MY GIFT YOU IS IS A STORY ABOUT A MOTHER'S LOVE FOR HER DAUGHTER. If you enjoyed it please send me an email at [email protected]
MY GIFT TO YOU
"Mom, I'm at Cambridge Memorial with the boys. "Michael's voice cracked through the telephone line.
"What wrong? Are they alright?" Lisa sensed from the tone of his voice that this wasn't anything that would be fixed with a few stitches.
"The boys are fine. We were kicking a ball around at the park when Marcy collapsed."
"What happened? Fear attacked Lisa's chest as she listened to her son-in-law.
"I don't know. The doctors are with her now." Michael paused and took a deep breath before he spoke. "Can you come and help me with the boys?"
"We're leaving now." Bill had heard pieces of Lisa's conversation and hurried to stand beside her. Lisa's hands were noticeable shaking when she hung up the receiver and tears threatened her eyes. Anytime, she received a call letting her know someone had to be rushed to the hospital she always over-reacted. The last time, Justin, her grandson had to have stitches she cried until they got him back home.
"We have to get to the hospital. Something happened to Marcy." Without a word, Bill reached for the keys on the rack beside the door and raced outside.
The ten-minute drive to the hospital took forever.
"That girl works too hard without ever taking a break. She probably fell down from exhaustion." Bill patted his wife's hand. Lisa knew he was trying to make her feel better but she could see fear in his eyes.
"Michael sounded terrified."
"Michael freaks out over the littlest things when it concerns his family. Marcy is probably sitting up waiting for us to get there."
"I hope so." Lisa sighed.
#####
Lisa looked around the waiting room for Michael, when she didn't see him she approached the nurse's station. She gave her name and a short rotund little nurse jumped up and rushed out to them. She led them down a dimly lit hallway to where Michael sat in a secluded reception area that had two chairs and a toy box.
Herding them into a small office, the nurse lifted David from Michael's arms.
"The Doctor will be right in. I'll keep the children out here until you're done." David twisted his tiny body until he freed himself from her, and then ran to play with a red truck. Justin sat in one of the chairs staring intently at them through a large window that ran along the wall of the office.
No sooner were they sitting when, Dr. Bascombe entered the room. Lisa felt ill when he looked at all of them before he spoke.
Marcy had a heart attack." He directed his comment to Michael.
"She's thirty-two how in the hell can she have a heart attack?" Michael yelled. Lisa patted his hand and he looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"Please excuse us but this is difficult for all of us. Marcy has always been healthy so, it's hard for us to understand how this could be happening." Lisa interrupted her son-in-law hoping to calm him down.
"Is this something that we can treat?" Bill spoke up this time. Dr. Bascombe glanced away for a moment before he answered.
"The reason, I waited for you Mr. and Mrs. Lansing is because this is more serious than expected. Marcy's heart suffered permanent damage. Her only chance of survival is if a donor match can be found."
"How long can she wait for a donor?" Bill asked.
"Five. Seven days if we're lucky."
"How soon can we find a donor?" Michael looked out at the boys sitting playing a card game with the volunteer. They can't lose their mother. David is only three and Justin's eleven. They aren't ready to be raised without a mother. I'm not ready to live without her." Michael whispered almost as an afterthought.
"I'm not going to give you any false hope. Marcy's blood type is rare, finding a match won't be easy."
"She has the same type as me." Lisa felt like her world had slammed to a sudden halt. Her body had gone numb, void of all feeling. Her mind became shrouded in a fog that clouded her thoughts. She turned to Bill who openly cried. She wanted to reach out and comfort him but her arms felt like weights had been tied to them. In what seemed like slow motion, she turned to Michael. Hunched over, he gripped his head in his hands, crying as well. I'm dreaming. This can't be happening. Lisa thought.
Dr. Bascombe sat across from them. His lips moved but, his words dragged on in a dull drone. Lisa heard all she needed from him. Her daughter would die leaving poor Justin and David, innocent children without a mother. How could she ever fill in for her daughter?
Lisa turned to the large window where Justin, her grandson stood with his face pressed to the glass. Tears streamed down his cheeks while he tightly clenched his little brother's hand in his. She knew he could sense life wouldn't be the same after today. He was too smart not to pick up on his family's emotions. Sweet David, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation mocked his older brother by pushing his innocent little face against the pane.
