“You’re hurt.”
“Bullet grazed my shoulder.”
Renata looked at Stephanie’s hands. “You’re all cut up.”
“Broken glass. Just scratches.”
“How’s Robbie?”
“I don’t know. No one will tell me anything. They won’t let me near him.”
“Oh, Steph.”
“Pray for us…now, please?”
Renata held her friend close and quietly prayed for Robbie and Stephanie and wisdom for the doctors.
* * *
A police officer entered. It was the woman who had driven her to the hospital.
Stephanie looked at the name on the badge. “Officer Williams, thank you for your help.”
“I will need a statement when you are ready. But it can wait. Can I get you anything?”
“My husband? What’s going on?”
“He’s being assessed by the doctors now.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
Time crawled. Tony arrived to stand vigil with them, and at his encouragement, she called Alex, Ben and Tim who showed up to pray with her and wait.
It seemed like an eternity before Doctor Reilly came to talk to her.
“Your husband has suffered injury to his neck and it’s resulting in some loss of feeling in his arms and legs. We need to do emergency surgery.”
“Is he awake?”
“Yes, but he’s on pain medication.”
“No. Not narcotics. No morphine.”
“We did what we had to.”
“Can I see him? Talk to him?’
“For a few minutes.” The doctor led her to the room where Roberto rested, still and stiff.
“Robbie?” She asked, fighting the hysteria at seeing him there motionless
His eyes fluttered open. “Steph. Are you okay?” His voice was raspy.
She rubbed his arm and clasped his limp hand. She sniffed. “I’m fine.”
“Doctor says I need surgery or I might be paralyzed.” Tears came to his eyes. “I’m scared.”
“I am too, honey. Before it was a choice. Now, it seems that God has made that decision for you.”
“Where’s Luis?”
“He’s dead.”
“I wished it had been me to do it.”
“No, you don’t.” She smiled and bent over to kiss his bruised cheek. “You were my hero.”
“I don’t feel heroic. I don’t feel much of anything.”
“Renata, Tony, Alex, Ben and Tim are all here to be with me and praying for you.”
“Steph, they gave me drugs.”
“I know. They did that before I could tell them. But we’ll get through this. I’m not leaving you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Stephanie.”
She bent again and kissed his lips. They were swollen and cut. She smoothed his hair off his forehead. “You are battered and bruised, and yet you are the most handsome man I know.”
He grinned. “At least I get to see my beautiful wife one last time before they take me in. You give me courage.”
“No. God gives the courage. I’m just the cheerleader.”
“You are supposed to be on bed rest. Take care of yourself and that baby. No jumping.”
She smiled and kissed him again. This time he returned the kiss.
“I wish I could hug you, hold you before you go.” Robbie had tears in his eyes.
“You will do that again. After you heal. We’re all praying for you.”
The nurse entered the room “Time to leave, Mrs. Rodriguez.” Men came in to take Robbie to prep for surgery.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
They rolled him away. Stephanie feared they had taken her heart with them.
* * *
Stephanie was escorted by the group to the cafeteria as she had not eaten dinner. Tony brought her a selection of foods to tempt her. “You need to keep your energy up to feed that baby.”
Stephanie picked at her food and tried to eat to please everyone else, but worry, anxiety and exhaustion sapped her appetite.
“Have you called Robbie’s parents?” Tony asked.
“No. I haven’t. I need to call Mr. Harrington, too, I suppose, but that could wait until morning when I know more.”
“Do you want to call his parents now before it gets too late?”
“I suppose that would be the right thing to do. I have yet to meet them, so it feels awkward.”
“You all love the same man,” Renata reminded her.
Stephanie nodded, picked up the phone, and called her in-laws with the difficult news.
A recliner was brought to the waiting area so Stephanie could put her feet up and rest. She couldn’t sleep. She was glad that she had a version of the Bible on the e-reader tablet in her purse, so she spent time in the psalms, praying many for her husband. She rehearsed verses from other portions of Scripture as well, especially Philippians chapter four about not being anxious. Her eyes drooped, and she gave into exhaustion. Renata remained after Tony left to be home with the twins. The guys from his small group also left after a time, but insisted on being called when there was news of Robbie’s condition. In spite of poor health, it seemed as though Robbie’s parents might be making the drive up to Milwaukee the next day.
* * *
Tuesday, in the wee hours of the morning, the surgeon came to visit Stephanie.
“Mrs. Rodriguez?”
“Yes, how is my husband?”
“The surgery went well and he is resting right now.”
“Can I see him?”
“We can take you to his room and he will be brought in when he comes out of recovery.”
“What about the pain medication?”
“We are working now to transition him to some other alternatives, but he will be in more discomfort as a result while he recovers.”
“Will that hinder the healing process?”
“We don’t know, but we understand the concern about the addictive qualities of the medication.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
Stephanie rose and was assisted by a nurse and Renata to the room Robbie had been assigned to. Renata went home, leaving Stephanie alone.
