The Heart is Troubled

word count- 1082

The snow outside hindered my visibilty to the point that I was plainly scared. Driving for what seemed hours, I glanced down at the clock on the dash and mentally tried to hurry my old car along this stretch of roadway. I was lucky it had got me as far as I was, taking into consideration the bad tires, wipers not working half the time and my gas tank was dangerouly close to empty!
With two small children in the backseat, huddled close together for warmth, I tried adjusting the heater control, hoping I could coax more heat to come through the vents. Mentally castigating myself for even thinking of making this trip in the dead of winter with below freezing temperatures, let alone dragging my two children out in it with me, I valiently kept driving watching the snow relentlessly being driven by the wind in front of my headlights.
Whining from the backseat, my youngest Mathew at 3 years old, continued sniffling wanting his safety belt off so he could look at the pretty snow coming down. Trying to keep him occupied for me, was Julia my oldest at 5, who repeatably kept trying to keep him interested in a book with not much success. What could I expect out of a five-year old for Pete's sake, who was still a child herself!
The call late last night from a hospital in Maine had said I needed to get there right away as my husband was in grave condition resulting from an automobile accident earlier. They had found his information in a wallet in his back pocket as he lay in the emergency room. Since he couldn't respond they had called the first names they came across in his wallet. Giving me directions on the shortest route I had thanked them and hung up the phone wondering how on earth I could manage to get there in this blizzard like winter storm.
Waking up Mathew and Julia, bundling them both up in their winter snowsuits, I explained how mommy had to go find daddy and they would have to come with me. I had no relation or anyone I could entrust to leave my children with so they would be safer with me. At least we would all be together.
Going out to warm up the car, watching the snow come down and pile up into drifts I took the children and fastened them into their car seats. Hoping against hope that my car would make it to Maine we started off sliding down the drive. After getting the car straightened out I drove as slow as was safe in the snow doubting my ability to get us there with all that seemed to be working against me. I refused to let my mind dwell on my husbands condition because I would be reduced to tears and that would scare Mathew and Julia, who trusted me explicitely to know what to do. They knew that mommies always know what to do. I wish I had that kind of childish faith in myself!
So here we were in the middle of a blizzard fighting our way to a hospital, praying my husband was still alive when I got there. I had no idea how I would survive the storm let alone survive without my husband if something happened to him. Our children were devoted to daddy and it would be so frightening to them to lose him. I silently prayed that we would not have to find out.
Peering thru the night I saw lights in the snow that looked like security lights up ahead. Slowly I saw the hospital looming up and ambulances coming and going. Finding a place to park, my car skidded but at the last minute righted itself coming to rest against a metal bar. I decided to stay where I was and opened the door so I could get the kids out to go with me. Unbuckling their belts they tiredly clung to my hand preparing to hurry into the hospital with me.
As we were heading down the sidewalk, snow pelted us in the face bringing tears to my eyes and blurring my vision. Mathew had his head buried in my neck with his legs and arms wrapped tightly around me. Julia walked beside me like a little old woman clinging to my hand tightly.
Seeing a bench, breathless, I sank down on it for a short rest, my arms wrapped around Mathew numb with fatigue. Julia put Mathew next toher so he would have someone to lean on and he snuggled right into her side. I looked out over the hospital park with the lights glowing and the snow drifting down watching people hurrying by in their apparent haste to get in out of the cold. I felt so hopeless and alone sitting there, knowing I did not want to go into that hospital and learn that my husband was already gone. But I had to face whatever news they gave me good or bad.
Rising from the bench I saw a man hurring toward the hospital with a long legged stride that looked familiar even from where I was sitting. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me but no matter how many times I blinked the man kept coming closer to us down the sidewalk. Coming to a complete stop in front of me, I heard him say my name as if he couldn't believe I was there and then he enfolded me into his arms, bringing my lips up to meet his in a soul shattering kiss. The kids jumped up and ran toward him grabbing his legs in their joyful reunion screaming "daddy!"
Later, after many tears and cups of coffee, we found out what had happened. Someone had mugged my husband stealing his wallet and knocking him out. Meanwhile, a policeman had recognized the thug from an earlier crime, later as he had a drink in a tavern, chased him down a street, where as the thug had been hit by an oncoming car that ran a red light. Having my husbands wallet still on his person, naturally the hospital had thought it was my husband, and called me just before the man had died.
Being hit on the head and knocked out my husband had been heading to the hospital on foot to get needed medical attention for his wound.
My prayers had been answered after all.

word count:1,082