Turning back to the doctor, Lisa forced herself to focus on what he had been saying.
"Are you sure she won't recover from this?" The reality of her daughter lying in her death- bed living out her final hours was hard for her mind to absorb. A young woman once so full of life who showed no signs of a failing heart was dying.
"She's on life support right now but eventually she will lapse into a coma." An ache stabbed in Lisa's strong heart and as its beat pounded in her ears, she knew what she had to do.
Lisa glanced over at her two grandsons and her resolution sealed tightly in her own heart. There would be no turning back. She had to do it for the children. They would need her to follow through with this. The idea of having to watch two young boys mourn their mother's death at such tender years was too much for her to grasp. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the children. Justin's eyes suddenly locked with hers. With the back of his hand, he wiped at the tears that stained his cheeks, and hope lit up his face. Justin squeezed David's tiny hand in his and when, David looked up, he smiled down at him. It was like, an understanding formed between Justin and his Grandmother that she could somehow magically make everything better for them.
Dr. Bascombe." Lisa's voice was so direct and strong that everyone in the room turned to her.
"I have to say good-bye to my daughter. I have a gift I need to give her." Lisa clutched a golden heart shape pendant that Bill had given her on their first anniversary.
####
"My gift to you is my heart. I will love you forever." Lisa slipped the pendant into her daughter's hand and kissed her. "Don't worry about a thing, my child." Lisa rubbed Marcy's forehead.
"We must think about Justin and David." Lisa smiled at Justin who sat on the other side of the bed holding his mother's hand. Little David played in the corner with a few cars he took from the toy box earlier. When he noticed everyone looking his way, he waved at them and gave a big smile.
The evening sped by with Lisa keeping the conversation going by reminiscing about happy events that passed through their live. It was like, Marcy had been sleeping and Lisa felt at peace when she gave her a final kiss.
"It's late, Michael you need to get the children to bed. We all have to be here early in the morning."
With final kisses and hugs, Lisa let Bill take her home, where she would have to persuade him to follow with her plan.
She would be clear in her letter to the Doctor as to where her heart would belong.
####
"Lisa we will get through this." Bill took his wife's hand. "Her name is top of the list." He reminded Lisa, but the sadden look in her eyes told him a different story.
"Bill, you know it will be impossible for a match to be found in time." Lisa sat on the couch and patted the seat beside her for him to sit.
"You can't do this." Bill rushed to her and held her in his arms. He figured it out in the Doctor's office when she told him she had a gift for Marcy. He loved his daughter but he also loved his wife of forty years.
Lisa turned to him, and held his hand.
"You are the love of my life, my life line." She kissed his hand. "But you know I have to do this, for the children."
"I can't lose you." Bill openly cried. "How will I get by without you by my side."
"You have to be strong for the boys, and Marcy will need you." She smiled tenderly at him.
"How do you intend to do this?" Bill's chest ached with pain and when Lisa stood up and went to the bathroom, he followed her and watched as she reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills.
"This is crazy." Bill stood shaking his head. "I can't let you do this." He moaned.
"No, what is crazy is Marcy's heart failing on her." Lisa called out.
"Lisa, please don't." Bill begged but knew she wouldn't change her mind.
"You know I have to do this." She gripped the bottle and hugged her husband. "Please help me write a letter to Dr. Branscombe and Lisa." She took his hand and led him to the kitchen.
An hour later, Bill lay in their bed where he held his love as she fell asleep for the last time.
######
The air was warm as Justin stood by the grave. The scent of dirt filled his nostrils. He would never forget the feeling that washed through him that horrible day at the hospital when his Grandmother smiled at him. He didn't think he would ever feel that much love from a single look again. He watched his Grandfather cradling his little brother in his arms as his eyes followed the coffin being lowered. He thought his Grandpa was brave and wondered if he missed her very much.
One day when David was old enough Justin would tell him stories about a hero he once knew. A hero who gave up everything she had for them.
Justin didn't understand how his Grandmother passed away in her sleep that night. He did value the fact his mother got well after that and now lives because of Grandma's gift to her. Every time he looked at his mother he would be reminded of his Grandmother.
Justin gave his mother a hug then went and took hold of his Grandfather's hand.
