A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
By: TinaM
Her shift finally over, Maria walked out of the hospital, still wearing her scrubs, into the cold wind, carrying with it the smell of a winter storm. Great, that's all I need right now is a snow storm to make my drive home wonderful. Sighing, she pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and paused for a moment looking up into the night sky. Not a star in sight, total blackness mirroring her desolate mood.
She had to get out of this field, she just had to. She'd seen enough death and dying. And why now? She hated it when it happened around Christmas time. She'd seen it too many times. The hope buoyant in the young parents faces, hopeful that Christmas would bring with it a miracle and then the desolation when the news was broken to them. "I'm sorry, but your baby was born too early, too small. There's nothing more we can do."
And it wasn't as if she were new to this, and it was the first time she were dealing with death. She had dealt with death many time before, but somehow, this time, this specific baby, little Kayleigh, had gotten to her. Maria smiled as she remember attending her delivery. "We're just here to see how big the baby is, " the doctor had said softly to Maria. "If she's too small, we're just going to let Mom hold her." However, Kayleigh had had other ideas. Coming out quickly, she had let out one loud wail, surprising everyone with the loudness of her voice. Especially considering the fact, she didn't even weigh two pounds.
Feeling the chill through her coat, Maria continued the walk to her car. If only Kayleigh would have continued the way she started. First it was her lungs, they had turned out to be very sick, then her heart started to give her problems and just when it seemed they had leaped that hurdle and she was on her way to a slow recovery, she had acquired an overwhelming infection. One that seemed to be slowly seeping the very life from her.
Tears streamed down her face as Maria fought to maintain control. Opening the door to her car, she sat down and slammed it shut. Gripping the steering wheel, she leaned her forehead against it. She couldn't break down now. She had to wait until she got home, but it just wouldn't wait. Great sobs tore from her as she thought of the tiny baby fighting for her life she had just left. After what seemed like hours, Maria sighed and leaned back in the car seat, closing her eyes. Feeling emotionally drained, Maria wiped the tears from her eyes and backed out of the parking space, beginning the long drive home.
Maria never knew how she got home. She entered the small apartment to the sight of the Christmas tree she had put up just days before. Setting her purse on the kitchen counter, Maria felt something soft rubbing adjacent her legs. Bending down she picked up the small calico kitten. "Hey there, Patches. Are you ready for Christmas? Maybe Santa will bring you something nice!" Maria smiled as she thought of the little catnip toys she had bought for her.
Taking off her coat, Maria threw it over a kitchen chair before heading to the refrigerator to grab a wine cooler. Walking into the living room, Maria turned on the Christmas tree lights and the CD player softly to Christmas music. Staring at the Christmas tree, Maria let the events of the day rush over her. Tomorrow was Christmas day, it was supposed to be a day of celebration and rebirth, but Maria dreaded it. She would be going in to help Kim and John deal with accepting the fact that their baby was dying.
Sighing, Maria set her wine cooler down on the end table next to the couch and opened the sliding door to the balcony of her apartment. A she stepped outside, Maria rubbed her arms vigorously to ward off the cold night air. Looking up once again, she noted all the clouds were gone and the sky was clear. Stars were shining brightly and brilliantly. Just once, she would give anything for a miracle to happen on Christmas. Just once, it would be nice to see joy rather than despair in the parents faces. For once, it would be nice to have the families have a good memory of Christmas rather than a bad one. She could only pray for a miracle.
The next morning, Maria entered the intensive care unit, her feet feeling like lead. She ignored the chatter of the other nurses and headed over to Kayleigh's bed space.
"Maria? Did you hear yet?" Maria turned to see who was talking to her.
"Hear what, Michelle?"
"About Kayleigh?" she said excitedly.
Maria felt her stomach turn. "What about Kayleigh?"
"She extubated herself last night!"
Maria stared at Michelle. "How in the world did she manage to do that? She was barely even responsive to touch last night. Much less having the energy to pull out her breathing tube."
Michelle shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows how it happened, but it did. And..."
Maria could sense the other girl was just dying to tell her something. It was there in the twinkle of her eyes and the smile she could barely contain. "And?"
"Her parents refused to have her re-intubated."
"What!" Maria couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why didn't anyone call me? I wrote down that if anything happened to her I wanted to be called so I could be here for Kim and John."
Rushing over to the bed space, Maria saw the screens around the warmer and prayed that Kayleigh hadn't died yet. God knew she wouldn't last long without the ventilator.
Peering round the screens, Maria blinked twice before rubbing her eyes and staring at the sight in front of her.
"Oh my God!" she whispered hoarsely. "I'm not sure I ever believed in God before, but I definitely do now."
There in her mother's arms lay little Kayleigh, breathing regularly and pink as only a baby can be. Alive! Without the aid of any life support!
Kim looked up at Maria, tears in her eyes. "Kayleigh just wanted to make sure we all had a Merry Christmas this year."
Maria shook her head in disbelief as she kneeled beside Kim and caressed Kayleigh's tiny hand. "I prayed for a miracle last night, and I got one today. This is one Christmas I will never forget."
-End- 
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