Chapter Twenty Three

Just as Jeremy crossed the intersection of Albert and College Avenue, he noticed the lights of an ambulance up ahead. It had just turned right on 14th Avenue.

“Did you see the ambulance up ahead, Camilla?”

“Yes, I did. It’s heading up 14th to the General Hospital, probably.”

Jeremy picked up speed, trying to catch up to the ambulance. As soon as he turned at 14th Avenue, it was Camilla who spotted the van.

“Look, there’s the ambulance up ahead. It seems to be stopping at the gallery…”

“What on earth for?” muttered Jeremy.

Patrons in Henry’s café looked out of the south windows as an ambulance, with its sirens on, pulled up in front of the café.

“Look, it’s Henry getting out of the ambulance!” exclaimed Millie. She said it so loud, customers who were not aware of it turned to look too. Some even stood up and went to the window. “I wonder if someone in the café got sick or had a heart attack?” asked one. “I hope whoever it was is okay.” said another. “Maybe Henry was hurt or in an accident? He seems to be all right though, look how he is joking with the ambulance attendants.”

More patrons in the café went to the window. Some, who had heard from Lauren and Justin that Henry had been in a serious accident, looked puzzled. One rushed off to the gallery to get Henry’s children!

Henry shook Steve and Doug’s hand.

“Thanks for the lift fellows.”

“It is our pleasure,” replied Doug. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I am fine. In fact, I never felt better!”

“That was some accident you were in.”

“You say it happened on the corner of Hill and Elphinstone?”

“Yeah, your SUV is totaled for sure. It’s amazing that you got out with only a scratch on your arm—and even that mark on your forehead is gone… someone upstairs must be looking after you.”

Henry just listened, totally bewildered and dumbfounded. He recalled visiting Jenny at the hospital. After she passed away, he left and decided to go back to his home at Hill Avenue.

“Yes, now I remember… I was driving down Elphinstone and… I missed the stop sign.”

A deep wrinkle grew on his forehead, as he tried to recall more.

“Oh Yes!” Henry blurted out to Doug and Steve who were still standing there, a little concerned by the seemingly vacant look on Henry’s face.

“I remember a truck coming towards me, as I failed to stop at the stop sign … but that’s all I can recall.”

“Yeah,” said Steve. “A moving van broad-sided you. Your SUV rolled over at least twice. When we got there, you were unconscious. In fact, when we pulled you out of the SUV, we thought you were dead for sure.” Steve stared at Doug with a look that asked if this all really happened…

Doug gave his answer to Steve by replying for him.

“Henry, when we took you into the ambulance, you were dead. It’s amazing you didn’t have any broken bones or more open wounds, other than a bruise on your forehead. By the time we got halfway to the hospital, you suddenly came back to life!”

Henry’s head snapped back, still in a daze and trying to understand what happened. “I do recall waking up in the ambulance and you guys kidding about me being dead… are you sure I just wasn’t unconscious from the accident?”

“You were a goner, Henry; you had no pulse, no vital signs whatsoever. We have never had equipment failure.”

“I was dead and came back to life… how on earth could this be?”

Henry shook his head. “I, I…don’t understand it all fellows…but one thing for sure, I’m glad to be here and… alive.”

Steve and Doug looked at each other and then back at Henry and sort of chuckled, still amazed and bewildered by it all too.

“Well, we better get back to the station and have all the equipment examined and tested,” said Doug and added, “Better check into that Escalade of yours as soon as possible… they probably towed it to the police compound.”

“Yes, thanks again, guys.”

“Good luck, Henry, nice meeting you!” yelled Steve, as he got into the ambulance and closed the door behind him.

Henry watched as the ambulance sped off, still in a daze. He couldn’t believe what he just heard… I was pronounced dead in an accident and then came back to life?… and Steve said it was some kind of a miracle?

“Dad! Dad!” cried Justin and Lauren almost in unison as they rushed down the front stairs of the café. Justin flew into Henry’s arms. He felt his son’s heart beating as they tightly embraced one another. Justin was filled with tears and too choked up to speak. Lauren expressed what Justin couldn’t say, “We heard that you were in a serious accident Dad, and that you were… killed. Was someone kidding us? Justin thought for sure it was a police officer that phoned.”

Henry opened his other arm to embrace his daughter, as she too, was tearful and in a state of shock.

“I don’t understand it all, honey. But I guess I was in a serious accident and somehow came out of it… I’m sure glad I did.”

“So am I,” Justin finally muttered, as he gained some composure.

Henry turned as Keith, one of his servers, came out the front door of the café, followed by several customers.

“Are you okay, Henry?” inquired Keith.

“Yes, yes, I am fine…never felt better for a guy who was just pronounced …” Henry couldn’t finish the statement; that he was dead and came back to life. No, he didn’t want to go there, it was all too bizarre.