"Thank you for your gift Grandma." Justin whispered and a silent tear slid down his Grandfather's cheek.
The End
By Lea Gallagher
MY GIFT TO YOU
"Mom, I'm at Cambridge Memorial with the boys. "Michael's voice cracked through the telephone line.
"What wrong? Are they alright?" Lisa sensed from the tone of his voice that this wasn't anything that would be fixed with a few stitches.
"The boys are fine. We were kicking a ball around at the park when Marcy collapsed."
"What happened? Fear attacked Lisa's chest as she listened to her son-in-law.
"I don't know. The doctors are with her now." Michael paused and took a deep breath before he spoke. "Can you come and help me with the boys?"
"We're leaving now." Bill had heard pieces of Lisa's conversation and hurried to stand beside her. Lisa's hands were noticeable shaking when she hung up the receiver and tears threatened her eyes. Anytime, she received a call letting her know someone had to be rushed to the hospital she always over-reacted. The last time, Justin, her grandson had to have stitches she cried until they got him back home.
"We have to get to the hospital. Something happened to Marcy." Without a word, Bill reached for the keys on the rack beside the door and raced outside.
The ten-minute drive to the hospital took forever.
"That girl works too hard without ever taking a break. She probably fell down from exhaustion." Bill patted his wife's hand. Lisa knew he was trying to make her feel better but she could see fear in his eyes.
"Michael sounded terrified."
"Michael freaks out over the littlest things when it concerns his family. Marcy is probably sitting up waiting for us to get there."
"I hope so." Lisa sighed.
#####
Lisa looked around the waiting room for Michael, when she didn't see him she approached the nurse's station. She gave her name and a short rotund little nurse jumped up and rushed out to them. She led them down a dimly lit hallway to where Michael sat in a secluded reception area that had two chairs and a toy box.
Herding them into a small office, the nurse lifted David from Michael's arms.
"The Doctor will be right in. I'll keep the children out here until you're done." David twisted his tiny body until he freed himself from her, and then ran to play with a red truck. Justin sat in one of the chairs staring intently at them through a large window that ran along the wall of the office.
No sooner were they sitting when, Dr. Bascombe entered the room. Lisa felt ill when he looked at all of them before he spoke.
Marcy had a heart attack." He directed his comment to Michael.
"She's thirty-two how in the hell can she have a heart attack?" Michael yelled. Lisa patted his hand and he looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"Please excuse us but this is difficult for all of us. Marcy has always been healthy so, it's hard for us to understand how this could be happening." Lisa interrupted her son-in-law hoping to calm him down.
"Is this something that we can treat?" Bill spoke up this time. Dr. Bascombe glanced away for a moment before he answered.
"The reason, I waited for you Mr. and Mrs. Lansing is because this is more serious than expected. Marcy's heart suffered permanent damage. Her only chance of survival is if a donor match can be found."
"How long can she wait for a donor?" Bill asked.
"Five. Seven days if we're lucky."
"How soon can we find a donor?" Michael looked out at the boys sitting playing a card game with the volunteer. They can't lose their mother. David is only three and Justin's eleven. They aren't ready to be raised without a mother. I'm not ready to live without her." Michael whispered almost as an afterthought.
"I'm not going to give you any false hope. Marcy's blood type is rare, finding a match won't be easy."
"She has the same type as me." Lisa felt like her world had slammed to a sudden halt. Her body had gone numb, void of all feeling. Her mind became shrouded in a fog that clouded her thoughts. She turned to Bill who openly cried. She wanted to reach out and comfort him but her arms felt like weights had been tied to them. In what seemed like slow motion, she turned to Michael. Hunched over, he gripped his head in his hands, crying as well. I'm dreaming. This can't be happening. Lisa thought.
Dr. Bascombe sat across from them. His lips moved but, his words dragged on in a dull drone. Lisa heard all she needed from him. Her daughter would die leaving poor Justin and David, innocent children without a mother. How could she ever fill in for her daughter?
Lisa turned to the large window where Justin, her grandson stood with his face pressed to the glass. Tears streamed down his cheeks while he tightly clenched his little brother's hand in his. She knew he could sense life wouldn't be the same after today. He was too smart not to pick up on his family's emotions. Sweet David, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation mocked his older brother by pushing his innocent little face against the pane.
Turning back to the doctor, Lisa forced herself to focus on what he had been saying.
