Chapter 5: Waiting for a Miracle
The squeak of her sneakers sounded against the well-polished tiled floors of the hospital as she rushed into the waiting room scouring for Andy. She appeared to have just bounced out of bed. Her long wool coat flapped open over her blue cloud printed flannel pajamas. Her uncombed hair was tied back into a ponytail. It was the first time Andy had seen her without makeup. But there was something naturally radiant about her even without the use of cosmetics. When she bolted into the room, everyone looked up expecting the doctor to appear with good news. She found the Abbott's and the Harper's scattered wearily around the room. Bright was staring blankly at the ceiling. Colin comforted Amy in his arms. Harold and Rose were quietly whispering words to each other. Edna rested her check on Irv's shoulder. It was the most depressing scene she had ever seen.
She spotted Andy sitting on a sofa with Delia leaning her head against a pillow fast asleep.
"I came as quickly as I could. I had to drop off Sam at my parent's." She said taking a seat next to Andy. "How long?"
"They wheeled him in about an hour ago. The surgery was scheduled for the morning but he couldn't wait." Andy's hands convulsed as he covered his eyes. "The pain was so bad that they had to do the synthetic graft immediately."
"Poor Ephram." She consoled.
"He and Delia are all I have. I can't lose him, Nina. I can't." Everyone looked up hearing Andy's audible sob.
"Ephram's a strong kid. You know that. You won't lose him."
"I would give anything to trade places with him right now. He doesn't deserve this." He got up and walked to the window. Nina followed. Andy could not play the strong person in front of all his friends any longer. He burst into a fit of passionate tears. Nina hugged him tightly. It seemed the more everyone comforted Andy, the more he cried.
Andy never knew the true meaning of loss until he lost his wife. The despair and loneliness swallowed him. It seemed no one could save him from the solitude no matter how many friends, colleagues, and relatives came up to give their condolences at the funeral. The person he was supposed to be the closest to had been taken away from him forever. He couldn't face life alone. He watched Julia's life slip thru his fingers like grains of sand. He was reliving the same nightmare except this time it was with Ephram.
He didn't know Ephram nearly as well as Julia. It wasn't fair that his second chance at being a father was unjustly being robbed from him. He wanted to understand his son - to know what he liked and disliked - to build fond memories. There weren't enough of those. He wanted to be able to know Ephram the way Julia had. Ephram was irreplaceable.
* All the movement woke Delia. She sat up and started bawling. She had hoped it was all just a bad dream and that she was really tucked in her bed at home with Ephram fast asleep down the hall safe and well. But it wasn't. Her big brother was helplessly being sliced open in the operating room.
"I want Ephram!!" She screamed in such violent sobs that tugged the hearts of all those in the room. Andy took her in his arms. "Daddy, I want Ephram!!" She hollered weeping.
"OK sweetie. It's ok." Andy hushed smoothing her hair.
Delia was only eight years old but she knew what was happening. People tend to underestimate her mentality. Of course she didn't understand all the medical terms but she knew her brother was very sick and there was a possibility that he won't make it thru the night. She was smart enough to figure that out. No one had to inform her. Ephram was one of the two important men in her life. She always put her brother on a pedestal - sometimes even more so than her father. But she often kept that part to herself. She looked up to Ephram and he gave her the attention and understanding she needed when their father wasn't around. It was incomprehensible that Ephram could die.
She remembered the first time Ephram took her to the movies - just the two of them. Delia was so excited she couldn't sleep the night before. The movie was 'Shrek' at the Cineplex on 84th Street and Broadway. She vaguely remembered the content of the movie but she never could forget the fun she had that day just being with her brother and their secret splurge on popcorn, soda and candy bound together by a pinky-swear never to tell mom. Above all, she never forgot the Junior Mints. Ephram had bought her a box of Junior Mints. Delia was reluctant to try them because she had never tasted one before, but Ephram convinced her it was good stuff. Ephram poured a couple into her small hands and watched her popped them into her mouth. She gave her brother a big chocolatey grin. It's been her favorite candy ever since.
"Ephram." Delia wailed. "I want to see Ephram."
"Baby - me too." Andy whispered thru closed eyes.
* This was like Colin all over again. She never thought it possible that anything life threatening can ever happen to someone else she cared so deeply about. Colin's life was saved and now Ephram's life was in danger. He's been sick all this time and she unknowingly abandoned him completely. She shouldn't have treated him so cruelly. If only she tried to understand him instead of constantly pushing him away maybe he would have told her his secret. He wouldn't have to go thru it alone. She felt unbearably guilty.
"Dad says the patient has a 50/50 chance of surviving an emergency aneurysm surgery." Amy's voice trembled as she spoke to Colin.