Embarrassment overshadowed his previous thoughts as Henry became aware of the crowd of people standing there, staring at him, wanting to know what this was all about.

“Oh, I just had a little accident and the ambulance gave me a lift home, or rather to the gallery. I’m okay, really…nothing to worry about.”

Henry motioned that he wanted to get back into the café. Everyone turned and went back inside. As Henry followed the patrons with his two children, he heard Jeremy running up the street hollering his name. Close behind were Camilla and Josh wiggling through the crowd that had gathered.

“Hey, Dad is that you?” Jeremy slowed, as he approached his father… a puzzled look on his face. He stopped and stared hard at Henry, tears surfaced in his eyes, “We thought you were… the police said you were killed in the accident… what happened, Dad?”

Henry let go of Justin and made his way down the steps towards his son.

“Grandpa, Grandpa,” said Josh as he broke away from Camilla’s hand and ran to Henry. “We asked your angel to ask God to make you better!”

Henry picked up his grandson and hugged him, “Your prayer sure worked, Joshua, I’m all better.”

Jeremy and Camilla were standing side by side with wide open eyes, in a state of disbelief. Jeremy began shaking his head. “What is going on, Dad?”

Before Henry could answer, Camilla came to his side and hugged Henry. “Oh, Dad, we were so worried about you. Did a miracle really happen to you?”

Jeremy approached his father, wanting to make certain it was him, and waited for an answer. When Henry didn’t answer, Jeremy continued with more questions.

“Do you remember anything about being—dead? Where you went? They say you see a tunnel of light… did you see it?”

Henry’s mind was completely blank. “I don’t recall anything Son, other than leaving the hospital, driving back to Hill Avenue, seeing this truck come at me and… after that, all I remember is waking up in the ambulance.”

After a brief silence, Henry added, “No, I don’t remember anything at all about that time in between.”

An uncomfortable, yet pleasant feeling crept over Henry as he tried to remember more. It was all like a dream he wished could go on forever, but sleep could no longer hold him. And once awake, the dream vanished, gone into some abyss… “Perhaps someday it will come to me,” Henry murmured.

Henry could feel the eyes of the patrons upon him and he also wanted to let his son know what he still didn’t understand. Henry looked at Jeremy and nodded, “I think that is a possibility… let’s go inside to the gallery and I’ll explain what happened… at least as much that I know.”

In an attempt to bring things back to normal and distract attention from him, Henry began engaging in idle talk as he made his way into the café with his children.

“Hi Millie, that’s a great hat you have on today.”

Millie nodded and cast Henry a warm smile. Not to leave her companion out, Henry continued sincerely, “And that’s a nice blue dress, Marie. The colour looks so nice with your grey hair.”

“Thank you, Henry.” But not so easily distracted, Marie asked, “Are you okay, Henry?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Thanks for your concern, Marie.”

Henry quickly moved on and waved to Tom and George at another table. He heard people still talking about the ambulance and wondering what had happened. Henry ignored the curious remarks and comments and didn’t stop to explain or listen to people’s conjectures. Finally, he and his family made it into the gallery.

“So what happened, Dad?” Justin wanted to know and so did everyone else.

Henry started to explain how the accident happened, but then his words trailed off. His thoughts began to drift back to earlier this morning when he discovered from the diary that Marjorie was Jenny, and how he raced to see her at the hospital… he realized he should really start from the beginning and tell his family everything. He had been through a lot that day and yet, felt surprisingly spry. Perhaps now was as good a time as any to tell his children about the blonde girl that moved into the neighbourhood three doors down when he was fifteen years old…

“Are you okay, Dad? You look suddenly lost in space,” Lauren asked on behalf of everyone there.

“Yes, I was just thinking about all this and I think I best start from the beginning. You all have a right to know…” and turning to Camilla he continued, “Especially you, Camilla—”

“Geez, Jeremy, a policeman is writing out a ticket at your car… you didn’t park it!” blurted Justin.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. There were so many people milling around the ambulance when we pulled up I couldn’t find a parking space so I just double parked.”

“Well, you best get out there and explain what happened,” said Henry. “In the mean time, Justin, bring up a couple of chairs from the basement as this is going to take some time to tell you this story.”

Henry waited until Jeremy came back before beginning. His son was holding a ticket.

“So, he didn’t have compassion on you?”

“No, I told him what happened. That you were in an accident and an ambulance brought you back to the gallery and… well, he was sympathetic, but as soon as he saw my name on the driver’s license, he asked if I was related to you. When I said yes, he shook his head and said he should have given you a ticket this morning. Perhaps then you would have been more cautious and not been in that accident.”

“Oh no, not the same officer…” Henry shook his head and managed a private chuckle.