"Are you sure she won't recover from this?" The reality of her daughter lying in her death- bed living out her final hours was hard for her mind to absorb. A young woman once so full of life who showed no signs of a failing heart was dying.
"She's on life support right now but eventually she will lapse into a coma." An ache stabbed in Lisa's strong heart and as its beat pounded in her ears, she knew what she had to do.
Lisa glanced over at her two grandsons and her resolution sealed tightly in her own heart. There would be no turning back. She had to do it for the children. They would need her to follow through with this. The idea of having to watch two young boys mourn their mother's death at such tender years was too much for her to grasp. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the children. Justin's eyes suddenly locked with hers. With the back of his hand, he wiped at the tears that stained his cheeks, and hope lit up his face. Justin squeezed David's tiny hand in his and when, David looked up, he smiled down at him. It was like, an understanding formed between Justin and his Grandmother that she could somehow magically make everything better for them.
Dr. Bascombe." Lisa's voice was so direct and strong that everyone in the room turned to her.
"I have to say good-bye to my daughter. I have a gift I need to give her." Lisa clutched a golden heart shape pendant that Bill had given her on their first anniversary.
####
"My gift to you is my heart. I will love you forever." Lisa slipped the pendant into her daughter's hand and kissed her. "Don't worry about a thing, my child." Lisa rubbed Marcy's forehead.
"We must think about Justin and David." Lisa smiled at Justin who sat on the other side of the bed holding his mother's hand. Little David played in the corner with a few cars he took from the toy box earlier. When he noticed everyone looking his way, he waved at them and gave a big smile.
The evening sped by with Lisa keeping the conversation going by reminiscing about happy events that passed through their live. It was like, Marcy had been sleeping and Lisa felt at peace when she gave her a final kiss.
"It's late, Michael you need to get the children to bed. We all have to be here early in the morning."
With final kisses and hugs, Lisa let Bill take her home, where she would have to persuade him to follow with her plan.
She would be clear in her letter to the Doctor as to where her heart would belong.
####
"Lisa we will get through this." Bill took his wife's hand. "Her name is top of the list." He reminded Lisa, but the sadden look in her eyes told him a different story.
"Bill, you know it will be impossible for a match to be found in time." Lisa sat on the couch and patted the seat beside her for him to sit.
"You can't do this." Bill rushed to her and held her in his arms. He figured it out in the Doctor's office when she told him she had a gift for Marcy. He loved his daughter but he also loved his wife of forty years.
Lisa turned to him, and held his hand.
"You are the love of my life, my life line." She kissed his hand. "But you know I have to do this, for the children."
"I can't lose you." Bill openly cried. "How will I get by without you by my side."
"You have to be strong for the boys, and Marcy will need you." She smiled tenderly at him.
"How do you intend to do this?" Bill's chest ached with pain and when Lisa stood up and went to the bathroom, he followed her and watched as she reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills.
"This is crazy." Bill stood shaking his head. "I can't let you do this." He moaned.
"No, what is crazy is Marcy's heart failing on her." Lisa called out.
"Lisa, please don't." Bill begged but knew she wouldn't change her mind.
"You know I have to do this." She gripped the bottle and hugged her husband. "Please help me write a letter to Dr. Branscombe and Lisa." She took his hand and led him to the kitchen.
An hour later, Bill lay in their bed where he held his love as she fell asleep for the last time.
######
The air was warm as Justin stood by the grave. The scent of dirt filled his nostrils. He would never forget the feeling that washed through him that horrible day at the hospital when his Grandmother smiled at him. He didn't think he would ever feel that much love from a single look again. He watched his Grandfather cradling his little brother in his arms as his eyes followed the coffin being lowered. He thought his Grandpa was brave and wondered if he missed her very much.
One day when David was old enough Justin would tell him stories about a hero he once knew. A hero who gave up everything she had for them.
Justin didn't understand how his Grandmother passed away in her sleep that night. He did value the fact his mother got well after that and now lives because of Grandma's gift to her. Every time he looked at his mother he would be reminded of his Grandmother.
Justin gave his mother a hug then went and took hold of his Grandfather's hand.
"Thank you for your gift Grandma." Justin whispered and a silent tear slid down his Grandfather's cheek.
The End
By Lea Gallagher