Hi everyone 🙂
It’s crazy to believe that Christmas is only two days away!! :O :O Which also means we’re on the 10th day of Christmas, so this party is ending soon! :O I hope you all have enjoyed it and maybe, even join it next year 😉
Today’s post will be the last and final part in the short Christmas story I’m writing, This Christmas Morning. Hope y’all enjoy it, and let’s get to it, shall we? by the way, this might not even be that good, but I’m just gonna post it anyway 😛
*~*~*
Part 3
Dave kissed Noelle on the forehead, as she laid sleeping in his arms, the morning sun rising, its rays filling the waiting room. It was quiet throughout the hospital, and only the occasional cry or laughter echoed through the halls. Emma was stable now, but Dave still wasn’t allowed to visit her yet. She had suffered from some sort of system failure, and Dave wasn’t sure if she would live.
A nurse stepped into the room. “Mr. Stanton?”
Dave stood up as fast as he could with a baby in his arms. “Yes? Can I see Emma now?”
“Yes, she’s stable, but Mr. Stanton, we don’t think she’ll make it through the night. I’m so sorry.”
Dave swallowed hard. “Which way?”
“Just down the hall and the first door on the right,” the nurse quietly whispered. Dave could tell she was deeply affected.
Dave nodded and made his way down the hall, pausing before he entered his wife’s room. He knew he wouldn’t be able to bear seeing her like this, yet he breathed a prayer of strength and opened the door.
Emma lay in the hospital bed, her long brown hair cascading down her shoulders and framing her pale, white face. Yet despite how she appeared, she had a peaceful complexion, and her lips formed an almost smile. Dave sat down next to her, held her cold hand. “Em, it’s me, Dave. Noelle’s here too. You wouldn’t believe how much she looks like you. So -” he choked on sobs rising in his throat. “So beautiful,” he finished. “I wish you could be here for when Noelle grows up. I don’t know how I’m gonna live without you.”
Emma moved her head slightly. “Dave,” she whispered.
Dave wiped a tear from his eye and moved closer. “Em, you’re awake. Shh, honey, don’t try to talk.”
Emma smiled faintly and closed her eyes. “I love you, Dave. I love you, my…my little daughter. Dave, will you tell her about me? Let her know how much I love her.”
“Of course,” Dave choked on his words. “I’m praying you can tell her yourself though.”
“Dave, they say… I’m not gonna make it,” Emma’s voice cracked.
“You’re gonna make it, Em. I know you will. You have to.” Dave couldn’t keep the tears away. They just kept falling, blurring his vision. He hastily wiped them away.
“Whatever happens, Dave, we can trust God in this.” Emma’s voice grew more and more hoarse.
Dave knew she was tiring out. “I bet Noelle wants to see her mama. She looks just like you, Em.”
Emma opened her eyes again and smiled as she looked on her daughter, so innocent and beautiful. “Can… can I hold her for a minute if you help me?”
“S-sure.” Dave gently laid the tiny bundle in Emma’s outstretched arms, keeping them up for support.
“Merry Christmas, Dave,” Emma said quietly as she kissed Noelle on the forehead.
“Merry Christmas, love.” Dave could tell Emma was weakening, so he took Noelle out of her arms. “Get some rest now. I’ll be here the entire time, okay? I won’t ever leave. I’m just going to take Noelle back to the nursery. Be right back.”
Emma nodded wearily, already drifting off to sleep.
Dave took Noelle back to the nursery, then hurried back to Emma’s room. Emma had fallen fast asleep again, and Dave took a seat next to her bed, held her hand gently. Lord, how can I live without her? It seemed from deep within his heart a little voice told him, “Trust me, My son. I am the Way, the Truth, and the LIFE. Emma’s life is in My hands.”
Only then did Dave realize the tears dripping down his face through his fingers, as he felt a calming peace wash over his body. Lord, I will trust you. Thank you for Your love and mercy. He then lay his head next to Emma’s and fell fast asleep.
*~*~*
Dave awoke with a startling realization that the room was now dark. Was it because the curtains were drawn over the windows? Or was it already night?
Uncurling from his position next to Emma, who was still sleeping, Dave stiffly got up and walked to the window. Yes, it was night. The Christmas lights shone brightly against the darkness of the streets. Emma would love to see this. He gently shook her and her eyes fluttered open.
“Em, I want you to see this. Look.” Dave opened the window’s drapes and took her hand as he sat down at the edge of her bed. “Isn’t it pretty?”
Emma nodded, tears filling her eyes. “I love you, Dave.” She began to shake with sobs as she crumpled into his arms. “I wish I didn’t have to leave you right now. Dave, please… please tell our baby about Jesus, and about this special day she was born on. Make sure she knows I loved her so much.” She touched his cheek. “I’m so thankful for our life we had together, Dave. I…I love you so much.”
Dave couldn’t stop the tears flowing down his cheeks and into her hair. “I will, Em. I will. I just wish it didn’t have to end so soon.”
“Don’t stop trusting God, Dave. I know He… had a plan for this. I love you.”
Dave swept her hair from her face. “I love you more than words can say.” He framed her face with his hands and kissed her. She sighed contentedly and then slipped into her Savior’s arms, the One Who had given His Son for her.
*~*~*
The funeral was held for Wednesday, two days after Christmas. Dave held Noelle, dressed in a little red dress, sleeping peacefully in his arms. “You look just like your mama, you know. I’ll always tell you about her, Noelle. She had a beautiful heart, and she… she loved you so much. She would have loved to see you grow up into a little girl, then a young woman. I know she’s proud of you already.”
Noelle opened her eyes sleepily and cooed. Sobs caught in his throat as he realized God’s gift to Him this Christmas was right in His very arms. A daughter who looked exactly like her mother. And I’m so thankful, God.
Thoughts? Lemme know what you thought in the comments, and I’m always open to alternative endings or ways I could have ended this better 🙂
Anyways, it’s only two days until Christmas! ah wow!
Merry Christmas, everyone 🙂
9 Kids plus 2 