Gifts Of Love. Crystal Stovall

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      When he tried to sit up, Jessie cautioned him to lie flat. “I called my father, and he should be here any minute now.” Send an ambulance, she prayed silently. “I don’t think you should move until you’ve been examined by an EMT.”

      David sighed loudly with a resignation that worried Jessie. Either he was hurt more badly than he appeared, or he was just exhausted. Whatever the case, he seemed unwilling to let go of her hand.

      So the three of them sat in the field in the middle of nowhere and waited. When Isabel plucked a brightly colored flower and presented it to David, he smiled.

      Yes, Jessie thought, everything is going to be okay.

      At the sound of an ambulance’s siren, Jessie felt a tiny tremor of emotion. As soon as help arrived, their fragile bond would be broken. And that saddened her in a way she hadn’t expected. Clutching Isabel with her free arm, she hugged the child tightly and kissed her on the top of her head.

      Clearly moved by the tender expression, David squeezed Jessie’s hand.

      As her father and the EMTs raced toward them, Jessie released David’s hand to stand and wave. Looking back down at him, she encouraged him with a smile. They would go back to their separate lives, and while their paths might never cross again, she knew she’d never forget him and Isabel. This brief moment had cracked open a part of her heart she’d thought she’d sealed off forever.

       Chapter Two

       L ying in the deep, wet grass, David knew he’d forget neither Jessie’s kindness, nor her courage. She had protected his daughter as if Isabel were her own, and for that he would always thank God.

      Looking up at her, he smiled, and when their eyes met he knew she felt the same measure of relief he did. He couldn’t think about what might have happened.

      “You’re sure Isabel’s okay?” he asked again.

      “Yes,” Jessie said gently. “Though she could use a bath. In fact, we could all use a bath, a hot cup of tea and a change of clothes.”

      Jessie grinned, and when she did, so did Isabel. David didn’t know when he’d seen a more beautiful sight.

      The EMTs set down their equipment and immediately went to work on David. While they assessed his condition, monitored his vital signs and checked for spinal injuries, David watched Jessie and Isabel.

      A few feet away, Jessie embraced her father, who had just arrived. “Daddy, I’ve never been so glad to see you in my life.”

      “Me, too, sweetheart. Me, too.”

      “Do you know where the storms hit tonight? Was there much damage?” she asked, eager for information.

      “From the radio reports I’ve heard so far, a series of tornadoes touched down. However, most of them were south of Springfield, and they all hit in less-populated areas like this. So far, no fatalities have been reported, and I’m praying there won’t be any. But there has been a lot of wind damage to homes and barns in this area, as well as several power out-ages across the city.”

      As one EMT prepared to transport David to the hospital, the other checked Jessie and Isabel, declaring them both in good condition.

      Jessie met David’s eyes briefly, and though she didn’t say anything, he knew her thoughts. They easily could have been fatalities. But somehow, and for some reason, God had spared them.

      Jessie kept pace with the EMTs and her father, as they hurried back across the field to the ambulance. Though her arm tired from holding Isabel, she refused her father’s offer of help. Neither did she let go of David’s hand. Though the storms were over, she still felt the need to hold on to him and to feel his strength.

      When they reached the ambulance, the EMT tried to keep her from riding with David, but she shoved her way into the vehicle and refused to budge. The driver turned on the siren, and in less than fifteen minutes the ambulance pulled up at the emergency room entrance. Greeted by hospital personnel, the ambulance doors opened, and Jessie finally was forced to let go of David’s hand.

      “Dada, dada,” Isabel said, as they wheeled her father away.

      “It’s going to be okay. Everything is going to be just fine, you’ll see,” Jessie promised.

      Following behind, Jessie reached the lobby area as David’s stretcher disappeared down a hallway and behind a thin white curtain.

      Having driven his own car to the hospital, Jessie’s father, Don, caught up with her from behind, giving his youngest daughter a squeeze on the shoulders.

      “Where’s Mom?” Jessie asked, suddenly aware of her mother’s absence, though feeling her prayers.

      “She’s staying at your sister’s house tonight.”

      “Is Maria sick again?”

      Don nodded. “She’s got a cold.”

      “Just when she seemed to be getting over the worst of her morning sickness. At this rate she’s going to be sick her entire pregnancy.” Though Maria was in her seventh month of pregnancy, she still suffered from bouts of morning sickness. During the past two months, both Jessie and her mother had taken turns helping Maria; because she had been so fatigued, she needed help caring for her eighteen-month-old son and husband.

      “Did the storm hit near them?” Jessie asked.

      “Strong winds gave them a few tense moments, but everyone’s fine.”

      “That’s good news.”

      A woman wearing white pants and a colorful smock approached them. As she handed a clipboard and pencil to Jessie, she said, “We’ll need your husband’s medical and personal history.”

      Refusing to take the clipboard, Jessie said, “Oh, he’s not my husband. He’s my…” She stumbled over the words. What was David to her? They really weren’t even friends. They were barely acquaintances.

      With ease, Don stepped in to explain. “My daughter just happened to be on the highway at the same time as the young man when the tornado struck. I’m afraid we really don’t have the information you need.”

      Finally, Jessie found her voice. “His name is David. David Akers.” Turning to her father, she added, “He’s Liz and Bart’s son.”

      “Well, why didn’t you say so?” Don exclaimed. Then his pleasure quickly turned to concern. “I’m sure I heard the Akers were leaving for an extended anniversary vacation in their motor home.”

      “Thanks for your help,” the hospital employee said, before she returned to the admittance desk.

      “What a night,” Jessie exclaimed to her father as she wiped her forehead with her sleeve.

      “You need to go home, take a shower and crawl into bed.”

      “I will,” she said, “but not until I know David’s okay.” She’d wait in her wet, grimy clothes all night if she had to. “Besides, I can’t abandon Isabel.”

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