His mind was in a whirl as he remembered the doctor’s words: “Your wife has been poisoned….” Tears streamed down his face. He had no idea how the doctor knew, but he saw how determined and confident she was, and he didn’t dare question her.
The ER staff was waiting for the ambulance when they arrived, and Eve was rushed into the emergency room. Julian was forced to stay outside. A nurse stayed with him, trying to calm him down as he frantically paced back and forth, clearly distraught.
“They are doing everything they can for your wife and child, Mr. Crane. The best thing you can do is pray for them,” she said gently.
His face stained with tears, his eyes bloodshot, his clothes disheveled, Julian looked every bit as distraught as he felt. His heart was breaking; he had no idea what the doctor had meant. How could Eve have been poisoned? With what? His mind was a blur as he frantically tried to think of what could have happened and who would have done such a thing. He paced back and forth for nearly an hour before the doctor came to see him.
“Mr. Crane…” She spoke slowly. “I’m Dr. Tracy Moore.”
“Are Eve and the baby all right? Are they going to be OK?” Fresh tears streamed down his cheeks.
“The baby was in serious distress; we had to do an emergency C-section. By the grace of God, your son is alive. He is in our SCBU right now. He is getting the best care possible, Mr. Crane. He is premature and needs help breathing. So far he is doing fine,” she explained.
“What about Eve? How is Eve?” His voice broke.
“Your wife has lapsed into a coma. She is in critical condition.”
“No….” he cried as he tried to get past her to get to Eve.
“Mr. Crane,” she said quickly as she held him off, “you can’t go in there. Please, we are doing everything possible to save your wife. If you go in there, you will only make things worse.”
Julian sobbed uncontrollably as he sank to the floor near the door. “Oh, Eve, my sweet Eve...”
Dr. Moore knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder as she tried to comfort him. “Mr. Crane, we managed to stabilize your wife, but her condition is still critical. The symptoms she had are consistent with poisoning. You said earlier that she drank champagne and a little water and got cramps about half an hour later, right?”
He nodded his head numbly.
“If it was the water or the champagne, she did get the symptoms rather early. Usually you only notice about two hours later, which in this case, I believe, would have been too late for the baby.”
“You said she was poisoned; how do you know she was poisoned?” Julian asked, bewildered.
Dr. Moore helped him to his feet and led him to a private waiting room and offered him a seat. “Do you believe in God, Mr. Crane?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said as he wiped his face, his voice still shaking with grief.
“Well, my belief in God goes beyond just believing. It may be politically incorrect or unprofessional, or even strange, but when I came into your hotel room and saw you wife, I immediately perceived in my heart what was wrong with her. God intervened on your wife and child’s behalf, Mr. Crane. Whatever went down at that hotel, God has seen fit that it fails.”
Julian was blown away. “What? Are you for real? God told you my wife was poisoned?” He almost laughed.
“Mr. Crane, I couldn’t possibly have known what was wrong with your wife. We might not have found the problem until it was too late. You would have lost the baby. I don’t know why, but God has his finger on your life as well as your wife’s and child’s lives.”
Julian sat back. He didn’t know what to say. Dr. Moore seemed so sincere and honest, he couldn’t help but believe her. “Please tell me she will be all right.” He begged for any positive words.
“We just have to wait and see. We are doing everything we can to rid her body of the poison; the rest is up to Eve…and to God.” Dr. Moore smiled as she reached out and gently touched his arm. “I really believe she will make it through this, Mr. Crane. We are all praying for her.”
“Thank you,” Julian said as fresh tears sprang into his eyes. He couldn’t understand why, but the thought of a total stranger caring so much about what happened to him and his family really touched him. “I will do anything…bring in the best doctors money can buy…whatever it takes to save my wife.”
“Mr. Crane, you already have the best physician on your side.” She pointed skyward. “You can’t get any better than that.”
Julian swallowed hard. The woman had deep religious convictions. He was not about to argue with her. “Do you have any idea what kind of poison it was, or where it might have come from?” he asked.
“We are still running tests just to be positive, but I believe we are dealing with arsenic,” she replied.
“How…?” Julian stopped when she smiled. He knew what her reply was going to be, so he left the question hang. “Can I see her?” he asked hopefully.
“Not just yet. But you can see your son.” She smiled.
His heart leaped. “My son….” he said and then got up and followed her.
Julian was given a blue hospital gown and cap. Once he had dressed in them, a nurse took him into the SCBU to see his son. As he entered the room and approached the incubator with ‘Baby Crane’ written on the side of it, a whooshing sound came from a device that was attached to the baby.
The nurse explained that he needed assistance in breathing because he was still so young and his lungs were not fully developed. She assured Julian that in spite of this, he could still hold the baby.
Julian stepped closer and peered into the tiny incubator. His heart almost stopped as he looked down at the tiny baby. He was naked other than his diaper, and tubes were running from his nose to the breathing device.
With his golden brown skin and his dark hair, he was a tiny image of Eve. Tears formed in Julian’s eyes as he looked at his son. He could barely conceive the miracle that lay before him….his son, his and Eve’s.
The nurse carefully took the baby out of the incubator and placed him in Julian’s arms.
Julian held his son. He was so light and small, he was afraid he might break. Smiling through tears at the sleeping infant, Julian raised him to his face and kissed him on his forehead.
The nurse brought him a chair to sit in while he held the baby. Sitting down carefully, he couldn’t take his eyes off of his child. He was a miracle, a miracle indeed to have survived practically unscathed through this whole dramatic incident. Julian felt certain, like Dr. Moore had said, that God was truly looking out for them.
“Thank you. Thank you, God, for saving my baby’s life,” he cried softly as he held his son close. “Please… please help Eve. I couldn’t bear to live without her. I need her; our son needs her. Please help her.” His heart was consumed with grief and joy at the same time as he thanked God for his son and prayed for his wife’s recovery.
A hour later, Julian finally gave his son back to the nurse. He looked longingly at his child. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised, and then headed up to the ICU to see if they would let him see Eve.
When he reached the second floor of the hospital, he followed the arrows on the floor to the Intensive Care Unit. He was about to go to the information desk when he spotted Dr. Moore heading towards him. “Can I see Eve?” he asked.
“Yes, she is in the ICU. But only for a few minutes; her condition, though, has improved from critical to serious condition,” she said, hoping to give him some comfort.
“That is good, yes?” he asked, his voice hopeful.
“Yes, but she is not out of the woods yet, Mr. Crane. I think having you with her will help her immensely.” She led him to the ICU.
His tears ran freely down his cheeks as he slowly approached Eve’s bed. Hooked up to all kinds of tubes and machines, she looked weak and pale, but was still as beautiful as ever to him.
“Talk to her,” Dr. Moore said. “It will do her a lot of good to hear your voice.” She patted his shoulder and left.
Julian walked up to Eve’s
head and bent over and kissed her forehead. His tears dripped on her face. “I
love you, Eve,” he whispered as he leaned his head against hers and held
her close. “Please don’t leave me….”