* * *
An hour or so later, Robbie was wheeled in. His face was swollen and his neck was kept immobile with a brace. He groaned as they moved him, but his eyes didn’t open. Stephanie moved to his side and held his hand while the nurse worked around her, connecting all the IV’s to their stand and setting up monitoring equipment.
He didn’t respond but lay there in a deep sleep. The nurse showed her where the call button was and told her she would return soon.
Stephanie pulled up a chair to sit and continued to hold her husband’s hand. She rested her head on her extended arm and was soon asleep.
* * *
Stephanie was awakened by a squeeze to her hand. She opened her eyes and saw Robbie had his open, but due to his positioning, couldn’t see her well. His face appeared even more colorful from his battle with Luis.
“Steph?” His voice was a scratchy whisper.
“Yeah, it’s me.” She rose up, squeezing his hand back and came into his view.
“I had a bizarre dream.”
Stephanie moved a glass with a straw over to him so he could sip some water. “What was the dream about?”
“I dreamt ninjas arrived, helping us battle Luis. Isn’t that ridiculous?” He grinned.
“Actually it was a Special Weapons and Tactical team. They looked a lot like ninjas.”
“So it was real?”
Stephanie nodded her head.
“I can feel your hand.”
Stephanie smiled. “I noticed.”
“I can move my toes too.”
Stephanie removed the covers from the foot of the bed and he wiggled his toes. She tickled the bottom of his foot.
“Hey! Stop! I can’t retaliate.” His voice was weak.
She covered up his feet
and came back to the head of the bed. “I missed you.”
“I’m here now.”
Tears came to Stephanie’s eyes. “I was afraid, Robbie.”
He squeezed her hand. “So was I, but you were brave and smart.”
“You were far too courageous, and I thought he had killed you.”
“I remember you once saying something about falling in love with an idiot?” Robbie grinned.
“So I did. I love you even more now than I did then. I cannot imagine living life without you.”
“That was my biggest fear about having a surgery like this.”
“Dying?”
“No. Dying isn’t a bad thing because I know Jesus and long for the day I can be with Him in heaven and free of pain. I feared leaving you behind. I didn’t want to miss being a part of your life. Seeing you hold our baby in your arms. Standing by your side as we watched our children grow. Brushing grey hairs aside so I can kiss you when we are old.”
Stephanie gave a weak smile. “My fear was selfish, because I wanted all those things and I know that God can choose to take a servant home at any time He desires. I have a hard time, still, in spite of everything, leaving it in His hands and resting in His sovereignty.”
“Well, in His sovereign will, He decided if I wasn’t going to get that surgery He was going to force it to happen.”
Stephanie giggled. “Guess God got you there. The surgery really was an answer to prayer. When you do your lower back, can we just plan for that instead of waiting for a catastrophe to hit?”
Robbie sighed. “I suppose, if you insist.”
“I insist. I want you pain free and able to run and play with our kids.”
“Let’s get me through this recovery first, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Were you injured by Luis? There’s so much I don’t recall of what happened. Was that only last night?”
“Yeah, it was last night. It’s about five o’clock in the morning now. I got some cuts from the broken glass and one bullet went wild and grazed my shoulder.”
Robbie closed his eyes. “Thank God that was all.”
“I still need to go collect our stuff from the hotel room. It is a crime scene, but I should be able to get us moved back into our apartment today. Oh, your parents are planning to travel up here too. We will need to find a place for them to stay, perhaps at a different hotel, though?”
“Mom and Dad are coming? I thought they didn’t feel up to traveling?”
“Apparently, when a cherished son is seriously wounded, that warrants the sacrifice.”
“I haven’t even told you too much about them, have I?”
“No. And now is not the time. You need to rest and heal. I’ll just have to get to know them for myself.”
Robbie grimaced.
“Are you in pain?”
“Yeah, it hurts. I thought they had put me on morphine?”
“They did, initially, but I raised quite the hue and cry with the doctors over that and they transferred you to some medications that are not quite as effective with the pain but are not addictive.”
“Right now, I would rather have the morphine. Thank you for looking out for me.”
“We’ll get through this, Robbie, and soon the pain you’ve been experiencing will be a distant memory.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears.” His eyes closed.
She leaned over to kiss his forehead. “Rest, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere.”
* * *
By eight o’clock, Robbie’s room was bustling with activity. Robbie ate breakfast and was able to go for a short walk down the hallway. He endured physical therapy. He gave the police a statement as they did their investigation. Stephanie had already talked to them last night, but was able to give more insight now that she had a little time and space from the event. Tony and Renata had gone to the hotel to collect their belongings and bring her car to the hospital for her so she would be free to leave whenever she wanted.
By mid-day, Stephanie was dragging. Robbie was sitting up more. He was on a medical leave from work, and true to Mr. Harrington’s word, the surgery and hospitalization would be covered by insurance. Stephanie felt like all she had done today was call people on the phone, taking care of things.
“You should go home and rest.” Robbie offered.
“I would love a shower and change of clothes but hate leaving you.”