"You believe in odds? They said I didn't have a chance in hell of recovering and look at me now." Colin replied. "I know your dad is a doctor and everything, but I totally refuse to believe in odds. Ephram will prevail."
"I feel so bad." Amy said. "Ephram must be in so much pain."
"He was. You should've seen him at the clinic."
Amy started to cry. Her tears streamed down her face. "Maybe if I wasn't so mean to him." She sobbed.
"Grover." Colin said calling her by the nickname he had given her years ago. He kissed her hair.
"It wasn't you that was mean to him. I was the relentless one." Bright suddenly spoke. "I've been giving the kid a hard time from the start. It wasn't fair."
"I can't believe he didn't tell anyone all these months." Amy wiped her tears with her sleeve. "It must've been so hard for him to manage. Were we so caught up in ourselves that we didn't we see it?"
"He's got to be alright. We've got to make it up to him." Bright heaved.
* "Andy, I know we've never seen eye-to-eye on many things but I just wanted you to know if there's anything I can do, just say it." Dr. Harold Abbott offered putting his hand on Andy's shoulder.
"Thanks Harold." Andy replied.
"I can't imagine what you're going thru. I know if anything happened to Amy or Bright, I would be devastated."
"Look, it's getting really late. Bring your family home. They look tired."
"I don't think they want to leave." Harold spoke for everyone.
After a few hours, Andy persuaded the Abbott's, the Harper's, and Colin to go home. Nina refused to leave Andy's side. Delia had cried herself to sleep once again. Andy and Nina talked, prayed, held hands, cried, and eventually dozed off from pure exhaustion. The soft jingling of a phone in the distant woke Andy from his perturbed sleep. Rubbing his stiff neck, he looked out the window and noticed the sky was still dark. The ticking clock on the wall showed it was 3:50AM. Ephram had been in surgery for nearly five hours. He was getting nervous.
It was precisely 4:32AM, when news finally arrived.
Dr. Benjamin Horowitz was the head surgeon involved in Ephram's operation. He came down from cardiology still in his blue sweat soaked scrubs to tell Andy the good news.
The surgeon announced to Andy that Ephram made it thru surgery and was moved back to intensive care. He clarified that just because Ephram made it thru the surgery does not necessarily mean he was out of the woods yet. But Andy was so grateful for any bit of good news he nearly kissed Dr. Horowitz.
* end of chapter 5 *
The squeak of her sneakers sounded against the well-polished tiled floors of the hospital as she rushed into the waiting room scouring for Andy. She appeared to have just bounced out of bed. Her long wool coat flapped open over her blue cloud printed flannel pajamas. Her uncombed hair was tied back into a ponytail. It was the first time Andy had seen her without makeup. But there was something naturally radiant about her even without the use of cosmetics. When she bolted into the room, everyone looked up expecting the doctor to appear with good news. She found the Abbott's and the Harper's scattered wearily around the room. Bright was staring blankly at the ceiling. Colin comforted Amy in his arms. Harold and Rose were quietly whispering words to each other. Edna rested her check on Irv's shoulder. It was the most depressing scene she had ever seen.
She spotted Andy sitting on a sofa with Delia leaning her head against a pillow fast asleep.
"I came as quickly as I could. I had to drop off Sam at my parent's." She said taking a seat next to Andy. "How long?"
"They wheeled him in about an hour ago. The surgery was scheduled for the morning but he couldn't wait." Andy's hands convulsed as he covered his eyes. "The pain was so bad that they had to do the synthetic graft immediately."
"Poor Ephram." She consoled.
"He and Delia are all I have. I can't lose him, Nina. I can't." Everyone looked up hearing Andy's audible sob.
"Ephram's a strong kid. You know that. You won't lose him."
"I would give anything to trade places with him right now. He doesn't deserve this." He got up and walked to the window. Nina followed. Andy could not play the strong person in front of all his friends any longer. He burst into a fit of passionate tears. Nina hugged him tightly. It seemed the more everyone comforted Andy, the more he cried.
Andy never knew the true meaning of loss until he lost his wife. The despair and loneliness swallowed him. It seemed no one could save him from the solitude no matter how many friends, colleagues, and relatives came up to give their condolences at the funeral. The person he was supposed to be the closest to had been taken away from him forever. He couldn't face life alone. He watched Julia's life slip thru his fingers like grains of sand. He was reliving the same nightmare except this time it was with Ephram.
He didn't know Ephram nearly as well as Julia. It wasn't fair that his second chance at being a father was unjustly being robbed from him. He wanted to understand his son - to know what he liked and disliked - to build fond memories. There weren't enough of those. He wanted to be able to know Ephram the way Julia had. Ephram was irreplaceable.
