Post by melindajo2000 on Aug 27, 2010 21:05:33 GMT -6
Gary Ewing thought he’d finally had it all; his job was working out for him, his marriage was stronger than ever and Val was seven months pregnant with their second child, a son. He’d never thought he could get to this place. He’d even made several trips back to Southfork. He needed all the advice he could get from his mama, who couldn’t be any happier for her beloved son. It was as if all of his mistakes of the past had been forgotten and he’d gotten the second chance at life he’d dreamed of when he’d moved to California. He couldn’t imagine how things could get much better for him and Val.
“What do you think we should name him?” Val smiled as Gary drove them to the doctor’s appointment.
“I don’t know. I kind of like the name Mark.”
“I had a boyfriend named Mark.”
“Mark is out. How about William?”
“I don’t know. How about Jeffrey?”
“Jeffrey?” That’s not too bad. We have a little bit of time to decide on it. But let’s keep that one in mind,” Gary reached over and patted his wife’s hand. She rolled the window down.
“What’s the matter? I have the ac on.”
“I don’t feel well. I need air, more air,” Val sighed.
Gary was concerned. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t want to worry her, but he sped up and got to the doctor’s as quickly as possible.
The nurse took Val’s vitals, then had her step on the scale. She had gained five pounds since her last visit, which was a good thing. She went to her room and undressed and changed and then Gary joined her.
The doctor came in and turned on the ultrasound, and they were both pleased to see their son.
“How is he, doctor?” Val asked eagerly.
The doctor frowned and then looked at them. “The baby is doing all right. It’s you I’m worried about. Please sit up, I would like to check your vitals again.”
She obliged, and he put on the blood pressure cuff. “It’s just what I suspected. You have preeclampsia. I’m afraid you’re going to have to be admitted to the hospital right away.”
Gary and Val looked at each other. “It’s going to be okay, honey, I promise,” Gary tried to reassure her but he hoped that his voice wouldn’t betray him.
“What happens if we don’t?” Val asked, afraid of the answer.
“Then I’m afraid there’s nothing more we can do for you- or your baby.”
0000
For four days Gary stayed at the hospital. He didn’t leave his wife’s side. Neither of them had ever been so scared in their lives. All they wanted to do was go home and go on with their lives, but it became perfectly clear that that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. This was serious, much more than anyone was letting on. One day the doctor came in the room to talk to them both.
“How are you feeling Valene?”
“I’m feeling all right. I just wish I could go home,” she sighed. “But I’ll stay here as long as it takes to make sure my baby’s all right.”
“And we’re going to keep you here that long as well. You and your baby are our primary focus. We’re doing everything we can to get your blood pressure to come down. But unfortunately it’s not. I don’t want to alarm you, this is the part of my job that I hate. But we need to have a serious talk. There is a chance something could go wrong. We may need to make a decision that no man should have to make. But Mr. Ewing I wanted to give you and your wife a chance to talk about this. If something happens to your wife and she needs surgery and I have to choose who to save, who should I choose?”
Gary stood up, ready to punch him in the face. Val grabbed his arms, crying as she did so. “Gary, you can’t do this. I need you right now. The baby needs you. You might be all he has.”
“How can you come in here and tell me that my wife or child might not make it and that I might have to be the one who decides who gets to live? What kind of monster are you? Get out of here, now!” Gary demanded.
The doctor nodded. He’d seen this before and he understood. He wouldn’t want to be in Gary’s shoes.
“Gary, you know we have to talk about this.”
“No we don’t. Nothing’s going to happen. Everything’s going to be fine. We have the best doctors money can buy. You and the baby are coming home with me.”
“Gary I’m sick. I need you to understand how I feel about this.”
“I need you to understand how I feel. I’m not doing this. I can’t I tell you!” With that, he stormed out of the room. He needed to go for a drive to clear his head.
An hour later he came back to find her room empty. He ran to the nurse’s station. “Where’s my wife?”
“Mr. Ewing, we’ve been looking for you everywhere. Your wife’s blood pressure rose and she had a reaction to the medication we gave her. She went into labor. We are prepping her for surgery.”
“She can’t have the baby now! It’s too soon!” Gary yelled to no one in particular.
The doctor approached him from behind. “Mr. Ewing we appreciate your situation. I’m sorry but we had a feeling this might happen. I need to ask, if this should happen…. Which one should we save?”
Gary put his hand over his mouth as his worse fear was realized. How could he make a decision that would affect the rest of his life forever. Either he lose the love of his life or he make a decision that his wife would never forgive him for.
“Can I have a minute?”
“Just one.”
Gary looked at the nurse. “May I use the phone?”
She nodded. He called the hotel which was five minutes away which Miss Ellie was staying at. She had stayed overnight with Val and was sleeping when Gary called.
“Mama?”
“Gary. What is it? How’s Val?”
“She’s not good Mama. They are taking her in for surgery.”
“Oh son. I’m so sorry. I’ll be right there.”
“There’s more. They might have to take the baby. They want to know who they want me to save- him or Val.”
Miss Ellie’s eyes filled with tears as she processed the information. “What are you going to do?”
