How Could Life Be So Horrific One Second and So Beautiful All at Once?

St. George, UT

 

Back in the hospital room, Lee’s back to the door, he saw that Rebecca was now awake, the three women—Emily, Rebecca, and Becca—chatting in the early morning sun. Then Lee felt a nudge on his shoulder.

“Well hey there, brother.”

Lee turned around to see his two brothers, Braedyn and Dallon, behind him in the white hallway of the hospital just outside the door.

“You guys! What are you doing here?”

“Dallon! Braedyn!” shouted Becca, from across the room.

“We came as soon as we heard,” said Dallon, once again offering his hand while Braedyn, bypassing Dallon, enveloped Lee into an enormous hug. Dallon caved and soon joined.

“We’ve brought more people with us, too,” said Braedyn.

“They stopped at the gift store downstairs for a second,” said Dallon.

The brothers moved into the room to hug Becca and Emily and squeeze Rebecca’s hand.

“Thank you,” said Rebecca, through forceful breaths, nodding at them.

Lee moved back into the hallway. The ding of the elevator rung and out came his father, Neph, and Alydia, holding balloons and flowers.

“We came as soon as we heard,” said Mark as he walked down the hallway toward Lee and the room.

“Look, Lee!” shouted Alydia. “I picked out the flowers!”

“And I picked out the balloons!” said Neph.

“Wow! Good work, guys. Why don’t you guys go inside and give them to Rebecca?”

“Okay!”

“Sego lilies, my favorite,” smiled Rebecca weakly to Alydia.

Mark turned to Lee.

“I’m so glad you guys are okay.”

“Me too,” he said.

The two embraced, their eyes meeting in sincerity and love, father and son.

Lee and Mark made their way back into the hospital room, which, as of two hours ago, was nearly empty, and yet now burst to life with the sound of laughter, tears, chairs scraping, balloons squeaking, and an overwhelming feeling of relief.

Lee could barely take it all in. How could life be so horrific one second and so beautiful all at once? Filled with such evil and such love?

He stood next to Becca and grabbed her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. Analise’s eyes popped with a nervous anxiety at the change of energy in the room, nearly about to cry, currently sitting on Emily’s lap, but they softened and adjusted after a minute, and soon she was smiling. Emily bounced Analise on her lap while Neph and Alydia made goofy faces to her.

“Shhh, not too loud,” said Emily to them. “Ms. Rebecca still needs to rest. Why don’t you give her your presents and then we’ll go outside?”

Becca smiled at Lee. “Your family is so great.”

Lee felt an overwhelming dizziness from the scene.