Darlene again sat up all night hoping against hope that Keith would soon awake. She stood up from the uncomfortable hospital chair and stretched.
“Thank you Jesus” she said, extending her arms. She was about to be seated again when she looked down and saw that Keith’s mouth was moving.
“Keith!” she exclaimed in a loud whisper. “Oh my God, Keith!” she said a little louder. She moved in closer and called his name a little louder. Almost impulsively she sprang up and ran out of the room to find the doctor.
“He’s waking up!” she said excitedly to the nurse at the nurse’s station. “My husband is coming out of his coma!” The nurse quickly dropped her paperwork on the table and ran to the room, following Darlene. When they returned, Keith was muttering something they could not understand. The nurse took his pulse, smiled and left to get the doctor. Darlene pulled her chair up closer and held his hand. “Keith sweetheart, open your eyes. If you can hear me open your eyes,” she repeated. She started to cry. She wiped her tears and placed her wet hand in his hand. He opened his eyes.
“Home again,” he whispered. “I want to go home again.” “Sure, I’ll take you home,” Darlene answered.
“I want to go home with my family; where’s my family?” he asked.
Darlene realized that he was not aware that she was there. The doctor came in with an assistant to check him over. When he heard Keith muttering, he took his temperature and checked his vision.
“He’s delirious,” the doctor said. “He’s not yet aware of our presence. But the important thing is that he’s not comatose any longer. The delirium will in all likeliness only last for a few hours. Why don’t you get some rest?” he told Darlene. “I’ll alert you when he’s coherent,” the doctor said.
“Thanks anyway Doctor, but I’d rather not leave my husband,” she insisted.
“I understand,” the Doctor said. “Just give me a few moments to check his vital signs.”
Darlene stepped aside to the other part of the hospital room. She was so excited she didn’t know what to do. A humongous smile filled her face as she looked up and acknowledged God. “Lord, I thank you so much,” she said, not caring that the medical team was listening.
“Dar -lene, Dar-lene,” she heard Keith call out. She quickly ran back to his side.
“I’m here baby,” she said.
He was starting to perspire on his forehead. She grabbed his hand and held it as tightly as she could. She was hoping he would squeeze her hand back. But without her holding it, his hand fell limp like a dish cloth. Keith closed his eyes and fell back asleep.
“It may be some time before he’s coherent, but if you insist on staying, just let me know if you see a significant change,” the doctor said. “The nurses will be right down the hall,” he assured her.
Darlene pulled a Gideon’s Bible from out of the hospital drawer and began to read aloud to him. The passage she selected was Psalm 23.
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord wants my marriage to be successful. No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” she said as she closed the book.
Keith appeared to be resting comfortably. Darlene took the opportunity to call her mother from the telephone in the waiting room. Her mother was quite relieved to hear the progress of Keith. Darlene could hear Janie in the background. She thought it best not to talk to her because she didn’t want to upset her. She promised to call back later with news of any changes regarding his condition. She did her best not to think about the accident or the circumstances surrounding it. She wanted to concentrate on her husband’s recuperating.
When she entered the room again, Keith’s eyes were open again, but this time he was following her with his eyes. She ran to his side and they both wept together. “I need to tell you what happened,” he said in a voice a little louder than a whisper.
“No, tell me later when you’re better. Save your strength. I have to get the doctor.”
“No Darlene,” he insisted while holding her hand. “Please listen to me.” She sat in the chair and bent her head close to his.
“God has spoken to me,” he said with a strange look on his face. Darlene thought he was still delirious and tried to get up again to get the doctor.
“No, please listen to what I have to say,” he insisted. “I’ve just had an experience with God. He told me some things about myself. Things I thought didn’t matter. I had my own ideas about marriage and they were all wrong. I wanted our marriage to be what I had in mind for it to be. My motives were selfish. I thought after my first marriage failed that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as before. I wanted to be in control. I know now that I was wrong. I could hear the voice of Jesus talking to me. He said that he designed marriage to be a reflection of his relationship to his church. That’s when I knew I’d have to ask you to forgive me. I was way off course.” He paused for a moment to get his breath.
“Christ is always loving and caring and forgiving, no matter how the other person is. I’ve been selfish and stupid. I guess you know I’ve been seeing another woman...and Darlene, it had nothing to do with you. You’ve been wonderful. I love you and Janie so much,” he said, with tears streaming down his face. “I don’t know why I was pursuing someone else. I was coming close to having an affair for no reason at all. That’s why I’m asking you to forgive me Darlene. If you can trust me with another chance, I promise to treat you in a way that would make you proud to have me for your husband. I’m just ashamed of myself right now for not being able to face my dreadful past with you. I was always trying to escape my hurtful past. The fact that my ex-wife left me for another person, was still a hurtful memory. I didn’t want to talk to you about it because, it really wasn’t your problem. It was mine. So if you can just find it in your heart to forgive me Darlene, with the Lord’s help I-..”
“You don’t have to ask me to forgive you again Keith,” Darlene interrupted. “I forgive you and I forgive your lady friend too. By the way, the doctor says she’ll be alright, she has a few broken ribs. I believe in my heart Keith that God wants our marriage to be successful,” she said smiling.
“I thought I was dead after hitting the pole or whatever I hit,” he said. “But Jesus appeared and held out his hand for my hand. He said to me, ‘I have a covenant with you.’ Then he told me I had to make a covenant with you Darlene. Just as he is my covering. I must be your covering.” He paused for a moment and rubbed his head. “But the last thing he said to me,” Keith continued in almost a whisper, “was that I had to show Janie how much God loved her by showing Janie how much I love you.” At that moment the doctor walked in and Darlene stood up to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“He’s going to be just fine, Doctor,” she said with enthusiasm. I know he’s going to be just fine.”