me aside. "There's something going on in her chest. I'm not sure what, but there's sounds we didn't have before, including a stronger heartbeat. And her breathing isn't as shallow as it was. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to get here one morning and find her talking to you. Let's hope that's what happens."
And it did. Not quite that way, but close. I was sittin' by her bed and I'd fallen asleep. I woke up when I heard Simon and I looked over where she lay . . . and her eyes were open. She wasn't moving and I was afraid to say anything. I checked and she was breathing, and I quietly called her. "Doralice. Doralice honey, it's Bart. Can you hear me?"
Her head turned ever slightly towards me and she blinked. I'll never forget that for the rest of my life. Right about then Simon arrived and I was whoopin' and hollerin' all the way to the door to greet him.I think I kissed him, in my excitement. I know I was babbling like a crazy man – how he ever figured out what I was tryin' to tell him, I'll never know. But he did, and he followed me back to the bed, where he ran a very thorough exam of my beloved. And when he was finished, he announced that not only was she awake, but her heart sounded better than it had for days on end.
I'd made so much noise when I first saw her eyes that the twins and Beauregard came running. They were the only ones up, and they were afraid that their momma had didn't take them long to wake everybody in the house up, and they were all there gawking over the bed at my angel.
I brought her some water, because I knew she was gonna need it. As soon as she'd had enough I waited to see how fast she would ask for Tim. It didn't take too long before I heard the question, "My baby?" It was barely a whisper, but I knew exactly what she meant, and brought him to her. That was the most beautiful sight I'd seen, with her suckling him surrounded by our five other babies. I went out back in the tall grass and got down on my knees and thanked God for the miracle he'd given us. I figured right then I must be the luckiest man alive.
