A ROMANTIC PROPOSAL
The hiss of a breathing machine seemed like second nature to Brain as it should
be. He had lain in a hospital bed for over ninety days, helpless, still as a rock and no sign
of life except for the steady blip coming from the heart monitor. And yet his hearing
was acute as he listened to his family fight over him on the issue of life support. He
thought he was living in hell until in the still of the night, he thought he heard the voice
of a living angel,
“Brian, I am your night nurse, Sally. I’m really off duty tonight so I thought I’d sit
with you. You’re so young to be in this shape but somehow I sense you might be
listening.. I thought I would read to you so you wouldn’t be lying there day after day with
nothing to think about, do you mind?”
‘Do I mind, of course not but how can I tell her?’
He was stunned to hear her response,
“Suppose you move your little finger on your left hand. Will you try?”
‘Somehow she knows I’m listening. Left hand, let me see, damn it. I wish I could
feel it move. Try you idiot, otherwise they’re going to disconnect you.’ He could hear her
breathing close to his face. ’If you kiss me on my cheek, I’ll move my finger,’ he mused.
Silence greeted him for a moment and he thought she had left
“I think you‘re toying with me Brian.”
‘Toying hell, I’m trying to communicate. Where in blazes is my left hand?’
“If you don’t move that finger, you won’t get a story. Are you listening to me?”
He tried with all his energy and waited for her response,
“I know you can do it, don’t mess with me. If you do move it , I’ll give you a kiss.
Is that enough incentive?“
‘Good lord, she hears me in her mind. I can hardly believe it. Left hand, little
finger, try damn it. I can do it.’
Silence greeted him.
‘I think she’s given up on me, my only hope to get out of here‘
“Try one more time Brian, just for me.”
‘God help me, she‘s certainly trying to help.’
He became aware of salt burning in his eyes. ‘What could that be?’ Then he felt a
tear splash on his face and then a light kiss on his right cheek. “My lord, she crying over
my face.
I
“You did it Brain, somehow I knew you could hear. I’ve signaled for the doctor,
don’t fall asleep again, are you listening?”
Brian could fell his whole hand raising off the sheet and the sound of Sally crying
reached him.
He felt the doctor’s hands open his eyes, the small amount of light entered and he
saw Sally, lean over him. His hand raised to the breathing apparatus.
“Doctor, he wants to talk to us, can you remove the respirator?
He did so and Brian spoke his first words in three months. Sally leaned over to
hear,
“Sally, will you marry me?”
“Perhaps, when I know you better, we‘ll see.”
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ching a new story I wrote this week. Enjoy
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