“I’m in good hands, and my parents will be arriving this evening. I don’t want you collapsing in fatigue when they get here.”
“You really don’t mind if I leave?”
“Mind? Of course I do. I love having you near me, loving me, seeing that beautiful face of yours, and encouraging me with your smile. But you have shadows under those baby blues and the smile is strained. Go home, rest, get a shower, and come back later when you are feeling better.”
Stephanie gave Robbie a kiss, and he reached up with both his hands to place them on either side of her face. “I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”
“You were almost killed trying to protect me. How is a woman to forget something like that?”
“Hmmm. Do I need to remind you of that when you are really angry with me?”
She laughed. “I hope I never need that kind of reminder, even when I get angry with you. But from the sounds of it, the thing we used to argue about most will be a non-issue.”
“Taking the meds and having surgery?”
She nodded and smiled, gave him another kiss, and left for home.
TWENTY-THREE
No hay más cera que la que arde.
What you see is what you get.
~Mexican proverb
Later that evening, Stephanie arrived at the hospital to find Roberto had company. She entered the room, unsure of her welcome. Robbie sat up in a chair, and someone had obviously washed his hair and shaved him.
“Mom, Dad, here is my lovely bride now. Stephanie, come on in and meet my parents, Noel and Linda Rodriguez.”
Stephanie wasn’t sure what she expected to see, but these two people, vibrant with life and energy, were not the older parents with health problems she suspected. Noel was a stout Hispanic male with grey at his temples and sparkling chocolate eyes. Linda was the bigger surprise. She was a plump Caucasian woman with blonde hair and blue eyes who was a few inches taller than her husband. Her hair was cut short, and she was dressed in blue jeans and a pretty pink sweater.
Linda came forward. “Stephanie, it is delightful to meet my daughter-in-love!” She reached for Stephanie’s left hand and held it in front of her with both hands. “You are just as Robbie described. Beautiful. You have been a good influence on our son.”
“He almost died because of me.” Stephanie was confused.
“Robbie has always lived on the edge. At least this time, his injuries were for a good cause.” Noel spoke this time, and his voice had a thicker accent. He moved forward to stand by his wife. “Can I give the bride a kiss to welcome her to the family?”
“Sure, I guess?” Stephanie didn’t know what else to say.
Noel leaned forward and kissed one cheek while Linda leaned in to kiss the other. When they raised up, in unison, they said “Welcome to the family!” Linda led Stephanie further into the room and had her sit in the chair next to Robbie. He looked at her with a smile, but her eyes only had questions for him.
“Guess it had to take you risking your life to get us off our lazy bums and drive up here to visit you,” said Noel with a smile. “So I will praise God this has happened so we can be together again.”
Linda pulled up another chair next to Stephanie. “When is the baby due?”
“The doctor gives a due date of January 2nd, but thinks we might have to deliver earlier if my blood pressure becomes dangerous.”
“Well, you do whatever you have to keep yourself and our grandbaby healthy. Have you thought of names yet?”
“We haven’t talked about it.”
“Guess that’s something
we need to have a discussion about, huh?” Robbie grinned.
“Along with some others.”
“Do you know if it’s a girl or a boy?” asked Noel.
“No. I wanted to be surprised. I just want him or her to be healthy.”
“Stephanie is going to be a great mom.” Robbie’s eyes were warm, and Stephanie felt heat rise in her cheeks.
“Any thoughts on names, Robbie?” asked his mom. “What if it is a boy? Will you name him Roberto?”
“Couldn’t that get confusing?”
“Well, you better start thinking fast, because that baby will be here before you know it.” Linda rose to her feet. “I think your father and I will go down to the cafeteria to get something to eat and stretch our legs. It was a long trip and I, for one, am famished. We’ll be back in a little while. Stephanie, would you like to join us?”
“I would rather stay here, thank you, Mrs. Rodriguez. I got a bite to eat before I came.”
“None of that. I am either Linda or Mom to you, dear. You are my daughter, and I am fully prepared to love you because you love my son.”
“And I’m either Noel or Papa or Dad, whatever you feel comfortable with.” He clasped his wife’s hand. “We’ll be back soon.” He winked at his son. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” And they departed, closing the door behind them.
Stephanie stared after the pair, speechless.
“So what do you think of my parents?”
“I’m not sure what to think. You led me to believe they had some health issues. I imagined them frail but they are so full of…of…vim and vinegar.”
Robbie laughed. “That would be a good way to describe them. I knew they would adore you.”
“What did your father mean about not doing anything he wouldn’t do?”
“I think he meant we are honeymooners and should take advantage of our moments of privacy to enjoy the fact.”
“Here? In the hospital? When anyone could walk in? You just had surgery and the doctor has not cleared you to have”—she cleared her throat—“intimate relations yet.”
Robbie grinned. “Pull the curtain around this area and come sit closer to me. Right now, all I want is to kiss and hold you.”
Stephanie removed her coat and did as her husband suggested and was glad she did.
Salsa and Speedbumps Page 18