“I can’t lose Val, Mama. I would die without her.”
“What would she want you to do?”
“She would want me to save the baby.”
“Don’t you think you should honor her last wishes?”
“I will lose everything anyway I go. I will lose my wife or I lose my son. It’s all up to me. I’ve never been good at making decisions. Why did it have to be this way? If I make the wrong choice she’s going to hate me for the rest of my life. I love my son. I want him to have a good life. But I love Valene too. I don’t want her to hate me but I want her to have the chance to hate me. I have to do this Mama. I have to save her,” Gary sighed.
“Whatever you decide I’m behind you all the way,” Miss Ellie told him.
Gary hung up the phone and went over to tell the doctor.
“We’ll do our best.”
Miss Ellie got over to the hospital where she joined Gary who was pacing the room. She got him to sit where she took his hand. They sat in silence for a long time when the doctor walked out, smiling. Gary hugged Miss Ellie and they knew everything would be all right. It would be a rough road ahead but the worst was over. A few hours later Gary got to go in to see Val.
“Gary, you made it,” she smiled weakly.
“I told you I’d be here for you. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” he kissed her softly on the forehead.
“How’s the baby?” she began to panic.
“Ssh. He’s fine. He’s four pounds eight ounces. He’s healthy. He’s a Ewing all right,” Gary laughed.
“Did you have to…”
“No.” Gary answered so abruptly that Val knew he was lying.
“Who did you choose?”
A tear fell down Gary’s face. “That’s not a road we should go down.”
“Tell me Gary or I will never forgive you.”
Gary looked her straight in the eyes. “I told them you. I didn’t know what else to you. Valene you’re my life. I couldn’t live another day without you in it. I really did find my soul mate the day I met you. I love my son and I want him more than anything in this world. Nothing could ever take his place. I’ve waited a long time for him. I know how happy he would make you and I knew what my decision would mean to you but I did it because I love you. I know that you probably won’t understand and if you ask me to leave then I’ll turn around and walk away and I won’t regret a single second.”
“Come here Gary,” Val smiled.
He was surprised. “What?”
“Come here.” She kissed him for a long time. “I know you didn’t want to make that choice. And I know you didn’t want anything to happen to our son. What you did you did out of love for me. Whatever happened you would have to live with for the rest of your life. And I’m just so happy that things worked out the way it did, how could I ever be mad at you?”
They both cried a little more, then Val broke away. “Don’t we have something important we have to do?”
“Like what? After all we’ve been through….”
“We could ask to see our son then we could think about names, “ Val smiled.
So they went to the neonatal unit, where they got to see their son through the window. They had never seen anything so beautiful in their lives.
“Joshua. Joshua Arthur Ewing.” Val smiled.
Gary couldn’t do anything but smile. This was the longest day of their life, but they were ready to put it behind them and move forward, just the three of them.
The end
“What do you think we should name him?” Val smiled as Gary drove them to the doctor’s appointment.
“I don’t know. I kind of like the name Mark.”
“I had a boyfriend named Mark.”
“Mark is out. How about William?”
“I don’t know. How about Jeffrey?”
“Jeffrey?” That’s not too bad. We have a little bit of time to decide on it. But let’s keep that one in mind,” Gary reached over and patted his wife’s hand. She rolled the window down.
“What’s the matter? I have the ac on.”
“I don’t feel well. I need air, more air,” Val sighed.
Gary was concerned. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t want to worry her, but he sped up and got to the doctor’s as quickly as possible.
The nurse took Val’s vitals, then had her step on the scale. She had gained five pounds since her last visit, which was a good thing. She went to her room and undressed and changed and then Gary joined her.
The doctor came in and turned on the ultrasound, and they were both pleased to see their son.
“How is he, doctor?” Val asked eagerly.
The doctor frowned and then looked at them. “The baby is doing all right. It’s you I’m worried about. Please sit up, I would like to check your vitals again.”
She obliged, and he put on the blood pressure cuff. “It’s just what I suspected. You have preeclampsia. I’m afraid you’re going to have to be admitted to the hospital right away.”
Gary and Val looked at each other. “It’s going to be okay, honey, I promise,” Gary tried to reassure her but he hoped that his voice wouldn’t betray him.
“What happens if we don’t?” Val asked, afraid of the answer.
“Then I’m afraid there’s nothing more we can do for you- or your baby.”
0000
For four days Gary stayed at the hospital. He didn’t leave his wife’s side. Neither of them had ever been so scared in their lives. All they wanted to do was go home and go on with their lives, but it became perfectly clear that that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. This was serious, much more than anyone was letting on. One day the doctor came in the room to talk to them both.
“How are you feeling Valene?”
“I’m feeling all right. I just wish I could go home,” she sighed. “But I’ll stay here as long as it takes to make sure my baby’s all right.”
“And we’re going to keep you here that long as well. You and your baby are our primary focus. We’re doing everything we can to get your blood pressure to come down. But unfortunately it’s not. I don’t want to alarm you, this is the part of my job that I hate. But we need to have a serious talk. There is a chance something could go wrong. We may need to make a decision that no man should have to make. But Mr. Ewing I wanted to give you and your wife a chance to talk about this. If something happens to your wife and she needs surgery and I have to choose who to save, who should I choose?”
