Stay.....(kleenex warning)
Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:41 pm
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the
bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the
patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart
attack, he dimly saw the
young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen
tent. He reached out his
hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around
the old man's limp
ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit
beside the bed. All
through the night the young Marine sat there in the
poorly lighted ward,
holding the old man's hand and offering him words of
love and strength.
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move
away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the
Marine w as oblivious
of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the
clanking of the oxygen
tank, the laughter of the night staff members
exchanging greetings, the
cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The
dying man said
nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the
night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine
released the now lifeless
hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse.
While she did what she
had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of
sympathy, but the
Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she
answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him
before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to
him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I
also knew he needed his
son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized
that he was too sick to
tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he
needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you ... just be there.
Stay.
bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the
patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart
attack, he dimly saw the
young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen
tent. He reached out his
hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around
the old man's limp
ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit
beside the bed. All
through the night the young Marine sat there in the
poorly lighted ward,
holding the old man's hand and offering him words of
love and strength.
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move
away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the
Marine w as oblivious
of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the
clanking of the oxygen
tank, the laughter of the night staff members
exchanging greetings, the
cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The
dying man said
nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the
night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine
released the now lifeless
hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse.
While she did what she
had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of
sympathy, but the
Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she
answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him
before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to
him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I
also knew he needed his
son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized
that he was too sick to
tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he
needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you ... just be there.
Stay.