* All the movement woke Delia. She sat up and started bawling. She had hoped it was all just a bad dream and that she was really tucked in her bed at home with Ephram fast asleep down the hall safe and well. But it wasn't. Her big brother was helplessly being sliced open in the operating room.
"I want Ephram!!" She screamed in such violent sobs that tugged the hearts of all those in the room. Andy took her in his arms. "Daddy, I want Ephram!!" She hollered weeping.
"OK sweetie. It's ok." Andy hushed smoothing her hair.
Delia was only eight years old but she knew what was happening. People tend to underestimate her mentality. Of course she didn't understand all the medical terms but she knew her brother was very sick and there was a possibility that he won't make it thru the night. She was smart enough to figure that out. No one had to inform her. Ephram was one of the two important men in her life. She always put her brother on a pedestal - sometimes even more so than her father. But she often kept that part to herself. She looked up to Ephram and he gave her the attention and understanding she needed when their father wasn't around. It was incomprehensible that Ephram could die.
She remembered the first time Ephram took her to the movies - just the two of them. Delia was so excited she couldn't sleep the night before. The movie was 'Shrek' at the Cineplex on 84th Street and Broadway. She vaguely remembered the content of the movie but she never could forget the fun she had that day just being with her brother and their secret splurge on popcorn, soda and candy bound together by a pinky-swear never to tell mom. Above all, she never forgot the Junior Mints. Ephram had bought her a box of Junior Mints. Delia was reluctant to try them because she had never tasted one before, but Ephram convinced her it was good stuff. Ephram poured a couple into her small hands and watched her popped them into her mouth. She gave her brother a big chocolatey grin. It's been her favorite candy ever since.
"Ephram." Delia wailed. "I want to see Ephram."
"Baby - me too." Andy whispered thru closed eyes.
* This was like Colin all over again. She never thought it possible that anything life threatening can ever happen to someone else she cared so deeply about. Colin's life was saved and now Ephram's life was in danger. He's been sick all this time and she unknowingly abandoned him completely. She shouldn't have treated him so cruelly. If only she tried to understand him instead of constantly pushing him away maybe he would have told her his secret. He wouldn't have to go thru it alone. She felt unbearably guilty.
"Dad says the patient has a 50/50 chance of surviving an emergency aneurysm surgery." Amy's voice trembled as she spoke to Colin.
"You believe in odds? They said I didn't have a chance in hell of recovering and look at me now." Colin replied. "I know your dad is a doctor and everything, but I totally refuse to believe in odds. Ephram will prevail."
"I feel so bad." Amy said. "Ephram must be in so much pain."
"He was. You should've seen him at the clinic."
Amy started to cry. Her tears streamed down her face. "Maybe if I wasn't so mean to him." She sobbed.
"Grover." Colin said calling her by the nickname he had given her years ago. He kissed her hair.
"It wasn't you that was mean to him. I was the relentless one." Bright suddenly spoke. "I've been giving the kid a hard time from the start. It wasn't fair."
"I can't believe he didn't tell anyone all these months." Amy wiped her tears with her sleeve. "It must've been so hard for him to manage. Were we so caught up in ourselves that we didn't we see it?"
"He's got to be alright. We've got to make it up to him." Bright heaved.
* "Andy, I know we've never seen eye-to-eye on many things but I just wanted you to know if there's anything I can do, just say it." Dr. Harold Abbott offered putting his hand on Andy's shoulder.
"Thanks Harold." Andy replied.
"I can't imagine what you're going thru. I know if anything happened to Amy or Bright, I would be devastated."
"Look, it's getting really late. Bring your family home. They look tired."
"I don't think they want to leave." Harold spoke for everyone.
After a few hours, Andy persuaded the Abbott's, the Harper's, and Colin to go home. Nina refused to leave Andy's side. Delia had cried herself to sleep once again. Andy and Nina talked, prayed, held hands, cried, and eventually dozed off from pure exhaustion. The soft jingling of a phone in the distant woke Andy from his perturbed sleep. Rubbing his stiff neck, he looked out the window and noticed the sky was still dark. The ticking clock on the wall showed it was 3:50AM. Ephram had been in surgery for nearly five hours. He was getting nervous.
It was precisely 4:32AM, when news finally arrived.
Dr. Benjamin Horowitz was the head surgeon involved in Ephram's operation. He came down from cardiology still in his blue sweat soaked scrubs to tell Andy the good news.
The surgeon announced to Andy that Ephram made it thru surgery and was moved back to intensive care. He clarified that just because Ephram made it thru the surgery does not necessarily mean he was out of the woods yet. But Andy was so grateful for any bit of good news he nearly kissed Dr. Horowitz.
* end of chapter 5 *