Gary stood up, ready to punch him in the face. Val grabbed his arms, crying as she did so. “Gary, you can’t do this. I need you right now. The baby needs you. You might be all he has.”
“How can you come in here and tell me that my wife or child might not make it and that I might have to be the one who decides who gets to live? What kind of monster are you? Get out of here, now!” Gary demanded.
The doctor nodded. He’d seen this before and he understood. He wouldn’t want to be in Gary’s shoes.
“Gary, you know we have to talk about this.”
“No we don’t. Nothing’s going to happen. Everything’s going to be fine. We have the best doctors money can buy. You and the baby are coming home with me.”
“Gary I’m sick. I need you to understand how I feel about this.”
“I need you to understand how I feel. I’m not doing this. I can’t I tell you!” With that, he stormed out of the room. He needed to go for a drive to clear his head.
An hour later he came back to find her room empty. He ran to the nurse’s station. “Where’s my wife?”
“Mr. Ewing, we’ve been looking for you everywhere. Your wife’s blood pressure rose and she had a reaction to the medication we gave her. She went into labor. We are prepping her for surgery.”
“She can’t have the baby now! It’s too soon!” Gary yelled to no one in particular.
The doctor approached him from behind. “Mr. Ewing we appreciate your situation. I’m sorry but we had a feeling this might happen. I need to ask, if this should happen…. Which one should we save?”
Gary put his hand over his mouth as his worse fear was realized. How could he make a decision that would affect the rest of his life forever. Either he lose the love of his life or he make a decision that his wife would never forgive him for.
“Can I have a minute?”
“Just one.”
Gary looked at the nurse. “May I use the phone?”
She nodded. He called the hotel which was five minutes away which Miss Ellie was staying at. She had stayed overnight with Val and was sleeping when Gary called.
“Mama?”
“Gary. What is it? How’s Val?”
“She’s not good Mama. They are taking her in for surgery.”
“Oh son. I’m so sorry. I’ll be right there.”
“There’s more. They might have to take the baby. They want to know who they want me to save- him or Val.”
Miss Ellie’s eyes filled with tears as she processed the information. “What are you going to do?”
“I can’t lose Val, Mama. I would die without her.”
“What would she want you to do?”
“She would want me to save the baby.”
“Don’t you think you should honor her last wishes?”
“I will lose everything anyway I go. I will lose my wife or I lose my son. It’s all up to me. I’ve never been good at making decisions. Why did it have to be this way? If I make the wrong choice she’s going to hate me for the rest of my life. I love my son. I want him to have a good life. But I love Valene too. I don’t want her to hate me but I want her to have the chance to hate me. I have to do this Mama. I have to save her,” Gary sighed.
“Whatever you decide I’m behind you all the way,” Miss Ellie told him.
Gary hung up the phone and went over to tell the doctor.
“We’ll do our best.”
Miss Ellie got over to the hospital where she joined Gary who was pacing the room. She got him to sit where she took his hand. They sat in silence for a long time when the doctor walked out, smiling. Gary hugged Miss Ellie and they knew everything would be all right. It would be a rough road ahead but the worst was over. A few hours later Gary got to go in to see Val.
“Gary, you made it,” she smiled weakly.
“I told you I’d be here for you. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” he kissed her softly on the forehead.
“How’s the baby?” she began to panic.
“Ssh. He’s fine. He’s four pounds eight ounces. He’s healthy. He’s a Ewing all right,” Gary laughed.
“Did you have to…”
“No.” Gary answered so abruptly that Val knew he was lying.
“Who did you choose?”
A tear fell down Gary’s face. “That’s not a road we should go down.”
“Tell me Gary or I will never forgive you.”
Gary looked her straight in the eyes. “I told them you. I didn’t know what else to you. Valene you’re my life. I couldn’t live another day without you in it. I really did find my soul mate the day I met you. I love my son and I want him more than anything in this world. Nothing could ever take his place. I’ve waited a long time for him. I know how happy he would make you and I knew what my decision would mean to you but I did it because I love you. I know that you probably won’t understand and if you ask me to leave then I’ll turn around and walk away and I won’t regret a single second.”
“Come here Gary,” Val smiled.
He was surprised. “What?”
“Come here.” She kissed him for a long time. “I know you didn’t want to make that choice. And I know you didn’t want anything to happen to our son. What you did you did out of love for me. Whatever happened you would have to live with for the rest of your life. And I’m just so happy that things worked out the way it did, how could I ever be mad at you?”
They both cried a little more, then Val broke away. “Don’t we have something important we have to do?”
“Like what? After all we’ve been through….”
“We could ask to see our son then we could think about names, “ Val smiled.
So they went to the neonatal unit, where they got to see their son through the window. They had never seen anything so beautiful in their lives.
“Joshua. Joshua Arthur Ewing.” Val smiled.
Gary couldn’t do anything but smile. This was the longest day of their life, but they were ready to put it behind them and move forward, just the three of them.
The end
